The Maya Grill at Coronado Springs Review

[Mister Disney]

Kevin & I arrived at the Maya Grill after our evening flight from Connecticut to Orlando at about 8pm. This was a full 1/2 hour prior to when our friends Jim and Jon would be arriving.

In the mean time, we TRIED to explore Pepper Market which is an "open air" food court. They wouldn't let us in! So, we took a couple of pictures of items in the bakery window on the outside....

An Alligator Loaf of Bread

A Mickey Shaped set of rolls

Once that was completed, we saw Jim and Jon coming down the hall and our adventure begins....

 

[Mister Disney]

Opening Cocktails -

Our waiter came by (whose name escapes me....) to take our drink order.

I ordered a Strawberry Margarita that knocked my socks off. The Maya Grill uses fresh fruit in their Margaritas.

My drink came to the table and it was if I was drinking a fresh strawberry direct from the vine!

If only all Margaritas tasted so good!


Onto the appetizers....we ordered 3 different things. At this point, I had to explain to Jim & Jon about my reviewing and photo obsession. They of course LAUGHED at me!

Caribbean Style Chicken Roll

Crabmeat Chalupa - with Ixnipek salsa

Pulled Pork Empanada - served with chipotle cream

 

[Mister Disney]

Dinner Consisted of

I ordered
Pan-Seared Duck Breast with duck confit in mole sauce

Jon ordered
Beef Tenderloin Tips with sauteed mushroom medley

Jim and Kevin both ordered
Tamarind Marinated Rack of Lamb served with Antilles couscous

 

[Mister Disney]

Prior to our apps coming out our sevrer brought out rolls and an incredible Chimichurri Sauce which was an olive oil based sauce with peppers, scallions and TONS of garlic. The bread and sauce were delish, but the sauce did have quite the after bite!


For apps

Kevin ordered Caribbean Style Chicken Roll
This came served on a corn meal (similar to tamales filling) It was tastey but was not outstanding.

I chose the Pulled Pork Empanada - served with chipotle cream
They were very crispy and brimming with filling. The empanadas had a mild after bite that was pleasant.

Jim ordered Crabmeat Chalupa - with Ixnipek salsa
This was the #1 app tonight. It was to die for. If I had the ability to turn back time, I would have ordered these. The Crabmeat filling was sweet and spicey at the same time, while the salsa gave it all an incredible kick!

 

[Mister Disney]

Moving onto dinner,

Jim & Kevin ordered Tamarind Marinated Rack of Lamb served with Antilles couscous
Jim likes his meat rare, while Kevin enjoys his cooked well. What a difference between the two.

LAMB SHOULD ALWAYS BE SERVED RARE!

Jim's lamb was very tender and the Tamarind (indian date which is ground) flavoring was very mild and pleasant. Tamarind is the major ingriedent in Worcestershire Sauce.

Kevin's lamb on the other hand was tough and the over bearing flavor was the char of the grill.

Jon ordered Beef Tenderloin Tips with sauteed mushroom medley
They were just about perfect. The mushroom medley was heavenly and emparted such an earthy flavor to the Tips. Needless to say his plate was empty at the end!

I ordered the Pan-Seared Duck Breast with duck confit in mole sauce
The Duck Breast was WOO HOO! Crispy on the outside and juicey and tender on the inside. What a combination! The Duck Confit in mole sauce (ground up duck meat in sauce, similar in texture to pulled pork etc) was very flavorful, but a bit on the TOO hot side for my tastes. On the other hand Kevin ate his way through 80% of the duck confit and thoroughly enjoyed it!

 

[Mister Disney]

Over all impressions?

Service was absolutely unacceptable.
Our server could not be found and our entrees were delivered on top of the dishes from the apps. He was not around to clear anything away and didn't bother checking in with us about how our meals were.

Atmosphere was great
You dine in an area that looks like the inside of a Maya Temple. Chairs and Tables were comfortable and well spaced so that you didn't feel like you were eating on top of other diners.

Cocktails - WOO HOO!!!
Strawberry Margaritis for forever!

Food, I would say overall was good, but not great
Jim & Jon had been to Maya Grill before and were very disappointed in the quality of the food that night. Jim explained that the Chef had changed since the last time they dined there and that the new Chef was not as good. Kevin and I on the other hand felt that the food was good although not the best we've ever hand. We didn't rate Kevin's lamb against the restaurant because it was Kevin's fault that his lamb was tough and too charred. Let me repeat myself from before, LAMB SHOULD ALWAYS BE EATEN RARE.

Dessert? We passed on this because there was nothing that was "I must have this" on their menu. The dessert offerings that night were just run of the mill and certainly not worth the calories in my book!

Overall? Mister Disney probably won't go back to Maya Grill even though the food was good. I believe that there are many other restaurants with much better service and food for the money. The Maya Grill is not an inexpensive place to eat. I would say that it is probably on the high end of moderate cost restaurants.

 

[ktink]

Thanks for the review. We will be staying at CSR and booked Maya for one night of our stay. I'm really excited about this especially the margarita, as they are my FAVE drink! And I will not insult you by ordering the lamb (I cant' eat rare meat)

Thanks again

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Thanks for the great review and awesome pictures!

I wonder if it is possible to just get appetizers and drinks there? Sounds like it would be a nice place to do that- get a margarita and those crab chalupas- oh wow they look fabulous!

 

[Uncleromulus]

Great review and pics. Unfortunately, I always think of the Maya as it USED to be, and the wonderful menu they had.
Anyway, from the pics it looks as tho it is a bit more than a steakhouse.
As for the poor service--always unacceptable. Delivering the main course while the Apps are still on the table is a major faux pas.
Was the Maya "crowded" that evening?? I know they changed the menu to attract more customers who were actually staying at Coronado Springs. Wonder if it's working--?

 

[Mister Disney]

Thanks for the great review and awesome pictures!

I wonder if it is possible to just get appetizers and drinks there? Sounds like it would be a nice place to do that- get a margarita and those crab chalupas- oh wow they look fabulous!

Yes you can go in and just get appetizers and drinks there. I htink you can do that anywhere but V&A. Although I might think the place is a bit out of the way unless you are staying at CSR.

 

[Mister Disney]

Great review and pics. Unfortunately, I always think of the Maya as it USED to be, and the wonderful menu they had.
Anyway, from the pics it looks as tho it is a bit more than a steakhouse.
As for the poor service--always unacceptable. Delivering the main course while the Apps are still on the table is a major faux pas.
Was the Maya "crowded" that evening?? I know they changed the menu to attract more customers who were actually staying at Coronado Springs. Wonder if it's working--?

Interestingly enough...I just read somewhere about the changes they've been making at the Maya Grill to attract more of the "convention" crowd that come there for their convention center. Maya Grill was not crowded at all. I would say that it was less than half full when we arrived at 8:30 and proceeded to become more empty as we dined.

The Pepper Market on the other hand was PACKED with tons of people.

I think our friends in Disney Dining made a mistake changing the Maya Grill's food offerings. It doesn't appear to be doing what they wanted/

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your review ~ Thanx for sharing.

Lovely piccies.

 

[MICKEEP]

Great review....... thanks for sharing

 

[marlynnp]

Thanks for the review. I have an ADR there for our upcoming trip ~ Crabmeat Chulupas & Strawberry Margaritas are on my list now!

 

[curiouser]

Over all impressions?

Service was absolutely unacceptable.
Our server could not be found and our entrees were delivered on top of the dishes from the apps. He was not around to clear anything away and didn't bother checking in with us about how our meals were.

This was exactly how our service was for breakfast. We stopped in for the breakfast buffet on our last day at CSR and the service was terrible. We sat at our table for 15 minutes before anyone bothered to stop over and then we never saw them again. We had to flag ANYONE who would stop down for more coffee and for our check. It was horrible!

 

[LuvTony0508]

I have a question about Maya Grill breakfast. I see one person addressed it, but overall what is the procedure of the "all you can eat?" Do you have to sit and wait for a server to come over to give you a plate for the buffet? My family is staying a CSR and we were planning to utilize the all you can eat breakfast quite often, I'd love details on some experiences.
Judy

 

[curiouser]

I have a question about Maya Grill breakfast. I see one person addressed it, but overall what is the procedure of the "all you can eat?" Do you have to sit and wait for a server to come over to give you a plate for the buffet? My family is staying a CSR and we were planning to utilize the all you can eat breakfast quite often, I'd love details on some experiences.
Judy

I honestly don't remember about the plates.. I believe they are up at the buffet. But if you want drinks or silverware you have to wait for your server to get them for you. Based on our experience the other servers looked quite insulted when we asked if one of them could get us something.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Thanks for another great review Mister Disney.

 

[Micca]

I'll have the crabmeat chalupa and the duck. And a couple of strawberry margaritas.

 

[abaldacci]

what time does it close