Globeville gordita restaurant closes, but food truck lives on

The Maìz food truck will remain on the road, according to founder Maria Rangel

Chris Byard

Maria Rangel fell in love with gorditas almost immediately after her mother-in-law from Chihuahua, Mexico, first made them for her. 

“The first time I took a bite, I was in love. So that’s how the recipe got passed down to me,” she told Westword in 2021, the year she started her food truck Maìz. 

The fresh corn masa gorditas became a quick hit, with fillings that changed weekly, such as beans and cheese, roasted pork carnitas, asada grilled steak and a range of vegetables depending on the season. A top seller was one made with corn and squash. The green chile was pretty popular as well. 

In 2023, Westword named Maìz the Best Food Truck in Denver. And in 2025, Rangel moved the operation into the Assembly Student Living student housing community at 3900 Elati St. 

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Today, however, we’ve learned that the location is now closed. 

“It’s time to close this chapter,” Rangel wrote in a post on Instagram. “I don’t have all the answers right now. I’m taking things one day at a time. What I do know is that sometimes you have to close one door before you can see which ones are opening.”

During its short life, the Maìz space grew into more than just a place to buy gorditas. It became a community gathering spot, with walls covered in murals painted by local artists and Rangel emerging as a vocal supporter of Hispanic businesses. 

Earlier this year, she got into a high-profile spat with chef Johnny Curiel of Fonda Fina Hospitality group over the name of his latest restaurant. Now called Milpero, Curiel initially planned to call it Maize, in reference to its masa-focused tasting menu concept. According to statements posted to Instagram, Rangel was concerned that the name (and website) was too similar to her restaurant, and would cause confusion in the market. 

But while Maìz, the restaurant, is closed, Rangel says Maìz, the gordita business, will live on. 

“Let me make one thing LOUD AND CLEAR: MAIZ IS NOT CLOSING!!!” her Instagram post reads. “Y’all, we fought way too damn hard for this name and biz. We’re closing the restaurant chapter. That’s it. The truck is still rolling. The gorditas aren’t going anywhere. Catering is still happening, selectively.”