Press Release
From The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, Maya is a regionally-inspired Mexican eatery set to open its doors on Friday, September 24th in downtown Charleston. When the group decided to retire new American, farm-to-table establishment, The Macintosh earlier this year, Restauranteur Steve Palmer and Indigo Road Chief Restaurant Officer Jon Murray began to envision the next chapter for the lively space on Upper King Street—one that pulls inspiration from past travels and experiences, a common theme for the restaurant group's portfolio.
Born from the love of Mexico's coastal region, where the jungle meets the sea, Maya's breezy interiors, flavorful bites, and tropical cocktails offer a resort-inspired retreat from the everyday.
On the Menu & Behind the Bar
An alumnus of NYC's Michelin-starred Claro, Executive Chef Brett Riley is well-versed in the authentic cooking techniques and traditional formulas of Mexican cuisine. Guided by these principles, the menu captures Mexico's unique regional landscapes through an inspired and curated menu featuring shareable ‘antojitos' or starters, tacos, formidable ‘platos fuertes' or composed plates, as well as ‘a lado' or side dishes. Celebrating authentic Mexican ingredients and techniques, the restaurant's in-house masa program utilizes a traditional nixtamalization process and corn sourced from Mexico to produce fresh tortillas, chips, and tostadas for the selection of classic and reimagined Mexican dishes with hints of coastal influence. Menu standouts include Esquites made with Fresh Corn Off the Cob, Ancho Chile Mayo, Serrano Chile, Epazote, and Cotija Cheese; Duck Carnitas Taco with Confit Duck, Guac Taquero, Escabeche, and Chicharron; and Gobernador, a quesadilla rendition of the classic taco with Chipotle Shrimp, Poblano Chile Rajas, Red Onion, and Cilantro. At Maya, there's no shortage of innovative offerings, including several plant-based and vegetarian offerings from Flor de Calabaza tacos made with masa tempura fried squash blossoms to potato and cheese stuffed Entomatadas.
Spirit-forward cocktails—available on tap, frozen, and handcrafted—are brought to life with authentic Mexican ingredients like Spanish Vanilla, Morita Chiles, Tamarind, and Sotol. Anchored by the “a la casa” Margarita and Paloma, both available on tap, the beverage menu offers a selection of innovative cocktails from the Hotel Oaxaca, made with Mezcal, White Flowers, Pineapple, Lime, and Peach; to the Pajarito with Rum, Saffron, Smoke, Cinnamon, Lime, Passion Fruit, and Absinthe. Mirroring ingredients and flavor profiles of the restaurant's culinary offerings, Silver Spoon incorporates Mole