The storefront is very unassuming in the sense that you can tell something is there but can't tell exactly what it is. The parking situation is near non-existent so make sure you are ready to walk up or down if street parking is unavailable. The outdoor patio and the interior design is well thought out and gives off an unapologetic colonized mexican vibe. We were in the process of making a reservation using the restaurant's preferred method (lamayarestaurant.com) according to google; when we noticed that most of the time slots for a party of 3 were available on a Friday night so we figured the restaurant wouldn't be that busy and made our way there to find out we were wrong. We were told a table would become available in about 2hrs so we asked if bar seating was available and the lady at reception kindly led us to the general area where we should be seated. Upon taking our seats, the bartender gentleman at the counter begrudgingly told me to move down a seat as some of the bar seating seemed to be reserved (never have I encountered reserved bar seating before or attitude like that from an upscale restaurant) and my parents had to awkwardly get up after we were settling in and move down a seat which is hard to do as the seats were high-seats. Anyways, the most competent bartender lady introduced herself as our waitress with such a bright amicable gusto and handed us the drink and food menus and gave us ample time to decide. We opted for 3 cocktails and were mostly pleased with the quality and preparation of drinks. The matcha and lychee cocktails were a welcome surprise and are probably targeted more for the asian audience. The lychee fell a bit short as the ingredients did not mesh very well. The matcha cocktail was well balanced. As for my mezcal cocktail i knew what i was getting into and i got it (our waitress knew how to make a strong drink which suited my taste). The corn ribs were excellent and no do not take a bite of the whole thing thinking it will be soft like i did. It's very much similar to that of corn on the cob and should be treated as such. Very glad they used queso fresco and the chipotle mayo was very rich and helped the other ingredients stick to the surface. The chicken enfrijolada took saucy to the next level and immediately the bean purée, habenero crema and wild mushrooms stole the spotlight. Overall the umami factor was on the milder side and lacked true depth. The shredded chicken made the enchiladas an overly mushy dish with lackluster texture. The aguachile verde was fresh and the ingredients had good synergy but could have been great with some more sea salt and maybe one more tortilla circle chip because there were only 3 and there were 3 of us. The pork carnitas was near perfect with how well the beans turned out. I would give the pork itself a 7/10 as some bits were dry and chewy giving the diner some inconsistency and the same could be said about the lamb. The tortillas were nice and soft without falling apart; nailed it. I did not like the red salsa at all because i'm pretty sure it was mostly pizza sauce because i kid you not they have the same sauce at una mas locations here in the west coast. Some mexican rice would have completed the dish. The lamb... the sauce was way too overpowering that it was difficult to taste the pickled onions and garnish. I actually think the lamb birria was supposed to come with its own house-made tortillas but maybe due to limited space or something that was forgotten. The cuisine is not entirely authentic and can be confirmed by the majority demographic dining here. I think maybe due to this, a lot of the more authentic mexican spices are held back to accommodate. I see the progressive determination CJ has in mind for La Maya but for me as it is today sadly missed the mark. read more