Guerrero Maya

Brother and sister Antonio and Lusmy Zavaleta operate Guerrero Maya in Sanford.

Photo: Gail Burnett

Spicing up the Sanford Restaurant Scene

By Gail Burnett

Before he opened Guerrero Maya on School Street in early July, Antonio Zavaleta was a little concerned about how quiet downtown Sanford seemed to be. Would there be enough traffic to keep his new Mexican restaurant busy?

It turned out he didn’t have to worry. Diners found their way to the former Back Street Sanford (originally Back Street Grill) after shopping at the Sanford Farmers Market on Saturdays, strolling through exhibits during the monthly Friday Art Walks, or attending special events like the car show and the National Night Out, all within steps of his downtown restaurant. He’s confident that the menu will bring them and their friends and families back.

Zavaleta, a native of the Mexican state of Guerrero, moved to the U.S. in 1998 and has been in the restaurant business for more than 30 years, first in Georgia, later in North Carolina and then, after moving to Maine a year and a half ago, at his brother Ruben’s restaurant, Guerrero Maya in South Portland. This is his first time operating his own restaurant. His sister Lusmy works with him, as do staff from Mexico, Central America and the U.S.

Unlike many Mexican restaurants that offer a mix of Central and South American cuisine, Guerrero Maya is actually Mexican, chiefly offering dishes from Guerrero and the nearby state of Tlaxcala, east of Mexico City. The menu includes rich, chocolate-flavored mole sauce, many seafood dishes, and familiar items like burritos, enchiladas and tacos. There’s a wide range of heat. “It’s not just spicy,” Zavaleta said.

The interior will look familiar to former Back Street customers, with the addition of Mexican-themed decorations and the subtraction of the bank of mailboxes that had decorated the building since the days when the owner of Gene’s Bakery got them from the old Sanford Post Office. The mailboxes are still intact behind a wall, Zavaleta said. He expects someone might be interested in them for crafts or other uses. “I didn’t want to throw those away,” he said.

The upstairs of the restaurant is still a bar, featuring possibly the most popular item on the Guerrero Maya menu – super-sized margaritas. Zavaleta said they might offer live music in the bar as Back Street did. “I’m new in Maine,” he said. “I’m getting a feel for what customers want.”