Maiz De La Vida Restaurant
Mexican restaurant · Edgehill ·
Heirloom corn Mexican cuisine, handcrafted dishes, full bar, James Beard nominated
Heirloom corn Mexican cuisine, handcrafted dishes, full bar, James Beard nominated
"While you can still find the food truck in East Nashville, Maiz de la Vida's Gulch restaurant has an expanded menu with excellent upscale takes on traditional Mexican dishes. It’s not some stuffy experience, though. The room feels like a Sonoran bungalow, with warm walls, Mexican pottery, potted marigolds, and a giant mural made up of 250,000 kernels of corn. There are two bars here, one looking into the kitchen and the other minding the drinks, either of which are great for posting up on your own during a work lunch. The wood-slat booths, however, on the side are the money spot for a second dinner date. The tried and true favorites from the food truck—quesabirria tacos, quesadillas, and guacamole—are still just as good here, but the chicken milanesa and tres leches are superb takes on classics." - jackie gutierrez jones 2, ann walczak
"When this Mexican restaurant, which started as a food truck, decided to open for brunch, they continued their mission to implement their homemade masa in almost everything. That gorgeous grind makes its way into stacks of pancakes showered in rainbow sprinkles and a slightly bitter anise caramel sauce. The english muffins for their benedict are also made from their own cornmeal, and between that and the extra lemony hollandaise, other benedicts need to take notes. If you’re a chilaquiles aficionado or just someone who wants a perfect combination of sweet and savory at brunch, this is the place to go." - jackie gutierrez jones 2, ann walczak
"While you can still find the food truck in East Nashville, Maiz de la Vida’s Gulch restaurant has an expanded menu with excellent upscale takes on traditional Mexican dishes. The tried and true favorites—quesabirria tacos, quesadillas, and guacamole—are still just as good here, but the chicken milanesa and tres leches are superb takes on classics. And even though they went way fancier with this spot, it’s not some stuffy experience. The room feels like a Sonoran bungalow, with Mexican pottery, potted marigolds, and a giant mural made up of 250,000 kernels of corn. There are two bars here, one looking into the kitchen and the other handling the drinks, and both are great for posting up for a solo work lunch. The wood-slat booths on the side, however, are the money spot for a second dinner date." - ann walczak, jackie gutierrez jones 2, adam sloan, carlo mantuano, carlo mantuano, adam sloan, ann walczak, ann walczak, ann walczak, jackie gutierrez jones 2, jackie gutierrez jones 2, jackie gutierrez jones 2, jackie gutierrez jones 2, jackie gutierrez
"A James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast, Chef Julio Hernandez used a pandemic stimulus check to start selling hand-made corn tortillas out of his garage. He eventually expanded his business to a food truck, parking outside funky East Nashville tiki bar, Chopper, sending stumbling patrons on their merry way with cheesy quesabirria in hand. Now, Maiz de la Vida expands again with a restaurant in Nashville’s Gulch neighborhood. While it does offer the famed quesabirria, the rest of the menu deviates from the food truck entirely with options like massive burritos, fried plantains, and chilaquiles." - Kellie Walton
"Communal dining is easily done at Maiz de la Vida, where several long tables are available by reservation. The menu is based around the masa that’s made from heirloom corn nixtamalized in-house, featuring burritos, sopes, quesadillas, and more. Cheerful yellow ceilings, well-curated music, and an excellent selection of agave spirits are all part of the charm of Maiz de la Vida’s dining room." - Ellen Fort
