Masala Y Maiz

Every dish we tried was vibrant and thoughtfully executed. The fusion of Mexican, Indian, and East African influences makes for a unique and memorable meal. That said, the portion sizes felt a bit underwhelming, especially when it came to the proteins, which left us wanting a little more substance for the price. Still, the quality and originality of the food make it worth a visit.

OMG practically sums it up because the flavors are BEYOND AMAZING! We started with the samosas, which set the tone for a fantastic meal because the flavors immediately brought both Indian and Mexican flavors at their highest level! The chatti had tons of texture and savory/sweet flavors wrapped in a crunchy corn shell reminiscent of pani puri. Now that damn watermelon salad was NEXT LEVEL and probably our favorite dish of the meal: crisp sweet watermelon mixed with a salty dressing that contained mustard seed and tossed with slices of grapefruit, jicama, pickled radish, & celery...it was a full-on flavor & textural experience! The fried chicken w/ ginger sweet potato puree was divine, especially when topped off with the berbere-spiced oil. ❤️ I will be back the next time we visit Mexico City again!

Masala y Maíz is one of my favorite dining experiences in a while. They offer consistently satisfying dishes packed with intense flavors and delivered by friendly, highly capable servers. Every dish landed. The meal started with samosas packing layered flavors, especially the suadero (the vegetarian version is solid too). The pattice gordita looked simple on paper but turned out to be beautifully complex (and one of my favorite dishes), with great textures and a flavorful veal topping. The ceviche with uchuva chutney was another jewel, pulling together Mexican, South Asian, and East African flavors as if they originated from the same cultural root. Next came the camarones pa’ pelar, probably their most famous dish, and for good reason. The perfectly cooked prawns are paired with a vanilla and chile morita sauce that makes the whole dish pop. After the intense camarones pa’pelar came the heirloom tomato salad, intentionally placed after as a palate reset, though it stands on its own since it’s packed with textures and refreshing flavors. Our last main was the Kenyan-style fried chicken (Kuku poussin), probably the tenderest fried chicken I’ve ever had, featuring flavors you rarely taste in western meals. Even dessert kept up. The chai tres leches and chocolate tamal ended the meal on a high note, unlike most of my recent fine dining experiences where the pastry course tends to be the weaker link (sorry pastry chefs). All in all, one of my top choices in CDMX now. PD. Some reviewers might say the seasoning is excessive. To those folks I say: expand your range. Not all fine dining has to be dull.

Mexican, Indian, East African, and Chinese wine. The whole concept immediately reminded me of Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi in NYC, but with even more range. There’s a little bit of everything on each plate, yet none of the identities screamed to overpower one another. My favorite dish was the vanilla chili butter grilled prawn. The prawn itself was already cooked beautifully, but the vanilla butter took it somewhere else entirely. Aromatic and that initial vanilla punch made us weirdly emotional. For the kuku poussin, definitely go with the chico size. I’ve never seen young chicken served outside of Asia, and even then it’s usually served in soups rather than fried. Here, the chicken was predictably tender, and the combo with sweet potato purée and pickled jicama and apples gave off old school KFC (Korean fried chicken) vibes. The chai latte was also low-key amazing. No cinnamon-heavy sweetness, no excessive milkiness, just clean, fragrant spice.