The Atmosphere - There is a some personality here! This location has some Southwestern motifs and it looks like a Mexican restaurant (at least one in the Midwest) is supposed to look like. Inside it is very functional yet still has padded booths, a nicely tiled bar with lots of light effects and a more comfortable atmosphere to dine in. This place does a lot to exhibit that they want customers to come in and dine and stay for a few drinks. Only downside... It was freezing! The two tables near me continually talked about how cold it was and I didn't even take off my sport coat to eat because it was cold inside. Now to be fair it is spring as I write this and no one has their settings for A/C or Heat set correctly yet. But, for now... 3 stars The Staff - I didn't see much staff, but, it was lunchtime so maybe there weren't that many working yet. The gal that showed me to my table was very nice. And the one who took my order was quick and efficient but that was the only time I saw her. A cook from the kitchen brought me the hot plate of food. And the gal that seated me is the one that checked to see if I needed anything else and brought me the check. Polite and Nice... not necessarily friendly. 3 Stars The Food - I ordered one of the lunch plates. The burrito and a taco with refried beans. Both the burrito and the taco were ground beef. Their flavor was good. I felt that the meal lacked a little pizzazz but was generally tasty. Chips and salsa were also included and while both were good... they were just good. Solid 4 stars for the food. Overall - This place was fine for lunch. I will try to see if I can have dinner here some time to get a more comprehensive feel of the place. For now I think they are going to sit at 3 Stars. Nothing wrong with this place. But, no story or anything drastically outstanding and memorable. read more

My husband and I had just finished shopping at Costco and needed some lunch! We decided to stop here and see what they had to offer. The decor is a total throwback to Nickelodeon's show Guts from the 90s. Even if it isn't intentional, I retro-loved it. The salsa is smoky and a little spicy and pairs perfectly with their thin crispy chips. I've been to MANY Mexican restaurants in my lifetime, and this is probably the best salsa of this style I've ever had. For my entree, I tried something I've never even heard of. Carne en su Jugo is steak with beans in tomatillo based soup. Honestly I was shocked. It was delicious, spicy, full of flavor and so simple but extremely well done. With this chilly weather, it warmed me up in the best of ways. I could only finish half of it and I am so excited to finish it for lunch tomorrow. Unfortunately, the tortillas are not made in house. I would love to see more restaurants doing this. Our waitress was attentive and kind, bringing beverages and checking on us with appropriate frequency. We will be back, and frequently! read more

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I'm not sure why Palacio Maya has a lower-than-4-star review. It was pretty good when my family went! The exterior is unique because it looks like a Mayan structure, and the interior is super fun/themed and feels clean. We really enjoyed their thin, crispy tortilla chips, as well as their salsa (safe for those who don't like onions or cilantro because it's all pretty homogenous and mild), hot salsa, and queso. The queso was plain, without any pico de gallo mixed in, which I liked because (again) I don't like onions or cilantro. The chicken chimichanga was good-- not too big (smaller than what you may find at other places), and the chicken was really flavorful. The side of lettuce was served in a taco salad-style cup, which was cool. To add a side of rice and beans was optional, which I haven't found elsewhere, but I liked that because I could save a couple dollars if needed. Overall, I'd definitely go back! Service was great too, and parking was ample! read more

This is our new go-to Mexican restaurant in Independence. We've loved every menu item. We've tried, it's a fun atmosphere, and great service! read more

Want to eat at a CLEAN, friendly, tasty restaurant? Palacio Maya is the place! It's this way EVERY TIME. We came for dinner tonight. Hubby had #15 - all chicken. The chicken is juicy and tender, and they don't skimp. It came out quick, and HOT! I got shrimp tacos. My 3 tacos came with a side of rice, and the shrimp was hot, juicy, and delicious. They never disappoint! Oh, and we've seen the kitchen. They keep it very clean. We feel good about eating here!!! read more

I've been seeing this restaurant building from the highway. We wanted to try a New Mexican place so decided to come here on a Friday night for dinner. Upon arrival the building look fabulous. It was designed as a Mexico Maya Ruin. Inside there is lots of seating area. Nicely decorated in the Mexican Aztec theme decor. The restaurant is clean and staffs are very friendly. They have extensive menu and pricing is responsible. The food was okay typical Mexican food. We were not too blown away by it. To us, the food seem a little bland. We didn't try any cocktail drinks but they do look fabulous. I like the ambience and atmosphere of the place that add to your dining experience. I would come back again. read more

We kept seeing this place from the highway going home. It's new. Not sure what used to be here but the building used to be red. We came in and was greeted and sat immediately. We had the baby with us and she's rowdy at almost a year old. She let everyone hear her "singing". No one complained. We kept hearing how cute she was. For drinks, I had my unsweetened iced tea, the older kid had his usual lemonade and hubs had a Long Island Iced Tea. Drinks came out right away along with chips and salsa. The chips were fresh and so was the salsa. The place is nice. It has that new place smell. We ordered the Supreme Nachos to start. They were good. Had too many refried beans(for me) but no reason to complain. For our meals, I had a Fajita Taco Salad, the kid had two hard tacos and hubs had a Surpreme Burrito. All of the food was good. I loved that my salad was in the shape of a giant taco instead of the usual bo shape. The kid is picky so he only ate the tacos and hubs liked his burrito. All in all, the food was good, the place is nice and the service was really good. I know we'll be back. read more

Palacio Maya Mexican Restaurant - Fajita Taco Salad. - Mexican Near Me - Independence, Missouri

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The ambience is definitely unique at the spot! From the outside, in, it's definitely different! The food is always really good here as well as the service and the beverages. Would come back. read more

Great looking restaurant nice service spectacular food with great flavor. Staff are amazing the outside was very cool overall relaxing ambiance. read more

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Opening Day teen kids were out with a sign on 40 highway saying open now so we went actually trying to figure out what to eat that night carry out was 15 min wait not bad. 1. Huevos con Chorizo very good, portion size a bit small came with rice and bean 2. Taco Salad Chicken the chicken is stewed a bit chewy but flavor was good came with chip and salsa . salsa had a kick to it, i like mild and if want a kick will add more very nice building and decorations menu is huge huge huge and plenty to choose from Salty Iguana is our favorite so everything has to compare to that. will try some of the other things. looks like they might have outside seating hope they do just need some umbrellas or something for sunshade. read more

Palacio Maya Mexican Restaurant - not our car - Mexican Near Me - Independence, Missouri

This place was so delicious I went two days in a row! Their drinks were SO GOOD. We tried the skinny margarita, classic margarita, twisted margarita and the Paloma. The food menu was large, but not overwhelming. We had the street elote for an appetizer. Our entrees were the pineapple fajitas that were served in a sizzling, half pineapple, al pastor tacos and also an al pastor burrito. All very tasty. read more

My husband and I became ill after eating here. We called to notify the restaurant so they could do an "investigation". They apologized but didn't even offer to comp our food. I was told a Manager would followup but they never did. We will never be back! read more

Food and Service were great. Had a group of 8, drinks were always full, and plates cleared after people were done eating.

Came back for dinner and sat in the bar. Good service and food. Well, my friend's food was good, mine was not so good. I ordered the Carne Asada and it was awful. Super fatty meat, not sliced and just overall sad. I didn't eat much of it but ended up getting sick later that night. read more

Palacio Maya Mexican Restaurant - Fried Ice Cream - Mexican Near Me - Independence, Missouri

Good ice cream. We enjoyed it and will return. Wed been searching for helado style ice cream since the last great place wed had was in California. We also tried their tacos and they were also pretty good. Would recommend. read more

Wow! 5 out of 5! First time in and definitely not the last. Portion size is giant, food is fresher ten I have seen in many restaurants. Super clean tables and friendly staff. Food came out pretty quick. I'd definitely recommend any of their Shrimp menu items. The Shrimp Chimichanga has about a pound of large shrimp in it and comes with a giant guacamole salad in one of the poofy shells! See pics! read more

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Our food was excellent. I had the elote and chicken dip. Beyond delicious and was so full before I could get through my dish - over half left. Can't wait for the leftovers! Service was quick. No dallying at all. But I'd go back for the food absolutely! read more

Ordered takeout for our first time. I ordered the lunch chicken and steak fajitas. The garnishments come with pico, refried beans, rice, sour cream, and guacamole. The soft tortillas were soft and fresh. I thought it was a bit pricey for lunch, but overall was pretty tasty. I'll go inside next time and try something else for a review update next time. read more

Beautiful restaurant. Fast service. Excellent food. Salsa was very good. The staff was excellent! Will definitely be back!! read more

We have dined at Palacio several times and have been very happy with this place. The food is wonderful and so are the staff! Since they changed it from a Chinese restaurant, their decor is clean and comfortable. You can't go wrong coming here!! read more

We have come here several times over the last two years and decided to quit coming at one point. We decided to give it another try but this time was it. No more. Firstly when we got our food my wife noticed a giant ball of hair in her food that was cooked into the cheese and chicken. I had the same and checked mine with no issues... however, when we paid the bill they removed the comped chicken and cheese but I thought something looked off and they charged me 18.99 for ONE of the chicken and cheese. I asked the cashier and she said yes that 18.99 was correct. The menu online shows 13.99 and the menu in the store says 15.99! This has not been the first time we have had issues with the bill at this restaurant and something is DEFINITELY sketchy AF. read more

Great new restaurant with great service! So clean and nicely decorated. Plenty of seating with TVs all around. The bar is really cute and off to the side, in the area that used to be a private room if you remember Master Wok in this location. The chips and salsa are good, always the most important for a Mexican restaurant in my opinion, but the guacamole was not very flavorful. They have a "Mexican" version of guacamole, which is spiffed up with pico, so I may try that next time. We got the Mexican corn off the cob and it was delicious. I had a shrimp quesadilla served with queso and guacamole salad on the side, it was yummy. I didn't try a margarita this time, but will next because they only serve Coke products. read more

Palacio Maya Mexican Restaurant - Guacamole and chips - Mexican Near Me - Independence, Missouri

This place is delicious! We had Shrimp Nachos and Fajitas and they were both very good and hot. Quick service and kept drinks refilled. Also has the Lg Margarita and it was very good too! We will eat here again. read more

Palacio Maya Mexican Restaurant - Shrimp Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Independence, Missouri

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Tonight we decided to eat at a New Mexican restaurant because it's near the house and we noticed it was always packed. The reviews were also good on here and on Google. The staff is great, they were very friendly. The interior was amazing! Everything looked so new. The service was a bit slow but it's understandable with how packed it was. But the food was not it for my family and I. The birria burrito was not the best. It had no consume and had this nasty red salsa on top, the beef was really good but it just tastes like beef and not birria. The rice had too much garlic and the beans were plain. My husband got the chicken burrito with white cheese on top and the chicken was not good, he didn't even finish his burrito. My in laws also got burritos, they didn't like the burrito with burger meat or the chicken one either. The queso sauce was pretty good though and so was their tea. Their salsa was alright, it needed more flavor but my in laws liked it! All in all this was not worth all it costed and in my opinion, did not taste authentic and I will not be eating here again. read more

Palacio Maya Mexican Restaurant - Queso and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Independence, Missouri

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It's a pretty cool place, the atmosphere, the decor, the presentation is unique. The service was great also, very nice and welcoming. The food was ok, the food wasn't hot, just warm enough to pass, I wasn't impressed with the chipotle chicken flavor. The drinks were good though, we got the Blue Hawaiian. 4 stars for the ambiance and service, one star off for the okay food. read more

Palacio Maya Mexican Restaurant - a person sitting at a table - Mexican Near Me - Independence, Missouri

I've been searching for an authentic Mexican restaurant in the area and I finally found it! This restaurant was recommended to me on Facebook and I finally got to try it last night and was not disappointed. Service was amazing! We were greeted and seated as soon as we walked in. Our server was so attentive and on top of it, always refilling our drinks and chips and salsa quickly, without us even having to ask. Also, they checked in with us often to see if we were okay or needed anything. The ambiance is really nice. Very clean! And I appreciated the many tvs all around so we were able to watch all the games we wanted to. The food was SO GOOD! Both my husband and I agree this is our new go-to Mexican restaurant. Even my 5 year old CLEANED his plate. Lol. Thank you, Palacio Maya! We will be back! read more

Amazing food and service. Get the Pollo Cheese Dip and a Mangoneada marg. The staff is always so kind.

New restaurant off 470 and it's a GREAT addition in this area. Very nicely renovated, friendly and attentive staff, and delicious food! Worth stopping in for ! read more

Went to Independence restaurant when they first opened. Food and service were both good. Went back recently with a few friends. Nobody liked the food. I had the Mexican chili. Worst chili i have ever tried to eat. Like a bowl of ground beef soup. Absolutely no flavor. Very disappointed. Won't be going back. read more

First of all, NOT authenic Mexican food. It's a franchise. first time I went it was okay. 2nd time horrible, I'm Mexican so I know good Mexican food. They don't know how to make "real" enchildas, "real" burritos" "real chile rellenos!! Expensive, too. Never returning!! read more

The service was superb! My waiter was very attentive. The food was delicious. The Jamaica agua fresca was good too! I would bring my family next time. read more

We went to this new restaurant and I was immediately impressed by the upgrade to the decor and interior. It was bright and cheery. The greeting from the hostess and the wait staff was great. There were 4 of us and we thoroughly enjoyed the food. My husband had Chile Colorado, I had quesabirrias with side of rice--so good. We ordered the cheese dip and the free salsa and chips were terrific. They are really thin chips which I like better than heavy, thick tortilla chips. The boys had street tacos and regular tacos and an order of flan for dessert. We will be back. I are my food so quickly I did not take a pic. I will add pics next time I go. We did not have any drinks, but they do serve cocktails too. Give this place a try!!!! read more

I had a very nice dinner here, the new design is very beautiful, colorful, and festive, decor, They had a wide selection of drinks and the bar areas exceptional beautiful. Quality food was very comparable to my other authentic Mexican food that I like to eat, I will definitely return read more

Second time in 2 weeks. Excellent Food. Excellent service. Clean. Decor isn't cheesy. Awesome everything.

Awesome wait staff, management and great food. Really nice interior to set you in a Mayan atmosphere. Highly recommend !! Definitely will be returning. read more

Found the food interesting and tasty. Very surprising. They found a way to stand out from other Mexican restaurants.

My husband and I went because we kept seeing this place off of I70, the service was not good. We waiting an hour for our food which came out cold, I didn't get everything I ordered and my husband got the wrong food. When we asked for the manager we honestly didn't know who it was we talked to many different people... they took the food off the tab and we only paid for the drinks and the queso, when we went to pay the person checking us out was laughing at us because we were upset. Besides all that The place was beautiful, a little small for the amount of people allowed inside. The prices were reasonable. read more

Staff was not inviting Steak tacos were dry and tough Over priced was not impressed read more

no stars my husband and I tried Palascio Maya for the 4th time after not going for awhile since our ladt few times were dissappointing, so tonite our meals were inedible and no refills on our drinks we had to ask for refills, so when we were leaving we found out why our waiter was not checking up on us except for 1 time, we found him on our way out sitting in the bar area on his cell phone instead of checking on his customers. Needless to say we will NEVER be back because of POOR service, we gave them 4 trys ans 3 os those visits were extremely poor. read more

This place had fantastic food! I went there twice in three days and so did other people in my party. There is not a bad thing on the menu and the servers were super pleasant. Very authentic taste and lovely atmosphere! read more