Maizano in Costa Mesa, CA

Sheltered from the hustle and bustle of the Mercado Gonzalez Northgate Market is Maizano, a masa-focused, contemporary Mexican restaurant.

Maizano’s convenient location allows the kitchen to source ingredients from vendors just a few steps away, including the tortilleria right next door.

The dining room is warm and inviting with earthy, rose-colored tones, an Instagram-worthy bar, and meticulously crafted cocktails to boot.

What truly sets Maizano apart is the team’s dedication to showcasing the diverse flavors and traditions of regional Mexican cuisine. Their dishes tell the stories of the culinary landscapes of Yucatán, Puebla, and Oaxaca and serve as a tribute to the rich tapestry of Mexican gastronomy.

In an area with no shortage of Mexican establishments, Maizano manages to successfully stand out.

Key Info

Address: 2300 Harbor Blvd, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Parking: Free lot parking; valet is also available for a fee

Reservations are recommended

Meet Chef Alan Sanz

Tell us about your journey to Maizano!

I joined the Maizano team just two weeks before the opening. In that short period of time, I not only had to put together the menu but also hire and train our kitchen staff. Teaching the team about the importance and applications of traditional ingredients like huitlacoche and the intricacy of moles was both the most exciting and challenging element of the opening. It was so rewarding to watch my staff develop an appreciation for those traditions and ingredients.

What are your most popular items on the menu and why?

For lunch, our most popular item is the Torta Cochinita with grilled cheese, avocado, hibiscus-pickled onions, and habanero sauce on a traditional Mexican bread called bolillo. This handheld dish offers diners the familiarity of a sandwich while delivering bold and traditional Mexican flavors. During dinner, our most popular dish is the Fideo Seco - a vibrant riff on the Mexican comfort classic soup, Fideo. Our interpretation takes a lighter contemporary approach with black bean salsa, burrata, chorizo, avocado cream, and crispy Pasilla chile.

What do you like about being located in Mercado Gonzalez and more broadly, the city of Costa Mesa?

Being located within Mercado Gonzalez is not only convenient – we have every ingredient at our fingertips – but it’s very exciting to see how guests of the Mercado react to and embrace the menu and ambiance at Maizano. As a whole, I love being part of the Costa Mesa community. This city is a cultural melting pot, filled with people from all different walks of life who are not only eager to experience something new, but to share the traditions of their own.

What do you hope visitors will take away from a visit to Maizano?

For me, it’s about sharing an experience. I want our guests to experience the traditional flavors of Mexican cuisine through our contemporary interpretations. Many of these traditional ingredients and dishes at Maizano are nostalgic and attached to memories. Food is so deeply woven into the fabric of Mexican culture and heritage – it’s often how, when, and where we connect with others. Maizano is the canvas upon which I get to recreate and facilitate those experiences for our guests.