The best of the best, and many influencers have recommended it. A good atmosphere--respectful and generous toward everyone; they are very helpful and can recommend something to eat if you ask. read more

Food was great! Service and ambiance were also outstanding. The homemade tortillas were also a really great compliment to the meal. Arrived for late brunch and easily found a table although it was during a weekday. Definitely recommend. read more

La Chaya Maya - Scrambled Eggs with Loganiza - Yucatan Near Me - Mérida, YUC

Whoa, this place is popular! Hubbers and I are so glad we came through the exact time we did because if we waited ten minutes, we would have had to wait another 20. We were seated and given menus immediately so they're efficient with their time! Since I'm a first timer, I wanted to take my time with the menu. While waiting, they gave us complimentary chips with 2 kinds of bean dips, pico de gallo and red sauce: all very tasty! We've had to ask for a second serving! I've had huevos motulenos a few times, so I wanted the other version: huevos divorciados de la chaya maya. (Fine, I'll admit, I got it because I thought it was funny.) All I asked is if it was spicy (it's not) and that's all I know about the dish. So it was almost like a surprise dish for me. HUEVOS DIVORCIADOS DE LA CHAYA MAYA: I left it up to Hubbers to pick which ones I might like. He chose relleno negro and pipian - and he chose well! Broke the sunny side up yolk and mixed it in the relleno negro, added with the crispy texture of the chips: YUM. Did the same for the pipian, with its nutty flavor and creamy texture. Even the pumpkin seeds added taste. Sooooo goood! I made sure to empty that plate. LOS 3 MOSQUETEROS YUCATECOS: Hubbers' choice. This is a pretty plate! I got to try the pureed plantain (a first for me!) and that was tasty! Had a teenee taste each of the three dishes and also delicious. FOOD: 5. SERVICE: 4. VALUE: 4. PARKING: I didn't notice any parking lots, so can't comment on that, but there is street parking. Could be a challenge. OVERALL: 4.50 (bumped it up a little.) And the cherry on top: there's a lady making fresh tortillas. And they are delish! A crowd formed outside waiting for seating. I truly understand why. They really are popular! An amazing first run! Highly recommending! read more

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Went here for lunch with my sister. We were greeted as soon as we entered and seated right away. We started off with margaritas which were delicious. The menu had plenty of options. Everything I tried was yummy and flavorful. The portions were good. Our server was attentive. I felt that the prices were fair. read more

La Chaya Maya - Tacos - Yucatan Near Me - Mérida, YUC

The food was OK. I think it's more hyped up than it needs to be. The restaurant is beautiful but the food was better at the local taqueria That being said, there were many large groups so I think it's good for that. They have a very large selection of food so there's something for everyone. Prices are OK, what you'd expect for a touristy spot. Recommend having a reservation for dinner as there was a wait. read more

This is the place to go if you want to try authentic Yucatecan food as it is very different from your usual mexican cuisine. When walking into the establishment, the decor was very colonial and vibrant. The staff were dressed in older style attire you might see back in the early 80s-90s which was such a refreshing sight to see. We ordered the Los 4 Yuca that consisted of their most authentic yucatecan flavors, the cochinita (slow cooked pork) taco, and their Estilo Maya panucho all delicious and unique. Come here if you want authenticity. read more

La Chaya Maya - Cocinita Pibil taco and Estilo Maya Panucho - Yucatan Near Me - Mérida, YUC

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I am of somewhat mixed mind about Chaya Maya. On the one hand, if you are in Merida for just a few days, and you don't have the time and energy to research things, Chaya Maya is in a great location and the menu has virtually ALL of the Yucatecan dishes you may want to try. It's pretty much all here, which is a big plus. The staff is very tourist friendly, and can speak and understand English well. They even asked in advance if anyone had allergies. So, for the less adventurous, it's an 'easy' experience. We ordered a variety of dishes...Lomitos, Pipian de Pavo, Pan de Cazon and more. All tasted fine, though we've had better on our tour of the region and at lower cost. The Chaya de Pina was fantastic. I'd recommend that for your agua fresca option. Service was attentive. High marks there, and it's clear they expend a lot of effort on the front of house experience, though the tortilla maker sitting in the room making tortillas by hand felt a touch gimmicky to us. In essence, if you want an expansive menu, easy for the English-speaking tourist, this is a good place to go, or perhaps to start your journey. You might lose some authenticity and pay a bit extra as a tradeoff. Chaya Maya does execute well, even if it has a bit more of a polished, corporate feel to it. read more

As I sit here , contemplating all of our recent adventures. Memories of Chaya Maya are still fresh and vivid. If you love flavor, sazon a little bit of oompfh in your food , go ahead and just pass this place on by because you will be sorely disappointed. One thing I will say is that the service is IMPECCABLE!! The staff is friendly , the hostess, the waiter and servers, and the women making the tortillas are so sweet!! The reviews for Chaya Maya are highly rated, and several of them are from Elite, which makes me wonder what type of flavor pallet they have, is it nonexistent? The reviews also mention this being a place where locals frequent...they do not. Our tour guides were kind enough to point out this fact after we experienced it ourself and likened it to "taco bell". Which I would have preferred over this. Service 10/5 stars. Amazing!! Food 1 star. I would not eat here , bring a friend, come back, nothing. Even if someone offered me free Chaya Maya for a year, unlimited, for all my friends and family. I would hard pass. We started off with complimentary bean dip and pumpkin puree dip with habanero salsa and chips. Chips are definitely not homemade. The salsa was Habanero but was not spicy. Chaya Maya, don't play me! I am mexican and know flavor. We ordered Sopa de Lima and chaya de Pina (pineapple) The soup was not even hot. It was luke warm. The turkey in it was incredibly dry and had bones. The flavor was ok. We ordered a guac for the table. The guac was fine but would be much better if they handmade the chips. We also ordered the 4 Yucatán which serves 2 and comes with the 4 most popular Yucatan dishes and handmade tortillas , along with pickled onions. 2 of the dishes were turkey. I liked the black beans and shredded turkey the most. The other turkey dish was in some sort of red sauce but it was a bit grainy and gritty. The cochinia pibil, the one I was so eager to try, known for being created here in the Yucatan, was also very bland. All you could taste was a strong pork profile and that's it. The 2nd pork dish was in a white bean sauce and that was ok. My chaya de pina drink was incredible. Light. Refreshing. Perfect for these hot Merida Days. Unfortunately, I won't frequent a restaurant just for amazing service and a great Agua Fresca. One thing to mention is that it all came out super fast. Like took my menu, 2 minutes later arrive with our food fast. They must cook it in huge batches and have it ready to serve which is disappointing since this is a restaurant. We went on a group tour to Chichen Itza, which included a buffet at the Cenote and that place was 100x better. The salsa is hot! The food has salt and seasoning. My wife was surprised considering there were so many people from around the world that the buffet of all things was not toned down. Save your monies , book a trip, see a wonder of the world and get a better meal at the buffet. read more

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La Chaya Maya was a very good traditional Yucatán traditional food experience. Food was great and we shared lots of the traditional Yucatán dishes. Will be posting all the food pics enjoy! Service was great and the ambiance there were lots of locals and tourists and local tourists alike. They were prompt with the food and ambiance was great with traditional music in the background. read more

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I heard this place is really popular among locals and tourists but TBH there are two locations and there are plenty of seats. Reservations are not required, but available. Chaya piña drink is delicious and refreshing! I like the decor here but the food is just alright for me. I think Im not a fan of cochinita pibil, or other Mayan tacos. They do not have a lot of flavor. I would rather have these in soup instead of entrees. read more

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What an experience!!! We did come for Frijol con puerco on monday...but nada All gone... so my recommendation get here before 3:00 which seems odd because it's strong dinner dish. But La Cochinita pibil, Poc chuk, Salbutes, Panuchos and the star was Papazul was delicious Eric server was excellent The air condition room felt great... read more

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Absolutely fantastic. Handmade tortillas served in a traditional gourd vessel - everything here is the best. I have eaten here about 11 times but can never get beyond the poc-chuc - I cannot say enough good things. If you are in Merida, go to La CHaya Maya (there are two locations). You won't regret it. read more

La Chaya Maya is really amazing. It's a place where both locals and tourists equally like to try the local cuisine. In my short trip to Merida I went to this place three times each time trying a different dish. Obviously I chose the dishes that I don't normally find in the US. Some of the must try dishes here are the cochinita pibil, pan de cazón, crema de Chaya and their freshly made Chaya drinks. It has a relaxed atmosphere with traditional interior. Tip is not included. If you pay by card, they bring a card reader and expect to select the tip %age on it. 15% seems normal. read more

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This is a good restaurant, with all the popular local and regional specialties, including some that are difficult to find elsewhere. Service was efficient. Everyone I spoke with knew this place and liked it. They have another location, and there are several copycats nearby. But, I had better meals in Merida. The tables are a bit close together, the atmosphere is somewhat unauthentic, and the food isn't really memorable. I had a daily special, which wasn't spectacular, but it was very tasty. Good, but not 5 stars. read more

La Chaya Maya is an institution in Merida, proudly serving classic Yucatecan fare.. There are two locations I believe, one on Calle 62 that has more modern vibes anf one on Calle 57 near Calle 60 that swings more traditional. The fact that there are two locations so close together suggests they are doing something right. The service is attentive but because they are so well regarded you may find at times it is hard to get a tableS Overall if you want to dig on some authentic Yucatecan La Chaya Maya is kind of a rite of passage. I think some places do the local food better, but it is picture worthy and if you are passing through it is kind of a thing here. read more

A neighbor suggested La Chaya Maya so often we went. The restaurant was really nice and the decor was beautiful. We tried several dishes, but the hit for me was the Chaya drink. You can get it with lime or lemonade.. The service was excellent and they were very attentive.. We will be going back on our next visit to Centro. read more

La Chaya Maya - Picture on the street where the restaurant is located - Yucatan Near Me - Mérida, YUC

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This is the best Yucatecan food that we had on our trip to Mérida. One good sign was that there are two women making fresh tortillas inside the dining room. Another good sign was that almost all of the guests were local. We ordered one of the specialties of the house - Los 4 Yucas for two: Cochinita Pibil, Pavo en Relleno Negro, Pipian de Pávo, and Queso Relleno. The service is excellent and the ambiance is relaxing. Highly recommended! read more

La Chaya Maya - Fresh tortillas made by hand! - Yucatan Near Me - Mérida, YUC

This was on my list of restaurants to try ,although I didn't intend to try this day . I walked in to a beautiful establishment. Nicely cleaned, air conditioned and lots of locals . I sanitized my hands and was sat at a table. My server Juan Pablo was amazing . He welcome me as a first timer and helped me with recommendations, I truly appreciated the help. I ordered a panucho de cochinita and various tacos , the local chaya bebida con limon y un margarita on the rocks . So much flavor ! Tacos weren't too greasy. The chips and pico were fresh , be careful the salsa is spicy . The bean and other complimentary dip were amazing too . I enjoyed my meal here very much and I will return read more

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The food was solid. I like that it came with the fresh tortillas and habanero salsa- I LOVE habanero salsa. It was not really cool inside but tolerable. I love the sopa de Lima. Tried the vaporcita and it was like a flat tamale, not fluffy like the tamales I'm used to. Taco good. Panucho good. I'd eat here again. read more

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Great atmosphere and great experience at this restaurant as a tourist. They handmade the tortillas and there is a lady that sits in the front making tortilla ready for fotos. The agua de chaya drinks are their specialty drinks with chaya which has a sloght herby taste. I like the limon and my friends like the pina drink. Both were very refreshing after a long day. We ordered sopa de lima and the famous sampler plate that has 4 different taco flavors. Sopa de lima tasted like homemade soup and a great appetizer. The sampler comes with the homemade tortilla. My favorite flavor was the pork one and the creamy white one. The orange nutty flavor was my 2nd favorite and my least favorite was the pavo (turkey) with black chili sauce which tasted herby and salty. The waiters were friendly and service was good. Location is in the middle of the city and easy to find. Great first meal in the city. read more

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Beautiful place, they have life music with a mexican flavor, a large menu with a lot of local options and great service.

Come here! Authentic and delicious. We were approached by a local who told us Casa maya is better and authentic, went there and that was not the case. La Chaya Maya is the real deal. Everything was delicious and fantastic prices. read more

We hade a great breakfast at this establishment. I had the hotcakes and my partner had the French toast. Both were very tasty and plentiful. The sausage was a little different were it was loose and scrambled, but yummy. read more

If it's your first time in Merida, I highly recommend this place (it has two locations downtown; either one is good). The service is excellent, the staff very friendly, and the food delicious! (I'm still thinking about it). For lunch, I had Papatzul, agua de chaya con lima, and carajillo maya. I also asked if I could try the tortillas they make by hand, and they brought me two, and then I asked for habanero salsa: DELICIOUS! best combination read more

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Outstanding! Great prices. Great ambiance and service. Authentic Mayan dishes. Highly recommend this restaurant in El Centro of Merida Mexico! read more

La Chaya Maya - Sopa de Limas - Yucatan Near Me - Mérida, YUC

Oh what an experience, after spending a day in El Centro. The culture is present in the venue as abulitas are making tortillas by hand at two corners of the restaurant, as you sit the entire time. What a homely feel. The food was delicious. My wife enjoys ponochos, long with a soup and an empanada that actually had Chaya in th doe. All was greatly flavored and filling. I had the torta, and that did not disappoint either, the bread was soooo soft while fluffy, and filled with pork all throughout. I only ate half of the sandwich and was comforted with just that. After you throw in some fixings, I doubt you would want to eat the whole thing, so just take it home. The staff was attentive, and helpful along with having great personality and spirit. This is definitely a must stop while in Merida, I assure you that it won't disappoint..... read more

Meh! It was highly recommended from bloggers and I was disappointed. Food was 2 and service was 1 star if that. I went during lunch time and everything we tried was too salty and dry. I did not enjoy anything turkey at this place. Definitely NOT tourist friendly staff. read more

Miguel was our server, and he was great. Miguel told us details about the food and the tradition behind each dish. He was very informative and patient. The food was on another level!- We had cochinita pibil, cazon, pipian and relleno negro (all this things were new for us, except the cochinita). I highly recommend La Chaya Maya if you visit Merida for the first time. Try everything! read more

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Our first visit to La Chaya Maya! And will not be the last. The food was delicious and the service was impeccable! Even though they were busy, our needs were met. Looking forward to our next visit! read more

My wife ordered Filete de pescado (slow cooked , lightly battered fish with green sauce) it was delicious, I ate half! I had the seafood plate Tikin and it was tasty and very filling! All washed down with Jamaica and agua de chaya con Lima. Service and environment is top notch. Yes, would come back. read more

Nice restaurant, great service, food was ok, not quite what I remember it to be. Went with the family and they loved it! read more

La Chaya Maya - Brazo de reina - Yucatan Near Me - Mérida, YUC

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First I went to both locations. I VASTLY prefer the older location, it's just got a more cozy and chill vibe. The new one is too crowded. The food was great, Mayan/Yucatan style food. The drinks were nice too. As far as price..pretty reasonable to my eye.about $25 uSD got me a full meal with desert and drinks. And I was FULL. read more

A meal to remember. The black beans were the best I have ever tasted. Thick and creamy but nearly whole-just amazingly flavorful! I was so grateful to be able to taste a vaporcito!! Usually I am so limited because I don't eat beef or pork. This was a treat and something that was so high on my list to try when I arrived in the Yucatán Tortillas handmade in the dining room topped off a special lunch. Great great great experience read more

wow, did not know what to expect but this place was great and the food was packed with flavor. We made a reservation for 12 and they were very nice in accommodating us same day. It was an experience because many of the items we saw on the menu we hadn't even heard of. It's like we're in a whole new Mexico, the food is very traditional and use all the local vegetation. It can be intimidating but the staff are super helpful and will help navigate you through the options. We got soups, panuchas, and their meat platters. Everything was great. will be coming back read more

Every City has its iconic restaurant, some like NYC, Paris, LA, Mexico City, etc. offer many. For Mérida, that restaurant is arguably La Chaya. Named for the traditional, leafy, spinach-like tree that is cultivated and loved in the Yucatan, La Chaya is quintessential Yucatan cuisine in a casual, traditional setting. Tortillas are brought out in a hollowed out gourd and beer is served ice cold. Try the cochinita pibil, poc chuck and pretty much anything on the menu. If you want fajitas or fish tacos, don't bother reaching for your passport. Your local Mexican restaurant back home will foot the bill... but if you're yearning for a little adventure, no health department "grade" on the window and some real Mexican eats... This is the spot. read more

La Chaya Maya - Cochinita Pibil... Careful... Habaneros are spicy down there. - Yucatan Near Me - Mérida, YUC

We took a trip from Progreso to the city of Merida. This place was recommended by family. It's a traditional Yucatan food. We had the Yuca bowls, so we tasted turkey in 2 different sauces, cochinita pibil and stuffed cheese. There's enough food for 2. It came with hand made tortillas that are being prepared in the atrium. To finalized the meal we had Mayan coffee (espresso with honey ice cream and an anise liquor) similar to an Affogatto or Irish coffee, very good. Service was great! read more

La Chaya Maya - Yuca bowls - Yucatan Near Me - Mérida, YUC

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Buen lugar y muy buena ubicación, el Personal es muy amable , comida típica yucateca y precios promedio read more

We went to the 2 locations. Brought there by a Mexican acquaintance. Both time we were happy. The restaurant offers Yucatán food, it's honest and tasty cuisine, reasonable price with quick service. We really enjoyed going there as it changed from the regular Mexican cuisine. Try the Chaya juice! When you enter the restaurant, look around and you might see people preparing corn tortillas just right in front of you! The two location have the same tastiest food but the oldest one is much better and authentic looking. read more

La Chaya Maya - Yucatan Near Me - Mérida, YUC

Good food and service. Pleasant atmosphere. Near grand plaza. The Chaya pineapple drink was refreshing. Recommend read more

I had the sopa de lima, and it was incredible. So too was the atmosphere/ambiance. Great vibes, and really great food.