Masala y Maíz

Masala y Maíz
The restaurant's exterior in 2025
Restaurant information
EstablishedOctober 2017 (2017-10)
Owner(s)
Food type
Rating (Michelin Guide, 2025)
Street addressCalle Artículo 123 #116 C, Juárez
CityMexico City
Postal/ZIP Code06040
CountryMexico
Coordinates19°25′58.7″N 99°08′56.4″W / 19.432972°N 99.149000°W / 19.432972; -99.149000
Other informationNearest stations:
Juárez metro station
Juárez bus station
Juárez bus station
Websitemasalaymaiz.com

Masala y Maíz is a fusion restaurant in Mexico City known for blending Mexican, African and Indian cuisines. Founded by chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval, the restaurant defines its approach as mestizaje rebelde ("rebellious mestizaje"), recognizing the complex history tied to colonization, openly addressing its systems of oppression, while also celebrating the cultures that shaped their cuisines.

The restaurant was opened in 2017 in the neighborhood of San Miguel Chapultepec, and despite bureaucratic challenges and a temporary closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has gained recognition for its innovative dishes. Masala y Maíz later relocated to the neighborhood of Juárez, near the city's historic center. Dishes sold at the restaurant have included uttapam topped with chickpeas and chutney; jumbo shrimps grilled with masala; or gordita with za'atar raita.

It has received acclaim from local and international food critics and was awarded one Michelin star in the second Michelin Guide covering restaurants in Mexico.

Description

Masala y Maíz is a fusion cuisine restaurant that combines elements from Mexican, African and Indian cuisines.[1] Its chefs describe their approach as mestizaje rebelde (rebellious mestizaje), explaining that it "encompasses a complicated history. It doesn't deny the oppression systems that come with colonization. In fact, it names them, while also giving credit to everybody else who forms that particular culture, in food specifically, at a specific time and place".[2] The restaurant serves food that incorporate masala, the traditional Indian spice blend, along with Mexican staples such as maize, a combination that forms its name.[3]

Menu items have included Makai Paka-style esquites; chilpachole with tamale and soft-shell crab;[1] jumbo peel-and-eat shrimp grilled with masala; gordita with lamb chorizo, za'atar raita, and almond sauce;[4] uttapam made from fermented rice batter topped with chickpeas and tamarind-date chutney;[5][6] and crispy chicken served with a fennel, jícama, and green mango salad.[7][3] Dessert options have included chocolate tamale with orange supremes, avocado mousse, and pistachio and rose powders;[1] blackberry and hibiscus cake; lemon tea panna cotta;[7] and cardamom meringue with fig, pear, and walnut.[4]

Malika Verma describes the restaurant's architecture as a blend of Mexican brutalism and 1980s pop, featuring black textured walls made with sprayed concrete. Ceilings were coated in silver paint to reflect and amplify the available light.[8]

History

The couple Norma Listman and Saqib Keval met in the San Francisco Bay Area of the United States. According to them, they first noticed culinary parallels between their backgrounds while creating a menu for a party. Listman, who was born in Mexico, returned to the country with the goal of opening a tortilleria, while Keval—who has an Indian and East African background—remained in California.[6] After securing a lease for a building that included access to a kitchen, they opened Masala y Maíz in the neighborhood of San Miguel Chapultepec, in Mexico City.[6][2] They said that they shaped the restaurant with a focus on community, artistic expression, and political engagement.[9]

Masala y Maíz was originally scheduled to open on 20 September 2017, but an earthquake that struck the day before postponed its inauguration until the following month; in the meantime they delivered hot meals.[6] Following the opening, the restaurant drew interest from foreign diners.[9] According to Evan Upchurch of Travesías magazine, its yellow entrance had a "funky vibe", whose interior was "narrow, and deep", featuring a single long table that split the space in two.[2]

In April 2018, the government of Mexico City temporarily closed the restaurant. The cooks said the reasons were unclear, and then they refused to pay a bribe to expedite the reopening process. Over the following five months, the couple hosted pop-up events in restaurants around the city while continuing to resolve the closure.[6] Masala y Maíz was reopened in September, but was prohibited from offering dinner service (except private events) and from serving strong alcohol due to a neighborhood ordinance.[6][10]

In 2019, the restaurant was relocated to Calle Marsella, 72, in Colonia Juárez,[11] with its furniture designed by Pedro Reyes. He said that he "created a lightweight, functional, and dynamic chair, with a seat that represents the base of a pyramid". ATRA Form made the furniture using a bluing process to treat the metal, giving the iron a dark finish. Reyes explained that the wood was carded to accentuate the grain, adding warmth to the material. The tables were crafted from Guatemalan Tikal marble.[12] The location had a communal table, as well as a terrace area for outdoor dining.[3] The restaurant's seating capacity had space for 34 people.[5]

The restaurant was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, leading to a temporary closure. It operated as a delivery service, even though their dishes were not originally intended to be served that way. They later operated as a worker cooperative, selling eggs, vegetables, bread, wine, beer, frozen pizzas, sauces, and handcrafted goods from affiliated producers, distributing the profits equitably.[9]

In 2025, the address was reported at Calle Artículo 123, 116 C, in the same neighborhood,[1] near the Juárez metro and bus stations.[13]

Reception

Una Pérez Ruiz gave Masala y Maíz a four out of five star rating for Time Out, noting a "combination of Mexican flavors and Indian and African spices [brought together] in the most natural and harmonious way".[4] Food critic Marco Beteta described the restaurant as offering inventive cuisine with intense flavor combinations, complemented by a selected natural wine list.[7] Scarlett Lindeman of Condé Nast Traveler described it as a modern take on the traditional three-course comida corrida.[14] Evan Upchurch wrote in Afar that after entering the building it "leads to a culinary experience that goes way beyond the food served".[15]

The World's 50 Best Restaurants, published by William Reed Ltd, nominated Masala y Maíz for the 2021 The Macallan Icon Award. However, Listman and Keval declined the nomination, stating:

In our view, institutions like The World's 50 Best promote a fractured culture built on abuse and sexism, among other issues. We firmly believe that in order to bring about the change our industry needs, we must stop contributing to a system that rewards and thrives on the exploitation of workers.[a]

The restaurant received a Bib Gourmand rating from the Michelin Guide in 2024, meaning "exceptionally good food at moderate prices".[17] The guide upgraded the ranking to one Michelin star in 2025, meaning "high-quality cooking, worth a stop".[1]

Notes

  1. ^ Original quote in Spanish: A nuestro juicio, instituciones como The World’s 50 Best fomentan una cultura fracturada a causa del abuso y el sexismo (entre otros). Estamos convencidos de que para lograr el cambio que nuestra industria necesita, requerimos dejar de contribuir con un sistema que recompensa y prospera a partir de la explotación de los trabajadores.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Masala y Maíz". Michelin Guide. 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Upchurch, Evan (17 July 2019). "Masala y Maíz: Revolution Around the Table". Travesías. Archived from the original on 19 February 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "'De a solapa': 5 Restaurantes para disfrutar una comida a solas" [On Your Own: 5 Restaurants to Enjoy a Solo Meal]. El Financiero (in Spanish). 13 February 2022. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Pérez Ruiz, Una (7 December 2017). "Masala y Maíz". Time Out (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  5. ^ a b Asencio, Shadia (29 October 2019). "Best New Chefs 2019: Norma Listman y Saqib Keval" [Best New Chefs 2019: Norma Listman and Saqib Keval]. Food & Wine (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 February 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Katz, Brooke Porter (12 October 2018). "In Mexico City, a Restaurant Draws Locally and From 10,000 Miles Away". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 April 2025. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "Masala y Maíz". Marco Beteta (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 September 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  8. ^ Verma, Malika (29 May 2025). "Masala y Maiz in Mexico City mixes up brutalism and '80s pop, with activism at its heart". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  9. ^ a b c Hubard, Mary Gaby (10 March 2021). "La evolución de Masala y Maíz a un año del cierre de restaurantes" [From Shutdown to Reinvention: The Evolution of Masala y Maíz One Year On]. Food & Wine. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  10. ^ "Husband and wife duo craft Masala y Maíz, a Mexico City hotspot". CBS News. 17 May 2025. Archived from the original on 18 May 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  11. ^ Ben-Amotz, Allegra. "A guide to local favorites in Juarez". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  12. ^ Monié, Karine (4 December 2019). "Masala y Maíz, un restaurante con mestizaje gourmet en la colonia Juárez" [Masala y Maíz: A gourmet fusion restaurant in Colonia Juárez]. Architectural Digest. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  13. ^ Moreno, Omar (5 June 2025). "CDMX tiene nuevos restaurantes con estrella Michelin" [Mexico City has new Michelin-starred restaurants]. El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 June 2025.
  14. ^ Lindeman, Scarlett. "Masala & Maíz". Condé Nast Traveler. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  15. ^ Upchurch, Evan. "Masala y Maíz". Afar. Archived from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  16. ^ "Restaurante mexicano rechaza nominación de The World's 50 Best por fomentar abuso y sexismo" [Mexican restaurant rejects World’s 50 Best nomination over abuse and sexism concerns]. El Financiero. 27 October 2021. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  17. ^ "5 Facts About Masala y Maiz from Netflix's 'Chef's Table'". Michelin Guide. 6 January 2025. Archived from the original on 31 May 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
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