Perhaps you’ve tried the new Mexican restaurant that opened in August in the strip mall at the corner of Greensprings and Oxmoor. Maya Mexican Restaurant brings another spot for Mexican food to West Homewood, but this time in the form of a Tex-Mex grill, rather than a taco truck. We at Foodies of Bham have already tried it out numerous times and our verdict is: the food is good, but the margaritas are the best around! Maya offers an extensive selection of fresh fruit margaritas and they are amazing-trust us, we’ve tried them ALL!
Owners Juan and Marco Perez, brothers, opened the restaurant after working in the industry for years. The duo is known for taking a very hands-on approach in their restaurant, both frequently serving tables and entertaining customers from behind the bar. You are sure to experience a warm and welcoming environment at Maya.
Exploring the Margaritas
On our first visit, we went with the traditional house margaritas: one frozen and one on the rocks. They were both stout and delicious; a definite step-up from other standard margaritas in the area. But had we known what all Maya had to offer, we wouldn’t have stopped there.
On our next visit we grew a little more adventurous. We sat at the bar and chatted with Marco, one of the establishment’s owners. He encouraged us to try the “Margarita of the Week” which at the time was the Red Berry Margarita. Maya offers a weekly special Margarita for only $3.99 Monday-Thursday. The Red Berry Marg was amazing; a combination of fresh raspberries and strawberries deliciously muddled into a margarita, served with a lime. After trying this fruity concoction, we were hooked and made a game plan to try them all!
We made our way through the fruity flavors: trying blackberry, peach, strawberry, etc. All of these were fantastic and were made at the bar with fresh fruit.
We also made our way through the “Especialty Margaritas” which includes the Cadillac (Juan’s favorite), Cucumber, Jalapeno, Pomegranate (our favorite), Presidente, Prickly Pear (a close second) and Passion Fruit, amongst others. A surprisingly good margarita was the cactus, which has a lovely, frothy texture.
After trying all of the margaritas on the menu (on quite a few separate visits) we found out that there are a few secret menu items. This week we discovered the Chili Mango margarita. We can’t wait to see what else these brothers come up with!
The Food
One menu item that sets Maya apart from other local restaurants is the El Jaguar Burrito: a large burrito stuffed with sliced steak and mushrooms, rolled up in a tortilla, covered with cheese sauce and topped with high-quality chorizo and a handful of cilantro. This dish is certainly unique and the cilantro and mushrooms really add to the flavor.
Another favorite dish of ours is the Pollo Loko: grilled chicken set over a bed of Spanish rice topped with cheese sauce. What more could you ask for? This dish is savory and very filling.
Another family favorite of ours: the fajita nachos. Again, it’s hard to go wrong with fajitas and cheese!
Maya is open Sunday-Thursday 11-2 for lunch and 5-9:30 for dinner and 11-10:30 on Friday and Saturday. They are located at 308 Oxmoor Rd Homewood, AL.
