With a focus on quesadillas, rather than the much trendier taco, Maizal grinds their corn and prepares their tortillas in house using an imported 
Nixtamex corn grinder. Each tortilla is made to order, as are the nachos that accompany their guacamole. The quesadillas come in a variety of stuffings including beef tinga, chicken pibil, poblano pepper and Oaxaca cheese. All quesadilla’s are accompanied by a side of rich and flavourful black beans and pico de gallo.
I opted for the beef tinga and my wife had the ground beef quesadilla. We shared an order of guacamole. The food had great flavour without ant overwhelming spicing. Nothing was too spicy or too mild but it should all appeal to a wide variety of palettes.
For those looking to add flavour, Maizal offers a green salsa and a red salsa as condiments. The red is the more fiery of the two, but then again, nothing too unbearable. I particularly enjoyed the zip of the beef tinga and the added cheese gave great texture.
Interestingly, Maizal does not offer conventional soft drinks. Although they are still awaiting their liquor license, they do offer a small but interesting variety of homemade drinks including “Horchata” and “Jamaica”. Horchata is a cinnamon-y sweet blend of rice and milk while Jamaica is a cold sweetened hibiscus tea. It was a hot day so we went with a glass of the Jamaica and quickly ordered a second after trying the first.
We were greeted and served by Ivan Wadgymar. He is one of the two owners and a genuinely friendly and gracious host. As newbie restaurateurs, Ivan (and his partner) Gabriela are still finding their feet and making small tweaks the the menu.
They didn’t quite anticipate the volume of people who would show up during the Liberty Village lunchtime rush but they are getting better at handling the 150 people who show up daily between 12 and 2pm. They are also planning to expand their weekend menu to add some brunch options.
These are nice people and they are producing some authentic Mexican street food that goes beyond current trends. It has a homemade genuine feel to it and I would like to see these guys do well. Give it a try:)
