Last night we joined three other food bloggers and two PR execs from the Bay Area for a dinner at Maya in SF.   The occasion was a reveal of a new menu and decor for the eleven year old restaurant in SOMA.   The bar is known for its large array of Tequilas including blancos (aged 0-2 months), reposados (2-11 months), and anejos (aged at least 1 year).

Style: White linens surrender to … creative cocktails, zebra wood tables, tasty tacos & striped dishes. Upscale Mexican cuisine is the mainstay.

Our Favorite Picks Include:

• Their Happy Hour Deals after work!
  

• Drink: Big Nose Goes to Mexico $12! (Blanco & Repisado Tequila w/ Guava Puree, Hibiscus Salt on the rim and a Lime half floating on top w/ 151 rum in it, then they light it on fire … see our photo! *not on the happy hour menu)
• Guacamole: Chile Toreados $8.5 The house guac was good too but we liked the creative toasted Pepita (w/ pumpkin seeds on top).
• Ceviche: Mahi Mahi $12 (w/ pica de gallo, & a sweet and spicy tomato-chili broth) It had a great sweet and spicy mix with a little kick!
• Tacos: (Apps, Entree $14-16 for 4, OR Taco Tuesday Happy Hour – $2 each): Langosta Taco (Lobster, avocado, black bean puree, chile de arbol roullie, cilantro) & Rajas con Papas “Deconstructed Chili Rellenos Taco” (poblano, potato, queso fresco, salsa verde, crema fresca)
• Desserts: Empanadas de platano $7 (turnovers filled with bananas, walnuts & crema fresca/ strawberry sauce/ coconut ice cream) & Capirotada agavero (Bread Pudding) $8 (agavero tequila liqueur bread pudding/ fresh blueberry tequila sauce/ raspberry cabernet sorbet)

The warm approachable decor of the new dining space is contrasted by the hipper vibe of the bar and lounge area.  You could meet your friends for cocktails and $2 tacos at Happy Hour in the bar and then have your parents to dinner in the restaurant (or even better a company meal or event in a private room when they are footing the bill).  The restaurant was comfortable with well-spaced tables but without the zing of the lounge with bar tables and chairs (although the dining tables were beautifully made from something that looked like zebra wood).  The dining room made me think of spots you might grab dinner before a show, ballet, or opera in NYC so you could definitely have multi-generational dinner with family (maybe not young kids but parents and grandparents for sure).  We loved the large red spiral plates mixed in with the over-sized white plates too. There was a touch of fun to them in the contrasting dining room.  There are dinner specials every night but the main menu entrees and tacos were our faves (mole was very good, chili rellenos, salmon).

The Guava/Tequila “Big Nose” cocktail (note: this one is not on the $5 happy hours list) was fabulous.   For my birthday, light me up a Big Nose Cocktail and serve it to me with a Banana Empanada. Then throw me in a serenity pool somewhere on the Yucatan Pennisula!

Happy Hour Specials @ Maya (Everyday, $2 tacos, $5 drinks, $3 beers)

Nice Dinner Special: $18 soup or salad/ 1/2 entree or tacos/ sorbet  +$5 margarita/ mojito/ house wine

303 2nd st. between harrison & folsom, san francisco ca 94107
415.543.2928 ~ fax 415.543.6679

- Read here for a fellow food blogger’s review of Maya from the same dinner!