I always wonder why people insist on opening restaurants in spaces that have previously failed multiple times. Grape Vine had great food, but that space is just not conducive to dining.

Maybe a casual Mexican menu will work there; I really hope it does.

I think it's a fine lunch place, but not for dinner. I miss Grape Vine. I really liked it.

Woot more real Mexican food! I really like the Maya up by the mall. I hope this place doesn't turn out like the new Mexico Lindo in Fitger's, though. While the Cloquet restaurant was wonderful the Fitger's counterpart was bland and overpriced.

Hey, don't forget about Taj India! That place was pretty fab, but apparently the Indian food market is saturated. Yes, I am with the curse crowd.

While I've been ambivalent about Maya, I do think they got hosed with the road reconstruction up near the mall. 

Sam, I take it you don't like India Palace then?

I didn't know Grape Vine closed!  Drat.  I liked their gyros.  Still, it will be nice not to have to drive out to the mall for Maya.

They need to have a cheap $5 easy to takeaway lunch special.

Lets just say that with two local Indian restaurants, like two Mexican restaurants, quality is likely to improve due to competition.  Without competition, quality can suffer so much that one is willing to drive hundreds of miles and wait many months at a time to get one's favorite food.

Downtown is alive and kicking.  I love Mexican food!  I never liked that India Palace. I also miss the charburgers place. I think this will be a real good fit for that space.  The Greek place was good, a bit expensive for lunch and they were too slow. Lunch needs to be quick and affordable. I'm glad I won't have to drive to the mall to get to Maya anymore. (Plus I work downtown.) Welcome Mexican Maya. When do you open?

I miss Taj India, that was amazing Indian food. India Palace is no comparison, sadly.

Sam: as others alluded to, competition can make quality suffer rather than improve. India Palace went downhill when Taj India opened, not after it closed.

@ndy, My experience is that India Palace went downhill first when it lost its chef to the Taj, and far more over the year after the Taj went out of business.  The taste buds of myself and a few friends deemed it palatable while the Taj was open and unpalatable after (the Taj was real good).  The last time I went to India Palace was with a visiting friend and some neighbors who love Indian food, and I was literally embarrassed by it.  I went back about 12 times since Taj closed hoping for improvement, but I gave up about a year ago.  This is just the experience of myself and some friends, and I'm sure things vary based on the day, what is ordered, and individual taste.  But if I start getting positive reviews from people I trust, I'll go back.  I won't go back otherwise.

But I have high hopes for Maya.  The people are real nice at the Miller Hill location.  Good, well-priced food can really transform a downtown.  With consistent quality control and good ingredients it could be real good.

It will be nice to have a Mexican food option on the west end of downtown.  Hacienda is awesome but the lunch hour is half over by the time you walk there from the west.  The space they are moving into just isn't well suited for sit down dinners like the Grape Vine offered.  If Maya fails it would be a great location for a Chipotle.

I hope Maya does well, even though it happens to be the type of mesoamerican food I dislike.  edgeways said it right.  The road thing completely screwed them.

I have a bunch of complaints, but I still like to eat there (favorite is the camarones a la diabla)

Love Maya! I've always said the only bummer about Maya is that it's not downtown. I hope they stay true to the quality they have at Miller Hill. The salsa is my favorite ever, and if you haven't tried their fuzzy navel you are really missing out!

While I personally feel that I've had some very good meals at Hacienda, I have never had a meal at Maya that I found to be "very good."  Perhaps it is that I am biased against any eating establishment located within view of a shopping mall.  Think about it...

mendoza: 2nd Ave. W. isn't the west side of town. Gary/New Duluth is the west side of town.

Hacienda is terrible. Mexico Lindo (both in Cloquet and Fitgers) is pretty darn good and Guadalajara is spectacular. Maya is okay. I don't really care for their food but I still think they have a decent shot at success in that space.

Bring back Mr. Charburger! They were the best burgers!  I want one right now for breakfast.  That place was there for 100 years. I think they moved over to Superior at Aces Bar (cheaper taxes in Superior). Maya has  good Mexican food.  Hey, how about a Mexican Charburger?

For years when Chi Chi's and Hacienda were the only "Mexican" games in town, I tended bar at Chi Chi's but ate at Hacienda. Hacienda isn't terrible for what it is, but it isn't authentic in any way. So I consider it "Duluth Comfort Food" and can then tolerate it through justification--besides, the backyard patio is way too nice to ignore. (HATE the upstairs addition--feels like a Chi Chi's!). It took Kevin more than 20 years to fix the cracked front window--I doubt he's going to suddenly add flavor to his food. He has plenty of regulars to rely on, enough to close on Sundays, a prime day for tourist traffic.

We like the flavor of the salsa at Maya, but not much else. The Mexican place in the mall in Superior is truly awful. Never been to the Cloquet Lindo, but the one time we ate at the Fitger's branch we were served the worst Mexican we've ever had: flavorless salsa, undercooked food, remarkably poor service, and charged twice for our drinks. Very disappointed from what we'd heard and were expecting.

Anyone remember Natchio's? That was some tasty Greek (though I can't tell you how authentic it was)!

I remember Natchio's from way back. I was probably in 2nd or 3rd grade and my Dad would take me to rent VHS at the old USA Video. I thought the place was a nacho restaurant!

Bartended at the Mirror Lounge, now R.T. Quinlan's, when Nick's was upstairs. We used to serve their food in the bar for lunch. Still can't eat a charburger to this day. 

Anybody have the recipe for the Natchios Special? It was the best and now that Mr. Pratchios just passed away, I fear it's gone forever. Maybe the Eh?! column can help me out?

I use to Love the Mirror Lounge! Bob was great! The Charburger and a Beer on a Friday night!!! The good old days. The Silver Hammer, The Mirror Lounge and a Mr Nick's Burger!  Piglet you don't know what you're talking about! Bob and Nick knew how to serve a great drink and an awesome burger. But out with the old and in with the new.  Good Luck to Maya, we will support them and the boys at the RT's. RT's is a great bar to relax at and have a beer. Downtown is the place to be.

Wow, Tejas closed?  It was owned by the same guys who had Baja Billy's.  They should have just stuck with the Buena Vista.  Rest it's soul.

Swedes may not be the best judges of an authentic enchilada.

Being from the US. This is the only Mexican I have been privy to.  and I like what I have tasted . I appreciate people who open restaurants (mostly so I don't have to cook) Kudos to all those hard working people who try to please us with their hard work with running a restaurant .  I respect servers and staff who work in the food service industry. It is the hardest work around. If you don't like a restaurant, don't go back. And if you think you can do it better.  Try it, otherwise stay home and cook.

Okay, I'm a former Duluthian, and a career cook, so I've got to weigh in on this...Hacienda is actually fairly authentic for north central Mexico, except for the cheese color. Pintos traditionally are fairly bland if you're not in a restaurant. And it was way better than Chi Chis, which I worked at, and was corporate crap. Twenty years ago there simply wasn't any other viable option. No Bennett's. No Taste of Saigon. For special occasions there was Chinese Lantern or the Pickwick. Certainly no Thai or Sushi. I did love Natchios, and used to go quite a bit in the 1980s ... funny how once they got the liquor license, They shut down the next year.

What I miss most of all is the old Canal Park Inn. They had burgers even better than Mr. Nicks, which was pretty good as well.

The worst space in Duluth? Highland Supper Club/Rudolph's Ribs/The White elephant/and whatever else it was.

Wait till someday when y'all get your first authentic Mexican Truck. Muy Autentico. Will make all other "Mexican  food" in Duluth hide itself in shame. Mmmm Lingua.

Born and raised here. Nothing tasted better than ...

Sammy's Pizza
Mr.Nick's Charburgers & onions rings
Chinese Lantern
Jolly Fisher
Pickwick
Chinese Lantern (oh, did I mention them, lol). Then we danced off the "great food" at the Brass Phoenix, Mr. Pete's or even the Cove.  Those where the days. I could go for one of Wing Gee's Egg Rolls or Nick's onion rings right now!!!!