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Maizal L'Enfant Plaza

4.2 (55 reviews)
Closed 10:30 am - 5:00 pm
Updated 3 months ago

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MAIZAL L'ENFANT PLAZA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Maizal L'Enfant Plaza

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Shannon S.

I love the empanadas here. I ordered the brisket and steak empanadas. They were delicious and fresh. The sauces were watery though, that was disappointing. I went during the lunch rush so they were very busy. Even with the influx of customers, the cashier was friendly and very pleasant. I will return to try the other options on the menu.

Carne Asada Tacos and Yucca Fries
Damian O.

From other reviews, it looks like this place had to close down during the pandemic and is now back open. But what a fantastic surprise this was! I've been looking for a relatively inexpensive Latin option near the Wharf. I ordered the Carne Asada and Brisket Nachos, 2 Carne Asada Tacos, and Yucca Fries to go. For $13, the nachos, are filling and insanely great value. The brisket was especially savory and delicious. The tacos are seemingly a bit overpriced at $5 per taco, but they really load these things with meat. The carne asada was also delicious. The yucca fries were good but could have used some salsa or mayo to pair (my fault for not asking when I was there). Highly recommend it if you're looking for authentic Latin food at a low price in SW DC! Food: 5/5 Service: 4/5 Ambiance: It's in the L'Enfant Mall

Custom Arepas; Beef and Chicken ($3.95 each)
Jay P.

One of the food places I ventured while during my Washington DC trip. This place is located inside a food court. The ordering process is pretty simple, you can choose from pre-made Arepas or get it custom order. Topping choices are unlimited. I went ahead and ordered a couple of custom ordered Arepas (chicken and beef). The toppings are fresh and the sauce that it comes in tasted freshly made. Definitely gives you the feel of eating street food. It was a messy eat, but price wise, it was not bad for $3.95 each for some good, quick eats.

Yuca
Lia M.

Maizal is located conveniently close to work, which makes it a good lunch or dinner option for me. I had recently tried them at an Elite Event, so was thrilled to find their actual location. The pricing is super reasonable. You can make your own arepa or bowl, or chose from pre-made arepas. I prefer to make my own arepa. There are plenty of toppings to choose from, which makes me happy, and the arepa is always super filling. I also love their yuca fries, which are one of the better versions of I've had (as are there arepas), and their tasty empanadas. Their juices are also great, and I'm partial to the maracuya. Definitely happy to be close to Maizal.

Marlon T.

I came on a Wednesday during the lunch rush hour looking forward to trying their arepas. When I got to ordering, they said they didn't have any left. What? It's lunch rush hour. I can't reward poor management (or whatever the reason is) with a good Yelp review. With so many other options around me, I wasted my time waiting in their line. I ended up getting some of their Specialty Items which were all not bad: 1) Salchiyuca - fried yuca, fried beef frank, garlic sauce, fancy sauce, pickled onions 2) Columbian Hot Dog - gourmet hot dog bun, all beef frank, pineapple jam, garlic aioli, fancy sauce, melted mozzarella cheese, potato chip crumbs 3) Street Corn - roasted ear of corn, chipotle aioli, queso fresco, cilantro I only recommend coming here if there's no line and you're just not feeling anything else.

La Cerda (pulled pork) and La Caraquena (shredded beef)
Gellie E.

Extensive menu and a welcome addition to L'Enfant Plaza. Its point of view is different enough - rice bowls (similar to Roti) and arepas - to add into the lunch rotation. I came a little after 1pm and while there was a line, it moved quickly. Most people opt for the rice bowl, which takes on a Chipotle ordering style of scoop and serve, so it was about a five minute wait before it was my turn to order. I ordered two of their signature arepas, La Caraquena (shredded beef, black beans, plantains, queso fresco, garlic aioli) and La Cerda (pulled pork, pickled onions, guacamole, queso fresco, fried egg, and sour cream). The arepas were prepared quickly. If you're in a time crunch, it's faster to order the rice bowl, but I wasn't waiting for too long. Two arepas amounted to $8.69, and I was pleased with the heft of the container when they handed it to me. La Cerda was disappointing. While the arepa had plenty of the protein, they forgot to include the guacamole and sour cream. It needed more flavor overall. I liked La Caraquena - I would order it again. My favorite place for arepas is still Arepa Zone, but La Caraquena was comparable in terms of flavor. However, La Caraquena was light on the cheese and garlic aioli - they were almost non-existent. I also think Maizal's arepas could benefit from some sauce. As for the arepa itself, these arepas were thin. They did have good texture, but Arepa Zone remains the place to beat. There is still room for improvement, but overall, a solid lunch choice.

Yummy food and great service ! We had the create your own bowl with Potatoes, plantain's beats, beets , quinoa The other yummy toppings!
Tamara W.

Yummy yummy food ! Quinoa, carne asada,plantains,sweet potatoes, cucumbers , beets , etc Soooooooooo good !

SALAD Bowl with Chicken and Chimicurri dressing.
Ching H.

This is a great alternative to ROTI but South American style. It's perfect for those days that you're looking to stay under $10 dollars for lunch and still want to be healthy. I love that you can get kale as a salad option and they even have rice, beans, quinoa, and what seems like a smorgasbord of toppings to choose from. Fill your bowl until your tummy desires!! They have arepas too but I have yet to try them!

Lime rice, Grilled Chicken, all veggie, with Chipotle aioli sauce! HMMMMM!
Harold J.

4-star!! food and service here were excellent. But the main reason for the review is to give some helpful tips. Being a visitor to DC as we were, you may not have heard of Maizal. tip1: For everyone sake, step to the side and review the menu before getting in line. Maizal is similar to Moe's in that you can build your own bowl starting with rice, protein, veggie, then sauce. But if you do not know what they are, you'll be one of those standing there with peeve hungry DC'ers behind you. Do not be one those people :-) tip2: better yet, just review their menu online before getting in line: http://www.maizalstreetfood.com/Maizal-Menu.pdf tip3: to avoid getting food, and sitting down, only to find you forgot your utensil to eat with, they are to the right of the cashier. So as a tourist, I try ordered a rice bowel as a DC'ers : Base: Rice ("what type of rice?", they ask. Me quickly answering, "Cilantro Lime Rice") Protein: Chicken ("what type of chicken?" DC'ers behind me looking up from glazing at their phones. They smell a tourist nearby. I quickly answered, "grilled! I want grilled chicken!" As I check over my shoulder) Toppings: "Everything!" check over my shoulders again. Some return back to their phone glazing, a couple nodes of approval. umh!, one millennial still giving me the once-over. not sure what to think! Sauce: "Spicy." I say. "We have several spicy sauces." And the extreme helpful server proceeded to name all 10 sauces they have. I HAVE BEEN OUTTED! Phones ignore and true DC'ers begin their mumbling fest! LOL, I decided to go with Chipotle Aioli. Having been outed, and to rub it into the millennial that now throwing eye daggers at me, I asked, "how big are your empanadas?" Might as well go for broke as a tourist right? :-) In the end, this tourist enjoyed his rice bowl and chicken empanada!

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1 month ago

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2 months ago

It was a bit busy and noisy. The food was excellent. A bit expensive. But overall, a good place to eat.

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5 months ago

Wow. This food was great. I had the pollo bowl. Generous portion that was so tasty! I loved the plantains. So glad that I tried it.

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1 year ago

Delicious! Tasty and fresh. I enjoy the arepas and the pollo bowl the most. Guacamole is also pretty fresh and tasty.

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7 years ago

Can't get enough of the arepas! I've also never had a churro with filling, and Maizal's are AMAZING.

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Page 1 of 2

Ask the Community - Maizal L'Enfant Plaza

Are there gluten free options on the menu?

Yes. You can choose what you put in your bowl and there are tons of vegetables, plantains, quinoa, caramalized onions, mixed greens etc.… Read more

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This restaurant from Jose Andres was one of the better elevated Mexican restaurants at which I've…read moreeaten. I wasn't super starving so I had a fish taco and the enchiladas. The taco was amazing and was some kind of fried catfish! YUM! And the enchiladas were delicious as well. The green sauce cut through the overabundance of cheesy goodness quite well. I like that you can mix and match tacos so you're not stuck with all of the same one. The menu didn't have a ton of choices, which made deciding a bit easier. They had an amazing bar staff too that was absolutely killing it mixing cocktails. The margaritas were on point and the one had a flair of "salt air" foam instead of a messy, sticky rim. Who wants a messy sticky rim, right?

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We were here to celebrate one of our friend's birthday. Glad we reserved the time around the…read moreWizards game as this place wasn't crowded much as the game was going on. Parking can be hard to find in the area during the game days. I recommend taking the metro or bike if you live in DC. The ambiance was great. The service was great as well. The server recommended some of her favorite apps to start with. Highly recommend the freshly made quac and hot salsa with the chips. So good. One of the best hot salsa in the city. For entrees I ordered the chicken fajita and my husband ordered the birria tacos. The tacos did not come with the sauce. We thought the birria tacos was suppose to come with the sauce. When we asked the server she said you have to order it separately. Well that's mostly why I am giving them 4 stars and also the chicken in my fajita was pretty dry. I had to dip it in the hot salsa to make it nice and juicy.

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Maizal L'Enfant Plaza - latin - Updated May 2026

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