Maíz Picante

Went there during the burrito week and we loved it! Top-quality carne al pastor made it the best burrito I've had so far in SB. The food was served fairly quickly. We went there again to try their tacos, and they were good too. Recommend dining in because you gotta try their al pastor as soon as they are served. Another plus is that Handlebar is just around the corner. Though it's easy to find street parking, they do have a parking lot on West Alamar.

Mayra Urrutia

Food is delicious and the service is super friendly!! Not just this time but every time we come! We had a Al pastor, sirloin steak, crispy Vallarta and the Los Cabo’s tacos. Super delicious! Also really recommend the chicken or steak enchiladas! And to top it off the refreshing agua fresca that are made daily are amazing!

Jessica Q.

Feels like a lot of attention was put into cooking the food and making sure the flavors were right. Accompanying sauces were very good!

Sampson Shen

The server was so kind to us. We didn’t know which drink to order, so he gave us samples to try. He also gave a us really nice drink for free!

Janine Wong

Super fast service and very clean. Not busy at all at 3:30pm on a Saturday. Guac is nice and fresh and the chips are thick and crunchy. The tacos are also all great especially the quespbirria

Holly Adams

Absolutely fantastic tacos. The sauces are flavorful and fresh. The tacos themselves are an explosion of taste. Great drinks, too, which we did not expect. Will become a regular stop when we are in town. I'm still thinking about the birria taco with its crisp cheese skirt and juicy meat.

Tracy Chen

We got our assortment of tacos quickly, all were delicious and flavorful.

Cindy Nelson

This is the 3rd time I’ve been to an event catered by Maíz Picante- every single time they’ve knocked it out of the park- the birria tacos were my favorite- even the condiments were outstanding. Thank you for another great event!

Erich Schaffer

Absolutely some of the best tacos I've ever had. A little pricey but these are amazing and worth it. Wonderful presentation on the condiments (salsas, onions, cilantro, etc.) too.

J Wilund

This place is KILLING it. This is what Santa Barbara needed. Beautiful setup, big open, & clean kitchen, super friendly staff, and truly gourmet yet authentic tacos. Not like tacos from an Americanized taqueria, they’re authentic street tacos that taco lovers want, but with a twist. They’re not big stuffed things, no fluff, just delicious. The lengua is the best I’ve had; so tender and flavorful, but not mushy. Just perfect. Same with the cabeza. And the premium tacos are something else. Costra al Pastor and Quesa Birria are incredible. That’s where the twist begins, because they all come with specifically paired homemade sauces, that are amazing on their own. Well done, Maíz Picante!

Jennifer Turiace

Everyone loves their food, and I had my old school Mexican parents with me so that's saying something. The portions are well served and the quality is great. Definitely a must try taco spot.

Fantastic tacos! Pastor is the best. Sauces were amazing! I read another review of someone who did not like the chicken taco. Maybe a description of the tacos might make it more clear, but I think the chicken taco is made simply on purpose, for those with food allergies or those who like their food less spicy. There is always at least one person at our table who needs something like this.

We walked in here 5 minutes until closing, after driving 250 miles on a road trip. Many taco shops are dicey that time of night, cue cold questionable burrito. Maiz Picante Taqueria served us fresh tacos that were out of this world at 10pm. Honestly, better than anything I have eaten at fancy taco shops in Mexico City when I lived there. The salsas are on point. The birria so tender and juicy, the chicken tacos con papas, que sabor!!! Might be my favorite spot in all of CA.

Manny the owner is really genuine and passionate about everything he does. The quality of the food is incredible and the salsas are so good (the green and the orange are my favorite) Him and all of his employees are kind and happy to be there. I care about supporting local businesses these are great people making great food and they are open until 10pm.

Dana Sinclair

We walked in here 5 minutes until closing, after driving 250 miles on a road trip. Many taco shops are dicey that time of night, cue cold questionable burrito. Maiz Picante Taqueria served us fresh tacos that were out of this world at 10pm. Honestly, better than anything I have eaten at fancy taco shops in Mexico City when I lived there. The salsas are on point. The birria so tender and juicy, the chicken tacos con papas, que sabor!!! Might be my favorite spot in all of CA.

Kat Sifuentes

Manny the owner is really genuine and passionate about everything he does. The quality of the food is incredible and the salsas are so good (the green and the orange are my favorite) Him and all of his employees are kind and happy to be there. I care about supporting local businesses these are great people making great food and they are open until 10pm.

Somer Parker

Absolutely love this place! The pastor tacos are delicious. Love the salsa options. The kids burrito is the best in town, and they also have good music and good vibes every time!

Angela Weber

Fantastic tacos! Pastor is the best. Sauces were amazing! I read another review of someone who did not like the chicken taco. Maybe a description of the tacos might make it more clear, but I think the chicken taco is made simply on purpose, for those with food allergies or those who like their food less spicy. There is always at least one person at our table who needs something like this.

I’m from TX and honestly we need to take notes from CA for Mexican food like this. I got the Alambre with Al pastor which was melt in your mouth phenomenal. The meat you can tell is shaved off. Lots of flavor with all the meat, mozzarella cheese, veggies. Amazing flavorful sauces. I only gave 4 stars because the location was kind of hard to get to with the construction. I’ll be lucky if we didn’t get a nail in the rental.

I am giving this place four stars, tacos had a good taste. The Birria taco was very good if not better than Yona Redz. The pastor taco was OK. Could’ve been a little better. The salsas have great taste and even better with the tacos. The only negative I had was the tacos are pretty pricey vs other tacos in town. Also the tacos are not the traditional taqueria tacos, tacos have different ingredients then usual. The waters are good too, different but good. Kinda of a hipster taqueria. Overall tacos are great and pricey. I will be coming back after payday😅.

The sirloin taco in my opinion did not need the mashed potatoes. Other than that the tacos and hot sauce are great! Well priced too. My boyfriend had a Modelo negra which he enjoyed. I loved the guacamole 🥑 they give you a lot of chips with it and they threw two random whole dried tortillas with the chips. The bathrooms were very clean.

Carnitas and pastor burritos were very good. I initially ordered the veggie burrito, not realizing it was nothing other than peppers and onions and cheese. They graciously replaced it with another variant. $11 margaritas are tasty but small and a little on the weak side. Parking is available in the front and the back. We showed up about 1:00 p.m. and service was a little slow but our food was hot and fresh when we got it. Ambience is barebones taqueria but you come here for the food and not much else.

Michelle Martinek

I’m from TX and honestly we need to take notes from CA for Mexican food like this. I got the Alambre with Al pastor which was melt in your mouth phenomenal. The meat you can tell is shaved off. Lots of flavor with all the meat, mozzarella cheese, veggies. Amazing flavorful sauces. I only gave 4 stars because the location was kind of hard to get to with the construction. I’ll be lucky if we didn’t get a nail in the rental.

Christian Celestino

I am giving this place four stars, tacos had a good taste. The Birria taco was very good if not better than Yona Redz. The pastor taco was OK. Could’ve been a little better. The salsas have great taste and even better with the tacos. The only negative I had was the tacos are pretty pricey vs other tacos in town. Also the tacos are not the traditional taqueria tacos, tacos have different ingredients then usual. The waters are good too, different but good. Kinda of a hipster taqueria. Overall tacos are great and pricey. I will be coming back after payday😅.

Noel Ben

The sirloin taco in my opinion did not need the mashed potatoes. Other than that the tacos and hot sauce are great! Well priced too. My boyfriend had a Modelo negra which he enjoyed. I loved the guacamole 🥑 they give you a lot of chips with it and they threw two random whole dried tortillas with the chips. The bathrooms were very clean.

Ler me to begin by commenting the food and its exceptional quality. Having frequented numerous taco and burrito establishments, I must say that the meat quality and overall food quality are truly outstanding. I cannot stress enough how impressed I am with the cuisine as far as the food quality. However, regarding the service, it did not quite meet my expectations. Furthermore, the atmosphere within the dining area wasn't particularly pleasant. I would certainly recommend this place for takeout or catering, but I wouldn't necessarily suggest dining in. I highly recommend opting for pickup as the dining area is very small and not meant to be for dining.

Nader Mirzaei

Ler me to begin by commenting the food and its exceptional quality. Having frequented numerous taco and burrito establishments, I must say that the meat quality and overall food quality are truly outstanding. I cannot stress enough how impressed I am with the cuisine as far as the food quality. However, regarding the service, it did not quite meet my expectations. Furthermore, the atmosphere within the dining area wasn't particularly pleasant. I would certainly recommend this place for takeout or catering, but I wouldn't necessarily suggest dining in. I highly recommend opting for pickup as the dining area is very small and not meant to be for dining.

Lucy Rios

I ordered a chicken taco with roasted potatoes (that’s their menu)…. This is what I got! Looks disgusting, tasted awful. NOT WHAT I EXPECTED BY THE WAY I GOT MUSHY POTATOES! Not worth it!

We ordered birria tacos and mulitas. Very good. Then, we ordered sirloin and chicken tacos to go. What a disappointment. Look at this photo.... a piece of chicken, not even cut, and a thin slice of meat. Nothing seasoned... why????? So sad the we were far away when we discover this, otherwise we would go back to get a refund...

Roberto Liera

We ordered birria tacos and mulitas. Very good. Then, we ordered sirloin and chicken tacos to go. What a disappointment. Look at this photo.... a piece of chicken, not even cut, and a thin slice of meat. Nothing seasoned... why????? So sad the we were far away when we discover this, otherwise we would go back to get a refund...