Maya Bar and Grill

Cosy, nice indoor design, nice staff, some vegetarian/vegan options

Waitstaff said that only a single item was vegan during my visit (a Finnish friend asked before we sat down), a tofu and quinoa dish. Though other reviews said that existing items could be made vegan, the server did not mention that option. Food wasn't bad, but extremely pricey for the portions and quality of the food.

Although they have a vegetarian section and you can veganise it if you wish, the food was very oily for my taste. it is ok if you are hungry and need to eat.

Staff were also a bit stiff during the service.

I was super impressed that Maya Bar and Grill had a note on their menu to say that vegetarian dishes could be made vegan. I was even more impressed, once inside, that the staff seemed to actually understand what vegan means. I was further impressed by the fact that the cheese in a mexican style meal would be replaced with tofu and not just left out. And best of all, the food tasted great.

I visited Maya twice during my week in and around Helsinki. On the first visit I had a fajita which was stuffed with grilled artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, spicy tofu and salad with a side of guacamole. Some of the starters can also be made vegan and they do the best ever tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole. The second visit I had Chili con Tofu y Coco which was a pot of vegetables in a spinach and coconut sauce topped with chargrilled tofu slices, chillies, spicy nuts and a side of rice. It was very flavourful and an innovative vegan option for a non-vegan restaurant.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was pleasant, staff were really helpful and friendly and it is obviously a very popular place to eat, especially on a Friday night! I thought it was a little on the expensive side at 12-16 euros for a vegetarian main course but for the quality of the food I didn't mind paying, as it was some of the best vegan food I found in Finland. I'd give it 5 stars if only HappyCow would let me!

A regular place to eat a vegetarian dish in Helsinki. They have a couple of veg. options on the menu which can be done Vegan as well. Food is good, but not the cosiest place from inside. As this is very easy to find and there are not many options in Helsinki give it a try if you fancy mexican food.

As Maya is located by the train station and right next to our hotel, it was a convenient location for us. We only ate there as I happened to look at their menu posted outside and saw that the vegetarian options can accomodate vegans. We went our last night in town and since it was a Friday, the place was packed outside (Mikonkatu is a very popular street), so we ended up inside where it was quite warm which is really our only complaint about the place as the dishes we ordered were very good. We shared the Ensalada Vegetal and the Chili con Tofu y Coco which we both requested as vegan. They were unique and very tasty. We highly enjoyed them. They had a good drink menu too although we didn't order any.