Delicious food with excellent service! My first order was the Silki Pak and Salmon Harvest Toss, which were amazing with nice portions. The salmon was tender, flaky, and moist--so much flavor. I will definitely be a repeat customer. The simple dining area had a friendly appeal. read more

Mayan Cafe - Sikil Pak - Latin American Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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We came here with a. Big group. While we were seated late, they offered up some free guacamole and chips that was delish. The spicy margarita then came to make the rest of the meal go down easy. Each thing I tried, I really enjoyed. The chochinita pibil was a terrific pork dish. I'm not a big Lima bean fan but these were cooked perfectly tender and I could not have enough of the sauce in this dish. I tried the tres leches dessert. It was very good but they had an ice cream sandwich special that I tried from another dinner mate that was superb. Our server was incredibly attentive and I enjoyed the interior vibe. Great place! read more

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One of those places you think a couple bites in...I can't wait to come back here. Atmosphere is quaint and cozy. Indoor and outdoor seating, mostly smaller tables but can push together to accommodate a group. They're only open 5p-10p, closed on Sundays, and the restaurant fills up quick--def recommend making reservations on a weekend, especially if you have 4 or more. The food is spectacular. Truly a culinary delight for all--catering to both meat lovers and vegetarians, with offerings to satisfy both those who relish simple flavors and discerning connoisseurs. read more

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2nd time visiting and still one of my favorite places in town! The first time we came it was in the summer and we sat on the back patio which was amazing! The second visit was in the winter so we got seated indoors. The inside has a more formal vibe to it compared to the patio which feels more casual. The service has always been great here, no issues there. The first visit we ordered many appetizers including guacamole and empanadas which we enjoyed! I got the catch of the day (it was Mahi) and absolutely loved it with the black rice. My husband got the beef and did not care for it as much as the fish. My next visit I got the salmon. This was good, however, not as good as the catch of the day. I would highly recommend this place for some great fish entrees! read more

Mayan Cafe - Salmon - Latin American Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

I had the Cauliflower Al Pastor (vegan) and it was wonderful! Filled me up, tasted delicious and left me feeling great! Can it get much better? The Mayan Cafe feels like a very intimate spot because of the low lighting and cozy tables. Not to mention the service was lovely! We really enjoyed ourselves here and I can not wait to come back! read more

Mayan Cafe - Cauliflower Al Pastor - Vagan - Latin American Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

I was in Louisville for a conference and stayed the AC Hotel nearby. Upon arrival, I wanted something convenient so I wandered over to Mayan Cafe. When I walked in, I was immediately greeted and seated in an area of my preference (indoors or outdoors). While walking to my table, I noticed how quaint the restaurant looked. At my table, I had a wonderful server. She was very knowledgeable about the menu and the process. She explained to me how there is a farm nearby and she has actually went to help there. For food, I had the vegetarian burrito. When it was brought out, I was like this is huge. But it was so good and fresh, I at the entire burrito and wasn't stuffed. Also I was able to try a local bourbon and the Lima bean side while I was there. What a great experience and delicious food! I would definitely go there again! read more

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Very nice outdoor seating off the noisy street. Food was great- all very fresh & not overly spiced. Very pleasant waitstaff. Drink was well made & strong! Not watered down - which we appreciated. read more

The food here is fantastic and we were so glad to stumble upon the Mayan Cafe on our first night in town on our latest bourbon pilgrimage. We started with the ahi tuni ceviche, perfectly executed. Kelly had the Papadzules- roasted pork enchiladas. For me, it was to be a Disney entree, the only question - would it be Thumper or Donald? My server recommended Donald and she wasn't wrong - duck in a mole negro sauce with fried plantains? Perfection. We did not try cocktails as we had previously had our fill but their wine list is excellent and the Borsao rose from Spain is a consistent and affordable winner. read more

The food is super fresh and the atmosphere could be better, but the vibrant food and drinks speak for themselves. Super friendly staff as well read more

Stellar food and presentation. This is almost like a hidden gem, but worth the visit! read more

Mayan Cafe - Delicious desserts! - Latin American Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

Nothing but praise...the greeting was warm and caring, and apologetic as they felt our table wouldn't be ready in time for our reservation...when asked to sit at the bar, we gladly accepted and they did what any good business would do...the gave us an app on the house. Although the freebie wasn't necessary, the fact that they offered spoke volumes about their establishment! The food was amazing on all accounts...fresh and well prepared, also good portions for a fancy joint...drinks were great and refreshing. The server/bartender was the highlight of the visit, she was informative and on the spot...I will say it was a pricey night, but well worth it and we will go again for sure!!! read more

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I like to think of myself as fairly well rounded when it comes to trying different cuisines, but Mayan food has not even been on my radar until a friend suggested we have dinner at the Mayan Cafe. My life is for the better now that I've been introduced to this fantastic place! Located in the trendy Nu-Lu district, Mayan Cafe has a warm, welcoming atmosphere. It was a gorgeous June evening so my friend and I sat outside on the patio. Fortunately, the patio is covered which worked out since there was a sudden rainfall. My friend and I both had the Strawberry-Basil Spritz, which was sweet and fuzzy without being too sugary. Definitely a perfect fun summer drink. My friend highly recommended the Lima beans, which came with my entree. Lima beans are one of those foods that I could take or leave, but these were so good that I could have a meal of just them. They are a must. My main dish was the Cochinita Pibil, which is a roasted pork in a tangy sauce, accompanied by the aforementioned Lima beans and carrots. The pork was slow, roasted, and perfectly cooked so that it was almost falling apart on your fork. The sauce was very flavorful and complemented the meat very well. I had an amazing dinner at the Mayan Café and I would definitely come back to this restaurant and recommend it to anyone else that's wanting something fun and different. read more

Mayan Cafe - Cochinita Pibil - Latin American Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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Lovely place with a great outdoor patio. Everything was good but do not sleep on the Lima beans, I promise you won't be disappointed. (Even if you think you don't like Lima beans.) read more

Great food! Had to steak mole. I ordered to go so did t experience the atmosphere but the service was wonderful and the mole was tasty!

I liked the service and the atmosphere of this restaurant. The waitress was very friendly. The food is delicious! The duck soup with pumpkin is incredibly delicious. The empanadas are delicious. But the duck with vegetables is a bit dry. As a gourmet, I know that juiciness is important in duck, but here it was overcooked and dry. I give it 4 stars because of the main course of dry duck. read more

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Had a really great tim! Their side patio is awesome... Everything we had was delicious, including the special of the day. Drinks were great The lima beanss are deliciois! (Get some to go!) The empathyas were not bad. Going with 2 other people let us try a variety of things. The cauliflower with the quinoa was really good even though we were shocked to see almost a full head of cauliflower. We also enjoyed the ahi tuna tacos and the tres.leche dessert and chocolate chocolate dessert...can't go wrong here, highly recommended. read more

Mayan Cafe - Latin American Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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This place is the , worth every penny! Love their food, their service and ambiance is Melo calm, and comfortable. I don't really take pis of food. But definitely worth the try. Not cheap, but like I said worth the money. read more

Chris the manager and her team are awesome! She is the best host- great ambiance and the food was amazing! Chris knew had a friend who never been to Mayan before- she brought over the most mazing Lima beans. Great Ahi Tuna Ceviche, had amazing pork their signature dish. Great date night, friends- a hidden gem in Louisville. read more

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Stopped by Louisville on the way home. Happened to pass the Mayan Cafe & thought ok, let's try this for dinner! This place did not fail to impress. It has a wonderful patio at the back, with great ambience. I ordered the rabbit with pumpkin mole & fried plantains, it was beautifully presented. The flavor was amazing, rabbit cooked to perfection. To drink I had a rum old fashioned, which again was really well done & hit the spot. The servers were very attentive & polite. Louisville, you are very lucky to have such a wonderful place to dine! read more

Mayan Cafe - Oven fried rabbit with pumpkin mole & fried plantains. - Latin American Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

Experience was wonderful the whole time. From the second we came in the staff was super welcoming. The food was delicious and fresh and it was super cozy. On top of that our server was super accommodating and friendly. read more

Mayan Cafe - chilaquiles, Fried Plantains - Latin American Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

I hadn't been to Mayan Cafe in many years and I was so pleased to have been able to come again. I remember the interior as having been very displeasing though, some kind of weird color combination that didn't fit with the theme of the place, but I was happy to see it now was redone in a soothing, warm palate of brown, black and bronze. I sampled two apps, one was the Ahi Tuna Ceviche (guajillo-coconut sauce | mango | pickled onions | cilantro oil | malanga chips). This was absolutely delicious and I had to fight my tablemates for it. The Sikil-pak (pumpkin seeds | roasted tomatoes | cilantro | corn tortilla chips) was a sumptuous, rich hummus and that did not last long either My entree was the Salmon (Verlasso salmon | cuitlacoche sauce | tok-sel lima beans). This was good, the beans and the sauce complemented the fish well, but it did pale in comparison to the apps. Two of my friends had dishes with two kinds of mole, and I think this is where the strengths are. If I come back I will definitely go this route. Service was attentive but not annoying, I really enjoyed my time there, thanks Mayan! read more

Mayan Cafe - Salmon dish - Latin American Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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Met up with a favorite couple of ours at Mayan Cafe; hadn't been to Mayan for many, many years. I originally thought they were on main street when we first visited so it looked much different. I originally thought they were on Main street, but it has been years. I originally remember they used to have cheese plates with some meats thus the menu has changed so wasn't sure how I'd like it, but nothing ventured noting learned. We were kind of late to the party so only reservations we could get were outside. It was a bit cold this day and breezy, so the heaters would be handy. As we entered the inside is so nicely decorated and spaced about so patrons have room. We met our friends and were promptly seated in the ally way (not as bad as it sounds) and waited on. Our friends ordered Sikil-pak an appetizer ( pumpkin seeds | roasted tomatoes | cilantro |corn tortilla chips). It was delicious and somewhat resembled peanut butter but with a much more distinct and robust taste: definitely worth trying. We added a few drinks to our table; wine and some beers. We later ordered I had the Cochinita Pibil; (Garey Farms slow-roasted local pork | achiote sauce | pickled onions | tok-sel lima beans). My wife had Huevos Motuleños; (fried eggs | tostada chip | black beans | local chorizo | fried plantains | queso fresco | casera sauce | sour cream). Both items were very, very good. I practically liked my choice with the pork and pickled onions blended very well and the lima beans. I will actually order Tok-sel Lima Beans alone if I can the next time as a side. Our friends had Tuna Tacos; (3 handmade corn tortillas | ahi tuna | chipotle sauce | pineapple-poblano-avocado salsa | cilantro | radish | greens. She said they were great! Her spouse had the Vegetarian Burrito (Mexican rice | black beans | roasted corn | peppers | squash | Chihuahua cheese | Tomatillo sauce | sour cream | free-range, local fried eggs on top with chicken an add on) He too said his was very tasty. We finished it all off with Tres Leches for desert with we all shared with out spouses. It was light, sweet but not too sweet and tasty. It was an evening of great foods, drinks and conversation. The Mayan was on top of servicing everything is a very timely manner and with a smile. Some day hope to be back to try a few of the other items. This place is a farm to table establishment. They are an authentic Mayan restaurant and run sustainable business. If your into authenticity foods, this is a place to try. read more

Mayan Cafe - Great friends and great food. - Latin American Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

Everyone is super friendly. The back patio is lovely. The food is EXCELLENT. We started with the salbutes of the day (today with chicken), and the flavors were dancing. I never say that. Wish I could make this at home. We also had the cochinita pibil (pork and lima beans) which was very good. It was a bit heavy though, so we asked for more of the greens (mostly shredded cabbage I think) that had been on the salbutes, and that really balanced it out. I wish there were more of the caramelized carrots; those were super good. Everything was delicious. read more

This was a while ago BUT! It is still one of one of my favorite restaurant experiences I had this year. so I am back here writing this review!! I was visiting Louisville for a few days with a couple friends. Never been here before and had no expectations for the food scene. Mayan cafe blew it out of the water - Food was amazing. I love mole and had it at cheap and expensive places. This mole was GOOD. Fresh and good ingredients. Truly well cooked and designed. Service was also great. The kitchen forgot about a side dish I ordered. They brought it out later and put it on the house. I would come back to Louisville just to eat here again! read more

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I went to Mayan Cafe for a girls night not really knowing what to expect, but was very happy with my experience. It is a cute little restaurant in NULU and the food was great! I tried the Papadzules and it was incredible! Loved the egg on top and all of the different flavors in the dish. Everyone at the table was pleased with their food and our time at the restaurant. Will definitely come back to try other things. read more

Mayan Cafe - Papadzules - Latin American Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

If I could give this place 10 stars I would!! Everything is fantastic.. The staff is phenomenal. The drinks are phenomenal. The food is phenomenal. The atmosphere is fantastic...!!!!!! Just do yourself a favor and have dinner here!! And even if you don't like lima beans, you will have missed out if you don't try these.. these are not your grandma's lima beans that you tried to feed to the dog.. they are out of this world. I have yet to have anything from here that left me disappointed. it's fantastic. read more

I've been to this restaurant several times, and I leave this restaurant disappointed every time... disappointed I can't eat here everyday. Today's mole of the day was rabbit, and it was absolutely fantastic. I don't know how they made that rabbit taste that good. The cochinita pibil is always a fantastic choice. One of the great mysteries in life will be how they make Lima Beans taste so wonderful. Service was fantastic, Ana did a great job taking care of us, and I highly recommend checking out the back patio when the weather is right. Honestly this is my choice for the best restaurant in Louisville. From the food to the service to the ambiance, you will only leave here disappointed , if like me, you wish you could eat here everyday. read more

Mayan Cafe - Cochinita Pibil, Fried Plantains, Duck (mole of the day) - Latin American Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

Mayan Cafe serves the highest quality, flavorful dishes that we've had in quite some time. Kudos to the chef and great service - this is a treasure that should be tried by locals and visitors alike. Meat and veggie dishes, and of course empanadas and Lima beans (a signature) are perfection. read more

dónde está el sabor is the easiest description. Of this restaurant. I visited this restaurant today, I ordered mole of the day, and my dish was very good. the one thing I would have to say is that although the red mole was very good it competed in flavor with the pepita chile rubbed broccolini then one of the two has to go. The sauce of the pepita was so good that it really didn't need anything else added to it. My husband ordered the salmon with a cuitlacoche sauce and Lima beans. the salmon was overcooked, the cuitlacoche sauce was so minimal that when taking a bite the Lima beans overpower the sauce and left you with a floury taste in your mouth. Thank goodness wine was outstanding . read more

I came to Louisville for a conference and was absolutely blown away by the food scene here, and places like Mayan Cafe are exactly why. One of my coworkers who's a major foodie told me about Louisville's excellent food scene, and Mayan Cafe was one of the first places she mentioned. And when earlier in the week I asked my Uber driver for food recs, he said Mayan Cafe without any hesitation. So, high expectations to start, but this place definitely exceeded them! Before I even talk about the food, I want to give props to our server, Ash. I had amazing service throughout my time in Louisville, but Ash was THE BEST server I had during my week there, bar none! She was super friendly, attentive, and fun--the kind of server you want to take shots with and ask them to join your table for dinner! As for the food, they label it as "authentic Mayan cafe" and that's pretty much spot on. Super authentic cuisine that's incredibly hard to find in any other city (at least outside of Latin America). To start, we got the ahi tuna ceviche, guacamole & chips, and black bean cakes to share. For the mains, a friend and I shared the duck and the rabbit and had them with a side of the tok-sel lima beans. Honestly, everything was fantastic. I won't go into the details because I could rave about the food for several paragraphs, but wow... The freshness of the ceviche, the richness of the duck sauce, the tenderness of the rabbit meat and the delicious mole that came with it, and those beans... God I loved those beans so much! We finished the meal with chocolate cake and bread pudding, both of which were great. A really nice ending to an overall fantastic meal. I'll absolutely be coming back next time I'm in town! read more

Mayan Cafe - Duck (top) and rabbit (bottom), both delicious! - Latin American Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

We had out of town guests who were vegetarians, so we took them to The Mayan Cafe in NuLu. We were not disappointed. Our server was excellent and so was the food. read more

We were in town for a concert so made reservations here for dinner. We arrived right at 5, and were shooed away from the door and told to come back in 5 minutes. Eeeek. Oh well, no big deal. For starters we got the dip trio. The guac was simple but fresh, scallop ceviche good, and the pumpkin seed dip was interesting. Sort of tahini-like? I couldn't eat a whole bowl of that, but was glad to have tried something new. Entrees were the daily special (think taco but thicker, puffier tortilla) which were excellent. They had a great chorizo in them and the entire dish was perfect. Our second entree was a pork enchilada type dish. It was good, but not outstanding, and I would get something else next time. The side dishes left us underwhelmed. Everything was "pretty good", but nothing made you want to order it again. The Lima beans were for sure the best Lima beans I've eaten. Dessert bread pudding was great. Would order again! Overall, the cocktails were just "good" but not amazing. Same for some of the food, with a few standout exceptions. Solid 4/5 dinner read more

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Food was amazing as always. Service was disappointing. We started with a very good Tuna Seviche. My wife always gets the Conchita Pibil and as always it was amazing. I had the Huevos tostada that really surprised me how good it was. For dessert we had the tiramisu that was probably one of the best I have ever had. I do have to admit after a great meal I was pretty put off by the service at the end of the meal. My wife did not finish her meal and asked for a to go box. To my surprise the server brought out a to go container for us to load with the leftovers. This is not an inexpensive restaurant, at a bare minimum the server should have done this. Ideally the plate should have been taken back to the kitchen and transferred to a to go box in the back of the house. Food amazing. Very disappointed about service at end of meal. read more

Mayan Cafe - Ahi Tuna Ceviche - Latin American Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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Best meal I've had in Louisville in a long time. Service was great and the atmosphere was cozy.

Food was so good. A fun experience trying different cuisine. Servers ask for allergies or dietary restrictions which was nice. Restaurant itself was a great atmosphere. Even the outside seating was cute read more

While in Louisville, we checked out Mayan cafe. The menu looked really good when I searched on Yelp. We didn't have a reservation so was able to get a seat outside with a heater. Ordered a few drinks and some appetizers. Started with the Lima beans (most amazing), tuna ceviche, jicama salad, and sikil pak. Everything was delicious. We were able to move inside halfway because some tables emptied out, which was great. It was freezing outside. For our entrees we got the rabbit dish, tikin-xic, and the salmon. Again all the dishes were amazing. I didn't try the rabbit but both fish dishes were delicious. I loved the black rice and the sauce was tasty over the fish. Ended dinner with bread pudding and flan. The service was great. This was one of the best meals I've ever had anywhere. read more

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Always a pleasure! I really enjoyed trying the new vegetarian options! The patio is so cute! read more

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The food is okay! Not bad but too long to get the food! Good service but too long to get the dish! The ambiance is really cute but not worth coming again is you are on time crunch read more

Mayan Cafe - Chilaquile - Latin American Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

Great restaurant!! Highly recommended. Food and service were excellent. A must try when in the area. read more

This place absolutely lives up to the hype. I was looking at the reviews prior to coming, seeing one after the other singing their praises. I then went to look at the menu and I wasn't really excited by anything, everything looked like it was going to just be okay. I could not have been more wrong, and I am planning my next trip to keep trying everything on the menu because WOW. We started with some drinks. My boyfriend got some beer and I got the grapefruit margarita. I'm not usually one to get more than one drink but this one was so good I got another. We then got a couple of appetizers: the dip trio and the tok-sel lima beans. Every dip was perfect, we couldn't get enough, and so were the chips. And never in my life have I (or anyone, probably) been excited about lima beans until I came here. For our entrees I got the cochinita pibil and my boyfriend got the daily special (I don't remember what it was unfortunately). My pork was crazily tender and amazingly seasoned. His dinner was great too. We both came out absolutely beaming with how happy we were. We sat outside and thoroughly enjoyed our perfect dinner. Believe the hype, this place is The Truth. read more

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