I booked a same-day reservation on OpenTable which had a pretty hefty deposit of $70pp (so $140 for a party of two). They had plenty of reservations available. If you showed up without a reservation, you might have to wait for them to clean off a table, but didn't seem like anyone was waiting outside for over ten minutes. What they DON'T tell you in OpenTable: your deposit is applied to your bill but any remaining balance is given back as a GIFT CARD. This is clearly a restaurant choice, not an OpenTable policy. If you are a party of two looking to splurge, you can probably hit $140 without trying too hard (if you get two entrees, three appetizers, a dessert, and either apply the rest for tip or take a $15 jar of mole home). But I do think it's deceptive for Maiiz to have this policy without clearly noting it on OpenTable, especially since the likelihood you're coming as a tourist seems pretty high. Foodwise, everything was fine, I shouldn't judge the flavors against what I could find in CA. I was here as a tourist, and while I wouldn't come back here again, I wasn't upset about my dinner experience and it did provide a nicer dinner ambiance and zero wait. We ordered the duck confit tacos (the server said this was their top dish but it was NOT good, pretty dry and very small), beef barbacoa quesadila (pretty lacking in cheese, not as juicy as I'd like, but it was better than the duck confit), esquites (lime-forward which I like), butternut squash sopecito (just ok), one tuna tostada (very good!), and the cornbread (also very good!). That looks like a lot but we (two females) went home feeling satisfyingly full, with a leftover box of two tacos and one quesadilla. The only other quibble is that their menus are on ipads which are annoyingly laggy. read more

OK, let's start with the positives. We loved our waitress! She was friendly and knowledgeable and totally on it. Also, my husband had just about the best margarita he's ever tasted. I took a drink of it and it was indeed incredible. Five stars for the drink. We ate outdoors and it was lovely. Now for the reasons behind the three stars: the food. As much as I wanted to love it, it was not very good. I love the concept of the restaurant and really wished the food had been more palatable. The barbacoa was over salted and barely tolerable. It also lacked flavor. I was happy to find a gluten-free place with good masa, but almost everything is made from it so it becomes overwhelming and unappreciated. I ordered the Chilaquiles with both green and red sauce; both salsas were underwhelming. My husband ordered the posole also with barbacoa which unfortunately made his dish over salted as well. Overall, we would never choose to eat here again and wonder if it is a tourist trap as it is located in Chinatown. read more

Decided to have late lunch / early dinner here and no regrets! Nice ambiance, nice for a date setting but also good for solo meals. The tortilla was amazing! I also really enjoyed the concept of DIY tacos. Always love food served in skillets keeping the food warm. read more

MAiiZ Nixtamal - Chicken Tinga Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

This place was really good and authentic. Homemade corn tortillas. Gluten free menu. A little expensive but definitely worth the price. The staff is so sweet. We were told a different address for a food tour and the restaurant felt bad for us and showed us how they made tortillas. They made a bad day a lot better. You definitely need to try this spot. read more

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Stop by while I was in Chinatown got the flautas and the Jamaica Water the Jamaica Water was a 5 out of five the flautas were crisp the Barbacoa inside was dry. The sauce was the star of the show I will give them a 3 out of 5 the place was packed got the food to go. read more

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I really enjoy this little cozy restaurant for some authentic Mexican food. The server was very nice and would explain the menu before we order. The nachos is homemade so it's much better than Tortillas. You can even buy them at the shop if you want. If you dare, try out a Grasshopper Taco. The grasshopper is very crunchy and seasoned just like deep fried garlic. I really enjoy it!! The Enchiladas carry just the right amount of heat to remind you, you are having Mexican Food. read more

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INCREDIBLE. We chose this restaurant because we are Gluten Free, and there were a lot of GF options on the menu. We had the chips and salsa/guac, chicken enchiladas, a quesadilla, and the churros. I also had a strawberry margarita that was super fresh and flavorful. Everything was delicious! I made a mistake and got there an hour earlier than our reservation (5:30 instead of 6:30), but they kindly accommodated us. It got SUPER busy the later it got, so a reservation is smart. Our server, Andrea, was fantastic, warm, and kind. Highly recommend! read more

As the best Mexican food I've had in years , the chicken Tinga is amazing, the Barbacoa over the top. They ground their own corn and make their own tortillas I will be back every time I'm in Victoria read more

It's a Wonderful Mexican restaurant with excellent food... surprisingly in the heart of Chinatown but well worth a visit for authentic Mexican food. read more

MAiiZ Nixtamal - Mexican Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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This place operates in a way that feels like a scam. We were charged $70 per person upfront ($280 total), assuming it would be applied to our bill. After our meal (~$150), we were told the remaining balance would only be returned as a gift card. This was not clearly disclosed at the time of booking. If you're forcing customers into store credit, that needs to be made explicit upfront--not revealed after the fact. When we challenged it, staff repeatedly hid behind "policy," the manager was supposedly "not in Victoria," and the owner refused to come out despite being on-site. After nearly an hour, we were worn down and accepted a gift card we didn't want--and still haven't received it. Misleading, unprofessional, and handled terribly. read more

Amazing meal. Entire menu is gluten free (except for the beer). Ingredients are fresh and high quality. Flavors are very good. We ordered the lamb birria and beef enchilada. Horchata was so good.. I got multiple refills. The churros were my favorite. Always so hard to find great gluten free churros and these ones were excellent. Also, the owner is super friendly!! read more

MAiiZ Nixtamal - Churros (gluten free) - Mexican Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Clean and energetic place with professional happy staff. Everything we had was really good and original. We had chips, guac, and unusual salsa followed by barbacoa, duck, and grasshopper (yes, grasshopper) tacos. All was outstanding and original. Mole was delicious, and the house mixed margarita was excellent. Wish I had a bigger stomach! read more

MAiiZ Nixtamal - Grasshopper taco. Combination was deliciously crunchy in a good way. - Mexican Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Visited Victoria during our Alaskan cruise vacation. Prior to arriving I knew I wanted to pay a visit as I had researched restaurants in town. Our time here was 10/10 from the food to service. Beautiful restaurant. Grasshopper tacos are a must try! I was excited to see that there were vegan and gluten free options for myself as well. We were lucky to spend some time with Chef Israel. My son is in culinary school and he took some Time out of his busy night during dinner to talk with him and us . Was an experience we will always remember Thank you @chef_maiizalvarezm for taking the time to share your culinary knowledge and passion with Tyson. The time spent in your kitchen while you showed us the process of making nixtamal tortillas from the corn kernel -is one we will remember. read more

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Maiiz was a nice surprise find in Victoria. Surprise in that I didn't expect to find a Mexican restaurant making nixmatal tortillas in Victoria. Off The Eaten Path foid tours brought us here, to try those nixmatal tortillas in a chicken tinga taco. Nixmatal makes the nutrients in the corn available for absorption. So you are getting nutrients, fiber, and flavor. The tortilla and chips will be firmer than those made from the 'white flour' equivalent of masa. I enjoy those light crispy chips, but I also like these sturdier ones. We came back later in the day to get pozoles (beef bararcoa and mushrooms), grasshopper taco, and huilacoche tamale togo. The rain had been going in earnest and we wanted to have the pozole back at our hotel where we had space. The staff was super helpful and ever so carefully packed our order. Their pozole come in choices of beef bararcoa, chicken tinga or mushroom. Back home in California it comes in one version, with pork. Maiiz's pozole is loaded with goodies including cabbage, homemade hominy, choice of topping, raddish, avocado, oregano, lime, and homemade chips. Note the homemade hominy is sturdier than the canned stuff. You will chew longer, but there's more nutrients and fiber here. Just keep that in mind. The broth is tasty and hit the spot on a cool rainy evening. We had tp try the grasshopper taco. It was the nearest chance to try one without going to Oaxaca itself. It was good. Crunchy with lime and salt flavor. We're saving the tamale for breakfast. All in all worth the visit for a unique experience. read more

Simply an amazing find! This was my husband's idea and I doubted there'd be authentic mexican food here in Canada...but I am delighted to have been proven wrong!! The flavors just burst with every bite. Highly recommend! Israel has a gift with preparing these dishes and Emma's attentiveness made our meal experience a memorable one. read more

MAiiZ Nixtamal - Potato tacos - Mexican Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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Great lil place in the heart of Victoria's Chinatown. Authentic Mexican fare, a definite step up from TexMex Americanized menus. Fun drinks as well. Crowded space but superb service makes it feel cozy. read more

Authentic Mexican cuisine. Reasonably priced and good portions. Food came quickly servers were very friendly. Like the look and feel of the restaurant. read more

Excellent food and service. Very creative Mexican food. The duck carnitas taco plate with mole is a must try. Great friendly ambiance and helpful servers. read more

If you're in Victoria, Canada and you don't stop here to grab a bite, you're truly missing out. Right in China Town we found some of the best Mexican food we've ever tasted! From the tacos, to the quesadillas, the chilaquiles and even down to the guac and chips, everything we put in our mouths was delicious and left us wanting even more! A cute little place with just a handful of seats, and the staff there were all amazing. They made us all feel very welcome and explained the whole menu to us as well as the concept of the Maiiz (corn) that they use in their tortillas and chips. We left very happy that we decided to dine at Maiiz and if I make it back to Victoria, I will definitely be making my way back here as well!p read more

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Delicious barbacoa and duck tacos! Service was fast and friendly. Fun music and ambiance. Interesting grasshopper tacos. read more

MAiiZ Nixtamal - Grasshopper taco - Mexican Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Just stopped in for a quick drink and dessert, mid-day, not lunch or dinner time, no line waiting. The owner or manager, came to our table to pretend small talk, then asked if we were going to order anything else well we were in the middle of our drinks and dessert. We said no and he told us if someone comes he is going to need us to go. We were only there for 10 or 15 minutes and spent nearly $50 dollars on unused space. That was totally rude and unnecessary. read more

Delicious and unexpected flavors, fun and lively ambience and excellent service. A dining highlight of the city!

Fresh in house made tortillas and awesome food. This is a great little place that fills up quick! Hit it around opening and you will get a seat. As soon as lunch time hits you will be in a line. Definitely worth the wait, would come back again for sure. read more

This is a must stop when you are in Victoria, Chinatown. The freshly made tortillas were incredibly tasty, and the tamales were delightful. The mushroom tacos were fantastic. The highlight is their corn tortillas! The salsa roja was my absolute favourite--it had the perfect balance of flavours. The staff was friendly and provided excellent service throughout our visit. They also sell packed tortillas, salsa and chips to go. The ambiance of the place reminded me of being in a tortilleria shop in Mexico, and the authenticity really added to the overall experience. Don't miss out on this spot! Highly recommended! read more

What a hidden gem that should be discovered by the masses in Victoria! We weren't looking for Maiiz as we had no idea this place existed, but it ended up being a great spot for lunch. We were walking around Victoria's Chinatown neighborhood, with plans to get dim sum as our first meal of the day. All of the dim sum spots were packed, with lines outside the door. Therefore, we decided to walk around until we found another spot, and that's how we learned about Maiiz. Located in the middle of Chinatown, who knew this small, Mexican shop would be here? Maiiz offers a straightforward menu with a handful of eats, all highlighting their handmade corn tortillas. Inside the eatery, they also sell products from Mexico, including items necessary to make mole and other Mexican dishes. In fact, many people who visited Maiiz were getting ingredients for dishes they were making, as the friendly employee was instructing them on how to prepare and so forth. My partner and I shared the beef tamale and chicken quesadilla, which were simple, yet outstanding. You can really tell that the corn tortillas are made with just the very few ingredients without all the BS, which is how tortillas, or any food should be. I highly recommend visiting Maiiz for some Mexican bites that are authentic and delicious. read more

MAiiZ Nixtamal - Beef Tamale & Chicken Quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

I wanted to like Maiiz as the service was good, but the texture, flavor, and density of their tortillas and chips made for some really poor food. To start with the positive, their tamales were delicious and the presentation was beautiful. The chicken flavor was less rich, but you could really enjoy and taste the masa, whereas the beef filling was much more rich and flavorful so you noticed the masa less. That being said, we made sure to order the chips and salsa since visually the chips looked so different. However in the US it's not uncommon to re-fry stale tortilla chips as a cost saving measure. They always taste over-fried and too thick and that flavor is what these chips reminded me of. I don't think we had more than a couple chips each. When our tacos were served the meat was flavorful and moist, but the tortilla texture was a mix between a hard and soft taco. Too flexible to be hard, much too hard to be soft. Like the chips, the flavor wasn't good and detracted from the taco instead of adding to it, making it unpleasant to eat. All in all, we were only in Victoria for the day and regret having Maiiz be one of our stops. read more

This could well be the best Mexican restaurant in Victoria. My spouse and I are vegan, and the staff had no difficulty in suggesting options. As you can see in the attached photo, many of the dishes are vegan. We had tacos, the mushroom and the huitlacoche. Both were superb. One doesn't expect a Mexican restaurant in Chinatown, but there it is. There aren't many tables, but one can choose indoor or outdoor. The staff is friendly and so are the prices. If you want a quick bite but have had sufficient Asian cuisine, try this gem of a place. read more

MAiiZ Nixtamal - The menu - Mexican Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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LOVE LOVE LOVE as we were taking the clipper boat from seattle to Victoria we were talking about china town and a lovely women told us about a Mexican food place there that we had to try! It was so fresh I felt like it was grown in the back! The tortillas are amazing! Strong enough to hold the goods but not too dense, you can tell these are made with love and no BS! I tried a unique ingredient, some type of fermented corn the chef behind the corner recommended and compared to truffle of corn! It was nutty and rich and delicious! It was adorable inside the workers were kind and patient and seemed to be passionate about the food which I love! A must go in Victoria! read more

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Yes, yes, a million times yes! This place did not disappoint. Not only was the food absolutely delicious and definitely authentic, the staff were incredibly thoughtful about my child's allergies and very helpful figuring out what would work. I just wish we had one closer, I'd be there at least once a week. read more

went with my gluten free pals because of the celiac scene rec and was surprised with such YUM and delightfully presented tacos and amazing service. and pretty cheap for the area! also in a super cool part of the city. read more

MAiiZ Nixtamal - Mexican Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Food is pricey, but the quality of the food is topnotch delicious. Our server was welcoming and provided exceptional service! She took care of our big party and provided seats when there was not enough room. She was always smiling and said goodbye when we left. I don't know her name, but I know she is French. read more

MAiiZ Nixtamal - the entrance to the restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Fairly good tacos and really like the organic quality taco shells. A tad on the pricy side especially for the size of tacos. May come back to try another dish. read more

Went here with my Celiac daughter, everything is gluten free and tastes amazing. We need to find a way to make them show up in a gluten free search because we've been coming to Victoria for years and only just found out about Maiiz. Server was extremley helpful, food was great, will definitely be going back, highly recommended if you love mexican food. read more

Food was good but not amazing compared to Southern California. Price is pretty fair, horchata was good. The real draw for me was the corn smut since I've heard of this corn fungus before but never saw it on a menu to try. Service was quick and people were friendly. They had nice Colombian salsa music, it was a nice place. But don't have high hopes if you're comparing to San Diego or Phoenix read more

A true gem, in China Town. Authentic and fresh, Maiiz also serves up friendly customer service! We tried the Barbacoa Tacos, Esquites, and Barbacoa Tamales. Everything was very good. Loved the salsa and the Chile de Arbol oil for the tacos. We will definitely be back and are happy to have found them during this visit!! read more

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I can't describe the taste of their products--it's the closest thing to eating in Mexico. Combined with their excellent service, I'm grateful that this restaurant gives us the opportunity to experience something like this in BC. Thank you for all your dedication! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to enjoy truly Mexican food, made with the right process and care, which truly makes a difference. read more

Absolutely delicious, mouth watering tacos! The salad on top of the tamales made it so juicy and tasty. Excellent service- so friendly and welcoming. Small dining area but super cozy. So glad we went here. read more

This is my second day in a row ordering the mushroom tacos... you must try this place! read more

MAiiZ Nixtamal - Mushroom tacos delivered by DoorDash - Mexican Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Very nice ambience, fun and popping. The food was great, 5/5 tortillas (I don't even like corn tortillas normally) and the equites appetizer was great. Service was super fast! read more

This place was a hidden gem in the middle of China Town. From the moment we walked in the staff was friendly and they informed us of their mission and artisanal nature of the food. We ended up getting the Chicken Tinga Tacos and they were so fresh and flavorful. read more

MAiiZ Nixtamal - Chicken Tinga Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia