El Maya

4.3 (195)

$30 and under

Mexican

1522 W Montrose Ave., Chicago, IL 60613

OverviewReviewsDetails

About this restaurant

Innovative
Neighborhood gem
Good for groups

Modern Mexican Cuisine. We have fresh Margarita mix every day.

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Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Mexican, Latin American
Hours of operation
Monday 5:00PM- 10:00PM Tuesday 5:00PM- 10:00PM Wednesday 5:00PM- 10:00PM Thursday 5:00PM- 10:00PM Friday 5:00PM- 11:00PM Saturday- 5:00PM- 11:00PM Brunch Saturday - Sunday -10:30AM to 2:30PM
Website
http://www.elmaya.us/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Javier Cruz
Private party facilities
Let us know if it is your first time dining with us with your party of 6 or more to recieve a 20% discount.

Location
1522 W Montrose Ave., Chicago, IL 60613
Neighborhood
Uptown
Cross street
Ashland Ave
Parking details
Street Parking
Public transit
Brown Line at Montrose
Additional
Bar Dining, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Guacamole Fresco$7.00
Fresh made to order with your choice of spiciness (mild, medium, or spicy). Served with onions, garlic, tomato, cilantro and lime.
Pulpo Yucateco$8.50
Fresh baby octopus sautéed with garlic, guajillo chile and our homemade mojo de ajo. Served with toasted garlic bread.
Empanda Caseras$7.50
Two guajillo corn masa turnovers filled with chihuahua cheese and epazote. Topped with an arbol tomatillo salsa.
Queso Fundido$8.50
Melted chihuahua cheese with a goat cheese center. Served with toasted basil bread.
Ceviche Del Dia$8.99
Please ask your server for the ceviche of the day as it varies.
Albondigas$7.00
Mexican mini meatballs made with chorizo, boiled eggs and epazote. Topped with an arbol salsa and a mojo de ajo. Served with toasted garlic bread.

Platos Fuertes

Piramide$7.00
Three layers of shredded stewed chicken with melted chihuahua cheese and three golden corn tortillas. Served over a mole poblano sauce accompanied by arroz verde and spinach.
Carne Asada$19.00
Pan seared skirt steak marinated in achiote topped with a chiltomate salsa. Served with wilted spinach, cilantro potatoes and a side of black refried beans with queso fresco.
Salmon Del Sol$17.00
Pan seared salmon stuffed with crab meat over a chiltomate sauce. Served with green rice and wilted spinach topped with queso fresco and fried wheat plantains.
Envuelto$19.50
Grilled skirt steak with sautéed spinach and melted chihuahua cheese. Served on top of sautéed mushrooms, cilantro potatoes and an arbol tomato salsa.
Molcajete$19.00
Your choice of grilled chicken breast, skirt steak, or Atlantic shrimp with melted chihuahua cheese, grilled cactus and scallion onions, diced cilantro and white onions. Topped with a molcajete salsa. Served with corn tortillas and black beans.
Puc Chuc$19.50
Pork tenderloin marinated in achiote and orange juice. Served with black beans, potatoes with capers, and sauteed spinach.
Pollo Oaxaqueno$17.50
Pan seared chicken breast stuffed with sautéed mushrooms and Mexican squash, topped with roasted tomato honey chipotle salsa and melted chihuahua cheese. Served with cilantro potatoes and wilted spinach.
Camarones Alpistachio$18.00
Seared Atlantic shrimp served with mole pistachio, a side of cilantro pesto rice and wilted spinach.
Pechuga De Puebla$17.50
Pan seared chicken breast filled with spinach over creamy poblano sauce. Served with a garlic potato puree, wilted spinach and sautéed mushrooms.
Enchiladas$16.00
Three enchiladas filled with your choice of shredded chicken or steak* and chihuahua cheese.Topped with mole poblano, mole rojo, tomatillo, arbol tomatillo. Served with salad and crema Mexicana.

Beverages

Sodas$2.50
Coke, Sprite, Diet Coke, Jarritos (tamarindo, naranja, & lime)
Virgin Margaritas
- Glass$3.00
- Pitcher$11.00
Virgin Sangrias
- Glass$3.00
- Pitcher$11.00

Reviews

OpenTable reviews from verified diners

Reviews from people who have dined at El Maya.

4.3

(195)

4.4Food
4.2Service
3.7Ambience
1.4Value

Noise • Energetic

195 Reviews

OT
OpenTable Diner
Chicago2 reviews
2.0
Dined on November 4, 2017
1. Overall 2
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
First off, the place says it is BYOB in Yelp and website. It is not. Drinks were good but skimpy. Food OK. My wife had Salmon, which was good. My entre, nothing special. Overpriced. Half way through the meal, staff seated a couple with a screaming and ill-behaved child next to us even though the place was virtually empty. Would not return
Is this helpful?
GR
GregR
Dallas12 reviews
4.0
Dined on October 1, 2017
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Delicious and authentic. Would recommend to anyone in the city. Affordable and very good service.
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DG
DiscerningGratefulFoodie Gold
Richmond22 reviews
3.0
Dined on September 22, 2017
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 1
No longer BYO, they need to update social media. Salsa tastes like tomato-basil spaghetti sauce. Disappointed overall.
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A
Arlecchino
Chicago19 reviews
4.0
Dined on September 9, 2017
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
It was our first time here and we enjoyed it very much. The service was exceptionally friendly and pleasant and the food was quite good. It had an interesting preparation and was beautifully plated. You should know that they now have a liquor license, and a full assortment of cocktails and other beverages. Also I want to recommend the cheesecake. it is really more of a cake than an American style cheesecake, but it is quite heavenly and large enough for splitting. Not overly sweet, either.
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HG
HowardG
Chicago7 reviews
3.0
Dined on July 30, 2017
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Friendly, fast service, suitable for before or after theater. Place was practically empty from 7:30 until closing on a Saturday evening, makes me wonder why they bothered with a liquor license. I understand it was more popular as a BYOB. Pitcher of margaritas very weak. Food-wise, well prepared but unusual ingredients for Mexican fare, on the pricey side, and the dishes seemed over-worked. The Venezuelan restaurant a block away was hopping, with a menu of standard fare. El Maya might be better off sticking with a more traditional Mexican menu rather than the "fine-dining" approach that isn't at all what most people would expect.
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C
Caldafron Gold
Chicago19 reviews
3.0
Dined on July 19, 2017
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
We were there on a Tuesday night and one of the two dining rooms all to our group of four. The menu is more promising than the food delivered, but the food was generous, solid and nicely cooked.
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T
Teterec Gold
Chicago10 reviews
5.0
Dined on July 16, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
great food and nice staff. food always tastes great
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
Chicago1 review
3.0
Dined on July 9, 2017
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
The food was fresh and ok but trying to be trendy. I prefer authentic Mexican food. The margaritas were very sweet and dense with lemon flavor.
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r
robert
Chicago6 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 17, 2017
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
El Maya is a gem! We always take out of town guests and are never disappointed. The food is creative Latin fusion with something for everyone. We usually order beer to drink but last time decided to try the house crafted cocktails. Delightful! They have an especially delicious chocolate dessert served in a corn husk. Yum!
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J
Jenn
Chicago26 reviews
4.0
Dined on June 11, 2017
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Delicious ceviche, fresh and authentic dishes, fun decor
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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Mexican, Latin American
Hours of operation
Monday 5:00PM- 10:00PM Tuesday 5:00PM- 10:00PM Wednesday 5:00PM- 10:00PM Thursday 5:00PM- 10:00PM Friday 5:00PM- 11:00PM Saturday- 5:00PM- 11:00PM Brunch Saturday - Sunday -10:30AM to 2:30PM
Website
http://www.elmaya.us/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Javier Cruz
Private party facilities
Let us know if it is your first time dining with us with your party of 6 or more to recieve a 20% discount.

Location
1522 W Montrose Ave., Chicago, IL 60613
Neighborhood
Uptown
Cross street
Ashland Ave
Parking details
Street Parking
Public transit
Brown Line at Montrose
Additional
Bar Dining, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?

Claim this listing

El Maya

About this restaurant

Not available on OpenTable

There’s more to explore

Additional information

Menu

Entradas

Guacamole Fresco$7.00

Pulpo Yucateco$8.50

Empanda Caseras$7.50

Queso Fundido$8.50

Ceviche Del Dia$8.99

Albondigas$7.00

Platos Fuertes

Piramide$7.00

Carne Asada$19.00

Salmon Del Sol$17.00

Envuelto$19.50

Molcajete$19.00

Puc Chuc$19.50

Pollo Oaxaqueno$17.50

Camarones Alpistachio$18.00

Pechuga De Puebla$17.50

Enchiladas$16.00

Beverages

Sodas$2.50

Virgin Margaritas

Virgin Sangrias

Reviews

Additional information

Not available on OpenTable