Maiz De La Vida Restaurant — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

Finally got around to having a long-awaited and anticipated visit to MDLV today. It’s been on my list of places to eat in Nashville for quite some time, and I was so excited to be eating there today.

I’ll start by saying this: yes, the food is as good as you’ve heard. Absolutely excellent flavor in every dish we ordered. Complex, rich, deep and far beyond your normal run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant. Every dish is still incredibly approachable and familiar, but the team here has introduced a real trademark on their food. Highlights were the flautas, the masa pancakes, mole negro sauce, and the grits and chorizo.

For the cons… the service was unfortunately beyond sub par. From the moment we walked in, we immediately sensed that something was off. It was a Sunday brunch service — so, yes, you always keep in mind there could be a lot going on in a restaurant; but that’s the business you’re in, so by now the machine should be well-oiled. And it was by no means packed when we arrived.

Had a reservation for 1:30p, arrived a few minutes late, and it was almost 10 minutes before a host even appeared to greet us. Once seated, it seemed as though only one server was visibly covering the entire place. Eventually, after about 15 minutes, someone finally came to our table to acknowledge us. The interaction was pleasant, but became one of those scenarios where the order gets placed, and then there seems to be no sign of your server anywhere… you check the clock as you feel like, “maybe the apps should be here by now?” But instead, you just sit and wait.. and wait.. and wait.

We ordered several appetizers and mains, and sat in the booth for over an hour past our reservation time without any food hitting the table yet. Then came what I found to be a very annoying cherry on the cake—they brought ALL of the food at one time. Appetizers, mains, sides, and pancakes, all at once. Not only was the table so cramped we could barely maneuver, but appetizers are an entirely separate course.. meant to be enjoyed prior to the rest of your food. I’ve never dined anywhere, especially a place with great culinary reputation, where they prepare absolutely everything and then just throw it down all at once, like a feeding trough. After having been just sitting around for 60+ minutes, it was just another wrench in the experience that really took away from the potential of it being an all-around great meal.

As I said, the interactions with the staff, when they actually happened, were lovely—but something was majorly lacking in the whole flow of the service; whether that was the actual number of employees or something else, I’m not sure… but it felt rather amateur, for such a reputable joint.

Where I’m from, we always say, “people come for the food, but they come back for the service”, and I feel that sentiment to be very true. I was thrilled with what I ate today, but struggled to enjoy it all, given the clunky and wait-laden dining experience we had today. Not sure if I could say I’ll be running back any time...

Well I must say that I was fully expecting to be sharing a 5-star review following my first visit bc this has been one of my highly anticipated new openings. While I can’t give 5-stars, I’ll try to keep it balanced because they are still getting their sea legs just a few weeks into opening.

We were a group of 3 w/ a reservation for dinner on a Tuesday. Service was good with no issues. She was friendly and prompt, which checks the essential boxes. She wasn’t able to speak too much on drink or menu questions but again, they are just getting started so likely a lot of new people still getting things down, so no big deal.

Atmosphere for me was a miss. It’s very much fast casual vibes. The exterior sets a great tone but arriving inside is meh. I am all for a comfortable and casual spot but still want a solid ambiance. I don’t think it’ll take much to get there though and I mean honestly even just toning down the blasting lighting level would’ve made a big difference. I think this will probably sort itself out as they run more and more services and tweak their finishing touches.

The drinks were disappointing. Not bad bc they were made wrong or tasted awful, but bad because they just weren’t good cocktails. Very bland flavor profiles and little to no style or garnish. I pay $18-$30 for a cocktail all over Nashville just like everyone else, so I’m fine with (i.e. used to) the pricing, but I expect a great drink. We tried three different cocktails and all three had minimal flavor and no presentation so this is one area where I just don’t have a positive balance to share. I wouldn’t go so far as to send a drink back over this, but I can tell you we all stopped at one and I wouldn’t go back with happy hour on my mind.

Food was solid but just not quite great. I went with the salmon and would say it was the best choice at the table. It had good flavor and a unique texture being served with a crispy skin left on. Presentation on the salmon dish was excellent and the Calasparra rice had a good flavor and unique (in a good way) texture. The Milanesa (chicken cutlet dish) was a miss. Lacked flavor and was also very very well done…ok sorry but it was burnt. I would have politely asked for it to be remade if it had been my personal dish. We did the guac and salsa trio to share and again, it was good but not at all great, because it also just lacked flavor. It was definitely missing the needed citrus kick from lime as well as salt, but also felt like it needed texture and flavor from something like onion, tomato, etc. This could be a personal preference for me, but the guac was not my vibe.

So, while it wasn’t what I anticipated, I can respect the challenge of getting a new place off the ground. I probably won’t be back in the immediate future but I will absolutely give it another shot once they settle in. We all want to see local spots like this keep coming and be successful. Cheers to what will hopefully be a great second try and a successful addition to the...

My wife and I have visited all MDLV locations, including this one, multiple times. But this experience was below the standard they’ve set for themselves in prior visits.

Don’t get me wrong: the food and drinks were as delicious as ever.

But the front of house was abysmal.

Not just service. 90% of everything FoH was subpar. We were welcomed and sat promptly. After that? Downhill.

• We sat at the chef’s counter because we usually love the experience there. But this time there was no acknowledgement of us by the kitchen staff. Including the chef who was behind counter. Even a wave or smile or “hey thanks for joining us” would’ve been a warm welcome. From anyone in the kitchen.

• The service was bad. Initially I thought this was our waitress’ fault but as I watched and observed, I think they were suffering from upstream issues that impacted their ability to do their job.

• Waitstaff were bussing their own tables. Short staffed? Maybe. But this has a massive downstream effect not to mention sanitation concerns. At some places this is acceptable but not at a spot of repute like MDLV.

• Food temps were off. I think part of this was because our food often sat in expo for ages as waitstaff were overworked across responsibilities.

• My wife was bonked in the head by a water pitcher. Accidents happen. No biggie. But there was a quick apology and nothing after. No small bite, no discount, no checking in later, nothing. Her head hurt after we left. We’re not the kind of people to make a deal about it then but maybe we should have.

• Our food, apart from temps, was as phenomenally delicious as ever. We had the quesabirria (can’t miss!), potato and cheese tacos (banger dish and I suspect underrated), milanesa (delicious and shareable), and the chile en nojada (too sweet for my palette but well-executed and the missus enjoyed it). Well salted, great acid levels, authentic ingredients and recipes. Wonderful and a large part of why we have (and will) continue to come back.

Fix the front of house and MDLV will be a...