If you recall, one of our Charlottesville Villains visited Maya during its opening weeks. Maya rests across from the train station in the district we unintelligently call “Midtown.” As a restaurant serving Southern American influenced cuisine, Maya didn’t get a lot of praise initially, but I think that it is due for a re-evaluation.
Ambiance
Exposed brick is the hot design theme in Charlottesville. Between The Upstairs, The Local and Maya, we’ve got three relatively new restaurants that feature minimalist, rustic design with track or embedded lighting. I totally dig this trend and it’s a homely and relaxing feel. Between all the new places, I feel the most at home at Maya. It’s deep wood bar and natural tones do make for an enjoyable atmosphere. Don’t forget the large outdoor patio that always seems to have open seating. It’s a good late night hangout spot, too.
Service
It’s important to recognize good service in Charlottesville. Maya has yet to disappoint me. It takes reservations, Ted and anyone else who bartends always say hello and the waitstaff has been enjoyable. I’ve been with a diner who was particularly demanding with sides and our waiter handled everything with good old Southern Charm. I know service is always relative, but I have no complains in this regard.
Food
I’ve been to Maya numerous times and I originally agreed with our first review, that, essentially, the food really wasn’t anything special. I now disagree with my original opinion and I think Maya has grown up. The menu boasts standard meats with a Southern twist. The sides are plentiful and give you tons of customization potential. Sure, they aren’t perfect, but the menu has enough variety to please any diner. I disagree with the $31 tenderloin, but I do agree with the catfish, the trout and the sweet potato fries. The appetizers are plentiful too and I suggest you try the Tofu BBQ, just to say you had it.
Drinks
How can you go wrong with our choice for Best Bartender in Charlottesville? You have to try the Peach Flame (if you like Peaches). It’s a passionate mix of nectar, whiskey and flames. If you don’t like that idea, try something even wilder, like the Peanut Butter martini. It’s so special, I can’t even tell you about it. If Ted’s medication doesn’t help you, they have a large beer list and a solid wine list. It’s all here, so check it out and let us know what your favorite drink is.
Overall
With good service, stellar ambiance, our favorite bartender and food that is much better than the first few weeks. I do feel like it’s a little expensive, but as a late night hangout and small snack food with drinks, Maya should make you happy. I haven’t done the brunch thing yet, but I will.
Don’t forget, Maya is open everyday until 2AM!
What do you think?
Popularity: 47% [?]
Tagged as: Charlottesville, dining, eat, Food, Maya, Restaurant, review, southern
The one time I was there, the thing that stood out the most was the service. My wife and I really enjoyed the food, and I don’t remember being overwhealmed by the prices.
Also, they have been getting some pretty good music upstairs
What was notable to me was the consistency of the high food quality. My last two visits saw us ordering a variety of apps, mains and sides and all of it was at least very good, some exceptional (pork loin, ribs, catfish).
I love Maya. The peole that work there are great and they always have yummy vegetarians options. They should do the drinking club there sometime soon.
You can easily make a cheap dinner out of three of their sides. I like Maya a lot.
bartender ted is a very friendly fellow as well.
going back to the discussion we once had about best patio dining/drinking venue, i think maya is an extremely strong contender. i’m not going to link to it because i actually think i made up the discussion in my head. either that, or i dreamed it.
Man, after the last time I went to Maya, I promised myself that I would never go back, evar. But, this post makes me want to reconsider.
Honestly, are there better or worse times to go?
Thor, when did you make this visit (day of week, time of day, what were you wearing, what’s your favorite Snapple flavor, etc.)
I was at Maya a couple of weeks ago with some villains and we had a great experience. I really cant say enough about how friendly the bar staff is there. And OMFG the mashed potatoes are some of the best I have ever had. I am a fan, no doubt about it.
Was there the other night for some apps and drinks. Very high quality. Looking forward to trying other things on the menu.
the hush puppies are some of the best I’ve ever had- served with honey and butter on the side mmmm
I would argue that it’s some of the best food in c-ville…because its fairly SIMPLE.
Often c-ville restaurants try to outdo one another with trendy, over-sauced, over-spiced dishes and you end up with too many flavors and textures going on.
maya sticks to comfort food- and its delicious. I have been there twice- once with parents, once on a date..and I felt that all the food I tasted was high-quality and flavorful without being TOO MUCH.
the beef tenderloin may be 31 bucks, but it tastes awesome and you get two sides. (the macaroni and broccolini were definitely two of the best)
and my friend ordered the chicken with ham gravy- sounds pretty intense but it was surprisingly great and not to heavy on the tumtum.
I will say that I found the shrimp and grits to be fairly mediocre.
AND try the peanut butter mystery something or other martini. comes with a little spoonful of p.b. and is awesome for dessert if you dont feel like ordering cake pie or puddin, etc.
I’m getting hungry writing this.
I have been 3 times and every time it was fantastic. The catfish and trout are both excellent and the pork loin with greens and mac and cheese is one of my favorite meals in Cville.
shouldn’t cocoNUT be here to bash this place by now?
The owners are sexy dudes too. Meow.
31 dollars? Too expensive for Lulu’s poor self. Hmmm….
Phase 1: Comment on cVillain. Phase 2: ? Phase 3: Profit enough to afford Maya. Phase 4: Comment on cVillain about Maya. Phase 5: World domination.
Whoa… did I just make Phase 5 public? Scratch that. Pretend it’s high school again and forget you read anything.
Man, their brunch has quickly skyrocketted into my top three. The poached egg thing w/hollandaise (minus the ham for me) is THE BOMB DOT COM, as the kids are saying these days. I recommend sitting at the bar.
Dinner is a bit on the pricier side but excellent in terms of food quality, service, and ambiance. I’ll be back for sure.
Don’t they have that dude from the Falsies playing guitar?
I mean PIANO. At Maya Brunch?
I did a follow up about Maya a few months after I posted my review. I was sad to note that the service was extremely slow during subsequent visits and the food was a little erratic. Of course, turnover being so rampant in the restaurant biz, the sources of that service might be long gone and restaurants sometimes need a little time to hit their stride.
I’ve noticed that discussion of some places (The Local specifically comes to mind) changes pretty quickly over time. Maybe I should give Maya another shot to see if what I found troubling before has gone away.
Not gonna lie, when the place first opened, we were not that impressed. The chicken came out undercooked, the fried oysters were green inside, the deconstructed Key Lime pie made us go , “WTF?!”. But they’ve gotten way better since then.
[…] you thought Ted’s Maya could only make amazing cocktails, you were very mistaken. Their food is just as good, if not […]