Been here a few times - I grew up eating great Mexican food and this isn't it. It's a fine enough dining experience - probably the nicest mexican restaurant in the Champaign area, but prepare for dishes that try too hard for style and miss out on the fundamentals. Their guac and salsas are straight up bad. Not to say that they don't have some good entrees - the birria tacos were a little salty but still solid. However, the mediocre staples don't justify the higher price range. Try Huaraches Moroleon or La Mixteca - better Mexican food, cheaper prices. Huaraches has great authentic soups and nice outdoor dining and la Mixteca is just delicious, though the ambiance is lacking. If ambiance is that important, go somewhere else on Neil St read more

Medium sized space. Practicing social distancing and mask wearing. Cute industrial like space. Place has great reviews and my nephew that just started college in at The university wanted to try this out. Everything was delicious. Must try the chicken nachos. I also really Enjoyed the variety of vegetarian and what some meat consider exotic taco options. This place made it on my list to visit as there are some taco options that aren't typical. Check it my photos and their menu online to see what I mean. read more

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Food was mid, the service was so slow and we came in a group of 6 and not everyone ordered yet our waitress added the 25% big table gratuity for herself. They charged me extra for salsa when all other Mexican restaurants bring you options for free. I waited 5 mins for a worker to come out to the floor to ask for limes after my food came. The service was actually below the bare minimum, our waitress was always hiding in the back. There are many other Mexican options in Champaign that taste better, are cheaper and have better service. read more

Best margaritas I've had in the Champaign area! Made with real fruit puree. Their food is delicious too!

This place and its staff can't figure out when it's open or closed. Their Facebook post says they are open until 10pm. The hours say 9pm. The website says 10pm. The ordering says 9pm. I call the restaurant and they tell me 10pm. I'm in a study group that gets out at 915 and we were looking forward to getting something before heading home. On Wednesday the lights were off at 925 pm. I called yesterday and asked what time they close, the girl on the phone says 10pm, and told her about them closed at 9pm on Wed. She assured me it was probably just a one time thing. I get there last night and the lights are again off at 930pm. I get closing early ocacassionaly if business is slow, seems like business is always slow if they keep closing early, or maybe they should figure out when they want to be open or closed. Go to another restaurant that can figure out how to stay open. read more

Got the veggie flutas here. They were okay. The refried beans were super salty. The rice didn't taste fresh. The food was mediocre. The service was okay. read more

Maize at the Station - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Best Mexican in CU!! Always great service and food, I've been here many times and never have had an issue. My personal favorite is the birria it's to die for. read more

We decided to try this place out for dinner on a Friday night. The staff was very pleasant and service was quick. It was quite crowded which was a good thing. We have had them before, however We always did carry out. This time we decided to dine-in and I am so glad we did. The food was absolutely fresh and they have a lady in the back that makes corn tortillas fresh to order. I choose the Fajita Quesadilla and my meat of choice was Steak! Yummy and was big so only order if you have a big appetite. I was expecting some small plate to come out however to my surprise I couldn't even finish it all. The only thing that I didn't like was parking because they are located downtown. Some parking might be hard to find since other people park downtown and go other places. However if you're in Downtown Champaign, IL stop in at Maize. read more

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Me and my friend went for a dinner and we enjoyed it. Try grilled fajitas. It's really tasty and tender. read more

Maize at the Station - Grilled Fajitas de Pollo Platillos - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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Couldn't leave Champaign, after completing my job assignment, without visiting one of my favorite authentic Mexican places of all time. I had the MEGA Tlacoyo with Carne asada. Amazing taste and flavor. It was an open faced blue corn tortilla as a bed and topped with perfectly tender and cooked Carme asada with white and aged cheeses, cilantro, onions and sour cream. Each bite had me wanting more with the meat being so yummy. I also had the horchata which is always good at Maize and nachos made from fresh tortillas and the hot sauces. Maize has never disappointed me and you won't be either. Enjoy read more

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When your in town staying with friends and they want to take you to their fave spot for food, you go! Maize was pretty Amazing! The chips and salsa were some of the finest around, I wanted the baskets to be 5 times the size which is always a good sign! Great flavor on both salsas delivered to the table! I had a vegan burrito which totally hit the spot and was packed to the gills with stuff. Those salsas for the chips were quite fantastic with the burrito as well. The table shares some guac which also hit the spot both on chips and the burrito! I got a couple of beers and really enjoyed the experience.. The staff might have been a little over worked waiting on every table so my friends beers were not coming to the table to fast, but who can really complain about the wait, when the pay off is this good! read more

Maize at the Station - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

I'm sorry, I loved this place a couple years ago, but I think I got a stomach ache after eating. Carne asada volcan is still really good. But I always thought the tacos could be better and less expensive? I got vegetarian and el pastor taco. Still think other taco places do it much better. Thanks! read more

I used to go to the Green st. location in undergrad so I loved that this location was more of a sit-down restaurant. Maybe I had too high of expectations from previous fond memories, but I found the food slightly underwhelming. We went on a Saturday around noon so it was understandable that there was a 20 min wait. As soon as we were seated, we got our chips and salsa and the menus. My favorite part was the extra crispness of the chips without them tasting too oily. I ordered a pork and fish taco and nothing about it really wowed me. It was just a standard taco with cilantro and onions and the pork being on the saltier side. Maybe I'll be back to try other things on the menu, but with lower expectations this time. However, the ambience was definitely great to meet up with a friend! read more

Maize at the Station - Fish and pork taco - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

The most over-rated Mexican restaurant in CU. Prices are high, and margaritas are not that good. There are other great Mexican restaurants nearby. read more

Excellent service. Food was prepared superbly. Overall, a great dining experience for all.

Nice place for Mexican food, good selection of dishes, drinks and desserts. I just missed the presence of Churros a classic Mexican dessert. The decoration of the restaurant is very nice. Would come back and try new things. My favorite is: Huarache Choice of Carne Asada, Chicken, Pastor, Chorizo, or Veggie Beans, Lettuce, Tomato, Sour Cream and Cheese. Please follow me on Instagram @tryatreat read more

Maize at the Station - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

If you're looking for authentic Mexican food, this is definitely the place to go. The tacos and burrito are amazing. You get free chips and salsa for dine-in or take out which is a huge plus. The guac is delicious as well. I usually get an horchata drink (rice milk) and the carne asada burrito. They have two locations, but I personally like the one in the station because it's less crowded and had a lot of room to sit down. If you like spicy food, ask them for their spiciest sauce on the side, it comes in a form of oil and is extremely hot! read more

Maize at the Station - Burrito and mega tlacoyo with carne asada - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Solid, with a few spots/warts. Menu is usual Mexican-restaurant standards, usually augmented by a few specials. Reasonable level of seasoning, it's not just a blandness of beans and cheese. They are child-friendly; there's no kids menu but there's plenty of things that a kiddo of picky preferences will eat. There are also some interesting things in the specials, e.g. a zucchini blossom enchilada the day we went. Unlike the other Maize, this one has a liquor license. The margaritas are decent. They are not amazing, and at $12+ for some of them, the pricing could be considered quite steep. We're not from around here, and for a one-time visit, the reviews didn't steer us wrong. I'm not sure it's going to be our first choice when we're back in town. read more

Tried this place at the recommendation of a student, and they did not disappoint! We ordered four tacos traditional style: pastor and corn mushrooms. They were phenomenal. We also ordered enchiladas with salsa verde and zucchini blossoms. Their sauces are divine, the homemade tortillas are so chewy and fluffy, and the portions are generous. Highly suggest trying this place if you haven't! read more

The veggie burrito is very good. The rest of the menu is surprisingly large, but being vegetarian I can't eat most of it. Portion sizes are very large. The restaurant is very large, most of the times I've eat there it feels empty because of it. read more

Great service and the food had an even greater taste. Jesus was the perfect waiter and manned the dining room efficiently. Drinks and food are moderately priced and while menu may not be full of "original" Mexican/Latin meals, we throughly enjoyed our dishes! Especially the Queso Fundido (not pictured). Even the music was nice! This Chicagoan would recommend if you're looking for tasty food in Champaign. read more

Maize at the Station - Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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First off: Great food. One of the best in the CU. Be careful when utilizing their online ordering and delivery services. When items were missing from my order, I was required to go back and forth between the restaurant and the online ordering service. After an hour on the phone and chats... they provided an unacceptable resolve. Summation: When their lobby reopens, go and enjoy their food. Until then, consider a different restaurant to spend your $5.99 delivery fee & tip. read more

Barrio tacos are the best! Staff is always super friendly. Lots of choices for margaritas. They are all very good!!

I have been wanting to try this place for a while now and I'm glad I did. My husband and I went here in the afternoon, not busy at all. We got our food extremely fast. I got the pastor burrito and my husband got the carne asada burrito. Super tasty! Added on homemade guacamole and a mango habanero margarita. All delicious! For 34 bucks plus tip, not a bad lunch read more

Maize at the Station - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

I was visiting friends and they brought me here. Decent place for tacos! I loved their chips and salsa. I got 3 steak tacos, the tortillas were a little dry but the tacos were decently portioned. I would come back! read more

Maize at the Station - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Great food, service staff and I love their horchata because it's not too sweet! I recommend getting a side of guac to go with the free chips . Totally worth it read more

Best food in town !!!! Fresh made corn tortillas!!!! Great friendly staff . Mexica Style tacos are delicious... especially with the ribeye style read more

Maize at the Station - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

I'm going to preface this by saying I have a loyal customer since 2013 and the original green st location. We were reliable weekly customers. The food was great and the prices were reasonable. When the station location opened up we were thrilled to have a more convenient location. The problems started during the covid-related shutdown. We had issues with every order from missing food to food being given away to other people when ordering curbside. Every time I ordered I would mention the previous issues in a "hey just FYI this happened las time so please be aware of it" way and something else would be screwed up. I understand that early on in covid everything was a struggle and we gave them so many chances. By the 6th major screwup (forgetting literally half of the order while still charging us for the full order) we decided to stop patronizing this location until the state reopened and they could get their act together. Last week we excitedly ordered again and the food was great and we had no major issues. Win. We ordered again today and when I heard the total (much higher than what we're used to paying) I assumed something got messed up that I'd sort out when I got there to pick up my food, no big deal. When I arrived I asked for an itemizing receipt to confirm the charges were correct and to my surprise, the total was correct. Upon closer inspection, I realized that even though burritos are on the menu with "mushrooms" as an option, I was charged $2.50/burrito to add mushrooms. That charge they did correct since I pointed out it out. Other up charges that were not changed: 'Rice and beans' was considered a single side item together - now they're charging as two separate items for double the original cost with the same size as before - "vegetarian nachos" aka regular nachos with no meat are charged the same as regular nachos when they used to be cheaper considering the whole missing the meat part We ordered the exact same thing we used to order. Our old total was never more than $60 pre tax and tip. Our new total was over $90. The food is good but it's not that good. If you're an old customer just be aware that the prices have sky rocketed. read more

I love your original location so I decided to try the new, larger downtown location. I must say, I'm impressed! The location is much more roomie and completely different. The decor is very simple and elegant. Not exactly what I would think about from Mexican. I know you just opened but i'd like to see a touch more personality in the decor! The walls are kind of bare as of now. The food is still amazing. I got the potato flautas. I wanted to mix and match but was told I couldn't. Either way, they are perfectly seasoned and really unique tasting, full of flavor. The margarita was also great. Keep up the good work Maize! read more

Maize at the Station - Potato flautas - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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We went to the new location near the train station in downtown Glambana. It's a full service restaurant and offers alcohol as well! We were quickly seated and served chips and salsa. I think because it's relatively new, there isn't much decor inside. It's still brightly colored but needs a little more pizazz. I got the chalupas with al pastor (my absolute fave) and a fish taco. The chalupas were delicious! They serve you three and it's topped with cream, cheese, lettuce and tomato. The fish taco was a little dry for my taste and I would probably add a sauce on top to finish it off. And maybe a second tortilla. The watermelon margarita was delicious! Try that for sure. read more

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Food was good as usual, I liked that they have alcohol available at this location. Service was a bit too attentive, but wasn't really a nuisance read more

Maize at the Station - Veggie burrito - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Great addition to the downtown Champaign dining scene! Everything I've had at Maize is incredibly delicious and really reasonably priced. I usually get three tacos, and that's a good amount for a meal. Definitely try the fish tacos! Or get the flautas - they come with a large side of refried beans, rice, and guac. This is random, but I'm still not sure about the parking situation for this restaurant? Sometimes I've been told it's okay to park in the back, and other times I have to resort to paying for street parking. read more

Maize at the Station - Three tacos (chorizo, steak, fish) and flautas (chicken) - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

The food is always good but the service has declined recently in the takeout context. It's not the servers' fault, it's management changes. They no longer accept pickup orders over the phone. For pickup you must place the order on the website. An automatic 18% gratuity is added. "Automatic gratuities" are self-contradictory in any context, and while I can understand why many restaurants add them to the bill for large parties dining in, I am miffed that they would include one for simply handing me the food across the counter, after requiring me to order from an online form. Tips are for service, and there is zero service happening here. If you do intend to tip in the online order form, realize that any tip you add will be added on top of the automatic tip. You may think you're tipping 18% but you're actually tipping 36%. read more

When visiting U of I I like to hit this place for tacos. The Sl Pastor and fish ones are my favorites even when I do Keto and have no tortillas as the picture shows. Their habanero sauce is excellent and the service was fantastic. read more

This was the first time I have been to this location (by Black Dog - champaign). It seems to be fairly bland (undecorated) because they have just moved in. But, the food was the reason I came here, so that is what I will comment on. I have been to Maize many times in the other location (1st and green), the menu here seems to be the same. I decided to try something new. I forgot the name of the item, but if you refer to my picture, it is basically a sandwich that is sitting in a plate of soup. It tastes exactly how it looked, a soggy sandwich in spicy soup. The sandwich itself was simple and fresh (onions, carnitas, cilantro, cheese, beans). The soup however, was strong in flavor, spicy and salty. The pair just did not go well together. My sandwich was all soggy on the bottom and dry on the top. The spiciness of the soup overtook the flavor of the sandwich. Although my soup-sandwich was something to avoid, Maize offers many different types of foods that are delightful. I would recommend the burritos or gorditas! Maize's small but delicious menu is a university student favorite place for quick bite. read more

Maize at the Station - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

We had a great meal! The main course was excellent. Our server recommended her favorites and everything was delicious. However, we had a couple of issues and wouldn't come back with kids. 1- Strict policy about waiting until the whole party is present before anyone can be seated. Even on a Tuesday night. When more than half of the tables were empty. And person waiting has a toddler and a hungry ten year old. And there are no seats in a waiting area. I felt that the hostess should have made a judgement call here but didn't. In fact, she had a slightly condescending attitude and we didn't feel welcomed. 2- Dining room had mostly folding chairs. Three of the six of us at our table had trouble with chairs folding in on them when trying to scoot closer to the table. I got up and switched my 4 year old's chair with a sturdy one from another table and we were fine after that. 3- No milk available for kids but horchata was delicious and we liked the watermelon juice option also. 4- Chips and salsa served with no plates, which would have been OK except salsa is served in small ramekons with a tiny spoon and you really can't dip the chips. We were drizzling salsa on our chips with the spoons and it was becoming a mess so we gave up. No mild salsa option either- there was spicy and hot. 5- $7.50 for guacamole appetizer and it was good, but small in size and not amazing. Not worth the $15 we spent for two at the table. Otherwise, the main meal was great! Food tasted fresh and homemade, including the tortillas and chips. Beans tasted fresh, although black beans were not available. The food could have been spiced or salted a little more as it was on the bland side. Tacos, however, were perfectly seasoned! Margarita was very good. Overall, I'm glad we tried it but probably won't be back. If we saw a food truck selling their tacos on the street somewhere I'd stop though for sure. read more

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Pretty good Mexican in my favorite college town (UIUC) love the location of the restaurant in the old Amtrak train station. Mostly college crowd so nothing is too expensive or too fancy. But good and clean. read more

Food was great. Waitress was great. Tall bald guy with a beard was rude. We waited to be seated and when we were finally noticed he walked over and asked what he could do for us. (Got the feeling he didn't want us there). Asked my name and number, I assumed to call us when a table was ready? But I'd say 10% of tables were seated already. He grabs menus and walks away not saying a word. So we wait, then he says here's your table. I was like WTF?? Ok. Thanks bud! Again waitress was great and food was good. But this guy sucked. read more

Was at Maize for dinner during U of I graduation weekend. The food was pretty decent and they have a great outdoor environment for families. We got the pasta, quesadillas, margaritas and more. The best part from our time there was our host, Raine. She gave great recommendations, was very patient, brought the food out quickly and made the dining experience fun for our extended family with various dietary restrictions. read more

Don't come here. It's just not worth it. I feel that it's living off of its old overhyped reputation. This place used to be kinda good. Maybe 4 out of 5 stars. Gourmet Mexican food. Smaller portions. Lovely presentation. Interesting salsas. Great chips. But it was still over priced and over rated. The service has always been on the slow side. This was never a 5 star anything. Now the service is sparse. And the food is really weak. The servers were all nice. They simply don't have it together. I would have had three margaritas, but the server never came back to ask if we need anything after delivering the first one. The first one took ages to get anyway. the margarita was undersized considering the cost vs the competition in town. We never received guacamole that we ordered. Waiting too long for everything. The food. My carne asada was criminally bland. Cooked beef. No flavor. I needed salt and salsa to taste anything. My friend's chicken fajitas were pretty bad. She ate a few bites and left it. The chicken was over cooked and rubbery. The vegetables were undercooked. Again, no spice. Why? It's Mexican food. Spice should be a thing. Again the presentation was ok, but I came to taste the food, not look at it. Priorities. My son enjoyed his beef fajitas, but he is thirteen and will eat a shoe... an unseasoned shoe, as his food tasted bland to me. The chips and sides were still very good. I didn't come for the sides. We did have a different server swing by and ask how dinner was going. We were almost done at this point. I leveled with the guy and let him know that we just weren't enjoying anything. He looked confused. I wasn't mean, I shot straight with him and said the food was really ordinary, we weren't really eating it, and the service was non existent. He asked a few questions and then said he's got this and he'd be back to help us out. He never returned. Eventually our original server came and asked if we needed anything... well, dinner was over at this point. I asked for the check. No manager. No mention of correcting any issues. I never take discounts when people screw up. I prefer that a business acknowledge issues and try to improve so I can keep going there. I also always tip unless the server is just a jerk. I paid full price for this and never spoke with a manager. Pretty bad and it was fairly expensive. I'm done with that place read more

Maize at the Station - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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