Maza Mediterranean Restaurant

Several of us visited Maza for dinner last night, first time for me and my wife. Service was very nice, including a greeting from the owner. Our server was helpful and attentive.
The grape leaves appetizer was only OK, with the meat filling being dried, overcooked and under spiced. The yogurt sauce was tasty but insufficient to make up for the bland meat. The saganaki appetizer was excellent, tangy and gooey good. A soup that was served to one of our party came out cold and was replaced with a warmer version.
The sauce over the perfectly cooked rainbow trout that my spouse ordered was excellent, tangy and nicely tart from the capers. The accompanying rice was delicious with its herbs and spices. Portions were generous.
I selected the lamb tagine because I have never had it and in anticipation I had looked up tagine recipes online. I was intrigued by the extensive use of spices like cumin, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon and several others. Well I was not dissatisfied with the Maza version but it didn’t exactly knock my socks off either. I was expecting a higher level of spices than the very mild sauce that was presented. Although there was some flavor, I could not discern any of the spices mentioned above, suggesting the recipe was either dumbed down for American palates or the recipe is just not a very good one and/​or it was terribly overcooked. The couscous and sweet potato purée were delightful, somewhat offsetting the lackluster level of spices in the meat. Next, the lamb was so overcooked as to be indistinguishable from sawdust, dry, stringy and tasteless. That was not totally unexpected on my part, having experienced the same with many goat and lamb dishes I have had at middle eastern and Indian restaurants. Don’t know if this is the reason, but I attribute it to the fact that in other countries much meat is often so inferior in quality that cooking the hell out of it is the only way to make it palatable. Of course that is not necessary here and it would be so easy to cook lamb pieces to a more moderate medium (or even medium rare for a better cut) for this dish and it would be oh so much better. Finally, the menu suggested the tagine sauce included raisins, dates and apricots and thus I was expecting to find small distinct pieces of these fruits in the sauce, in the same manner as can be found in Afghan pilau. I could not distinguish any of these fruits in the sauce. Perhaps they were there but so overcooked as to be no longer distinguishable. Either way, that was another disappointment.
The others in our group were pretty happy with their dishes and we enjoyed our time in the quiet relaxed atmosphere of this tastefully decorated setting.
Would I go back? Definitely. There were enough things to like here that I would like to try more menu items but I think I will stay away from anything lamb next time since it seems they appear to only know how to cook it one way — to death.

I have been here twice. The first time would be about ³⁄₅: okay (not great) food, slow service. I went again today as part of a large group, and today’s experience pretty much ruined my impression of Maza for good.
There are few things I hate more than feeling like I got price-​gouged at a restaurant that’s already on the pricey side to begin with. When your waiter/​waitress asks «soup or salad?» it’s usually implied that soup or salad is included with the meal. You see, they used to have soup/​salad included with most entrees on the menu (last year, maybe). At some point in time they started charging $ 5 for a soup on the side, but they still ask «soup or salad» without ever mentioned that it’s not included! It was only when we got our check that we realized that they sold us an extra $ 35 worth of soup which we would not have ordered, if we had known. In my opinion, this is a deceptive and dishonest business practice, and I have no doubt that it’s done intentionally. It wouldn’t even be that bad if the price was lower, or if they served more than the tiny little bowl of soup. $ 5 for about 3 – 4 spoonfuls is some serious price-​gouging.
Service was slow, once again. The kabobs were pretty decent; the baba ghanoush however was gross (WAY too much oil for the amount of eggplant). It’s my sense that most people in my group enjoyed their dinner, but were also annoyed by having to pay extra for soup. I don’t think of us will be back anytime soon.

Sometimes the service can be slow but I don’t mind it at all! Everything just tastes so good.
Lamb shank is my favorite.

I made reservations for 7pm for 3 kids and 3 adults. We were seated immediately, but our service was so very slow! This is why I am giving this place 3 stars. Needless to say, I enjoyed my food. After waiting 25 minutes we finally was served some fresh hot bread. When the kids meals did arrive (chicken nuggets and fries)(no kids menu?) it was hot and very tasty. My kids ate everything! I had the lamb shanks and my partner had the kabobs with two side dishes. We both throughly enjoyed our meals.
Maybe our service was because of an inexperienced waiter who, by the way, was so nice and tried to be accommodating. Would I try this place again? Yes I would! Food tasted as if it was carefully prepared with love. I must say hats off to the chef.

I was excited to try this place, because their menu is an intriguing mix of Italian, Greek, Spanish and Middle Eastern food. I left a little underwhelmed, however. I liked but didn’t love my chicken ammoglio (breaded chicken over pesto polenta and balsamic reduction) and thought the garlic flavor was way too strong. I also though the portion, while not tiny, was a bit stingy for the price ($ 17). The food also takes *forever* to come out. We were in the restaurant for an hour and a half to have a single course. They warn you on the menu that they make everything from scratch and some entrees might take 25 – 35 minutes to come out, but our entrees took longer than that (and there are plenty of other restaurants that also cook from scratch and don’t take so long to prepare food so I find this attitude a little mystifying). I thought the service was also a bit condescending. When I asked if the Marsala sauce was creamy or clear the waiter said in a very condescending tone of voice: «It’s *wine*…Marsala wine. you know, red wine?» I know what Marsala wine is, and some restaurants add it to cream to make a creamy wine sauce. He also smirked at my husband’s colleague and me for commenting (to each other) that our dishes were practically the same («We use a platter presentation, so yes some of our dishes ‘appear’ similar»), when in fact they were the exact same dish except for the meat (she had the tuna steak ammoglio). He also wasn’t very competent and took forever to bring us more bread and then mixed up who had ordered what dish when he split the check (in two, it’s not like we were asking for ten separate checks).
Basically, between the comments on the menu and the waiter’s attitude I got the impression that this restaurant thinks they are a very special snowflake and you should feel lucky that you get to give them your money. That kind of attitude is always off-​putting to me but especially so when the food doesn’t back it up.

Truly my favorite restaurant in the Lafayette area. Maza is my family’s go-​to restaurant for anything, from casual lunches or a quick dinner after a sporting competition (often someone was still wearing a uniform), to birthdays, anniversaries, and graduation parties. The owner and his staff are always inviting, no matter the occasion.
A huge amount of effort goes into sourcing their ingredients, which is reflected in the outstanding quality of food they serve. Maza offers selections from a wide range of cuisines, while still every dish remains focused and well-​executed. At this point, I have tasted almost every entrée on their main menu, and while I have my favorites (filet medallions, seafood paella), there is nothing I would hesitate to recommend. The specials are always worth paying attention to, especially anything with seafood. And absolutely save room for the chocolate mousse!

Very fresh ingredients cooked by very natural ways without any over seasoning. The most fresh dishes I can find in the area. Also the best tiramisu.

Avoid, avoid, avoid! After hearing mixed reviews about Maza, I decided I had to check it out for myself to determine if they had been able to fuse Greek and Italian cuisine cohesively. Turns out, they can’t. I should have quietly exited the restaurant after walking in on a Friday night to find not one soul in the restaurant, not even a hostess. After standing and waiting around for 15 minutes my date and I finally peeked around in search of anyone and found the hostess/​waitress who seemed encouraged by her only customers. We asked about several dishes that they were not serving/​could not prepare due to limited supplies in the kitchen and decided on a quinoa salad and ratatouille. The quinoa was undercooked and crunchy, lacking any flavor and watery. The ratatouille was lukewarm and a mushy texture that wasn’t pleasant. The server could see we were not satisfied with our food but instead removed the almost intact dishes without a word. The stale bread sealed the deal for me, I won’t be returning to this lackluster restaurant considering how many other options there are in Lafayette.

The owner took my review seriously and has been in contact with me extensively since it posted. I am going to eat there again. The food IS outstanding, no question about that! They have gotten perfect reviews from the health dept, which is why my daughter’s and my violent reaction was so surprising– to us and to the owner. I’ll add a review once I’ve eaten there a second time.

Walnut dip is amazing. The lamb shank is a must have — the best I have ever had. Had a wonderful time here. Great authentic experience! Would recommend it to any of my friends!

MAZA provides creative Mediterranean dishes served in a comfortable atmosphere. The price is very reasonable, considering the diverse ingredients and training of their chefs. Try finding this food for under$ 30 anywhere else. No question, this is the best place around for hosting anyone from out of town, but also changes specials nightly to keep us locals interested.

Quiet, pretty ambience. good restaurant for a leisurely date. I’ve been there multiple times and loved everything I’ve tried! They have an amazing chef! The hummus, baba ghanoush, fried calamari, red lentil soup, the kebobs, quinoa salad, lasagna! All of it! Highly recommend it for all the amazing food!

I have honestly had some of my best meals here. The food is absolutely superb. Every aspect of a dish (even down to garnished asparagus) holds its own note of flavor. No one flavor overpowers another. Their lemon cream sauce is delicate and delicious, saganaki robust with flavor, and lamb exquisitely tender.
This restaurant is highly underrated in my opinion — one of the best in the Lafayette area.
I encourage others to give it a try. You won’t be disappointed!

My SO and I come here at least a few times a month for Sunday brunch. The menu can be intimidating at first but we’ve never had anything we didn’t like. We’ve always had great service and the coffee is really delicious. Make sure you try the breakfast side potatoes!

Went here for brunch recently and had a bit of a mixed experience. The food was quite tasty but the service left something to be desired.
My SO and I were meeting a friend and arrived a little early so we asked for a table. The dining room was about a third full and we asked for a booth.
The hostess sat us at a booth with two settings and grabbed another setting from the next table and plunked it down next to me and walked away without arranging it or saying a single word. We waited for about 15 minutes without being greeted by any waiter or having any drink order taken. There was a couple that got sat down near us and were immediately greeted and had their waters filled. Seemed odd, especially since they were not that busy and I could see the waiters chatting in the kitchen.
We finally got some attention right as our friend arrived and placed our drink orders. I got a large oj and when it arrived it was in a very small glass. I asked the waiter if that really was a large and he just glared at me and said yes, very curtly. I was a little taken aback because I couldn’t imagine what small was actually like if that was a large (a shot glass of oj maybe?). Again I glanced over at another table a while later and saw much larger glasses of oj in front of them. Again, odd.
The food arrived and was quite delicious. We had the tel aviv eggs Benedict (with smoked salmon and spinach) and the Egyptian breakfast. We all enjoyed the food but the waiter came by twice to refill the boys’ coffee and I had to ask him at the very end of the meal to refill our empty water glasses which got me another weird look.
I know some of these criticisms may seem a bit like nitpicking, but it is no fun to be at a restaurant and feel like you are being an inconvenience to the staff or that you are unwelcome. I would hesitantly give this restaurant another shot because the food was yummy, but I was definitely frustrated by the end of the meal.

We had both breakfast and dinner here. Amazing food… fresh all Mediterranean cuisine. Good wine list. A 5 min drive from campus, Make reservations for the big Purdue weekends. You will not be disappointed!

Amazing brunch that until recently I had no knowledge of its existance (how!?)
I can’t speak for the quality of their regular food since I’ve never been during normal hours, but it is supposed to be mediterranean.
The brunch itself is a fairly standard, but delicious, brunch offering. I had an egg benedict and I can safely say it was the best egg benedict I’ve had from all the brunch places that are around the Lafayette area.
While I wouldn’t call the restaurant fancy, it does seem to classify itself as one of the nicer places around, so expect a bit higher prices. Because we aren’t swimming in great brunch places, obviously it was a bit packed and our server was kind of flustered and made some mistakes. Still, she was friendly and apologetic and no harm was done.

By far this is the best restaurant in the Lafayette area! I am a picky person when it comes to my food and wine and Maza has the best of both worlds. Fantastic selection of mediterranean and Italian dishes. Try the paella, it’s the best I’ve ever had! It’s not an easy or cheap dish to make properly either, Maza does it right! Love their selection of wines too, whether you just want a nice glass or a special bottle they have a lot of nice options. I live in Indianapolis but stop at Maza when I’m in Lafayette for business, if this place was in Indy it would be packed every single day. Perhaps Maza can open a second location???

On first try, I’d say this is a great addition to the Sagamore Parkway area.
My husband and I stopped in after work for dinner. We were surprised that the atmosphere leaned a little more formal, as it doesn’t look like much from the outside. The other diners ranged from families to couples to business dinners– most were a little dressier than your average area restaurant. Seems like this could be a good spot for an easy-​going special occasion dinner.
The menu was expansive, although it leans Greek, there were definitely Italian, french, and Spanish dishes on offer. I was initially planning to order the grape leaves and the mussels appetizers as my main, but the salmon special sounded too good to pass up. In the end I was pleased with my choice– the salmon was well cooked and served on top of some kind of zucchini fritter. It was topped by a lemon-​crème sauce (not too heavy) and asparagus. It was a perfect portion size and an overall great dish.
My husband ordered a cheese ravioli primavera. The ravioli itself was nothing special, but the red sauce it was served with was great and the vegetables were fresh and plentiful.
Both entrees came with nice, simple salads, and bread was served with an olive oil/​parmesan/​basil dip.
I also had a glass of wine– a cabernet sauvignon– generously poured.
Overall a nice dinner and good service– although be prepared for slightly higher bill– most entrees in the $ 15 – 20 range. The place is small and the décor is nothing special, but you can tell they are making an effort and it is paying off. I will be back!

I’ve returned and things are still the same… good and interesting food and only 1 wait person for 10 – 12 tables so service was slow and not very attentive at lunch. I’ve never been for dinner so I don’t know if they add more servers. If you go at lunch, expect to have a leisurely meal.