It’s an out-of-the-way restaurant that you might have overlooked, so join guest author Rebecca Dolan with a review of Maya Grill at the Coronado Springs Resort in Walt Disney World!
Maya Grill has never been high on my priority list. Even after all these years of Disney trips, I always figured why go to Maya Grill when I can get my Mexican fix at Epcot’s San Angel Inn? Well, I finally broke down and took the plunge, and San Angel is still the way to go.
Atmosphere
As the signature restaurant of the Spanish-colonial inspired Coronado Springs Resort, Maya Grill evokes the cities of the ancient Maya. You’ll find it towards the back of the main building – just head left off the entryway and continue past the Pepper Market.
The restaurant is centered on a stylized Maya pyramid, under which bubbles a fountain.
Tables around Pyramid
The walls are decorated with artistic representations of Maya life. Try to get a table near one of the large windows overlooking the hotel’s central lagoon.
Dining Area
Wall Art
Tables by the window could offer a view
I was surprised to encounter a wait when I arrived at the hostess desk, as Maya Grill isn’t exactly one of Disney World’s most in-demand restaurants. Luckily, I’d made a reservation, despite assuming I wouldn’t need one. So, you might find it worthwhile to make one just in case.
Once seated, my companions and I found the restaurant too loud for our taste. The live entertainment, a gentleman singing and playing the guitar with other canned instruments, was deafening and we strained to hear our conversation. So, this is not the place to go for a quiet evening.
Eats
As was expected, the meal started with a basket of chips and salsa. The chips were thick and sturdy, perfect for getting a big scoop of dip without any breakage.
Chips and salsa while you peruse the menu
The menu consists of pretty typical Mexican fare, like nachos, tacos, chimichangas, and fajitas. There’s a small but clearly marked vegetarian section, and the abundant gluten free options were interspersed but highlighted throughout the whole menu. My non-spicy-food-eating grandmother appreciated the “North of the Border” section of the menu, which offered simpler fare.
Menu
First up was the queso fundido appetizer, served with flour tortillas for scooping. Unlike the liquid-y chile con queso you’re probably used to, queso fundido is more like the middle of a mozzarella stick: stringy, gooey and most easily eaten with a fork or plucked with a bit of tortilla. Though a bit salty, it’s hard to go wrong with a big bowl of cheese.
Queso fundito and accompanying tortillas for scooping
Next were orders of steak fajitas, a chicken chimichanga, and enchiladas suizas, each served with rice, beans, and sweet corn soufflé.
The presentation of the fajitas was a little different from what’s usually expected. Instead of arriving sizzling on a skillet, the meat was scooped into a more decorative serving skillet, sans sizzle. The meat got points for being fork tender (though one of my companions noted that it seemed boiled rather than seared on the griddle.) Either way, the meat lost a lot due to the pool of grease it was resting in and an overdose of salt that made it hard to swallow. Unfortunately, it was also cold.
Fajita Presentation
If you’ve never had a chimichanga, picture a deep fried burrito. This one was filled with shredded chicken, though not much else. There wasn’t much going on in the flavor department, either, and it left much to be desired. Like the fajitas, the chimi was also not hot, which is odd considering it was deep-fried.
Chimichanga
The enchiladas suizas, a dish distinctive for its creamy cheese sauce, were stuffed with the same seasoned chicken as the chimichangas. No complaints here about the flavor, which was enjoyable, but they would have been much better if they’d arrived hot. This was probably the best dish of the three.
Chicken enchiladas
Maya Grill has hopped on the mini-dessert bandwagon, offering five shot glass-sized sweet bites. Available flavors included key lime, cappuccino dulce de leche, chocolate mud pie, peanut butter parfait, and Grand Marnier berries and cream.
On the full-sized end of the spectrum, there’s also coconut flan, fried ice cream, or fruit sorbet to share (or not.) In case you can’t choose, they’re all conveniently brought out on a dessert tray so you can get a good view before you decide.
Dessert Display
Fried ice cream was my party’s sweet of choice, and it was pretty much like what you’d find at any Mexican chain restaurant. This version was given a boost though by the three churros on the side, which, as far as I’m concerned, are a welcome addition to any dessert.
Fried Ice Cream
Overall
For a Mexican fix without having to go into a park, Maya Grill is certainly convenient. But, given the cold, mediocre food, and the slow service we experienced on top of that, it unfortunately does not get high marks from me.
Of course, there’s a chance that I visited on an off night, so you might fare better. But with all the other restaurant options, and San Angel Inn already being one of my favorite Disney dining spots, I doubt I’ll be revisiting soon.
What’s your favorite place for Mexican at a Disney park or resort? We want to hear your experiences in the comments below!
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I have been reading so many mediocre reviews of this place lately! That is such a shame, because with the theme of this resort, it could be such an awesome place for a nice Mexican meal!
I can completely understand this review at Maya Grill having had several of their traditional Mexican dishes but this restaurant does have some hidden jewels! Their airline chicken is some of the best chicken I have ever had and their beer battered shrimp tacos are amazing. We also have a favorite waitress Tonya who is so wonderful and kind. Give it another try and ask for Tonya. Plus, the guitar performer at night knows how to play Journey!
Love your blog.
I know right. There really isn’t a great Mexican restaurant in Disney, WHY?
With all the resources Disney has, CS should be a great place for an awesome Mexican rest.
Cold food ? I guess there is no Manager overseeing things, good or bad should no way come out cold.
And really a plop of meat in a dish 🙂 Just don’t serve fajitas if you don’t have the time to grill them up and serve them sizzling hot.
I love Mexican food and sadly found Juan & Only’s on the last day it was open. They had the best flan ever. Love Love Love the ambiance at San Angle Inn but food not so much. DISNEY please get some good Mexican cooks please.
Surprising review. We have considered this a “hidden jem” for many years, and we have never had a bad experience here. In fact, when traveling with friends, we have found this a great dinner location for everyone since the menu offers a good variety. The mini desserts are amazing. We also love the corn pudding side, as it’s not something you’ll find on every menu. They also have excellent margaritas (we love the margarita flight!!!) here, since they are operated by the same company that operates La Cava at Epcot. The live music is only certain nights (we were disappointed to find there was no band playing on our last visit.)
Thanks for the review but I have to completely disagree. We have stayed at CS many times (most recently on our honeymoon) and feel that Maya Grill is an undiscovered food paradise. The seats by the windows that look out over the lagoon are fabulous and a great place to relax inside and have a view. Our service has always been attentive and timely and we always enjoy the food. Personally, I don’t find the Epcot mexican restaurants to be that great so Maya Grill is really the only place in the kingdom that has mexican food that we enjoy and are willing to spend the money on. We love the devoted vegetarian options and the soups are delicious. Maya Grill is a place we go back to again and again to get a break from the crazy crowds of WDW and enjoy the slower pace of CS!
I’m glad I read this. We stayed at CS for thr first time two weeks ago, and while we knew the food there was handled differently than the other WDW properties, we were really dissapointed in the selection and quality of the food in the Pepper Market and decided to forgo eating at the Mayan Grille. I had been wondering if we missed out, but sadly, it seems like more of the same.
The one meal we had at Maya Grill was great. But also try the food court next door. It is NOT your typical WDW food court. Very impressive!, and our favorite middle level Disney resort.
Did make your concerns known to a manager? At the very least, you should visit a location more than once before posting a negative review. It makes it much more credible and ensures that you didn’t just catch them on a bad night. As patrons, we owe it to establishments to bring shortcomings to their attention so they can at least try to correct them. To visit once, not talk to a manager about food problems, and then post a public negative review is sort of
“un-sportsmanlike”.
So it’s a “ChiChi’s”??…think we’ll stick with Antojitos, La Cava, and La Hacienda
Surprised at your lousy review- this is one of my top favorites at WDW. I am local & I eat around WDW frequently. Maya’s food has always been delicious & hot each time we’ve gone there. The atmosphere can tend to be a little louder due to the dynamics of the structure but service has always been great. The manager is extremely nice and always visible to make sure everything is ok. Maya hadn’t Disney owned; they are a “3rd party” restaurant. Reservations usually depend on the convention activity in the resort. Hope people reserve their own judgment on this great restaurant not based on this one persons negative review.
I am sorry you had a not so great experience. We kept reading all the neg. reviews but after a friends recommendation, we gave it a try. Now we love San Angel Inn, still go there every trip. But Maya has become a fast fave as well. We liked it so much, we booked again same trip.
I love a lot of different Mexican foods, but I can’t stand it when hot foods are served cold. I really think that if I stayed here, I would check their QS place rather than pay for TS food and be disappointed. I’ve always liked the Cantina in EPCOT.
We had a fantastic meal at the Maya Grill, this writer obviously had a very off night experience. The wait was long but food was hot, flavorful, and all 7 in our party really enjoyed it. It is on our list of restaurants next year.
Scott D. — Thank you for your opinion! We’ve actually reviewed Maya Grill before on the blog, and I’ve personally been there many times. I wouldn’t publish a completely uninformed review on the blog. My opinion after visiting multiple times pretty much matches the reviewer’s. It’s not worth going out of your way for, but if you’re staying at the resort and don’t want to leave, give it a go.
I just got back to my room at WL after eating a meal at Maya Grill and had to add my thoughts.
The restaurant is gorgeous! Our server was Jesus and he was friendly and knowledgable and chatty. I ordered the Chimichanga Platter and my partner ordered the Chicken Fajita. Both dishes were SO GOOD! Especially mine! Every single element was delicious and served piping hot! The refried beans are the best I ever had and the corn soufflé was so interesting too! But the stars on the plate were the chimichangas. One was seasoned beef and the other was chicken tinga. Jesus warned us that it was a huge plate but I had no idea how huge!
This has been our best meal so far on this vacation!
I think that it depends on what time of day you come in to eat here. I have found that the later you go, the service is far less enjoyable and of less quality I’m not sure why that is. But having stayed at CSR several occasions, we have eaten at MG around 6pm and around 9pm on 4 occasions. The times we went around 6, the food was very good and so was the service. The times we went after coming back to the hotel from the parks, the food was cold and the service was rushed. Take that as you will!
I would really love to see an updated review on this restaurant since the last thing I can find on it is from 2014. The food sounds great and I’m coming down for my birthday in May, but won’t be at the resort so it would be out of our way quite a bit. Do you have any reviews that touch on the best of the best in terms of Mexican? I liked that this place has a strong Yucatecan vibe since I studied abroad in Merida, but your old reviews are making me question this.
Meredith, the best of the Mexican food offerings at Walt Disney World is likely Hacienda de San Angel in Epcot’s World Showcase. 🙂 Enjoy your trip!
I highly recommend an updated review on this restaurant. We just stayed at Coronado Springs in November. Ate at Maya grill for dinner twice. Once to check it out. The second visit was because the first was phenomenal. AJ’s review is nothing that we experienced. Everything from the food to the ambiance and feel of the restaurant. It was warm inviting and relaxing. Very upscale but comfortable feel. The menu has completely changed also. The food is far from typical Mexican food. It is very authentic South American/ Argentina feel. They give to start a basket of some of the best jalapeño corn bread I have ever had. It also had a flatbread pita with a honey butter and chimchuri sauce for dipping. Yum!!! We had the green tortilla soup that was amazing. The Entre’s we had were steak fajitas, red snapper Vera Cruz, bone in chop, and New York strip. It was all fantastic. The food presentation was absolutely beautiful. The meals tasted as good as they looked. They also have a mango blueberry basil margarita that was to die for!! I’m still trying to figure out how to replicate it. Please give this one another chance. It is amazing!!