MAYA — Restaurant in Manchester

Appalling front of house service: I checked the website for availability in the main dining room (a-la carte) - plenty of availability, but rather than booking via the website, my party of three thought it might be nice to walk the 5 minutes from home via canal street to turn up and get a table.

The greeter looked us up and down (two of us were wearing smart shorts and designer tshirts), and we were told there was no availability in the main restaurant, but that we could eat at the upstairs brasserie. When challenged, that I had checked the website and had seen plenty of availability, the greeter went downstairs “to check”. After a few minutes, the greeter returned and said that there may be a table available at 8:30-45, depending on when the current guests left. We agreed to have some drinks in the brasserie and wait.

As 8:30 approached, a second front of house employee - Andrea - informed us that the table would be rescinded as the restaurant had a dress code, and again restated that we could eat in the brasserie. I said that there was no way I wanted to spend additional money in a place that had started to make me feel uncomfortable and unwelcomed, and that I would pay for the drinks, finish them them and leave. Andrea (with her visible neck tattooo and chewing gum) left us on hearing this. No Apology or offer to bring the manager to discuss our unhappiness.

It is “Sparkle” weekend - the annual celebration and festival for the Trans community and their allies, and I couldn’t help but notice that apart from my party, the rest of the people who were eating upstairs or having drinks were members of the trans community.i raised this point with one of the waitresses and asked if the restaurant’s dress code had meant any of the trans customers had also been directed to the brasserie rather than the restaurant, and noted that as Maya is occupying a key piece of real estate on the corner of canal street, in the heart of Manchester’s gay village, having a selective (and undisclosed dress code) that appeared to be applied randomly could have a discriminatory effect against the local community that the restaurant has attempted to insert itself into

Unhappy at having my time wasted (plus the expense of ordering average cocktails with an above-average price tag), the brasserie waitress did listen to my issues regarding the dress code and went to find the manager.

In fairness to both the brasserie waitress, and the restaurant manager, both did listen seriously to my complaint, and were courteous and professional.

That said, I have to wonder why on earth Maya chose to open in this location: the Village is not Spinningfields or Deansgate - locations where the outdated linkage between being dressed like a Yates’ wine lodge drinker, or someone trying to get into a naff “Ladies Night” in a crap provincial nightclub in Wigan for a 1986 called “Mister Bo-Jangles” equates to the ability to pay, or enjoy a restaurant.

The gay village is informal, with many LGBT events attracting different members of the LGBTQ+ community, ranging from bears, leather, rubber, trans, lesbian and all things in between, and a venue in the heart of the village that is applying some weird heteronormative concept of “dress code” to the community shouldn’t be here. As I never got to try the food, and never will, I’m afraid I can’t comment if it’s worth navigating the front of house issues. I do know that with the current attitude and randomly applied dress Code” , Maya does not deserve to succeed in the village. It’s taking up a significant part of the real estate that could be serving the actual community it finds itself in, rather than trying to bring its own stale and stuffy attitude into the heart of village.

I won’t be trying to get into Maya again, and I will be talking to other village residents about...

Absolutely tragic - 100% avoid.

Seems a crazy amount of 5 star reviews (which lack detail or show pics of food not on the menu?) from accounts with only 1 review....

Ive been fortunate enough to eat over 100+ times at Michelin stared establishments. Ive also been to nearly all the 'best' restaurants in Manchester - Mana/Climat/The French/The Pearl/etc etc

Id like to think I have a good gauge of what is good and is not.

Background: The Chef has been in a test kitchen for a year, and the team at Maya have had 5 (very public) days of soft launch with all of the social media press in Manchester.

Venue: Not to my liking design wise, but that doesn't influence my review.

Arrived, coat taken by the a lovely door team, asked if we wanted a drink or straight to table.

Went for a cocktail first.

Given the cocktail menu and the wine list. Cocktail menu turns out to be the Bottle / Spirits list. Asked for the cocktail menu.

No prices visible (turns out to be £18 for a cocktail, note, Schofields, the best cocktail bar in the UK is £14)

Cocktails are average, for the price, not great value.

Ask to go to the table, turns out the tables around the bar are the restaurant tables - feels cramped. The atmosphere is weird, they have loud music playing (think Kisstory) and it really doesn't feel like a find dinning restaurant, more a bar with tables.

Waiter comes over and introduces himself - asked if we wanted water (no thank you) or wine - white or red? I asked for the wine list as I wanted to choose my wine not just pick a colour.

Wine list arrives. We order a bottle of Cote du Rhone and a Gavi di Gavi, the waiter had zero clue what I ordered and I had to point to the items on the menu.

He goes away and comes back saying the Gavi is not available and points me to the wine by the glass. I mentioned I wasn't looking for a glass but a bottle, and choose another one.

Took 3 people to take the order, get the wine and pour it.

Now comes the food ordering: Asked if we were ready to order the starters, mentioned we were ready to order both courses.

Friend asked for starter, I order both starter and main, then friend asks for his main.

Waiter has to check 3 times what we ordered and really has no clue about the menu or what we were ordering. It was embarrassing to see.

Another waiter came over and apologised for the bad service.

shortly after the waiter came and apologies (awkward) - lots of excuses about being new etc, clearly the soft launch didnt do its job.

Starters arrive - food was average at best, tiny monkfish portion that was cold in the middle with an over reduced sauce that was too bitter. Waiter decides to clear my plate whist my mate was still eating (he had to stop the waiter from taking his half eaten plate) at the same time I ordered a Diet Coke, and the waiter managed to spill a portion of it on the table and leaves me to clean it up (yet doesn't replace my napkin)

Another waiter comes over and start giving a story about why the service is bad and saying that the waiter is "getting all their support" at this point things are comical.

Mains arrive - both dishes are cold, the Turbot being 3 small tail portions that were overcooked.

At this point we flag it as an issue and the plates are taken. To their credit the food was removed from the bill.

Personally, this restaurant is not ready to be open. It's miles off for food and service.

The prices are on the high end (wine is x3.5/4 mark up, most places are 2/3 in Manchester) and the food is priced at London Michelin levels.

Based on this, this place is miles off the pace. Needs a major rethink.

I would avoid until new management takes over and sorts it all out.

as a side note: lots of new reviews from today, yet there was barely anyone there - more staff than...

New York glamour comes to Manchester!!!!! Expect real celebrities here not footballers.

Expensive but well WORTH IT! We spent £1500 between the four of us but had the best time of our lives. We will come back again and again as we are tired of going to other expensive but classless places in Deansgate and Spinningfields where you have a man-bag crowd with fake plastic girls asking the men of my husband’s age to buy them a free drink.

I just attended party at this spectacular gem of a place called Maya in an unassuming location which is great as it leaves Spinningfields to deal with the trash. I was blown away by the decor. Kudos to the owner he has nailed every single detail in this place. I can see they have spent millions here as the quality oozes every aspect of the business. It is a super high end concept, and a far cry from any other restaurants in the whole of Manchester.

The quality of food and drinks were outstanding. The staff wear very expensive Velvet jackets, the silver cutlery is engraved with the Maya logo. They make it dark early hours, the playlist is fantastic and they have multiple layers for different experiences. And of course the best loos in Manchester with golden toilets.

The pump room downstairs is the new Studio 54. I have heard that a few celebrities have already been. Rumours has it this venue will bring glamour of Hollywood in to Manchester when they are in town.

The food is ouststanding, so are cocktails and service. Manchester has never seen anything like this and only the well travelled fun seekers will get this concept.

Best of luck Maya you are my number one place to hang out in Manchester. I will come for lunch and dance my...