Large freeway-adjacent Mexican restaurants are a thing I've long noticed, Maya Palenque being one of several to be found as you traverse north on Highway 101. I've often wondered about such places, fantasizing that they may be great but if Maya Palenque is representative of the genre I've been missing nothing. The dishes here were nice enough in presentation. The place itself is very large and the menu quite extensive. I ordered the Taco Salad with grilled chicken and though there was nothing wrong with it, I'm someone who requires spice with my Mexican food choices. Green and red salsas were delivered to my table and - wow - I've never tasted salsas that had zero spiciness. Now I have. These added exactly nothing to the taste profile making it clear that were I desirous of any spiciness it would have to come from Tapatio or Tabasco. If you're okay with very bland Mexican fare, Maya Palenque is serving it up. My curiosity about large, freeway-adjacent Mexican restaurants has been satisfied and no further exploration of the genre is required. read more

For many years, and I really mean years, as we drove up north or south on Highway 101, Maya Palenque in Novato caught our eye, but we never stopped there for a meal or a drink. We finally got the chance to do that, and it made us wish we had done it earlier. As we entered the restaurant, I saw the bar with people sitting there, drinking, chatting, and watching football on TV. My first mistaken impression was that this was more of a working man's hangout. But when we went into the dining area, we were seated, and I looked around at the other folks there and overheard some of their conversations, I realized that the place is more of a local favorite. The atmosphere was warm and family-oriented. I saw couples, young and old, and families with children of various ages. Our server stopped by shortly after we sat down, and we received a basket of freshly made chips and salsa, both of which were delicious. I had read about their tasty margaritas but decided against ordering one this time because I was tired and driving home to San Francisco. So we went straight to the main course! I ordered Adobado, a dish I hadn't tried before. Adobado features thin slices of pork tenderloin marinated and grilled in a chipotle-adobado sauce, served with plantains and sour cream. It turned out to be a very satisfying and fulfilling choice, but not enough to prevent me from asking for a flan. Let me tell you about my obsession with flan! I love flan, but to me, a good flan is one that is not too sweet and not overcooked to be too hard. It should be firm enough to not fall apart when served to you, but soft enough to tremble as it is presented! The flan here was perfect! The two guys who worked on the floor were wonderful. They answered our questions while we were ordering and stopped at our table several times afterward to see if we needed anything and to make sure everything was fine. The restaurant has nice decorations. I don't know much about its history in the neighborhood, but it seems to have been there for years. I spent a few minutes looking around at the various drawings on the walls and other decorations around the dining area. It will grab your attention. Overall, this was a pleasant experience. We will stop by there again, and I'll make sure to try their margarita next time! read more

See all

I can't believe this is the first time I've been here. When you first walk in, there is a large, welcoming bar area. My daughter and I went here on a Saturday night and there was plenty of open seating. They quickly bring you chips and two types of salsa and water. The red salsa was a unique recipe which set it apart from many generic red salsa that I encounter at other Mexican places. The green salsa was tasty also and not too spicy. I ordered the tropical pork. I told my daughter that it was a Mexican version of Chinese sweet and sour pork. It has many of the same ingredients. It was very flavorful and came with rice, beans, and plantains. It also came with a nice side salad of mixed greens and balsamic vinaigrette (?). My daughter ordered a combo plate with a veggue burrito and chicken flauta. I tasted both. Good, but didn't really shine. We were both surprised to see broccolli in her burrito. Also surprised that it didn't have rice or beans in it. Aren't they considered veggie? They have a huge menu of Mexican-inspired cocktails. Maybe next time. I like the feel of this place, the staff, the food and the prices. They also have a decent amount of parking. I will be back. I'd like to try some other items on the menu. read more

Maya Palenque - Tropical pork, plantains, black beans and rice - Mexican Near Me - Novato, California

See all

We stopped by for brunch a while ago and were pleasantly surprised. Honestly cannot remember what we ordered but both hubby and I remember that we do want to go back. It was nice eating outside, we remember that :-) read more

I have been coming to Maya Palanque since 1993!! I'm a long time customer, who honestly doesn't get here enough. You can't go wrong with the beef enchilada's and the bartender is always accomadating to my request for non alcholic beverages such as a daquri or margarita sans the alcohol. They haven't been in business this long to not have good reviews. The service is great, everyone is friendly and I love the outdoor seating! read more

Maya Palenque has the best fish tacos and micheladas! The tacos are fresh, flavorful, and perfectly cooked, and the michelada is always delicious. Definitely one of my favorite spots. read more

The food was the only problem. It tasted like it had been left in the frig. for a few days and then reheated. The cheese inside the chile rellano was still cold. The service was friendly but they forgot to return the credit card upon ending the visit. Do not recommend. read more

We will stop at this restaurant on our way back from a hike and Service is always friendly and attentive

Great Mexican restaurant that's been around for ages. Finally made it in and ate a lovely meal. I had prawns in a wine sauce with garlic., rice, beans and tortillas. Had plenty of chips with two types of salsa. The tequila flowed and everyone had a great time. Go it doesn't disappoint. What I liked the most was the service . Outstanding! read more

See all

I loved there Pozole best Pozole in town! The service is wonderful and very attentive, always a smile on the servers faces, the place has a very Mexican feel it reminds me of actual Mexico! And the restaurant itself is very authentic. read more

Maya Palenque - Pozole! It brings a side of cilantro, Radishes, Lime, onion, and tostadas! - Mexican Near Me - Novato, California

Great food and drinks at affordable price. Highly recommend this place. You need to try the Calamari and shrimp appetizer and the fajitas. Drinks are awesome and service is great! read more

Maya Palenque hay discriminación llegan los americanos y le quitan volumen a las rocola donde pagaste para la canción lo único que dicen los meseros es que ( no te diste cuenta q apagamos el volumen no debes poner música) no saben cómo tratar el problema. Maya Palenque hay discriminación llegan los americanos y le quitan volumen a las rocola donde pagaste para la canción lo único que dicen los meseros es que ( no te diste cuenta q apagamos el volumen no debes poner música) no saben cómo tratar el problema. Sierro Asies No recomiendo cervicitis read more

Maya Palenque - Maya Palenque No recomiendo - Mexican Near Me - Novato, California

I LOVE this place! Festive environment and great for large or small parties or lunch for two!! Ask for the owner Joe, a more authentic man who is sincerely charming and full of agape love, you will enjoy meeting him! The tortilla chips were very tasty and different from most tortilla chips and I rather prefer these, It was Served with 2 salsas, buth fresh and delicious and carrying more flavour than most places I have frequented.My friend ordered the chicken quesadilla and it was crisp and gooey , the portions huge. I ordered the pozole and it was filled with generous amounts of succulent pork,and hominy in a nuanced broth with crisp tostadas and a plate of sliced radishes,shredded cabbage, onions, cilantro. It felt like a bowl of love.Next visit im diving into their tamales and tortas and will edit and fill you in! I encourage you to bring your family there this evening or stop by for drinks at the bar and a plate of yumminess after work with your colleagues! read more

Service was good, the ambiance was great, and the food was quick, delicious and inexpensive relative to many restaurants in Marin.

The Conchinita pibil tacos at Maya make it a destination spot. 5 stars. Carlos and Velia make it like family. Love this place! Thank you maya!! read more

Maya Palenque - Mexican Near Me - Novato, California

Always Santiago and Carlos take care of us. Drinks come refilled and put in no time. They the best. Love this place for being real. Old school real deal hard working folks of all race. Margaritas grand , 2-3 will f**k you up. Love these guys and will be back. Much as gracias para todos!! read more

Maya Palenque - Camarones a la Diabla perfect heat, will up it next time. Fried shrimp tacos were light and tasty! - Mexican Near Me - Novato, California

See all

We stopped to get a little bite, to keep us safe. When our bodies run low on fuel, a we are in a small space with someone, we can get irritable with each hour. I had never been here before. I lobe their deco!!! Totally cool!!! We each had a Margarita. Pretty good for $7 we also gotfree chips and salsa (nothing to write home about. We had the Calamari for $7. Tasted like fresh oil on the Calamari. There were some yummy vegies, too. Now we will be able to travel to onward without screaming at eachother. read more

See all

We love Maya! We've been going here for years so they know our orders and it always feels like home. Everything is perfect. It's laid back, the food is delicious, the kids love being there, and we love the giant margaritas! read more

My first and definitely last time at this restaurant first of I called placed a shrimp cocktail order and asked if the shrimp was cooked they said yes reason is im pregnant and cant have any raw or undercooked food specially undercooked seafood. I arrived to pick up my order no one was at the door or anywhere near by to greet the customers like they usually do at restaurants i was standing there with no acknowledgment for at least 3-5 minutes. Finally the bartender acknowledged me said he was sorry for making me wait gave me my order I asked if i could have some lime and mayonnaise he said and and left to the kitchen and again i waited for almost 5 minutes to get lime and mayonnaise the mayonnaise seemed like it was old like when its been sitting out that it turns yellow i asked for spicy salsa they didn't have any. Keep in mind im on my 30 minute lunch break. I get back to work to find out my shrimp is undercooked and now i cant eat it my food. I pulled each shrimp apart and they are all raw from the center. This has been such a horrible experience now im left with no time to buy anything else and no lunch. Just spent $20 for nothing very frustrating. read more

Wonderful spot! Great food, wide array of drinks, highly affordable with no sacrifice in quality, and family-owned. The steak fajitas are exceptional! read more

A friend and I just went here for lunch for the first time (I have been for happy hour many times) and it was perfection on a beautiful day. We sat on the well shaded patio with my friend's dogs on leashes and had THE best service including unsolicited water for the doggies, *delicious* grilled fish tacos, steak quesadillas, plantains, and spicy margaritas. Literally, an ideal Thursday lunch break. The owner and servers treated us like friends (better than royalty). I'm so happy to have a local place like this. read more

Maya Palenque - The best grilled fish tacos in Marin. I subbed rice and beans for fried plantains. I love the spicy mayo and the margaritas too! - Mexican Near Me - Novato, California

Enjoyed this, sat outside. Good service. Bottle of Modelo was high at $5 but not outrageous. Dos tacos, carne asada and pollo. Yum. Chips and salsa were good. read more

Maya Palenque - Outside dininig next to the small creek - Mexican Near Me - Novato, California

See all

Everything went well! We went in and sat down and the service, ambiance and food were nothing short of excellent! A few days later, we ordered some pick food and they packed my Taco Salad so carefully a nice! You won't be disappointed! ST read more

Today was a rough day, and I stumbled into this restaurant from out of town thinking maybe some food would cheer me up, and hoping it was good! Not only was the food delicious and fresh, but the service was the kind of service that makes you feel good. Joe, our server was full of warmth and welcome. His smile lights up a room! I ordered the surf and turf burrito and it was fresh & authentic. The home made habanero sauce was to die for! Perfectly spicy! I can't wait to come back with friends to try their platters & drinks for sharing! read more

I prefer Celia's because this place really skimps on the food maybe they are preparing for a Great Depression! The prices are not cheap but with our fajita they barely gave us a table spoon of sour cream and guacamole. When we asked for more they said we would be charged. That's just crazy and cheap. At Celia's the portions of sides are 3 times and never would they charge for more. The chips they use are gross not sure what they are. So there you have it head to Celia's ! read more

Sometimes, you forget about a place for too long. That's what happened with us and Maya Palenque. We first came here 13 years ago, having just moved to Marin, and LOVED the bar here, but were less than impressed with the food. So we kept away. Fast forward to this year, I say "let's try this place and see if it's changed" and boy were we pleasantly surprised. I know there have been management changes since then, and I don't know how long the current team and kitchen staff have been in place, but boy it is a 180 from the last time. First the decor is great, Aztec theme and huge bar that really takes up most of the restaurant's interior. We ordered a HUGE margarita for two - it lasted us the whole night, and the bar tab was smaller than if we had two beers each in most restaurants. Very nice (and tasty by the way, go for it) I posted a photo of it too. The chips were warm and crisp. Salsas were fresh and tangy - real authentic flavor. And our entrees rocked. She had fish, I had steak, we were both very happy and moreover the guac and plantain side dishes blew the doors off the usual rice beans you usually get at other places. BIG PLUS! Our waiter was efficient, fast, and didn't bug the heck out of us - but also knew when we needed something (more chips, please!). My only complaint is the parking - it's TOUGH on this spot on a freeway off-ramp and next to a truck stop. I guess we'll walk next time - and walk off the margarita on our way home. read more

Maya Palenque - My wife and I loved this beverage! OOH, I think I'll go back for another! - Mexican Near Me - Novato, California

Great place to stop right off the high way! Has indoor and patio seating! Allows pets outside! Super clean inside and out! We chose to sit outside and was greeted immediately for the table to be wiped down and menus served to us! Great menu options with a little elevated prices! We ordered fajitas and other family ordered the shrimp cocktail and tacos. The shrimp cocktail was really good just a little small for 18$ the fajitas came out literally sizzling they were served with yummy rice and beans with guacamole and sour cream on a separate dish! Everything tasted very yummy read more

See all

My husband and I were visiting Novato for a long day. All I wanted for dinner at the end of it was a margarita so he brought me here. To be candid, I thought it would be another stereotypical Americanized Mexican restaurant. We were both pleasantly surprised and are making this our new go-to place when we're in Novato. When we came in, we asked them if they could close a few doors because it was cold and they were more than accommodating. Carlos, the owner, greeted us. I asked him for a margarita recommendation for one that wasn't too sweet and he appropriately recommended the "Carlos" margarita. This was the best margarita I've ever had. It was strong, but not too sweet. Lime and salt perfection. The chips and salsa were tasty. We ordered the fish tacos and the snapper Veracruz. Both dishes were authentically delicious. All of the staff was friendly, the food came out quickly, and it tasted great. We will definitely be returning and highly recommend this restaurant if you like authentic Mexican food. read more

Great food and service! Very family friendly and accommodating. Would definitely check them out! read more

Maya Palenque - Shrimp fajitas + ceviche - Mexican Near Me - Novato, California

See all

I love this place! I'm crazy about their shrimp tacos and peach margarita. After living in Washington for 2.5 years, it was wonderful to return and enjoy some fantastic food and drinks! Prices are very reasonable, too. Everyone is always so welcoming there. Don't miss it! read more

I have been a faithful customer of Maya Palenque for 20+ years. I almost always order the chicken/rice soup which is beyond delicious. Big hunks of ripe avocados, glob of Mexican cheese, wonderful white meat chicken all in a very flavorful tomato base, not too spicy, broth. My husband swears by their chimichangas and the mole enchiladas also top notch. Always good, friendly service, never too crowded to feel comfortable. For those looking for a generous margarita, nice small bar area to sit after work. Their prices have gone up over the years, but then whose haven't? If you're looking for great Mexican food in a relaxed atmosphere, this is the place. read more

They charged a taco without meet and if you want meat you have to pay extra wtf? Never again too expensive

This place looks really nice from the outside! Inside is so-so... service was decent, but the food wasn't great. I got fajitas, and they had no flavor. The chips weren't great, and salsa was just OK... I stopped in while traveling through town. No need to stop again! read more

Great place, friendly staff and dam good food. Their chili reileno is as good as any I have anywhere 5 star place read more

The food was ok. I had a skinny margarita. Not worth having again. My lunch was a taco enchilada combo. Pork taco and ground beef enchilada. The staff was very friendly. Quick service. read more

Maya Palenque - Spicy and dirty margarita - Mexican Near Me - Novato, California

Parilladas! Try the Parilladas!! We visited Maya Palenque based upon seeing it off the Freeway in San Rafael. Finding it was a tad difficult, but parking was easy once we arrived. Maya Panelque is festively decorated and has plenty of inside and patio dining, a full bar, and even a banquet area/ dance floor. The music was quite loud for dinner, but fitting the atmosphere. After scanning the menu for our first time at this restaurant, we quickly found the answer- Parilladas!! How did we choose this? Easy!! There is this total celebration of various grilled meats that is brought to our table on top of your own personal WOOD FIRED clay oven!! Salad, slow cooked whole beans, rice and hot tortillas were brought on the side. It was enough food to feed 2-3 hungry people. We washed this feast down with the obligatory Mexican beers. Wow- absolutely delicious! No room for dessert! And the service- totally warm and welcoming! We had a dedicated server, and yet other staff continued to check on our dining experience and were warm and genuine. We loved it. We will be back to the Maya again soon! read more

See all

Carne Asada burrito was super delicioso! Waiter was extremely amiable and genuinely cared about us. They are very conscious of food allergies and were so knowledgeable about where meats are cooked (I was worried about cross contamination with seafood/dish since I'm allergic). Definitely going back soon to get another behind fire burrito!!! read more

Maya Palenque - Carne asada burrito - Mexican Near Me - Novato, California

Great service, very beautiful interior! Really puts you in the feeling! I had the flautas which were ok, but their chips and salsa were delicious. And giant margharitas!!! read more

It's never been my go to Mexican place even though I have eaten there about 3-4 times in the past. Food was always average. Bar phenomenal. So when out of town guests asked for a Mexican restaurant I tried to steer them to Mamita's cause it's more up scale. But they chose this place. Four of us for dinner on a Friday night. We arrived around 6pm and took an outside table. Quiet and private even with a large active family not too far from us. We had a four entrees, six bar drinks, large guacamole for the table and even with a very generous tip for the waitress who lwas exceptional ( had to deal with one guest not liking her tequila and mescal concoction and got it fixed) our bill came to $200. I've never found the food (other than the fajitas very good) but this time I ordered chicken enchiladas with mole sauce and it was yummy! The next day I was talking to a neighbor about how good a meal we had and he told me they have a new Chef. Is that right? If so, made a big difference. Now it's my go to Mexican restaurant as long as they keep that Chef!! Keep that Chef!! read more

I'm here now and just had some cochenitas tacos and they are fire. I don't come here often but when I do I always satisfied with my meal. Would recommend forsure. read more