MAiiZ Nixtamal
A Chinatown spot built around nixtamal, tortillas, and masa.
A Pujol-trained chef simmering Armstrong corn in lime for twenty hours.
A tortillería and eatery in Chinatown on Fisgard, run by Israel Alvarez Molina, who was Chef de Cuisine at Pujol in Mexico City before homesickness sent him chasing the smell of real masa. He nixtamalizes certified organic corn from Armstrong, BC over roughly twenty hours, and you can watch it happen while you eat. It started as a takeout counter with a couple of tables during the pandemic; now it's thirty-odd seats and the tortillas half the restaurants in town buy. It's for people who care that fresh masa is a different animal entirely.
The move
Get a tamal and whatever taco scares you a little: the huitlacoche, or the grasshopper when it's on. Bring corn tortillas home by the dozen. The masa is the whole point, so order things that let it talk.
Go when
Weekday lunch is calmest, and the masa is fresh all day. Closes earliest Sunday, runs latest Thursday through Saturday. Skip the weekend dinner rush if you want a seat without waiting.
“It's like having fresh potatoes or potatoes out of a box, like having fresh-baked bread from a bakery or processed bread, like freshly ground espresso or instant coffee. The difference in quality is very big.”
Chef Israel Alvarez Molina, maiiz.ca
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