Restaurant in Mexico City, Mexico
Michelin-noted corn-forward cooking, no splurge required.
Maizajo is a corn-focused Mexican restaurant in Colonia Condesa holding Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025, plus an OAD Casual North America 2025 listing — all at a $$ price point that makes it one of the stronger value cases for serious cooking in Mexico City. Easy to book, walkable neighbourhood, and consistently rated across 1,280 Google reviews.
Maizajo is the right call for the value-conscious diner who wants to eat seriously in Mexico City without spending at Pujol or Quintonil price levels. At the $$ price point, this Condesa address draws a crowd that knows corn and knows Mexico City cooking — and the 4.1 Google rating across 1,280 reviews suggests consistent delivery rather than occasional brilliance. If your trip has one meal at the leading end and you need the rest to earn their keep, Maizajo earns its place on that list. The optimal window is a weekday visit, when the room is less compressed and the kitchen has room to perform without the weekend rush. Colonia Condesa itself rewards an early evening arrival: walk the neighbourhood, then sit down.
The name signals the agenda , maize, in depth. This is a kitchen working from the grain outward, and the Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 confirms that the execution holds up year on year. A Michelin Plate is not a star, but it is the guide's way of saying the kitchen is technically sound and worth your time. That consistency across two consecutive years matters here: it tells you this is not a venue riding a single moment of press attention. Opinionated About Dining's 2025 Casual North America recognition adds a second layer , OAD's list skews toward serious food people who track this category closely, so that placement puts Maizajo in company that includes some of the more considered cooking in the region. For a first visit, let the kitchen's corn-forward logic guide your ordering rather than reaching for the most familiar items on the menu. If you are travelling from elsewhere in Mexico or coming in from a trip through Oaxaca after visiting Levadura de Olla Restaurante in Oaxaca, you will arrive with a useful reference point for what serious masa-led cooking looks like.
The multi-visit case for Maizajo is stronger than it is for many restaurants at this price tier. The $$ price range means a second visit does not require the same financial justification it would at Em or Pujol. On a second visit, the practical move is to vary the time of day if hours permit , morning and midday service at corn-focused restaurants in Mexico City often surfaces a different register of the menu than evening. Dishes that lean into breakfast or market traditions tend to show the kitchen's sourcing instincts more directly. Coming back also lets you compare across the Condesa neighbourhood: Esquina Común sits in the same district and covers different ground, so splitting visits between the two across a multi-day trip is a logical strategy. For broader Mexico City context, see our full Mexico City restaurants guide.
By a third visit, the question shifts from whether Maizajo delivers to how far its range extends. The OAD Casual designation is important context here: this is a venue that has been assessed as operating at a high level within an informal register, which means the cooking ambition does not require formality to express itself. That gives you latitude to bring different group configurations , a solo counter seat, a small group, a late sitting , and see how the kitchen holds across those conditions. Mexico City has enough competition at the $$ and $$$ level that any restaurant requires a strong reason to return a third time, and Maizajo's dual-award recognition provides that reason on paper. Whether the menu rotation across visits delivers enough variation is something that depends on frequency and how the kitchen is programming across the calendar year , ground-level reports from recent visitors on that point are worth tracking before committing to a third booking.
Maizajo sits at Fernando Montes de Oca 113, Colonia Condesa, one of Mexico City's most walkable dining neighbourhoods. Booking is rated as easy, which means you are not facing the month-out planning required at Pujol or Máximo. At the $$ price range this is accessible without advance planning stress , a same-week or even same-day reservation is likely workable on most visits outside of peak weekend evenings. No phone number is listed in current records, so approach booking through walk-in inquiry or online search for current reservation channels. For where to stay during a Condesa-anchored dining trip, our full Mexico City hotels guide covers the neighbourhood options. If you are building a wider Mexico trip around serious cooking, Animalón in Valle de Guadalupe, Le Chique in Puerto Morelos, and KOLI Cocina de Origen in Monterrey are worth adding to the itinerary. For Mexican cooking outside of Mexico entirely, Escondido in Seoul and Los Félix in Miami offer useful reference points. For bars and experiences in the city, see our full Mexico City bars guide and our full Mexico City experiences guide.
Google: 4.1 from 1,280 reviews , a volume-weighted score that indicates reliable performance over time rather than a narrow fanbase inflating the number. Awards: Michelin Plate 2024 and 2025, Opinionated About Dining Casual North America 2025. No Pearl star rating is currently assigned.
Yes, at the $$ price point Maizajo is one of the stronger value propositions for serious Mexican cooking in Condesa. Two consecutive Michelin Plates and an OAD Casual North America 2025 recognition at this price tier is a meaningful ratio of recognition to cost. Compare it to Em or Pujol at $$$ and $$$$ respectively, and Maizajo gives you award-level cooking without the full-scale financial commitment.
It works for a low-key special occasion , a birthday lunch with someone who takes food seriously, or a celebratory meal that does not require the full formal restaurant treatment. For a high-stakes dinner with significant symbolic weight, the $$ casual register may feel undersized. In that case, Pujol or Máximo deliver a more occasion-weighted experience.
No tasting menu details are confirmed in current data. Maizajo holds an OAD Casual recognition, which suggests the format skews toward à la carte or a short set menu rather than a full tasting progression. Check current menu format before booking if tasting-menu-style eating is a requirement , and if it is, Pujol or Lorea are the stronger bets in the city for that format.
Seating configuration is not confirmed in current records. Given the Condesa neighbourhood context and the casual OAD designation, counter or bar seating is plausible, but confirm on arrival or through direct inquiry. For Mexico City venues where bar seating is a confirmed and worthwhile strategy, see our full Mexico City bars guide.
No confirmed group booking policy or seat count is on file. At the $$ casual end in Condesa, groups of 4–6 are typically manageable; larger parties above 8 tend to require advance arrangement at any restaurant in this size category. Contact the venue directly before arriving with a group. Easy booking difficulty suggests the team is reachable and flexible, but confirm capacity requirements early.
The kitchen's orientation is corn-forward Mexican, and the OAD Casual and Michelin Plate recognitions indicate the strongest work is likely in the house specialties rather than peripheral menu items. No confirmed signature dishes are on file, so on a first visit order based on what reads as corn- or masa-led on the current menu , that is where the kitchen's identity is clearest. On return visits, test the range by moving toward dishes that differ from what you tried first.
Smart casual is the safe call. The OAD Casual North America designation and $$ price range signal an informal room , no formal dress code is confirmed. Condesa dining culture is generally relaxed but put-together. Trainers and a clean shirt will be entirely appropriate; a jacket is not required.
For more on where to eat across the city, see our full Mexico City restaurants guide, and explore nearby Expendio de Maíz for a different take on corn-centred cooking in the same city. For a wider look at Mexico, HA' in Playa del Carmen and Lunario in El Porvenir round out the picture. Full city guides for Mexico City wineries are also available.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maizajo | Mexican | $$ | Opinionated About Dining Casual in North America (2025); Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Pujol | Mexican | $$$$ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Quintonil | Modern Mexican, Contemporary | $$$$ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Rosetta | Italian, Creative | $$ | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Em | Mexican | $$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Lorea | Modern Mexican, Mexican | $$$ | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Mexico City for this tier.
Yes, clearly. At a $$ price point, Maizajo holds a Michelin Plate (2024 and 2025) and an OAD Casual in North America recognition for 2025 — credentials that typically come attached to much higher bills in Mexico City. If you want to eat at a recognised, award-holding kitchen without the outlay of Pujol or Quintonil, Maizajo is one of the stronger cases in Condesa.
It works for a low-key celebration rather than a grand one. The $$ pricing and Condesa address make it a relaxed, neighbourhood-feel setting, not a formal occasion restaurant. If the occasion calls for ceremony, Quintonil or Pujol are more appropriate. If it calls for a genuinely good meal without the pressure of a big-ticket dinner, Maizajo fits.
Tasting menu format is not confirmed in available venue data, so committing to a specific recommendation would be speculation. What is confirmed: Maizajo operates at $$ pricing with Michelin Plate recognition two years running, which suggests the kitchen earns its keep at whatever format it runs. Check directly with the venue before booking around a specific format expectation.
Bar seating availability is not confirmed in the venue record. Given that Maizajo sits in Condesa — a walkable, mid-density dining neighbourhood — and books easily, arriving and asking about counter or bar options at the door is a reasonable approach if your party is small.
Group capacity specifics are not in the venue data. Booking is rated as easy at this price tier, which typically indicates the restaurant is not running at extreme demand pressure — meaning groups have a reasonable shot at securing space. check the venue's official channels for parties of five or more to confirm table configuration.
The name itself is the brief: maize is the kitchen's stated focus, so anything built around corn is the logical anchor for your order. Beyond that, specific dish recommendations require menu data not in the venue record. Given two consecutive Michelin Plates, the kitchen is consistent enough that following the server's current recommendations is a safe strategy.
No dress code is listed, and the $$ price range in a Condesa neighbourhood setting points to a casual register. Clean, put-together casual is appropriate — the kind of thing you would wear to a well-regarded neighbourhood restaurant, not a formal dining room.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
