" Way Better Than Cantina "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

This was the third time eating here, and this time we ate at the bar area which was relaxing and laid back, (I think the actual dining area seems a bit too fine dining.) The staff were super cool as always, especially this one girl in the bar area, who is eager to speak english, and I've notice it has improved alot from the time I saw her last.

So we each ordered the three taco combo (which for 75 RMB I think in Shanghai is actually a pretty good deal.) I got Beef tongue, turkey mole and the fish which all tasted great! And of course, gotta order the guac which for 65 RMB is expensive but really good nonetheless. Just in terms of food quality and authenticity alone, this place is way better than Cantina.

The bad:
300 RMB for a pitcher of margarita is outrageous, that's like 12 tacos!!! We also asked for "on the rocks" but it came blended but thats ok.

The good:
Gotta get the churros, reminds me of taiwanese style fried doughnut (you tiao).

" Great Choice For Mexican Fusion "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

If you're not craving hard core Mexican food and are willing to try Mexican fusion, Maya's a great pick. Yeah, I got kind of lost trying to find it, but once I made it inside I found the place worth the search effort. The ambiance is super laid-back and a great place to just hang out. Drinks were nicely prepared (although wait staff were hit or miss in serving them within a reasonable time frame) and food came out hot. The mains looked pricey but we were actually able to fill up off the taco and appetizer menus. I didn't get to try the ceviches (which looked great), but definitely will the next time. Brad Turley just left to work on other projects so it'll be interesting to see what the new chef has in store.

" Had A Great Meal "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Just been to Maya for the first time. We'd heard a lot of great things and we weren't disappointed!
Don't expect tons of nachos and burritos - its not that kind of place. Expect delicious mexican tapas (e.g. mini enchiladas), salads etc.

We didn't get as far as a main course as we just gorged on the appetisers and starters - but what we had was very, very tasty indeed.

The waitress was extremely friendly and the restuarant is well designed and very comfortable - its a nice enough to go for a business dinner, but also relaxed enough to hang out for happy hour with your buddies.

" Great Food, But What Happened To The Service? "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Last night I went with a group of around 20 people to Maya for a friends birthday dinner. It was a Tuesday night, and we made up about 50% of the clientele in the restaurant. The food was excellent, the drinks were a little steep at 300 RMB for a pitcher of Margaritas (really people, 50 bucks for a pitcher is a little steep...).

The waiter was great, he took our orders without confusion and always had a smile and commented (mostly positively) on our selections. The food arrived in time and was tasty as could be, Brad Turley's legacy of flavorful ingredients lives on despite his absence.

Dinner was great, a little hefty on the wallet but what really made the experience negative was at the end. My friend's girlfriend had gone out and dropped 250 RMB + on a cake from Hagen Daaz to celebrate. When we asked them to bring out plates, they refused saying that we would have to pay 150 RMB for some sort of "cake-age" fee. There was hardly anyone else in the restaurant, we probably ordered 4-5k RMB worth of items, and they had the gusto to ask for a measly 150 RMB to simply cut up a cake. If they offered cakes on the menu, maybe this would be approaching acceptability, but they insisted that "these were the rules." The experience was great, except for that major blunder. We paid the 150, and they gave us paper plates and plastic forks! Insult to injury... Think about it, Maya: you had the opportunity, on a Tuesday night, to make 20 people feel that much better about their dining experience, or make a measly 150 RMB and piss everyone off. You chose the latter, and thus I'll and most people at the party will be choosing another place to spend my 300 RMB next time I go out to eat.


<Updated Aug 7>
After talking with the management about this unfortunate encounter, I've learned that they actually didn't bill us for the cake. Strange that they didn't just tell us that at the time as it might have settled tempers a little bit but a welcomed gesture regardless. Additionally, to their credit they tried to put out the fire at the time by giving us tequila shots. I still think the whole fiasco could have been avoided by a conciliatory approach given the circumstances, but that is just this diner's opinion. Are restaurants giving away too much? Should they be obligated to bend to every customer's demand? I admit there is a fine line between profitability and graciousness but as a customer who reserves his 300+ RMB meals for special occasions, I hoped for a little less rigidity.

" Nice Fusion Restaurant "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

We went to Maya last night and it was packed,lots of couple seemed to like it for date. Portions are small but food quality is ok and I liked the food presentation. I guess it is more about the presentation than the food... I found it little too expensive for the quantity/quality of food. But the environment is nice and service was quick. I am not a mexican food fan so I don't think that I will come back any soon for dinner, maybe for drinks and appetizer though.
Pay attention if you come with your own car : We parked inside the compound and our waiter gave us a card to show at the exit to have free parking. At the exit the guards refused to let us out saying that we need to pay 10RMB to them...it didn't seem right so we went back to the restaurant to call the waiter who helped us with the guards and let us out!

" My New Favourite Place "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Maya is now one of my favourite restaurants in shanghai. The first few times I went I didn't make it past the starters and appetizers as I just kept trying different selections.The tacos and cerviches are great and the guacamole is excellent. Since the decor is nice and the service is good I even chose to host a business dinner for 30 guests and it went over extremely well. Try the chicken in mole sauce! It's real mole! I like to try places a few times even when I have a bad experience to get a true feel for the place (we all have off days) and Maya has been consistently positive.When asked for dinner suggestions Maya is at the top of my list.