Maiz y Cacao

Best Mexican food we have ever had! Great portion sizes and really tasty vegetarian food. Fantastic and friendly service also, we will definitely be back.

Great GF and vegan options.

Fantastic restaurant. Delicious food. If you like Mexican, this is definitely a place that you need to try at least once. Authentic Mexican with great service. Tidy and clean restaurant. Got everything we ordered correct except one item which they happily replaced free of charge and very quickly.

This place is a true gem. It is so clear that so much thought has gone into each and every dish- from presentation to taste, we were blown away by every item that we ordered. I can’t stop thinking about the lamb barbacoa tacos and can’t wait to go back for more

Had the Pambazo, Gorditos, and Cochinita Pabil tacos and wow, best mexican food I've had in a long time. Definitely coming back whenevet I'm in Melbourne next!

One of the places where you can find a super close approach to authentic Mexican food. Keep coming here with mu friends very often. Environment is nice and they make you feel from the moment you enter the door that you are in a little piece of Mexico

It was a hot summer day in Melb yesterday (4 Dec 2023) and went up to 30dc! My husband and I decided to go out for dinner, and enjoy some of the beautiful sunny weather (relatively rare). Mexican was our pick and Maiz Y Cacao was one of the best rated (although few reviews) in the city area!

Maiz Y Cacao was a short walk from Flinders Station across the Yarra River, maybe 10 minutes or so. It was quite funny that when we arrived it was the same exact location as Saporito, where we went almost half a year ago. Turns out that Maiz took over the location after Saporito left!

The place was relatively quiet for a Monday night, and probably because the outdoor seats didn't have much view. The menu was filled with interesting dishes that are typically found in the Mexican restaurants in Australia! Check out the menu!

As usual, we both were overly enthusiastic and ordered too many dishes (lol, YOLO) :
* Guacamole del tianguis ($13) - lovely Guac mix, the chips were good but wasn't freshly fried, so it is less oily

* Gorditas x 2 ($11 each) - My hubby and I each got one - the pastry was nice and crispy and there lots of pork, lettuce, onion. I do wish it would have been a bit more fried

* Sope Oaxaqueno ($15 for two pieces) first time every trying sope! Very interesting - you add these intensely flavored mushrooms (black pile on the right side) and delicious habenero sauce (not spicy) to the sope pocket. There's delicious melted cheese, cactus, bean, sour cream and salsa!

* Cochinita pibil tacos ($18 for two pieces) delicious tender pork cooked in banana leaf. Get the salsa (tomatillo green and habenero red) to go with the taco!

* Papas Bravas ($14) - very beautifully plated dish - Yucca was very crispy and fried potatoes were delicious too!

* Agua Horchata - finally we get the authentic style of horchata i really miss. Rice "water" with cinnamon.

Food is amazing! Just as good as you will get in the US, and the servers Cas, Gabriel, and Chef Miguel were so friendly and value authentic Mexican cooking! I love that it is authentic and tasty like comfort food, yet true love is involved plating the dishes to make it look like fine dining!

There's tons of tables suitable for both small or large groups. Seems like it is still a hidden gem, so it is a good time to bring groups of friends to try it out! My hubby and I will be back with more friends soon!

The best, traditional Mexican I’ve ever had. The nicest and most accommodating staff too in a cute little establishment. Very memorable:)

This is a fabulous Mexican restaurant, perfect for pre-theatre. Friendly, attentive service, great margaritas and broad menu. Highly recommend!

First of all, let me say it has taken me a full week to find the right words for this review because I’ve been meaning to do it justice, yet words can’t seem to fully describe just how great of an experience it was. We were warmly welcomed by Laura and we quickly decided on elotes, the sope and the camote tacos since we didn’t want to have any meat that night. The food came out fast and we were in absolute heaven from the first bite. The elotes were soft and had a melt-in-your-mouth texture, unlike any I had ever tried- the sope was complex and stunning with the perfectly charred cheese and deeply rich flavors, accompanied by incredible huitlacoche- and the camote are, even after a week, still hard to find words for. So much love and care for detail, it was far and away the best vegetarian tacos I’ve ever had, if not the best tacos I’ve ever had period. We were already close to our limit but decided we had to try the tamal de mole as well, which turned out to be the perfect way to round off an already perfect meal.
After six days of daydreaming about this absolutely stunning evening we went back today, partly because we were craving these magical tacos and elotes, and partly because we had a creeping suspicion we had exaggerated the memory at this point. As it turns out, we did not. The tacos might have been even better than last time today. With a heavy heart we decided we had to try something else so we did not get the sope this time around but the nachos instead (but doubled the order of these mind blowing elotes) and tried the nachos that did not fall behind in the slightest- we also had the churros for desert, and it might take another week for me to find the right words but I couldn’t wait with a review any longer. This is hands down the best Mexican restaurant in Melbourne and it is absolutely baffling to me how there aren’t lines of people all the way to the yarra to eat here every night. Authentic, more than just delicious and an incredibly friendly staff- we felt right at home and we will gladly come again and again.

Edit: somehow this wasn’t posted properly so I am reposting it!

The staff are passionate passionate about the cooking process and the flavours. It is spotless and colourful which matches the impeccable food. We tried lots and shared between 3. Our 11 year was very adventurous and the staff put the jalapeños on the side. Amazing amazing

Excellent food and service! Definitely will come back for more if you’re after some authentic + delicious Mexican tacos, you better check out this place.

Real Mexican food! It was delicious to try some tacos (cochinita & el pastor), and share some Nachos. Tasty, good quantities, and really friendly and sweet staff. We’ll be back!

Honestly. Just the most delicious, fresh, tasty, intricate Mexican food.the team are lovely too. I have just moved from London to Melbourne - and I walked past this place on my first night and ventured in on the third night (it wasn't hugely busy) and I am so glad I did. I would come here every night. I promise you the food is amazing and you will not be disappointed.

Absolutely incredible restaurant. The service is so genuinely upbeat and friendly, the food was the absolute best food I have had in 5 years, price is incredibly reasonable for the quality of food. This is mexican how I would imagine it if your mexican grandma was cooking for you personally. Absolutely awesome joint.

"Delightful experience at the Mexican restaurant! The vibrant atmosphere complemented the authentic flavors of the dishes. Exceptional service and a must-try for Mexican cuisine enthusiasts! "

My only complaint is that this gem of a restaurant isn’t closer to my home! Recommended big time!

Beautiful Mexican restaurant, amazing nachos & enviroment is the best. Thanks Miguel and staff for this night.

Thé food was fantastic - flavour and presentation. Serving sizes were great as tapas style. We were a ‘ walk in’ for an early dinner. The staff were so lovely and so helpful with their recommendations. I can’t wait to go back. 10/10

Delicious and affordable authentic Mexican food with very attentive and friendly service. Really enjoyed our meal! It's so great to finally have a place offering great vegan food in Southbank!

I live on the peninsula but will definitely make the trip just to come here (and make sure someone else is driving so I can have a margarita or three!).