Photos by Evie Carpenter
Grade: B
Maizie’s Café and Bistro in midtown is a comfortable restaurant that works equally well for a date, a casual meal with friends or a night out with the family.
Located near the Central Avenue and Camelback Road light-rail stop, Maizie’s is near several other popular restaurants, all of which have trendy atmospheres. Maizie’s stands out by focusing more on its welcoming charm than its style.
To its north are Postino, Windsor and St. Francis, a cluster of restaurants that seem sophisticated in a rebellious way. To its south are Lux and Lola, coffee shops that attract an artsy crowd. In the middle of all these stylish eateries, Maizie’s has enough flair to compete, but has also managed to develop its own niche — it has a fun, laid-back atmosphere that won’t overwhelm any customer.
Combine a lunch café, a stylish wine bar and a sports bar, and you’ve got a good picture of Maizie’s. It’s stylish enough to hold an advantage over an average bar but is just as welcoming and casual.
The first thing customers notice when going to Maizie’s is the outdoor seating. There are about as many seats outside as there are inside, and on a nice day with cool weather, the outdoor seating is a pleasant way to enjoy a meal.
After entering the restaurant, customers see a bar on the right, a rack holding a few dozen bottles of wine and large TVs throughout the interior. The lighting is dim and the waiters have tattoos, but Maizie’s doesn’t try too hard to be cool; hospitality is its strength.
The food at Maizie’s is creative but sometimes tastes bland. For the most part, though, it’s difficult to dislike, and the atmosphere will make most customers want to come back.
Maizie’s is better for lunch than dinner, since its best dishes are light. The sandwiches are a safe bet and come on one of six kinds of bread.
The “Groovy Grilled Cheese,” a grilled Brie cheese sandwich with smoked bacon and sliced apples, is the best option. It’s anything but a typical grilled cheese. The bacon and apple slices are creative, but the Brie cheese makes this a truly unique sandwich. Trying it on sourdough bread blew me away, but I was a little disappointed when I tried it on a panini.
For dinner, try an inside-out burger — a burger stuffed with ingredients that would usually serve as toppings. I tried the bleu burger, which had tasty beef that burst with hot bleu cheese as I bit into it. The burger tasted good and rich at first, but halfway through, I was overwhelmed by how bitter it was.
The sweet potato fries are the best side available. It’s not particularly unique; you can find sweet potato fries at practically any popular restaurant in Phoenix, but that doesn’t stop them from being tasty. They usually come with a rich, sweet sauce, but at my last stop at Maizie’s, the sauce was more watery and had a spicy kick.
Maizie’s is the perfect place to take someone who doesn’t want to be overwhelmed, like a parent or a co-worker. Its atmosphere is easygoing, but stylish enough to keep customers entertained, and its food is creative but easy on the palate. Maizie’s doesn’t rely on any extreme gimmicks, so it’s welcoming to both newcomers and regulars.
Contact the critic at john.l.fitzpatrick@asu.edu
