Maize is just one of those start-ups you want to see do well and all for good reason. As soon as I step in, I walk into an extremely cramped space full of people(mostly college students). The interior was rather cheerful and clean. There was a strange buzz about the place with everyone either awaiting or devouring their food while engaged in happy conversation with their family and friends. Despite the shoddy exterior and sheer lack of seating pace, there place possess a warm and inviting feel.
The food itself is VERY reasonably priced to start with, which to a college student like me is always a plus. The ingredients were fresh and you could easily tell that the food was made to order. My group was first served the complementary chips and salsa, and the freshness of the salsas just shone through. I ordered a vegetarian Torta Ahogada made spicy. I am a sucker for very spicy food, and my oh my was my palate for once was satisfied on this front. It was flavorful and very filling.
All in all, Maize offers Mexican food in a less cliched and entirely authentic way. It offers not only freshness of ingredients, but also fantastic value. Of course, the place wasn't designed to ever give people a satisfactory seating experience, but the food more than makes up for it.
An A+ from yours truly.