Nearly forty years ago, a woman with kind eyes and a crooked smile knocked on my mother’s door in Mérida, Yucatán, and asked if she needed help. That moment changed everything.
Her name was Macaria.
A street-smart, kind, and endlessly warm Mayan woman, Macaria helped raise me and my siblings with quiet strength and fierce devotion. She was there for it all — scraped knees, celebrations, heartbreaks, and moments we didn’t yet know would stay with us forever. For over twenty years, she shaped our lives in ways we’re still discovering.
Macaria was the first person who truly introduced me to food. As a stubborn, picky kid, I turned away most things. But through her cooking — soulful and full of heart — I learned to stay open: to new flavors, new colors, and new ways of seeing the world. Through her dishes, I discovered that food is a language of love.
Macaria never learned to read or write. She never boarded a plane. But when I moved across the world to Thailand — now my home — her spirit left Xibalba, the sacred underworld of the Mayans, and traveled with me to guide me in the right direction, as she always did for me as a child.
This restaurant is my way of keeping her spirit alive. Though she passed away years ago, her memory lives on — in this space, and in every dish we serve. The comfort. The soul.
My children will grow up here in Bangkok knowing her name. Through these dishes, I hope you will too.
— Iñigo Mantecón
Owner of Macaria Restaurant
Maple Hotel, 9 Srinagarindra Rd, Bang Na, Bangkok, 10260
t. 065 439 9314
e. macaria.bkk@gmail.com