Maizal

We were at the mall for dinner with our school during a class trip. We were the first group in there and there were only 2 people working. We ordered a picante bowl, steak quesadilla and chips and guacamole. They quickly made the picante bowl but decided to take other customers before coming back to our other dishes. It took them 30 minutes to make the quesadilla and the chips and guacamole. We ended up not being able to eat at the restaurant because our bus was waiting for us to leave. Moral of the story, if you are in a rush, don't order the quesadillas or the chips and guac.

This food is a perfect 10 out of 10.. for $4-6 (plus tax and a tip) you can have a culinary masterpiece in your hands.. an amazingly balanced set of textures and flavors in every bite, amazingly fresh.. an amazing deal right at my price point. This place is revelatory.

- what I am taking about here is the arepas, the tacos and the churros!

Pros: massive delicious burritos (I got the "pollo" which was good, too oily, but I would say next time to skip the potatoes) and a really nice male employee who rang us up. Bathrooms were fine.
Cons: there were no employees present when we walked in, so we weren't even sure if the restaurant was open for sure. They did not have brisket, which was on the menu, at 6pm on a Thursday. And the restaurant tables and floors were not very clean, not hugely dirty or huge piles of trash, but the tables weren't wiped down well, the floors were sticky and there was a big puddle of water by one of entrances.

Grateful for more food options in Ward 7 and close to Ward 8, I’m glad Maizal is open. Inside the Skyland development, it’s one of several fast-casual options.

The inside is new and beautiful with two murals on the walls, two clean restrooms, and plenty of seating.

The menu is large and includes tacos, enchilada, empanadas, etc. I ordered the curry chicken empanada with chimichurri sauce. It wasn’t the best I’ve had, but it was decent.

Service was unusually slow, but there’s plenty of parking with a large lot just outside.