José Manuel – a well-known chef in the Madrid taco scene – has just opened a brand new, no-frills taco joint in Madrid with his partner, Joe. This colourful and fun eatery is located in a beautiful old building just a five-minute walk from barrio Lavapiés, and has a lovely chilled terrace plus a cosy dining area inside.
Taco Maya’s cosy, minimalist dining area
It’s possible that you may have stumbled across José Manuel before: he used to own Taquería Maya in Huertas, where José met Joe! With a new team member and a more relaxed location, Taco Maya has a winning formula, and dare I say the best Mexican food I’ve had in Madrid?
THE FOOD
Everything is made from scratch by José himself, from the nachos to the tacos and every ingredient is bought in fresh that morning. It’s for this reason that the menu sometimes varies depending on what order comes in that day, and there’s an array of tacos, quesadillas and nachos to try.
The menu – full of options for all!
This is what we had:
Lemon and Strawberry Margaritas
First of all, the Lemon and Strawberry Margaritas are incredible – like nothing you’ve ever had before, I promise! The strong kick of tequila was also a great start to the evening.
The Nachos
We had three types of nachos: Courgette and corn from the cob (vegan), Guacamole and coriander (also vegan), and beef. All were absolutely delicious, and the guacamole was like something I’d make at home in secret so that I could put in as much coriander and fresh red onion as I wanted.
The Beef Tacos
2 x Cheese Tacos and 2 x Lamb Tacos
The beef and guacamole tacos were juicy and moreish, and that extra squeeze of lime cut through all that tender meat perfectly. The veggie options included cheese and guacamole quesadillas, but pictured above we have courgette tacos and two tacos with a creamy vegetable and corn mix and plenty of fresh coriander on top. Having said all that, the tacos themselves were so fresh and you could really decipher their flavour.
Tequila!
To end the evening, José Manuel offered us a wonderfully smooth tequila. He also gave us a salt-sugar-chilli mix for the usual tequila ritual, and now I’ll never be able to have just salt again.
José Manuel himself!
The tacos are great and the terrace is a real treat. This humble eatery has a bright future – check it out and be a part of it.
Info
- Address: Paseo de Santa María de la Cabeza, 60
- Metro: Embajadores
- Facebook and Instagram
- Phone number: 911 733 374 / 642 194 285
Rich
I went here last night, The food was fantastic! You can really taste the difference of having food bought fresh that day. Very reasonable price and José (and the staff) were very welcoming and I will definitely will be going back soon! 10/10
LaLa
I’m always happy to try new Mexican food, as i haven’t found my go-to spot in Madrid yet. Maybe because they don’t enjoy spice here as much. I thought this restaurant was good with great service. They were nice enough to give us a shot of tequila at the end of our meal, which is always a nice bonus. You really only get the chili-salt in Mexico (and now the states), and I love it! Thanks for the recommendation.