MAYA CAFE Lounge & Gallery — Restaurant in Winter Park

My better half found this gem while looking for unique places in town to eat. We visited Friday afternoon for brunch and definitely not disappointed in this gem. Google maps directed me to enter through a driveway before the actual entrance to the restaurant and took me on an adventure through an office plaza. I'm not sure what it was thinking but be aware Maps is wonky.

From the moment we stepped in and were greeted, we knew it was going to be great. The restaurant wasn't too busy at that hour (1pm'ish) so it's not surprising for that hour.

The menu was varied with many choices and almost overwhelmed is from the perspective that we wanted to try everything because it all was so interesting. Our server was probably one of the best we have had hands down. We are used to having servers that just seem like they are burned out and going through the motions but this was the total opposite.

We ordered the Mayas Special and Prosciutto Bites as appetizers, empanadas, and the Street Corn Tacos, with the coffee flan for dessert and Dalgona coffee.

I can't pick a favorite over the two appetizers they were both delicious. The two complement each other well.

The two empanadas were crispy, not soggy bottomed or greasy like some that I've had before. We ordered one chicken and a spinach & cheese. The spinach & cheese was our favorite as it's not typical where you mostly find meat filled. They do have a guava & cheese that sounded good as well. With just the right amount of filling so it's a good accompaniment to the two tacos which we shared. And there's a really tasty dipping sauce, similar to a green goddess sauce for those familiar with that

The chicken tacos though were amazing. It's an outer layer of delicious fried cheese over a soft shell with a generous amount of meat and cheese. I've had a lot of tacos but this was up there on my list of to 10.

For dessert, the coffee flan was delicious. A very authentic style flan, springy and not too dense, but also not too overly on the custard side that makes it jiggly. The hint of coffee is not overpowering and gives it a good flavor. The consistency and texture reminded me of my mom's flan which I absolutely loved.

Finished off the dessert with the Dalgona coffee which was well made, not too heavy on the coffee side and topped over iced milk which is how I make it at home.

Our server was very attentive and checked up on us to see how everything tasted, and made sure we had refills without having to run out which is too common at most places. If I have to ask for a refill after it sits empty too long, that's a minus. The owner(?) stopped my a few times to check on us as well.

Overall a great dining experience that we thoroughly enjoyed. We are sure to visit again because it's a really nice ambience with excellent service and food to match.

The restaurant itself is eclectic with walls adorned with artwork, painted floors and recycled furniture which added to the uniqueness of the place. It was fun to look around after we finished our meal. Definitely a nice place to enjoy a meal and talk without that feeling of being in a stuffy restaurant and being pressured to get moving so they can cycle through the next guests.

This one is a hidden but not so hidden gem we...

I want to be honest in that the first time I visited this café I truly thought the food was amazing. I enjoyed it enough to come back with my partner a few days later. On my initial visit, I ordered the brisket tacos and a Nutella latte. Truly, some of the best tacos I have ever had. The latte really did not taste like Nutella, and it was extremely strong, but I looked past it because it was a bit busy. On my second visit, I wanted to try out the queen board. Mind you, this is a $30+ menu item, I did expect it to be $30 worth of treats. However, upon its arrival, I was a little dismayed. The board was nothing like it was said to be in the menu. The cheese flower in the middle was very likely made from Kraft singles, as in the sandwich slices. I feel like I would not have taken much issue with this if the board was not advertised to contain blue cheese, provolone, gouda, and or brie. There were tiny little balls of what I presume to be mozzarella, covered in some sort of honey mixture. This truly was one of the worst parts, and it really did not taste great. The final nail in the coffin is the absolutely massive mound of what I can only assume to have been cream cheese, upon which everything was stacked on. There was so much cream cheese, I really mean it was a lot. Side nitpick, the amount of pita bread given was not even enough to breach the surface of the cream cheese! After taxes and tip, I had paid over $37 dollars for something that could not have been finished, and was also rather disappointing anyway. I want to be clear, I absolutely love the atmosphere of this café, and the staff are very sweet and accommodating. However, after experiencing the let down of the queen board, I am not sure I will be returning. The food is too expensive to be such a...

TLDR: REHEATED, DISGUSTING, INEDIBLE FOOD

We should have taken heed when we entered the restaurant on a Saturday night to not see any other patrons. We overlooked it and decided to sit out on the patio and order our meals. Every person that pulled into the lot after us went straight to the birria truck. Cleary whatever they were serving must have been amazing, a stark contrast to its neighbor MAYA Cafe. I decided to order the chicken and waffles. After quite a long wait, it was brought to the table. The best account of what this tasted like is Tyson chicken tenders with freezer burned Eggos. After having to find our server inside, I informed her that the meal was quite inedible. She offered to have a new meal remade so I decided to opt-in for their steak tacos printed on the menu. She then asked me whether I would like this with steak or brisket. Obviously confused, she informed me that they usually come with brisket. I confirmed I wanted the steak and headed back to the table. Another while later, it arrived to the table steaming hot. This time it was rubbery and had an odd flavor. While waiting for the server to come back for quite some time, we were wondering whether or not she had any help inside. When she finally made her way back to the table, we asked her. She then confirms not only is she the only one in the restaurant, she is also the only one in the KITCHEN. Essentially our food was just being reheated and served like it was fresh. Overall, for the service and food quality received, MAYA CAFE was not worth the visit. Very telling that two completely different dishes both managed to miss the mark. There are plenty of other restaurants in Winter Park that serve fresh, great tasting food while maintaining...