Maizal Mexican Cuisine & Tequila Bar
“Love the mango-jalapeño margarita and the sweet plantain stuff with shimps.”
“Happy hour at the bar is from 4-6 on Fridays, noon to 6 on Saturdays and all day Sunday thru Thursday.”
“Astoria generally demonstrates a remarkable lack of Mexican food, so this restaurant is a welcome addition!”
Maizal Mexican Cuisine & Tequila Bar
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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While on a conference in NYC, My darling daughter said she was going to take me out for dinner, and to pick a place. Maizal stuck out because it was close to her, because of the almost unanimous high ratings, and because we both enjoy a good Mexican meal.
Our evening started on a good note because we found parking right next to the restaurant. My daughter, her room-mate (my 'other daughter') and I were greeted with a sincere welcoming smile, and invited to sit. We decided to have drinks and share two appetizers. All three drinks – a Lime mojito, cranberry mojito and a jalapeno margarita, were expertly prepared, presented, and enjoyed. The appetizers – a freshly made guacamole and a pair of potato/chorizo empanadas, were outstanding. The guac was not beaten to a creamy pulp, but left on the slightly chunky side, which added to the feeling of being invited in someone's home, instead of a commercial establishment. It was perfectly seasoned to our liking, a medium hot spiciness. The empanadas were hot,and crisp on the outside, and the filling had us all looking up at each other as we took a bite and said "Wow!"
Entrees. I had Steak Ranchero – a grilled marinated skirt steak served alongside sauteed shrimp, cooked with jalapeno skins, tomato, onions, fresh cilantro and a shot of Tequila. I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed a steak so much. The rest of our small group ordered the Mole Poblano Chicken Enchiladas and Fish Tacos. They used spiced flour and fresh grouper for the fish tacos, and the mole sauce on the enchiladas was absolutely impressive.
The place was not very busy, but there was a steady stream of people who braved the cold to partake in the warm, cozy atmosphere, the warm, friendly waitress, and the outstanding experience of an affordable, genuinely Mexican restaruant on a Wednesday evening.
Maizal-Tov!
This restaurant pretty much has everything one looks forward to in eating out besides taste, which is seriously lacking.
Clean chic decor and ambience with constant attention from servers. Just from that this place deserves 5 stars but the food was exceptionally disappointing.
First thing that upset me was what kind of place serves paella on a plate with some odd tasting sauce and slices of meat on top?!?!?!?!?!?!?! That is NOT paella! The rice and beans that came with my grouper fish tacos were the exact same rice on the plate they served us as "paella". Literally right on top were some pieces of shrimp and on top of that were slices of chorizo and chicken. Lastly, the sauce. Some odd red sauce. I took one bite and was disgusted. My rice and beans were a whole lot better than this entrée…
My grouper fish tacos; all I can say is the fish itself has no taste and the green sauce they serve with this plate is tart and not satisfying. It's really the only flavor you get from eating this. Another disappointment.
I did enjoy the stuffed plantation and empanadas though. Although for the stuffed plantation, you don't need that shrimp and a few slices of avacado. I thought the plantation itself tasted better. Same goes for the empanadas. I preferred it without their sauce because it was overpowering.
I would however like to give this place another shot for their enchiladas which looo extremely appetizing.
A charming young man I met on Tinder took me on a first date here for Cinco de Mayo, and we had a great experience. Noisy modern bar area up front, and quieter spacious dining room in the back with a romantic atmosphere. Décor popped with warm, golden and red hues. Glad we had a reservation for 8pm, as it was packed and weren't actually seated until about 8:30.
Their guacamole is very fresh! My spicy pork burrito was delicious and pressed neatly, which I appreciate since most places will have theirs fall apart after two bites. And their passion fruit margaritas were so tasty and not overly sweet, we *obviously* had to order six.
Maizal is a trendy restaurant among young people in their late 20s and early 30s, and I would recommend if you're seeking a higher echelon of Mexican food.
This place is awesome and has become our go-to spot for Mexican in Astoria. Nice ambiance and great date spot. My fiance and I have been here a couple of times over the past few months. The food is delicious and the service is excellent. We usually split the single avocado guacamole as an appetizer. For entrees, we usually split 2 of them and are satisfied. I highly recommend the skirt steak, shrimp fajitas, steak fajitas, or the tequila and lime fired shrimp. Also, for drinks, they make great margaritas. I highly recommend the margarita classica, jalapeno margarita, or the margarita superior. This place is great and if you're craving Mexican and happen to be in Astoria, then look no further and definitely check this place out. You will not be disappionted!
Just as a rule of thumb, I don't like paying too much for Mexican food. Not that it can't be good enough to charge more, but when you've had amazing Mexican cuisine for a few bucks it's hard to justify paying more elsewhere. With that in mind, this spot did well despite my reservations.
Was debating on whether to get the guacamole since it looked so good. However, since we get free chips/salsa with the meal there was no need. Ended up ordering the Chille Relleno ($14) and the Pollo Patron ($16) respectively. Each dish came with these delicious sweet plantains surrounding a bed of rice. Chicken is cooked well and drowned in a hearty broth/sauce. We asked for some extra side hot sauce that you only need to dab the food with. Stuffed pepper is filled with melted cheese that was also very good. Happy hour is all day on Sunday so we got two glasses of some strong red sangria ($6 each).
Service here started off really attentive but wavered as two big groups came in. Again, I do find the prices higher than I'd like, hence why we ordered dishes we'd normally wouldn't get. Execution is well done though and really enjoyed my meal.
I have nothing but amazing things to say about this place! Let's start with the location. I love Steinway and the craziness of Astoria but I love the fact that this place is off the main path. It looks small and quaint on the outside but once you enter it really opens up to a very cute and modern looking restaurant. So we all know I love food and alcohol but I have to say the highlight of my night was our server, Ed. He was outgoing, friendly and overly attentive. He gave us sound recommendations and made sure we were not neglected. His cheerful disposition and upbeat personality made our night! If you go, you have to ask for Ed! Mention my Yelp review! Lol
Ok as for the food and drinks, the menu provides an assortment of modern and traditional Mexican dishes. I have to say I ate a lot and you can see my pics on the main pics section but what stood out above everything was the fried plantain with garlic shrimp on top. Honestly this was amazing!! I am a sucker for a fried plantain and this was a unique way to serve it and despite my allergy to shrimp I still shoveled a few down my throat lol. The guac was delish! And the fish tacos weren't terrible either. Sunday's they do $6 margaritas and you have to try the jalapeño margarita. So good!
My boyfriend and I came to this restaurant on a Friday night. We made a reservation. It wasn't too crowded. We ordered two margaritas, which were good. To start we ordered guacamole with steamed tortillas. We really liked it. For dinner, I had beef short ribs. They were tender and delicious. My boyfriend had the skirt steak. It was cooked well and had great flavor. Overall, we liked this place and the service was good. I would definitely return.
After having walked past this place more times than I can count, but never actually going in (I'll be honest, I saw a taco price and kept on going, but we'll return to that…), a friend threw her birthday party here, so it was finally time to try it out.
We arrived on a Friday night around 8pm, with our 6 month old in tow, half expecting the place to be slammed and only being able to stay for a few minutes with the baby. Luckily, there was plenty of space and it wasn't crowded or loud at all. We were even able to have a baby seat set up so she could sit at the table with us!
Perusing the menu, I saw the aforementioned tacos. To this day, I will not accept that two steak tacos can cost $18.95. That's obscene, and a crucial factor in holding back that coveted 5th star. Since I absolutely can not justify that cost (especially with a new baby!) I looked around at what they had to offer in the appetizers. Hey look! Burritos at a much more reasonable $12! I ordered up a chicken burrito, and DAMN did it deliver. It was delicious and monstrous. I'm not entirely sure how this is considered an appetizer. My wife ordered the chorizo and potato empanadas which were fantastic.
But let's talk about the exact thing that will bring me back time and time again. The stuffed sweet plantain. Are you kidding me? The owners of Maizal *clearly* have it in with the kitchen of the Gods, because that's the only way this scrumptious delight can exist on this planet. It's phenomenal, huge, cheesy, sweet, and spicy. After completely devouring mine, Margot G. offered me the remainder of hers since she was stuffed, and I pounced on it.
Lastly, their drinks are spot on. I had a great mojito, while others indulged in their margaritas. These were anything but watered down. Two small margaritas and you're feeling GOOD.
I cannot wait to come back!
*Sidenote for larger parties: They're pretty stingy when it comes to splitting the tab. You can only use 2 credit cards per group. Not the easiest thing when you have 8-10 people, and honestly who carries cash these days? At nearly $20 for two tacos, I'm sure this place can afford to run a few more cards.