When I suggested dinner at Maiz, a Colombian street food gem that transitioned from Portland’s Public Market to its own space this April, my friends’ immediate reaction was to Google it. The question that followed, almost simultaneously, was: “What exactly is an arepa?”
My initial attempts to explain were a bit clumsy. I started with a comparison to a thicker, stuffable corn tortilla, but then landed on a more evocative description: imagine a culinary lovechild of a pancake, pita, and cornbread, resulting in a griddled, delightfully gluten-free creation.
Maiz: Quick Verdict
RATING: ***½
LOCATION: 621 Forest Ave., Portland, ME 04101
HOURS: Monday to Friday 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM; Saturday 11:30 AM – 9:00 PM
PRICE GUIDE: Appetizers & Snacks: $3.25-$9, Entrees: $8.05-$11.50
NOISE LEVEL: Relaxed and Conversational
VEGETARIAN OPTIONS: Yes
GLUTEN-FREE: Entire menu
RESERVATIONS: Not accepted
DRINKS: Beer and Wine
ACCESSIBILITY: Wheelchair accessible
IN A NUTSHELL: Maiz, after building a following at Portland’s Public Market, has blossomed in its new storefront, becoming the city’s first dedicated Colombian restaurant. The food is consistently impressive. Chef and co-owner Niky Watler and her team are making excellent use of the expanded kitchen, offering a broader, fully gluten-free menu. Standouts include the cheesy, crusty pan de bono appetizers and the simple yet satisfying deep-fried corn empanadas filled with savory pulled pork. Maiz’s arepas – especially the chicken Basico and the pork-and-chicken Upgrade – are highly recommended. A minor tip: if you prefer a harmonious blend of fillings in every bite, some strategic “arepa manipulation” before diving in is advisable.
However, after several visits to this vibrant, counter-service eatery, I realized my friends’ initial question missed a crucial point. The real question isn’t just “What’s an arepa?” but “How do you best enjoy an arepa at Maiz?”
This became strikingly clear during my second visit. At the next table, a young girl, armed with a compostable fork (Maiz is committed to compostable single-use materials), was giving her mother a masterclass in arepa consumption.
“Mommy, watch!” she announced, before forcefully plunging her fork deep into the heart of her filled arepa. She then proceeded to vigorously move the fork up and down, side to side, as if attempting to clear a blockage. “Now you can eat it! Be careful, I made a hole,” she declared, pushing a bulging corn flap back into place, only to inadvertently release a cascade of pico de gallo from another opening. “Oops,” she giggled.
Her method might have been a tad unconventional and messy, but the child was onto something. It was evident I wasn’t alone in pondering the best approach to tackling Maiz’s generously filled arepas.
At Maiz, co-owner and kitchen manager Niky Watler and her team artfully assemble arepas by creating a slit at the top and then layering in fillings, much like the distinct strata in an archaeological dig. Take the chicken-filled Basico ($9.45) for example. Your first bite encounters a vibrant layer of freshly chopped pico de gallo, which inevitably spills over the sides. This is followed by succulent, curry-spiced chicken breast, and finally, a somewhat submerged layer of melted mozzarella and feta cheeses at the base.
Before witnessing my young neighbor’s resourceful solution, I assumed eating an arepa meant navigating each layer in isolation. My initial attempt involved the classic fork-and-knife approach. I tried to carefully separate the side of the arepa, then swirl the fillings together before slicing it like a pizza. While somewhat effective, the flimsy paper liner in my basket didn’t fare so well, tearing apart as I cut. I’m fairly certain I consumed a significant portion of it.
Seeking expert advice, I reached out to a Colombian friend, a lifelong resident of Bogotá who spends her Januarys in Cartagena, the very city Niky Watler hails from. She described arepas where every bite is a harmonious blend of all the fillings – a culinary ideal. And while achieving that perfect bite at Maiz might require a bit of effort, even a slightly disjointed arepa experience is still undeniably delicious.
The Upgrade arepa ($10.60) stands out as a top choice. It builds upon the Basico foundation, adding a layer of tender, slow-roasted pork shoulder. As general manager and co-owner Martha Leonard jokingly explained, “That’s for people who can’t decide between chicken and pork!”
Maiz boasts an impressive selection of seven house-made sauces. For the meat-filled arepas, the Suerito, with its yogurt-tempered heat, and the intensely garlicky Ajo sauce, reminiscent of aioli, are particularly well-suited.
For vegetarian options like the hearty Beans Please ($9.75), packed with corn, avocado, and tender black beans, or the milder Veg. Overload ($10.60), featuring stewed cauliflower and chickpeas, opt for a brighter sauce. The spicy, scallion-based Verduritas provides a welcome jolt of vibrancy.
These flavorful sauces, along with the sweet-and-tangy Roja Dulce, also elevate the deep-fried cornmeal empanadas ($5), which are filled with a rotating selection of savory stuffings. The pulled pork empanada I sampled was so exceptional, I didn’t mind that it was the only variety available across my three visits.
Navigating the menu at Maiz can sometimes feel like a treasure hunt. Items like the Beet The Heat salad, featuring coffee-rubbed beets, and the North Spore mushroom arepa, both listed as постоянные specials, were unfortunately unavailable during my visits. Platanos maduros (sweet plantains, $5) also seemed to be a somewhat elusive menu item. On my first visit, a server even declared, “We don’t sell those anymore.” However, on a subsequent visit, a different server proved more optimistic, and I was rewarded with a perfectly ripe, baked plantain, split and filled with molten mozzarella cheese. Sadly, plantains have remained elusive on subsequent trips.
“We don’t offer those specials all the time,” Martha Leonard clarified. “The platanos maduros have to be perfectly ripe – it depends on the ingredient’s quality, and we can’t rush nature. That’s the reality of being a small, handcrafted kitchen. And sometimes, popular items just sell out.” They are certainly worth seeking out if available.
Equally deserving of attention is the choclo ($5), a softer, pancake-like arepa variation made with milk and topped with Maiz’s signature feta-and-mozzarella blend. This sweet-savory delight is a staff favorite, often recommended as an appetizer. “Oh man, you haven’t lived until you’ve tried a choclo,” a staff member enthusiastically told me when I inquired about appetizer suggestions.
“But the real star is right here,” he continued, gesturing towards a glass-and-chrome oven containing a few unassuming rolls. These, it turned out, were the pan de bono ($3.25), and they were, without a doubt, the highlight of my Maiz experience. Pan de bono is a springy, quick bread bun crafted from cheese, yucca, and corn flours. You might be familiar with its lighter, airier cousin, Brazil’s pao de queijo, a gluten-free bread that enjoyed widespread popularity as a hors d’oeuvre in the mid-2010s.
However, don’t mistake the two. The Colombian pan de bono is denser, with a spongy texture akin to a savory cheese mochi. Its delicate, crumbly crust is a delight to tear apart. Dip pan de bono in one of Maiz’s flavorful sauces – perhaps the floral cilantro and oil sauce, or the Rosada, a simple yet satisfying blend of ketchup and mayonnaise – or savor it plain. No culinary gymnastics required.
Andrew Ross has extensive experience writing about food and dining, with his work featured in The New York Times and on Martha Stewart Living Radio. He is a two-time recipient of the 2018 Critic’s Awards from the Maine Press Association.
Contact Andrew at: [email protected]
Twitter: @AndrewRossME
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Filed under: portland maine, Restaurants
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