Happy Hour Freebies: Maya

Doesn't it seem backwards that a Mexican restaurant in Manhattan would open a branch in San Francisco? That's the story of Maya (303 2nd St.), a spin-off of chef Richard Sandoval's New York establishment of the same name. His upscale take on regional traditions clearly found a local following, since the SF branch celebrates its tenth anniversary this month.

Maya's prices are generally quite steep compared with your average Mexican place. For example, at dinner, appetizers are $8 to $15 and entrees $17 to $26.

Happy hour (5-7pm Mon.-Fri.), though, is a great deal even by Mission District standards. Order a $5 cocktail, glass of wine, or sangria, and you get an assortment of free appetizers. (Click the image for a larger version.)

Last night, the freebies included two-bite chunks of flauta, empanada, and tamale, which were tasty but would have been better if they'd been hot rather than tepid (might be best to get there right at 5:00). Better were a basket of warm, freshly-made tortilla chips and a dish of warm bean dip. Once those were gone, the server brought out more chips and a dish with red and green salsas, both quite good.

The three wines among the $5 drink choices aren't very interesting. The regular margarita and regular (lime) mojito were delicious. $10 for two good drinks and all that food is a great deal--which explains why the bar was packed, even though the restaurant had only a couple of tables occupied.