Mayan Restaurant

The website required me to give it at least 1 star. It's not worth 1 star.\r \r I should have read the reviews. This place is without peer.\r \r There is no excuse for food this poor. It's worse than the tastless, water table slop I ate at the cafeteria at college. One spice, chili pepper, is the only thing on the food. I've eaten Mexican food from Mexico to Europe and have never had Mexican this poorly done.\r \r I made the mistake of asking for a good table. My party was seated in the cavern to the north of the divers, out of their view, after we passed numerous empty tables within the view of the divers. What???\r \r Are they trying to be the worst restaurant in town? It seems so and I don't think there is a close second.\r \r And I forgot to mention the prices for this swill. They're about double what you'll pay at a real Mexican restaurant. If you are in Sandy and you want Mexican food, do youself a favor, drive by this place and go to Raphael's just to the east--better prices, better food, and better service. \r more

The only reason to go to the Mayan is for the dive show which is pretty cool. But because of this one draw the Mayan has totally given up on the quality of their food and service. We waited nearly 40 minutes to be seated on a Tuesday night and then were given the worst seat in the house. Finally after getting the manager we were moved to a better seat. Food took forever to arrive and the service was really poor. It took another 15 minutes after we requested our check to get it and that's after having another server track ours down. The food is overpriced for the poor qualitybad and they added a gratuity to our check so we had no option regarding what we thought our service was worth. If you want to see the divers, eat before you come and just enjoy the show with the chips and salsa. more

Food is muy malo to say the least. more

Let me just get the ""pro"" list out of the way, since it's short : awesome decor, fun entertainment. Now - HOLY CRAP, how is this place still in business?!? We waited for 10 minutes to be seated on a very slow Saturday during lunch. We were sat next to a giant table of kids, and when I politely asked if there was another table they said I would have to wait 30 minutes. We stayed put and ordered guacamole and ""queso"". The dish that the $10 guacamole came in (we later discovered) was MORE than half full of shredded lettuce. The ""queso"" was melted velveta and also about $10. I ordered the ""carne asada tacos"" which I swear had to be beef jerky that had been soaked in water and microwaved, and came with no toppings - for $15. One of us ordered the chicken finger basket off of the kids menu and it was also overpriced and came with soggy, frozen fries. Our bill was about $60 (because all soft drinks are also $3) and we were able to eat....the free chips. Unless you are coming for free chips and salsa and to watch the divers, DO NOT let this place rip you off! I wrote a complaint e-mail...and no one responded. If this place had even decent food they would do so well! more

Went to the Mayan on Tuesday, May 24th and was very unimpressed. Ten minute wait to be seated on a Tuesday evening at a restaurant with numerous open tables. I could tell very few servers were on staff. Noticed right off that their prices have increased dramatically from one year ago. This food is NOT worth $14-16 per plate. It is extremely mediocre at best. Also, $9 for a dessert that was not that large or tasty. When my wife got her chicken fajitas, she immediately noticed a quarter size paper food sticker in the food. I explained to the server Jennifer that my wife lost her appetite and would like the menu to pick a different plate. Jennifer went to speak with her manager Whitney, and as I watched the two talking I saw the manager shrug her shoulders when the server explained the situation to her. After a 5 minute wait, the server returned WITHOUT a menu and explained that the label must have got missed on their ""fresh"" fruit. I reminded her that we needed a menu and she brought one back in about another 3 minutes. By that time, my wife said nevermind and we ordered the mediocre $9 dessert for our son. Of course, the server forgot the spoons so we waited again to eat our food while she spent time grabbing the silverware this time. We finished and finally got our receipt an hour and half after arriving (only 3 of us attended this dinner). The server and manager offered to comp nothing. The best part is that the server told us she took off my wife's meal like it was a big favor and when looking at the receipt it listed the reason for meal discount as ""Food Sensitivity"". How about listing it as ""Foreign Object in Food""? I eat at approximately 200 restaurants throughout the year and have complained at none of those so far. However, it seems that The Mayan can never get things right. In 3 times of dining there in the course of 2 years, I have had bad experiences. My family will not be returning to The Mayan again.\r \r To the people of the Mayan:\r You have re-worked your menu several times over the years and you just CANNOT get it right!! Please just disband everyone managing this place and all of your servers and start over! The Mayan could really be a great place because of the atmosphere but you have convinced everyone in Utah that it will never be worth going there. Once you start over, just hang a big banner outside that says ""Under New Management / All New Menus"". People may start coming back. more

It had been several years since I'd been to the Mayan. The prior experience wasn't anything impressive, but since my young daughter had never been and had a coupon from school to use, we decided to go for it. Maybe we just picked the most unlucky night ever, or maybe we got the typical experience. We literally waited for an hour and a half--funny thing was there were not many people there when we arrived. After being patient long enough and seeing everyone (even large parties) who had arrived after us seated, we found out they were having problems with the computerized reservation system. Instead of making an attempt to figure out who the next customer was that should be seated, they seemed to have no clue about how to go about the process without a computer. When we finally convinced them how long we had been waiting, they took us upstairs (with no apologies, of course, for the long wait) and proceeded to show us to a table about as far away from where one could see the divers as possible. There were several empty tables in the viewing area and when we asked if we could be seated at one of those so our daughter could see the show, the server said it wasn't possible because the reservation computers weren't working and someone downstairs might get mixed up. We asked to speak to someone else and got the same 100% uncaring attitude. By this time, in spite of waiting an hour and a half for what should have been at most, a 15-minute wait, we decided no customers should be treated the way we were and left. The worst customer service ever! more

First impression is the sticky tables and sticky floor. The silverware is never clean. Food - This is bad Mexican food if you were expecting bad Mexican food. It really is terrible. You're paying premium prices for absolute tripe, only pro was there was a lot of the tripe. My girlfriend and decided that the chips and salsa was the best part, that's saying a lot. The servers really don't want to be there. And the busers are loud and noisy and could care less. The flickering lights could induce seizures. The 5 restaurants in Jordan Commons are all better and more worth your dollars. Pros: Waterfall/Divers Cons: Food, Service, Cleanliness, price-to-quality ratio more

DO I REALLY ONLY HAVE THE OPTION TO RATE IT """"""ONE"""""""" STAR????\r \r Because the kids find it interesting, we go to the Mayan about once a year. We used to go on special occasions, but the Mayan has backtracked on even birthdays, giving no special treat to the birthday kid.\r \r BEFORE I CONTINUE -- JUST LET ME TELL YOU -- I AM A VERY PATIENT consumer. As a small business owner, I understand mistakes happen, and that people can be extremely unreasonable -- but you just have to deal with it in a friendly manner. I do not take advantage of anything at restaurants. I NEVER ask for favors. I never complain to get free things. I've waited through HORRIBLE service, and sat back patiently to allow the owners to decide for themselves how they want to respond to their own shortcomings. So, for me to write this review -- it's probably the only one you'll EVER SEE FROM ME !!! (unless it's another one, about the Mayan, on another site).\r \r Anyway -- it was about that time of the year. The Mayan signed up with RESTAURANT DOT COM several months back to provide gift certificates. We purchased them, and they had a year before expiration.\r \r We planned to go with some friends, but I just HAD THIS FEELING, because of all the past experience I've had there, that they would not accept our gift certificates (I noticed they had stopped offering them on Restaurant dot com, too). So -- I called -- and sure enough -- the kid on the phone had no clue, and the manager said ""NOPE"". I had to call restaurant dot com to get a refund on the certificates.\r \r Really, it's NO SKIN OFF MY BACK, because it's literally a sacrifice to go to the Mayan for food to begin with, because the food is SOOOO TERRIBLE, as is the service. I always joke that we should sneak in boxes of BETOS because then it would actually be a good meal.\r \r This is one place the customer is NEVER RIGHT. Every time I've gone, it's only been worse. The teenage kids they hire are irresponsible and unfriendly. It's like they must hire them for a reality show about rude kids and the CUSTOMER IS THE NANNY!!! \r \r The managers are unresponsive. The food SUCKS SO BAD. Everything is bland. Even the refried beans have a weird taste (so you can resort to a standard burrito and feel like you've done ok.). I seriously can't understand how this place stays in business. I've enjoyed plenty of good times and good service within this shopping center. If they are run by the same management, I just can't understand for the life of me how they can be so obnoxious.\r \r This place accepts no accountability. It's as if they are in business to be out of business. If anybody enjoys their job at the Mayan, let it be known -- cause it sure doesn't seem like they do.\r \r It's a very sad thing to say that going to In-N-Out makes you feel more special than going to the Mayan -- of course, In-N-Out is the best at what they do. They know how to bring in teenagers, value their work, reward them for GOOD work, and treat the customer as they should be treated. STILL -- THIS IS A SIT DOWN restaurant (the MAYAN) with a special theme. And it is BY FAR the worst dining experience, ALL ASPECTS, of any restaurant I have ever gone to -- and it is CONSISTENT!!! I have gone probably four times now, and only once was it a decent experience, likely due to the fact we had about 50 people there, and they knew they couldn't blow an opportunity.\r \r Save yourself some trouble, folks -- go get some Mexican pickup, head out to your local public pool, and watch the kids jump off the diving board. A lot more fun, and a lot better food. You could probably even request some special dives !!!! :)\r Pros: Even the diving novelty has worn off... Cons: EVERYTHING!!! more

My parents came to visit from GA and my mom had been wanting to go to the Mayan ever since she saw it featured in 2002 for the Winter Olympics. So tonight we went. What a mistake! They had us wait for 30 minutes on a Wednesday evening when NO ONE was there. When they did seat us they put us all the way in the front in the corner where a big tree was blocking out view of the divers (not that we could see them anyway at our angle). I asked the host if we could be seated elsewhere and he acted like How dare I inconvenience him! I insisted, so he sent his manager to ""help us out"". Which was a complete waste of time. He offered to do nothing. Half the restaurant was empty, yet he said there was no where else to accommodate us. Ridiculous! Even after I told him about my parents, he wasn't even gracious. Don't even get me started on the food. It's a joke as well. Then after wards, he came back to ask us how the service was??? We all just stared at him. Get Real! Pros: diving is entertaining, if you don't get stuck in the corner Cons: service is bad, management is a joke, food is terrible more

I took the family to the Mayan around this time a year ago and we had a horrible experience. I've since blogged about it several times and it never fails to get peoples' attention and I've heard too many similar stories... Anyway, we got their early to start off the evening, with my wife and two young children. Everything was going smoothly until a server dumped a fresh glass of Sprite off of the tray and over my wife's head. She was soaked and still picking ice out of her clothing and hair as we left. Soaked and freezing she was unable to enjoy her meal (obviously) even after we asked for a towel of some sort from the kitchen to dry her off (they offered us paper napkins). The server was apologetic at first, but when she found that we weren't going to scream at her, she acted as if it was just a funny joke and laughed it off. The manager came out and she too just thought it was funny - no apology. I asked her if they would waive the charge for my wife's meal and the manager told us they don't do that. Then, to top it off, she told my wife she could jump in the lake. We left. Our night was ruined, we went back to the hotel so my wife could shower and have her clothing sent down to the laundry. Needless to say, we've never been back and I hope that telling our experience keeps others from going there. Pros: the kids thought i was different Cons: treated us poorly - told us to jump in the lake more

Took the family and my granddaughter and had the time of our lives. The food was tremendous, the staff was friendly and we were in awe over the divers and fire performers. A huge improvement from two years ago. Will recommend it to everyone! Pros: Entertainment is unbelievably fun more

Basically you're paying for the entertainment. The food is inferior to the local taco stands in SLC or places like Betos. Last time we went, which was the second time we've ever been, our food came out within 5 minutes after ordering. Normally this would be a nice, quick turnaround, but it seemed suspicious. Like it had been ready before we got there, under a heat lamp. The food was way too salty and didn't taste very good. Later that night and the following day my wife and I were both sick. But the entertainment was good. Pros: Nice environment, good entertainment Cons: Lousy to horrible food, mediocre service more

This was only my second trip to the mayan since i was a pre-teen, so I wasn't sure how it was going to go. I had read a lot of bad reviews so i was slightly worried. But it turned out great! We walked right in and only had to wait about 10 minutes or less. We got a good table, and the area wasn't very crowded, probably due to the fact it was a wednesday night. \r Our meal came out nice and hot, and the food was pretty good. I wouldn't rank it next to a more authentic mexican style, but it was very satisfying. The diving shows are spectacular, we managed to catch one while waiting for our food and another as we were leaving. The whole atmosphere was great, the rainforest/mayan temple design really add to the experience. \r The only complaints could be that the menu is rather limited in its options. And the prices are not the cheapest (twenty dollar fajitas???) but this extra price is only due to the entertainment that is given and the setting of the restaurant, so really the price isnt surprising. \r Overall, I would recommend going on a pre-friday weekday night, the crowds will be low, and you won't wait very long for anything. I came with friends, so if you don't have little kids to worry about it only helps. This place is worth the time. Pros: Great atmoshpere, entertainment, pretty decent food Cons: Rather pricey, limited entree selection more

They told me i could buy a $25 birthday package I think that is the last time I go there. Pros: chips and salsa Cons: they would not sing my 4 year old happy birthday more

We only go to the Mayan for our daughter's birthdays, and mostly for the show. The food was horrible last year, and last night it was better. not great, just better. You would think they could find decent Mexican recipes in this town! There are some great Mexican restaurants, and this is not one of them. The show has gotten pretty boring. They used to have the birds and better costumes. Now it was pantomime with some diving. I was bored. We had to wait 15 minutes even though hardly anyone was there on a weekday at 5pm. why? who knows? I don't think we'll be back. Pros: a show Cons: always wait, food so-so, show wasn't as good more

Seriously way over priced! A kids meal is $7.50 and that is a quesadilla, hard chicken, a soft taco, or bean and cheese burrito. Seriously over seven bucks for a quesadilla! The chicken burrito sauce was nasty! They put some weird cheese on everything and it smells funny. We paid more here than anywhere. Seriously save your money and go some where you can actually eat the food. Pros: there wasn't one Cons: Food if thats what they want to call it. more

MY FIRST TRIP TO THE MAYAN DESPITE FRIENDS TELLING ME IT WASN'T WORTH THE TRIP. WE WAITED OVER AN HOUR ON A FRIDAY NIGHT TO BE SEATED IN A CORNER, WHEN I ASKED FOR A BETTER TABLE WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT IN LINE ALL OVER AGAIN AND THE TABLES WERE RESERVED IN ADVANCE, WHICH WAS BULONY AS ABOUT HALF THE TABLES WERE EMPTY AND REMAINED SO THROUGHOUT OUR MEAL. THE DIVE SHOW WAS GOOFY, UNREALISTIC AND MISSING ANY REAL POINT OR CHOREOGRAPHY. I JUST CAME HOME FROM GUATAMALA AND THIS SHOW IS A JOKE, MY 3 YEAR OLD GRANDSON WAS BORED WITH IT IN FOUR MINUTES. OUR WAITER WAS INCOMPETENT AND OUR FOOD WAS BARELY EDIBLE. I WILL NOT BE GOING BACK AND ADVISE EVERYONE ELSE TO SAVE THEMSELVES FROM THE DISSAPOINTMENT. Pros: CLOSE TO OTHER BETTER RESTAURANTS Cons: POOR FOOD, POOR SERVICE. more

We had a group of 10 for my son's birthday, called ahead, but was told their ""call ahead"" list was full. Don't know how that is. Then when we got there, we were told 30-45 minutes to be seated. We waited over 1 and 1/2 hours to be seated - we should have taken that as our clue to leave. Once seated, it took another 20 minutes for our order to be taken and then waited 45 minutes for the first set of meals to come out. Four of our party waited an additional 20 minutes for their food, which looked like it sat under a heat lamp. Of course, 2 of those had to be the two youngest kids - one of which was the birthday boy. They even knew it was his birthday. Don't know why it takes 65 minutes to make chicken strips and french fries. We asked to talk to the manager, which we waited another 15 minutes for and she said she would ""comp"" us. Our comp was 1 meal + 4%. So after 3+ hours, we finally were able to leave. It wasn't like they were that busy. There were only 16 people in our service area. Lots of tables open. The kitchen really screwed up!\r \r Plus side - the divers held the kids' attention, we got 10 or more baskets of chips and all the salsa we could eat! The food has improved quite a bit, but not worth the wait or frustration. \r \r I would go else where unless you have LOTS of time on your hands! Pros: Food has improved from the old cafeteria style - it does resemble Mexican! Cons: They hold you hostage and are completely incompetent. more

I think I'm exaggerating but I'm not sure. If you are curious, take my word, go else where. The entertainment is good, but you can just tell them at the door that you want to just take a look at the store and then check out the entertainment. Pros: what pro's? entertainment for the kids. Cons: FOOD more

Five words for the chef...""ease up on the salt""! We had a group of 11 Wed. night (9/17/08). Everyones food was way too salty. Service was fairly good for a large group. We called ahead for seating, though, and were placed in the hallway leading to the main area where all the shows take place. The view from there was horrible. We were told by the hostess that was the only area they could seat large groups, so those of you bringing a large party be prepared to sit on the outskrits. So much for the Mayan...don't think we'll be back. Pros: Waiter was nice Cons: Food too salty! more