Reviews of MAIZ colombian street food (Restaurant)

dustin cowden

This place is INCREDIBLE. I work a couple doors down and EASY eat Maize 4 out of the 5 days I work. Literally everything on the menu is out of this world! My go to are always the empanadas, that change every day!

Joe Presser

These arepas are not messing around because these arepas are very good. The vegan one, the chicken one, the pork one, the cheese one. Listen up, if you haven’t gotten that cilantro sauce yet, I’d say you should. And my friend tried the new sauce with yogurt and he said he liked it. Get an avocado on it, tell them Joe sent you. They’ll say “who?”

Courtney

The food is amazing!!

Paul Grobler

This was a great stop with excellent food. Now I want to visit Columbia! Coming from South Africa, where maize is a staple food, I was surprised with the maize bread. The salsa is also a great addition. PS. Great espresso based coffee!

Ben Wells

Super fresh and one arepa is plenty for lunch or dinner. Both meat a vegetarian options are great. With the choice of sauces there are lots of combinations to try. Great addition to the neighborhood. Excellent price for what you're getting.

Wendy Haltom

So amazing! Recommend the pork arepas

Marley

Modern, friendly, spacious, delicious.

Daniela Vargas

Super nice people, really good food! Definitely coming back

Mike Dandy

Unbelievable food!

Karol Olszynski

Authentic, delicious, and very friendly staff. Sauces are dynamite :)

Christopher Chop

Maiz is awesome. Friendly (and helpful) staff, great Arepas, awesome sauces, and chill atmosphere. We'll be back again and again!

Mrs F

Stopped here on my way to Bar Harbor. It took me a while to find it, not understanding that it was inside a building with multiple shops. What I ordered from the small menu was the most delicious and filling food I've had in a long time. So glad I had the chance to try it.

bigjims724

A MUST eat in Portland

Samantha Hayes

Great food, nice people!

Paulo Mendes

My wife and I came from Boston to spend a few days in Portland and MAIZ was a must place to go, Food was great and customer service was awesome, Thank you for the great food

Viktor Daniyelyan

Wow, an amazing food. Really good choice if you want to try authentic Colombian food, will definitely come back!

Deb P

I had never had arepas until I came to Maiz in their public market location. I’m so excited they’ve opened up this place that’s all to themselves. The inside is fun and bright. You can see the owners working behind the counters, good music, super friendly environment, lots of chatting. I love the vibe. And the food? Wow. Basically, start with the “cilantro sauce” (which is chimichurri - I’m not sure why they stopped calling it that?) and get anything on the menu to go with it. Soooo freaking delicious. I would eat that sauce by the spoonful if I could. Last time I was there I got the north spore mushroom arepa with plantains and other yumminess. That one doesn’t have cheese - it might be vegan, actually. It was incredibly delicious. The regular arepas (with cheese) are also amazing. I love the flavor of the arepa itself.

Jake B

I loved this place. I'd had arepas before, in California, but only once. I didn't really couldn't decide which to get, but no one ever went wrong ordering eggs in anything, so I got the breakfast arepa. Turns out that scrambled eggs with a thick chimichurri sauce are a revelation, and even better stuffed into a grilled corn cake. If you've never had an arepa that's basically what we're talking about, a thick chewy on inside, crispy on outside corn pancake. It's often compared to a tortilla since that's the purpose it serves, but a corn tortilla really has very little in common with it. Anyway, I loved it, I can't wait to come back to try something more meaty. The people working there seemed friendly, altogether it was really great. The only criticism, and it's a very minor one, is that if you're in a great hurry this might not be your spot. Not that they're really slow or anything, but it's not immediate.

Cindy Howard

So in my head this was a huge restaurant. It's not. It's up on the 2nd floor and super cozy! My aunt is Colombian so expectations where high and met! I loved the staff they are super nice and the food was amazing. I devoured a pork arepa and chicken empanadas! So delicious cant wait to go back

Gavin Bauer

Maiz is more than a fantastic casual restaurant with exciting, fairly priced (and gluten free) food and great drink options. The staff and the owners (who are usually there) are so friendly and welcoming, it feels like a sort of open family for everyone to join. Portland is lucky to have this new gem!

Dan Llewellyn

Phenomenal. Chorizo and chimmichuri. So good.

Marvi Rivera

Great service. Delicious food!

Colin Brennan

Amazing Chicken Arepa with Avocado!! Muy rico!

Grayson Nichols

The best meal that I’ve had in Portland, served up by a thoughtful and considerate staff. I got a suggestion in the menu and couldn’t have been happier with my choice. World- class arepas

Jason Brown

I really like this place. The Arepa, which are corn based and gluten free, are really good. The portion is very good and the price is on par with what I would expect to pay. The staff is great too. I'd recommend giving them a try

Troy Moon

Great experience. The host welcomed us warmly and explained our menu choices. The food was delicious and promptly served. Glad we stopped in and we plan to visit again.

John Winterbottom

They sell basically two things; arepas and coffee, and both are outstanding. First the arepas. These are made in house, (not from a packet), and are substantial enough to count as a meal in their own right. There are options for breakfast and lunch, for vegans and meat lovers and for salsa heads and those who like it plain. They are excellent. The coffee also is top notch. Any Colombian visiting this location would feel proud of the way their national beverage, (after aguadiente :), is represented. Freshly-brewed, light, not acidic and not over-roasted as so many other places do. A perfect complement to the arepas.

Sal Anthony

Amazing ! Great service! Even better food. A must stop .

Bill Dodson

Had arepas - one bean one pork. Very tasty. Cilantro sauce is really good. We had a helpful counter person. This place is going to get better and better. Very happy to have them in the neighborhood.

Liz Spitzer

This is THE BEST Colombian food I’ve ever had. The atmosphere is so cool and friendly. I love coming here. Food is always amazing and the owners are so down to earth and nice.

Jeremy Fink

Great family friendly spot!

Tom Sheridan

We ate here for diner after driving up from Boston. For three of us we got two pork and a vegetarian. The pork was single meat and that made us full. The tortilla was fresh, soft and cheesy on the inside crispy on the outside. We shared our sauces and our two favorites were the spicy yogurt and the sweet salsa. This was defiantly the best arepa I have ever had.

Abigail Harris-Culver

Decent amount of food but lacking in seasoning.

Brittani Rebeiz

Really yummy and friendly

Sol Martinez Guevara

Yoooooo! This place is amazing. The kind of freshness in their ingredients and the combinations of flavors is so good. I definitely recommend their bean arepa with their homemade chimichurri salsa and a breve, one of their really good coffee beverages. If you’re able to do so, take the time to eat the arepa there, while it’s still warm. This is a meal that is worth taking the time to eat, to savor every bite.The staff is amazing, really hard working & kind. Also, they have different winter hours. Below is a picture of their seasonal changes.

Joseph Collura

This is incredible high quality food at a reasonable price - very fresh, very delicious and very nourishing with LOTS of flavor.

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Honestly my only complaint is that there's too much food in the arepa and if you let it sit for too long after serving, the juices from the filling will make the arepa soggy. Their sauces are so yummy and I loooovveee getting to the cheese at the end. I'm not a fan of their empanadas -- they are a little too oily for me but really love the corn base. Not terrible but not first choice for sure. I wish they had the same arepa choices for their arepitas but maybe in the future :)

Chris McCain

Normally, I write longer reviews. Arepas are wonderful, the staff are nice and there's not much else you need to know. Just go.

Liz Phillips

Very good food, and fast service. A little expensive to my way of thinking. Canned wine!! & beer available. Clean restaurant with strange low backed chairs

Peter Malyon

Just perfect. Great food, great staff.

Shawn Davis

Great food, great fun. A must see place.

Luc Comeau

Awesome food and service. Great quality for the price.

Eric Spear

One of my all time favorite places for lunch in Portland. So delicious!

Toben Cooney-Callnan

Thenee place is great!!! Awesome food!! Terrific owners and staff!!!!! HIGHLY RECCOMEND!!!

marjswan

I ate my vegan arepa so fast I couldn't take a photo. It's that good. The cilantro sauce will be in my dreams from now on. Bf said their empanadas were magical. Great hospitality and you can tell the cook is very proud to serve excellent food. Tap water. Good prices. Clean.

alexandra hughes

Clearly, careful attention to details here. The food is excellent and very affordable. Will be going back many times

Bradley Derosa

Employee at the counter was very helpful and explained the menu. Great smelling restaurant. The food was quickly prepared and delicious. I will return here.

Jeremy Lota

These folks are the real deal! Authentic food, great service, amazing atmosphere!

Karina Coronel

Absolutely amazing! This is true Colombian food from the Cartagena region. The pan de bono was some of the best I’ve had, even in Colombia! The outside was crispy and the inside was sticky and tender from all the cheese. I especially liked the bits of cheese that were found throughout the bread. The empanadas were also fantastic! The empanadas were fried upon order and quickly brought to our table so they were fresh and delicious. The black bean empanadas were served with a cilantro-avocado sauce whereas the pork empanadas were served with a yogurt/picante sauce. Both sauces complemented their respective empanadas without overpowering the expertly spiced fillings. This is a restaurant I will go back to in the near future!

Jefersson Ruiz

The arepas are dank

Graham Parker

Oh my God everything is so good. I can't believe I've gone this long without carimañolas in my life!

Andrew Glasgow

Pure blissful comfort and savory goodness! The rainy evening made the old planks and brick of the market building combined with the smells of baking bread, coffee, and simmering somethings give up a musty and welcoming feel like stepping into my grandmothers kitchen. Martha, the Co-owner of Maiz welcomed me and gave a brief rundown of what was available. I went with a double meat chicken and pork Arepa with lots of avacado. The arepa was crispy on the outside and the filling was wonderfully creamy and savory. A completely satisfying delicious treat! I will be back to try the coffee and vegitarian offerings very soon!

Daniel Gutierrez

Delicious food with fast and friendly service.

Jack Albert

Food was excellent but the music was obscenely loud

Kate H

Such yuminess! Such pleasant folks! The food is always incredibly fresh and I highly recommend trying their coffee.

Dan Tran

It was my first time here with my wife and their food most certainly did not disappoint. Two bites in, my wife and I gave Martha (owner) thumbs up for sure! Highly recommended.

Kathrine Buentello-Gowen

Great food! Has really solid vegan options

Maria Toft Henriksen

Great street food! Will definitely come back.

Allison Briggs

Vegan option is to die for (no pun intended)

Josh Ranger

I'd never had an arepa before. Meat, cheese, beans, sauce, and other delightful things stuffed into a fresh corn pocket. Awesome! Highly recommend the pan de Bono (cheese bread) as well.

Douglas Simpson

Had a sensational breakfast arepa this morning from Maiz. Filled with eggs, tomato and cheese. I can't wait to try again.

Sof C

Authentic, affordable, and such a great place overall. Highly recommend for delicious Colombian food.

ANGELA PRECIADO

They are awesome, customer services, the food, the place, I really recommend them, very nice restaurant.

Sarah Lundberg

The Arepas at Maiz: messy, saucy, cheesy, and unforgettable. Could not recommend this place more!!

Selene Romoleroux

Delicious stuff Arepas and the coffee

C Remedies

Food was amazing, the owners and staff are super friendly, and the place itself is adorable. The guy behind the counter (Manuel?) was great and chatted with me while I was waiting. The owner was cooking the food herself and had a smile on her face the whole time. She even spoke Spanish to a few of the customers (it’s clearly authentic columbian food. 10/10 highly recommend, can’t wait to go back

Drew Fernandez

Amazing and delicious food. Large portions. Cheap/fair prices. Good atmosphere. Kind wait staff. There is nothing not to like about this restaurant. Highly recommended

Priscilla Jones

Awesome very good. Best gluten free and very fresh. An original. This one is a keeper.

Aaron Solet

Great food and staff. The pork in my Arepa was super tender and tasty. Portions are generous, so much so that things can get a bit messy.

Danielle F.

Food was amazing, staff was great, totally recommend. Vegan options, vegetarian options, and they can work with food restrictions.

Damika Browne

Food was awesome! Visited from Boston and had to go there before going back home!

Mony Mandel

Delicious, plentiful and affordable Colombian food. Loooved the arepas!

steven eaton

Pork was amazing, awesome staff, vegan option was great for fiancee

Daniel Mercer

Delicious Arepas...try the single pork with red sauce.

Andrea Paul

Seriously good food!! Can’t wait to go again! Also reasonably priced! So happy to have this new spot in the neighborhood!!

Laketta Young

Loved it

Thomas Tibbetts

This is one of those places you NEED to stop by if you're in Portland. Maiz continues to be a restaurant I frequent and I love taking people for the first time. Be warned you will need a few napkins, but trust me the arepas are well worth a little clean up! The owners are the sweetest people ever which makes the experience all the better. Do yourself a favor and stop by to grab an affordable and delicious meal!

Juan Agon

Authentic, delicious food. Nice location and great service.

Doug Swift

We had chorizo arepas, rice bowls with refried beans, pork belly, avocados, lime, and this incredible green pepper salsa. Everything was GF, super fresh, flavorful, and spot on. Very friendly staff, Latin dance music, and incredible food. We loved it so much we had to get more the next day!

T K

Food was excellent!

Justin Knowles

Maiz is simply fantastic. That garlic sauce is too good. Really , no hyperbole.

Carla Grobler

Amazing food!

Adam Curtis

Love the arepas!