I've been coming to Casa Maya for over 20 years and the food up to now has been fantastic! We ate here yesterday and I was shocked - the food was tasteless: the tortilla chips and taco shell stale, the food bland and without any heat. When I told the waiter about the stale chips he told me they were new chips and they are under new management. Under new management generally means things improve but in this case, things went way downhill! In addition to the food being poor, the wait staff not once checked on us and we had to hound the passing / rushing waiter to bring us more water. Not returning here.. which is sad, as we drove 10+ miles to eat great Mexican. Will now have to find a new place. read more

Not much to say but the place Issa authentic as it gets, food, service, decor....I cannot wait to get back there and eat everything! Yumyums Also being BYO makes this place even better also read more

Introduced by friends to this place. Some of the reviews on yelp are harsh. Its a 4 out of 5 restaurant. Dining room is small and cute. Food is good and fresh. Tasty white meat chicken and quality ingredients. This entire part of NJ lacks good Mexican joints -- but this place will satisfy your urge. Oh! Also ask for churros - not on menu but they will make them for you and they are awesome. read more

Casa Maya may be one of the best restaurants in entire region when it comes down to food prep and taste. (Note: I wrote "restaurants," not "Mexican restaurants"; it's that good. With the possible exception of Princeton's Tortuga's Mexican Village, it blows all other area Mexican fare out of the water.) Yes, the decor is kitschy, and it does get crowded on weekends, but you'll quickly forget about the dangling chile peppers and the wait time once you sit down to eat. I guarantee this if you sample anything served with their chef's mole sauce. Sampling Casa Maya's mole is tantamount to the most powerful of religious experiences. Here's a hint: skip the weekend/evening rush and try it for lunch on Sunday or mid-week. Note: The elderly and those with weak eyes may want to bring along a book light to read the menu, or request one of the handful of window seats. It can get pretty dim in there, though that may be a plus for those on a blind date. read more

I'll echo what others have said: definitely the best Mexican food in the area. If you live nearby, you know that good Mexican is hard to come by. I got the chicken mole poblano, and thought it was fantastic. Came with refried beans, spanish rice, guac, sour cream, and half a dozen small tortillas to make my own soft taco/wraps. Excellent. I can never find mole anywhere, and this was quite good. Rich and flavorful. Portion sizes are excellent, too. My girlfriend got a daily special enchilada, and it was a massive plate with a bunch of different kinds of Mexican fare. And it's BYO, which is great. Bring some cold beer and have a good time. read more

First time tonight, food was excellent....I have carnitas for lunch tomorrow! Here is my complaint the service. Not awful, but just "ok" I brought w six pack of beer. Never was offered a glass or to put them on ice. Took one empty but not the other 3. I was done and my wife was done. I went to sample and the waiter tried to just take the plate. He left it and left me sample. They cleaned the table and we waited about 15 min for the bill. I will go back for the food just hope the service gets better! read more

Best Mexican place ever, this hole in the wall (fork in the road) is some of the best Mexican cuisine I've ever had, and this place (Casa Maya) will make all of your dreams come true for your taste buds. BTW the Chimichanga is very similar in it's addictive properties to crack cocaine. read more

The food is authentic and pretty decent. If you live in the area and you're craving Mexican, it will probably do the trick. The service, however, is awful. The first time we came last summer, it wasn't that busy but the wait staff was slow. Then, while we were eating, my husband was stung in the back by a wasp. We looked up, and saw a few wasps flying over our heads. I told the host about it (since there were small children sitting at the table next to us) and his response was: "You probably brought the wasp in with you." Oh you're totally right, buddy! The wasp was our honored guest and he must've stung my husband because we forgot to order him an entree! We decided to give the place a second chance. It was a busy night (which we understood) so the hostess said the wait would be 45 minutes. She hands me the list and is watching as I put my name down. I see the people ahead put their phone numbers down, so I put mine down as well, thinking they will call when it's our turn. Keep in mind this is a tiny place with no lobby or bar area to hang out at, and it was pouring rain outside. My husband and I wait in the car in a tiny lot that fits only 3 cars. After about 20 minutes, the rain stopped, so we decided to get out of the car and check on the progress. I go inside and see my name is crossed off. I ask he hostess why that is and she said she called our name but we didn't respond. I said I left my phone number and she said "We don't call or text"... even though she saw me and other people leaving our numbers. I said, "How much longer do we have to wait for a table now?" She didn't respond, just gave me this blank stare. We just left. First of all, they should've provided a more accurate estimate of the wait time. Second, if you don't have a bar or a waiting area, you should be more flexible about your no calling or texting policy. And lastly, even if you refuse to do that, you should at least let the customer know while you're watching them leave their name and phone number! Why did she think I was doing that, anyway? So she could ask me out on a date? Never coming here again. read more

stumbled upon this restaurant by accident when heading to hillview farm for fruit picking. Amazing atmosphere, genuine authentic Mexican cuisine. Highly recommend--wait staff very friendly. read more

Casa Maya - Mexican Near Me - Gillette, New Jersey

Went there for lunch. Based on other reviews, I assumed it would be a decent tex-mex, but I was disappointed. The setting was decent though it feels like it's in the middle of nowhere, staff (2 ppl) was courteous, gratis chips and salsa was good, the bean sopas was OK and that's the positive part my experience today. I ordered their lunch special for Tamal and Enchilada with chicken and it was a bummer. They used huge pieces of chicken in both enchilada and Tamal and even though it was cooked well, it had that raw chicken smell to it. And the Tamal, hey used like a huge mound of corn meal which tasted funny. Overall, I doubt if I'll go back again.. it could just be an off day today for them, otherwise it's hard to make sense of all the overwhelmingly positive reviews. I'd prefer "On the Border" over this place any day. read more

Stuffed and amazed! My husband and I split some camarones al ajillo. The flavor was divine! I had the chiles rellanos and he had the chicken and beef combo fajitas. Also amazing! We asked for chipotle sauce. They didn't have any but about 10 minutes later the waitress produced some made right on the spot in the kitchen. Unbelievable! We will definitely be back. read more

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Love that you can byob! We have been here many times & we always get the same thing. Chicken Mole 5 stars Cactus Burrito 5 stars In the middle of nowhere but just Love going here! Great food & decent/affordable prices! read more

This location is private and its pretty small. byob which I don't like for mexican because its hard to bring a margarita which I like to have with mexican. The food is alright, its kid of bland. I would like them to use better quality chicken and steak and cut down on the proportions. Its quality not quantity that I care about. Overall its just alright. read more

The food is very good here, but the restaurant design is seriously dated, lighting is so low I can't see the menu, and the service is slow. I had to ask 3 times to order, then again had to request the bill 3 times to pay and leave. Chances of me coming back, slim to none. read more

Casa Maya - Chimichanga and a pork asada - Mexican Near Me - Gillette, New Jersey

Restaurant is so cozy, the service is amazing, food is incredible but I don't prefer the Pico de Gallo it's all onions and no tomatoes, not how it should be made. read more

How many times have I driven by this place and not given it a second glance? Too many, but I feel I've done my penance by denying myself this long. What a great place for a quiet meal with friends - good food (I had the cheese enchiladas, served with unbelievably good black beans and yellow rice), reasonable prices, and an attentive wait-staff. I like the ambience, too, with tiled booths and chili pepper lights. I hear that it can get pretty crowded, but the good news -- they have takeout, so you don't have to be denied! Already looking forward to my next meal there! read more

This is far and away one of the best Mexican restaurants ever. It's been open since I was a kid and my family had a standing appointment there every Thursday night for years, I think. It''s a little shabby on the outside, but what great gem of a restaurant isn't a little bit hard to discover? And by GOD, is the food excellent. So keep coming here, NJ... this is a local treasure you don't want to lose. read more

Ya' know.... If you've been to 1 Mexican restaurant in Northern NJ, you've been to them all. And this is no exception, unfortunately. IF you're craving one of those salty, cheese smothered burritos with a topping of canned sliced black olives and shredded lettuce, then go here. Otherwise, it's the usual Mexican restaurant with watery refried beans, overpriced fajitas and the chewiest chicken ever to be thrown into an enchilada. The service is mediocre, but it is a BYOB. No surprise there. Go here for lunch on a weekday, when you get the same menu as is served during dinner for prices that actually reflect the quality of the food, and are served with your choice of soup and/or salad. read more

We love to visit this cozy and pretty good Mexican restaurant when we are in the mood for Latin music. It's a byob, so pack you beer or margheritas, and make sure you make a reservation of a Friday or Saturday eve. Don't show up kate afternoon....it's siesta time. Found this out when I bicycle rode there with kids once. The sizzling fajita dishes and tacos are very tasty. read more

I have been here a few times and have never been wowed by the food. It is decent, not bad but I have never really had a memorable meal here. I have gotten the fajitas (good) and I have gotten a few different burritos here. They aren't anything spectacular. It is pretty tough to park here - they don't have a lot and there is very limited street parking so that is an obstacle you have to overcome when you go here. I usually go with 1 other person and the 2-person booths are very small. It makes it a little uncomfortable to eat here. It is a BYOB which is pretty nice. read more

The place is cute. The food is okay I guess. I ordered the beef Tostada. I did not like the beef. 12.95

Hard to believe that no body else has reviewed this great Mexican eatery! I found it years ago when I was riding my bike out through the great swamp area. I had to stop, as the aroma of the refried beans was just to much for me. They serve "Sonoran" style food which is not as spicy hot as others, but the flavors are amazing. Maybe It's just me, but I always judge Mexican restaurants by their refried beans, if the beans are good, then the rest will fall in line. The place is kind of out of the way, and abut small, but it can be a really nice ride out there on a pretty day. Good service, reasonable prices, and just great food. Be sure try the Heuvas Ranchereos (sp). My personal fav. BYOb read more

I am baffled by the good reviews of this place. I admit I'm a picky eater, but this could be the worst food (or whatever it was) I've ever tried to eat. On top of that, it smelled like cat litter and it's dark and dingy. Both my wife and I literally ate 2 bites and asked for the check. read more

The best Mexican I've had in the area BY FAR. One of the best metrics for the quality of a Mexican restaurant is the rice and beans, which were delicious as well as everything else. Service was perfect, rocked the BYOB, and didn't have to wait since we went for lunch. We'll definitely be back for more. Go check it out if you're craving Mexican... It was worth 20 minute drive for me. read more

Best Mexican around!! BYO which is nice. It is best to either go early around 630 pm or late around 8. Gets crowded easily. It is a small Resturant. Never disappoints!!!! read more

Fantastic "real" Mexican. Superbly flavorful. If you want restaurant chain style Mexican, you won't find it here.

I would describe this place as good enough to just plain good. First, the negative. I would rate the actual menus - the things you read - a "1". Like too many restaurants, this place has a colored menu that does not account for customers with red-green color deficient vision. Around TEN MILLION PEOPLE in this country have color-deficient vision but there is no moral concern for their disability. Due to lack of education, most people (including people who might not even realize they have color-deficient vision!) don't acknowledge the impact of this disability. Out of thirty men in a business, probably two will be "color blind" yet the company won't bother to consider the problem, regardless of how easily the challenges are remedied. In the case of Casa Maya, they probably spent *extra* money to make their menus difficult to read for around 7% of men. This color choice IS discrimination and it makes me angry. It is far from critical to use menu colors that are harder to read for those with red-green color deficient vision. It IS critical for people to be able to read them. I ended up using a flashlight to highlight the contrast. If you ever find yourself reading a black-on-red/orange or red/orange-on-black menu, please let the manager know this is discriminatory. Everything else about the restaurant was better than the menu. Service was good. The chips were good, the salsa as well - what little my wife left me ;-). For my dinner, I ordered the Ranchero "Wet" Burrito (beef, pork, beans). It included sides of refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, and Spanish rice. The burrito was quite oily IMO, but good nonetheless. The refried beans were topped with a melted, mild, white cheese (I think it's called queso blanco). The beans were tasty, having just the right amount of salt and seasoning. The guacamole and sour cream were served in a small, deep-fried, tortilla (cup-shaped like those used for "taco salad"). This a helpful style, as it keeps them from mixing with the other dishes. (Take note other restaurants!) The guacamole was unexceptional, but not bad. The sour cream was typical - and that's good IMO. I didn't even need the "guac" or sour cream, as the burrito was good on its own, but my wife and I enjoyed dipping into them with our remaining chips. My side of Spanish (yellow) rice was good. It was mildly spicy, but I had requested my food to be spicy when my waiter asked me if I would like it spicy. HOWEVER, most if not all of any "spice" in my platter was *only* in the rice, not in the burrito. I wonder why he asked. Maybe the burrito had so many beans in it they tamped down any spicy heat that was added to it. I should add that the menu explicitly mentions that Casa Maya's food is Sonoran style and that means you should not expect the food to be spicy. Maybe that even influences what you get when you explicitly request spicy. Regardless, I got what I expected in general. Note: The platter was HUGE. I left stuffed and still had half of a platter remaining (which I took home). My wife had a platter whose name I forget. I came with one beef taco, one beef enchilada, one cheese enchilada, and one medium-small, tastily-seasoned, (pulled?) pork dish served in the same kind of fried tortilla basket used for my guacamole and sour cream. I give her pork dish four stars. Her taco was good but lacked pico de gallo or sour cream. Fortunately, she was happy to use my sour cream. Her enchiladas would be difficult to rate. She did not touch them and instead we brought them home, whereupon the next day I ate them for lunch. I basically inhaled them, so I can't recall the upside of their quality. I can say they were not bad, so they at least deserved three stars. The atmosphere of Casa Maya was warm and cozy. They have dark wood construction from the floor up thru shoulder height, and dark wood beams. We shared a quite small booth for two. I was able to fit in my slender-but-tall six-foot frame, but wide people might prefer a booth for four. The cantina-style lighting was fun and the salsa music entertaining, catchy, and not too loud. Perhaps my BYOB beer was helping, but the music had me wishing I was hanging out with friends at a beach-side cantina. Alas, I was in New Jersey and only my wife was with me, not a party. Still, we enjoyed the evening and might go back if we feel like Mexican again. FYI - There IS a parking lot available but it might be hard to see depending on your angle. The building is located at the apex of a lot between two nearly parallel roads that converge at a circle. The parking area is at the end of the lot opposite to the apex. read more

Casa Maya is a nice little Mexican BYOB. The place is definitely popular and gets crowded, so be prepared for a moderate wait at dinner time. Casa Maya is very small and in the middle of nowhere, which I think ads to the charm of this place. I have eaten here a few times now and definitely agree this is the best Mexican food in the area. read more

The most delicious Mexican food I've had almost anywhere. This is one of my favorite places to eat, not only for its amazing food, but for the awesome ambiance of this tiny, colorful little restaurant. Their refried beans are so good that we get an extra side of them every time we come here, and everything else I've ever had on the menu has always been superb...super fresh and tasty. Come here for the food and the atmosphere, it does not disappoint! read more

Dining area was small but cozy. Service was very efficient and friendly. Food was mediocre at best. Nothing special here.

This is the best Mexican food in the entire region. We often drive about 20 minutes to come here, even though it's in the middle of nowhere. You can visit the nearby Swamp nature center if you have time or, if it's summer, pick up something from the farm that's not too far. But mainly it's the great-tasting food that's worth the trip. Why don't we have more like this in Essex or Union county? We have been disappointed everywhere else. read more

We love this place. BYO. and the Camarones Oxacenas are wonderful. Staff are friendly. Worth the wait everytime.

Went last night and brought tequila. You can buy a pitcher of margarita mix and it's delicious! Not too sour nor too sweet. Also, the pork carnitas were a table favorite again! :) read more

Easily the best Mexican food in the area. Everything is always prepared fresh. The staff is always friendly. I've had quite a few different lunch options and have never been disappointed. read more

Enjoy the food, but make sure to be ready to flag down different waiters to get anything served to you. This is probably why the wait is so long. Their service is horrible, but the food is great. read more

Went to Casa Maya for lunch today. We were greeted by a very friendly host who showed us to a lovely window table. Shortly after our waiter arrived with a generous portion of chips and salsa. The menu was so enticing that it was almost painful to decide, but we finally opted for the Sonora. IT WAS FABULOUS!!!! The portions were beyond generous, we brought home enough for 2 more meals. The refried beans were the best I've ever had. The pork tostada was phenomenal. The beef taco was excellent. I was so full that I didn't get to try the beef enchilada or the cheese enchilada but I have high hopes. Great food, great service, great prices. We will definitely be back! read more

Definitely a space with character and kitschy charm, but the food leaves alot to be desired Carnitas were okay, served sizzling hot with grocery store sides...sour cream, premade guac, pico de galo, mission flour tortillas. The chefs appetizer of chorizo was even more disappointing...one 4 inch piece if chorizo smothered in jarred salsa served with a bean burrito and tamale. A waste of $9.95! Over priced, blah food quality and jarred grocery store ingredients make this one a don't bother. read more

This is our go to place for a quick and tasty lunch. Food is good, the lunch specials are reasonably priced (1st basket of chips and soup included with the order) and filling. Have been here a dozen times or so and have not been disappointed. read more

First time here. No parking. Ordered beef tamales and they came out with hamburger inside not shredded beef. Refried beans were made from red beans not pinto beans and rice had frozen vegetables mixed in. Not what I expected but I'm originally from the Southwest so never get my hopes up. Also, why are they not playing Mexican music instead of the Salsa music from Puerto Rico. Too bad. read more

Food was amazing compared to all the chain Spanish restaurants. Although there was a 30 min wait, we were seated with in 5 mins of waiting. It is BYOB which was unfortunate. But it wasn't cozy enough to sit and hang for a while. The seating was very close. But the food and prices were perfect. Our server was helpful and did recommend a few good dishes despite how busy they were. read more