Masala y Maíz brings together a casual Mexican lunch restaurant with the flavors that feel personal to owners Norma Listman and Saqib Keval, particularly as it pulls in recipes from the latter's Indian heritage. The always-changing menu often includes esquites, traditional Mexican corn kernels, with fresh coconut milk, ginger, turmeric, and topped with purslane, and the fermented rice pancake called uttapam is made here with garbanzo beans and nixtamalized blue corn. With a cookbook about to drop (2026), a Chef’s Table Netflix episode, and a recent move to a more spacious location in Centro, Masala & Maíz is maturing into a true fine-dining restaurant.

The chef-owners of Masala y Maiz and Mari Gold, married couple Norma Listman y Saqib Keval, blend their backgrounds for menus that are unlike anywhere else in the world: part southeast Asian, part African, part Mexican. The flavors of each culture come together masterfully in dishes like Masala y Maiz’s spicy ceviche, which arrives topped with a papadam meant to be smashed and mixed in.

Masala y Maiz is a hat-tip to Saqib Keval’s Indian and African roots and Norma Listman’s Mexican heritage. The two discovered the surprising overlap between the cuisines while planning a dinner party for their friends. The menu at the industrial-chic restaurant narrates stories of trade, migration, and colonisation of the two countries.

Check out Masala y Maiz for a fusion of Indian and Mexican cuisine. The rooftop terrace is a gorgeous location to scarf down their vindaloo chicken wings or delicious donuts. Masala y Maiz takes traditional Indian and Mexican foods like esquites or samosas, and adds unexpected flavors that you’ll be thinking about for days after.

There are the Colonia Juárez spots like Mediterranean eatery and natural wine bar Elly’s, where owner Andrés Herran spins his rare collection of vinyl records, and Masala y Maiz, where chef-owners Norma Listman and Saqib Keval prepare dishes inspired by the cultures of Mexico, India, and East Africa, all paired with natural wine. There’s the cozy Vigneron wine bar in Colonia Roma, while just a few blocks away is Hugo El Wine Bar on the border of Roma Norte and Condesa, where a daily rotation of five natural wines is offered by the glass. Residents of the city can now even get natural wine delivered directly to their abode through online shops like Salvaje Vinos, or attend Maldonado’s pop-up natural wine festival, Volver Volver, to scope out the latest varietals.

Chef-partners in the kitchen and in life, Norma Listman and Saqib Keval bring refreshing flavors to play within a Mexican rubric at Café Zena, their kitchen-laboratory-event space-coffee-window in San Miguel Chapultepec. After a nomadic start last year, they found a home in a stylish, stripped-down spot, crafting dishes that reflect their background (hers, Mexican; his, Indian-American). On any given day, that might mean a warm bowl of coarsely ground blue-corn polenta with seasonal fruit, corn esquites plush with coconut milk and a house-ground masala, or grilled prawns with a lightly-sweetened lemongrass agua fresca on the side.

Celebrating the unsung marriage of Indian, Mexican, and East African cuisines, Masala y Maiz is a shoe box-sized, Juárez-based natural wine bistro. The cozy two-room dining space is always packed, and it’s here where you’ll find some of the city’s brightest and most exciting cooking. Beside a bottle of funky grapefruit juice-hued Mexican wine, sign up for the Masala Fried Chicken that chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval pair with cardamom-roasted yams, Ethiopian-spiced buttered greens, pickled onions, green chutney, and honeyed Mexican chili oil.

There are a lot of great restaurants in Mexico City, but if you like Mexican and Indian food, you’ve found your heaven with Masala y Maiz. At the heart of this innovative eatery are Chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval, who embarked on a flavorful journey to blend the cherished recipes of their childhoods. “Maiz,” or corn, symbolizes the rich tapestry of Mexican cuisine, while “Masala,” meaning spice blend in Urdu and Hindi, pays homage to the aromatic essence of Indian cooking.

Another favorite restaurant was Masala y Maiz, which is inspired by Mexican, South Asian, and East African culinary techniques, ingredients, cultural food ways and political movements. The restaurant is based on years of research by the chefs to understand the intersections of their respective cultures and the many similarities between their food ways. It was truly one of the best meals I’ve had in years – you could really taste the quality and thought in each and every bite.

If a couple that met in Oakland with African, Indian, and Mexican heritage invited you over to their home and happened to whip up a few dishes combining the techniques, ingredients, and traditions from their roots, it would surely be something like the dishes at Masala y Maíz. You can’t go wrong here, whatever you decide to order, but the prawns with ghee and vanilla and the esquites are completely unmissable.

Best for: Inventive fusion cooking and natural wineLocation: Calle Marsella 72, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, 06600 Juárez, CDMXPrice: ££. Mexico, India, and East Africa converge at Masala y Maíz. Chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval combine techniques, ingredients and family recipes from their respective culinary heritages, resulting in inventive fusions like brisket samosas, esquites Makai Pakka, and Uttapam gordita.

The other attractions on the list include The Zócalo, Eat Like a Local street food tour, Museo Frida Kahlo, Floating Gardens of Xochimilco, Mercado Roma, Teotihuacan, Mercados, Museo Soumaya, Basílica de Guadalupe, El Moro Churreria, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City’s Chinatown, Chapultepec Park, Masala y Maiz, Avenida Paseo de la Reforma, Monument of the Revolution, St. Regis hotel, and Joe Gelato.

This is the right place if you want your guests to have a unique culinary experience with a kitchen where chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval explore techniques and ingredients from India, Africa, and Mexico creating innovative and unforgettable dishes. The space is cozy and perfect for an intimate dinner at its long table, ready to create unforgettable moments one night before the "I do.

Masala y Maiz, which has been thrilling palates in the city since 2018, now has a location in the Juárez neighborhood. It combines Indian cuisine’s delights with Mexican ingredients and flair. Their crunchy Kuku Poussin is a twice-fried half chicken whose decadently rich side of melted ghee is balanced by a raw watermelon, jicama and grapefruit salad sprinkled with black sesame seeds.

Masala and Corn It's a relatively new discovery for me, so I'm not going to claim to be an expert on this restaurant or its menu. However, on the couple of times I've visited so far, I've been very impressed with everything I've eaten. What makes this restaurant so special is how they combine Mexican, Indian and East African cuisine to produce delicious food that is unique to the city.

Restaurant Masala y Maiz serves dishes with flavors and techniques inspired by Mexico, North Africa, and India. The menu is à la carte – don’t miss the suadero samosas, the paratha quesadilla, or the grilled shrimps with vanilla ghee and dried chile. The all-natural wine list has an impressive selection of by-the-glass offerings, which is great since this is a lunch-only restaurant.

I first met chef Norma Listman years ago when she lived and worked in Oakland, and was delighted to run into her again with her partner, Saqib Keval, once they relocated to Mexico City. They launched a pop-up called Masala y Maíz at the old Café Zena that sparked a conversation reflecting their combined central Mexican, South Asian and East African heritages. It was an instant hit.

Masala y Maiz is a popular restaurant in the Colonia Centro neighborhood at the heart of Mexico City. It’s an innovative eaterie that blends the shared flavors and histories of three continents. “Maiz” refers to the traditional Mexican dishes on the menu, which are combined with ingredients and techniques from Indian and East African cuisine, represented by “Masala.

Saturday brunch at Masala y Maíz is a great way to kick off the weekend. The team combines ingredients from nearby organic farms for an inventive menu that draws on both Mexican and Indian cuisines. Chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval opted to set up their project in San Miguel Chapultepec, a refreshing choice outside the usual Roma and Condesa food circuits.

The clue in the name tells you that Masala y Maíz isn’t your average Mexican restaurant. Rather, this establishment explores the migration of people and the fusion of culinary heritage across South Asia, East Africa and Mexico. The menu is short but always flavourful, harking back to family recipes and the intensely personal stories of chefs Norma and Saqib.

One of the most unique and delicious restaurants in Mexico City, this place fuses Mexican and Indian/West African flavors into dishes that surprise and delight you. The two super talented chefs, Norma Listman and Saqib Keval, draw from their backgrounds and create a rotating menu of delicious plates. I can’t recommend it enough.

For bold flavors and attentive, friendly service, try Masala y Maiz. “Maíz” refers to the native corn of Mexico, and “Masala” means a mixture of spices in Urdu and Hindi. At Masala y Maiz, Chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval explore the migration of ingredients and cooking techniques between India, East Africa, and Mexico.

‍Masala y Maiz - This was tied with Contrmar for our favorite sit down meal, but it’s so different, in the best way. Like nothing I’ve ever tried before, and I still dream of this meal a year later. Chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval explore ingredients, techniques, and dishes from India, Mexico, and East Africa.

Choosing a number two spot wasn’t easy because I think I enjoyed Masala y Maiz and Pujol about equally. So why did Masala y Maiz take my number two spot?. While it is enormously popular, it doesn’t share the same renown as Pujol and exceeded my expectations (versus coming in perhaps a little below them).

A hybrid Mexican-Indian restaurant, I ate in person at Masala y Maíz when it was in its old location down in San Miguel Chapultepec. It’s since relocated to la Juárez, which is probably a lot more convenient for most visitors. The spiced esquites are delicious, as is the soft-shell crab.

Masala y Maíz offers a unique blend of South Asian, East African, and Mexican cuisine. The menu changes seasonally, featuring dishes like uttapams with varied toppings. They also offer brunch on Saturdays and cooking lessons for those interested.

This is one of the most unique dining experiences in Mexico City. It’s a Mexican-Indian fusion menu that serves up pretty incredible flavor. Definitely make a reservation ahead of time, because they don’t seat many people and it fills up quickly.

Masala y Maíz brings a beautiful combination of Indian and African influences and dedication to the culinary roots that link India and Mexico. Address: Calle Marsella 72, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, 06600 Juárez, CDMX, Mexico

This restaurant in Mexico City connects Indian and African cuisine to its culinary roots within Mexico for extraordinary flavor combinations. Masala y Maíz is highly focused on sustainability.

Masala y Maiz – In a slightly more far flung neighborhood near Casa Barragon. We were told to go for lunch and check out the cool interior and cuisine, which is Indian meets Mexican!

You can have breakfast at Havre 77 or Café Nin, eat at Loose Blues or Masala & Maíz, indulge in a dessert at Joe Gelato, or enjoy a coffee or a cold beer at Cicatriz.