NOW EXPERIENCING:Maíz Mexican Food
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Maíz Mexican Food

Monday: Closed
33 Enmore Road, Newtown, NSW, 2042
Phone
0466 077 804
Website
maizmexicanfood.com
Instagram
@maiz_mexican

Read time 4 Mins

Posted 09 Jul 2024

By
Matty Hirsch

Maíz brings authentic Mexican dishes and drinks to Sydney

Mexico’s food and drink offering in Sydney takes a giant step forward at this intimate and innovative eatery in the beating heart of one of the city’s buzziest ’burbs.

The decor at Maíz in Sydney
Why you goIn recent years, Mexican food has undergone something of a revolution in Sydney, moving far beyond the realm of fast-casual franchises and Taco Tuesdays at the local pub. Chief among the leaders of the charge has been Maíz, which Mexican-born chef and co-owner Juan Carlos Negrete Lopez launched in 2020, selling cornflour tartlets called sopes at a market stall in Summer Hill. Not even a year later, the project moved into a quirky converted hostel on King Street in Newtown and quickly forged a reputation for inspired interpretations of real-deal Mexican street food. Now in its third home – a grown-up, earth-toned 65-seater on happening Enmore Road – the restaurant is at its biggest and best yet, furthering the already strong case for one of the world’s best-loved cuisines and the dynamite bevvies that go with it.
What drink to orderYou’ll get asked whether you’d like a Margarita as soon as you sit down, and the answer should be a wholehearted yes. The question is which one. Of course, you can keep it traditional or go the way of the Tommy’s, but there are more exciting paths to tread. A tamarind-rimmed variation adds pleasant sourness to the fold, while the hibiscus-flavoured Mezcalita gets the smoky-floral-fruity ratio just right. House cocktails, meanwhile, are even more experimental, drawing on all kinds of uncommon ingredients from corn liqueur to mezcal washed in duck fat. On the wine front, there’s a handful of bottles from Baja California you won’t come across very often, and that’s also true of the lesser-known Mexican spirits like raicilla and sotol that complement the compact selection of tequila and mezcal. If there’s one drink to stick with from start to finish, however, it might just be Maisie – the crisp, compelling, corn-infused house lager brewed in collaboration with nearby Yulli’s Brews.
Maíz Mexican Food in Sydney serves up a great range of cocktails
Expect a wide range of authentic Mexican dishes at Maíz in Sydney
What to pair it withSure, there are chips with guacamole, quesadillas and tostadas, but the magic of Maíz’s corn-centric menu lies in just how packed it is with dishes and ideas you’re unlikely to find elsewhere in Australia. Take those sopes, for instance, or the empanada-like pastries called molotes, stuffed with mushrooms and served with sesame-spiked salsa macha. Then there’s the ripping plant-based riff on taquitos al pastor where hibiscus flowers take the place of spit-roast pork. Proper moles – the long-simmered sauces made from chillies, fruits, spices, nuts and seeds – are also something of a rarity, but you can experience them here ladled over shredded duck wrapped in soft tortillas. For ultimate refreshment, finish with one of the house-made fresh fruit popsicles known as paletas.
Regular’s tipIf you are chasing good value – and who isn’t, these days? – Maíz most definitely has your number. Tuesday nights are a particularly thrifty way to start the week, with a special menu of tostadas on offer for less than a tenner each. Saturdays, meanwhile, are set aside for bottomless brunch until 3:00pm, where $89 scores you snacks and a torta (sandwich) or chilaquiles (loaded corn chips), with free-flowing bubbles, beer, tequila-spiked Spritzes or classic Margaritas. And at $65, the three-course set menu served all week long must be one of the cheapest in town, and even includes a welcome shot of mezcal and hibiscus.
Make it fancyWhile beers, wines and most of the tequilas and mezcals land at very pocket-friendly prices, you can certainly throw down if the mood strikes. Cough up $66, and you’ll secure a nip of the Pescador de Sueños Pechuga mezcal: an earthy-sweet spirit made in minuscule quantities, thrice-distilled in a claypot with the addition of a chicken breast and local fruits and nuts. If premium tequila is more your speed, call for a pour of the Siete Leguas D’Antaño Extra Añejo, all butterscotch richness, vanilla perfume and potent fruitcake flavour – every bit worth the $55 buy-in.
Who to takeThis is that ultra-rare restaurant that’s adaptable to just about every context, from a laid-back first date or quick catch-up all the way through to a boisterous group outing. It’s affordable and approachable, yet doesn’t compromise on quality and caters far better than most to the plant-based, gluten-resistant and alcohol-abstinent folks in your life. Here, one size really does fit all.
The drinks at Maíz in Sydney go beyond the usual tequila and mezcal
Authour image
Matty HirschMatty Hirsch is a Sydney-based writer, critic and editor whose work has appeared in Time Out, Delicious and Gourmet Traveller.
Tags
Drinks DirectoryFamily affairNon-alc OptionsSydneyRestaurantGood for groupsSydney – Inner WestMeal and a bevWheelchair accessibleDate nightA+ spirits listKiller cocktailsCasual catch-upVego Food Options
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