MAiiZ Nixtamal

If you're in Victoria, Canada and you don't stop here to grab a bite, you're truly missing out. Right in China Town we found some of the best Mexican food we've ever tasted! From the tacos, to the quesadillas, the chilaquiles and even down to the guac and chips, everything we put in our mouths was delicious and left us wanting even more!

A cute little place with just a handful of seats, and the staff there were all amazing. They made us all feel very welcome and explained the whole menu to us as well as the concept of the Maiiz (corn) that they use in their tortillas and chips.

We left very happy that we decided to dine at Maiiz and if I make it back to Victoria, I will definitely be making my way back here as well!p

We did not expect the food to be so good. Had a chicken tamale, beef tacos and cornbread. Not sure what they do to make it so good, but there were pickled onions, something crunchy and tender beef/chicken. The cornbread was supposed to be a dessert but it went well with the purple and white sauces that were served with it. We will be back. So many things we wanted to try!

This could well be the best Mexican restaurant in Victoria. My spouse and I are vegan, and the staff had no difficulty in suggesting options. As you can see in the attached photo, many of the dishes are vegan. We had tacos, the mushroom and the huitlacoche. Both were superb.
One doesn't expect a Mexican restaurant in Chinatown, but there it is. There aren't many tables, but one can choose indoor or outdoor.
The staff is friendly and so are the prices. If you want a quick bite but have had sufficient Asian cuisine, try this gem of a place.

This is a must stop when you are in Victoria, Chinatown. The freshly made tortillas were incredibly tasty, and the tamales were delightful. The mushroom tacos were fantastic. The highlight is their corn tortillas! The salsa roja was my absolute favourite--it had the perfect balance of flavours. The staff was friendly and provided excellent service throughout our visit. They also sell packed tortillas, salsa and chips to go. The ambiance of the place reminded me of being in a tortilleria shop in Mexico, and the authenticity really added to the overall experience. Don't miss out on this spot! Highly recommended!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

as we were taking the clipper boat from seattle to Victoria we were talking about china town and a lovely women told us about a Mexican food place there that we had to try!

It was so fresh I felt like it was grown in the back! The tortillas are amazing! Strong enough to hold the goods but not too dense, you can tell these are made with love and no BS!

I tried a unique ingredient, some type of fermented corn the chef behind the corner recommended and compared to truffle of corn! It was nutty and rich and delicious!

It was adorable inside the workers were kind and patient and seemed to be passionate about the food which I love!

A must go in Victoria!

I wanted to like Maiiz as the service was good, but the texture, flavor, and density of their tortillas and chips made for some really poor food.

To start with the positive, their tamales were delicious and the presentation was beautiful. The chicken flavor was less rich, but you could really enjoy and taste the masa, whereas the beef filling was much more rich and flavorful so you noticed the masa less.

That being said, we made sure to order the chips and salsa since visually the chips looked so different. However in the US it's not uncommon to re-fry stale tortilla chips as a cost saving measure. They always taste over-fried and too thick and that flavor is what these chips reminded me of. I don't think we had more than a couple chips each.

When our tacos were served the meat was flavorful and moist, but the tortilla texture was a mix between a hard and soft taco. Too flexible to be hard, much too hard to be soft. Like the chips, the flavor wasn't good and detracted from the taco instead of adding to it, making it unpleasant to eat.

All in all, we were only in Victoria for the day and regret having Maiiz be one of our stops.

What a hidden gem that should be discovered by the masses in Victoria! We weren't looking for Maiiz as we had no idea this place existed, but it ended up being a great spot for lunch.

We were walking around Victoria's Chinatown neighborhood, with plans to get dim sum as our first meal of the day. All of the dim sum spots were packed, with lines outside the door. Therefore, we decided to walk around until we found another spot, and that's how we learned about Maiiz. Located in the middle of Chinatown, who knew this small, Mexican shop would be here?

Maiiz offers a straightforward menu with a handful of eats, all highlighting their handmade corn tortillas. Inside the eatery, they also sell products from Mexico, including items necessary to make mole and other Mexican dishes. In fact, many people who visited Maiiz were getting ingredients for dishes they were making, as the friendly employee was instructing them on how to prepare and so forth.

My partner and I shared the beef tamale and chicken quesadilla, which were simple, yet outstanding. You can really tell that the corn tortillas are made with just the very few ingredients without all the BS, which is how tortillas, or any food should be. I highly recommend visiting Maiiz for some Mexican bites that are authentic and delicious.

Food was good but not amazing compared to Southern California. Price is pretty fair, horchata was good. The real draw for me was the corn smut since I've heard of this corn fungus before but never saw it on a menu to try. Service was quick and people were friendly. They had nice Colombian salsa music, it was a nice place. But don't have high hopes if you're comparing to San Diego or Phoenix

Food is pricey, but the quality of the food is topnotch delicious.

Our server was welcoming and provided exceptional service! She took care of our big party and provided seats when there was not enough room. She was always smiling and said goodbye when we left. I don't know her name, but I know she is French.

Absolutely delicious, mouth watering tacos!
The salad on top of the tamales made it so juicy and tasty. Excellent service- so friendly and welcoming. Small dining area but super cozy. So glad we went here.