When you walk into Azteca, you’re greeted with dark, muted colors and tall private banquettes, a far cry from some Mexican restaurants that smack you over the head with massive murals and colorful furniture. High ceilings, bright sunshine and festive flags hanging high above you bring plenty of freshness into the space that might otherwise be a little cavernous.
What you won’t notice, at first, is the bar. For once, the bar is not front and center, but tucked away in a back corner. It seems like employees use the space for prep like rolling napkins more than any customers actually sit at it. That’s a shame because that bar turns out a large selection of margaritas and cocktails, including the version that was voted best in the Shepherd Express inaugural Margarita Festival earlier this year. House margaritas are available in more than a dozen flavors, including the unusual pomegranate and cucumber variety ($6.50 glass, $27 pitcher). Azteca’s signature margarita ($12) is a premium mix of añejo tequila, fresh lime juice, blue agave nectar and Grand Marnier.
Once you’ve gotten the very important job of choosing a drink out of the way, it’s time to peruse the Mexican and Tex-Mex menu. It’s smaller than many Mexican restaurants, with only a half dozen apps, a few soups and salads, a few combination plates, some seafood and 23 house specialties—they’re numbered for easy ordering. It’s certainly not a small menu, but abridged compared to some.
Cochinita Pibil ($13.95) stands out in a menu of things like quesadillas ($9.99-$13.99) and chimichangas ($10.75-$11.75). The dish is a specialty of the Yucatan region of Mexico. Pork is cooked slowly, wrapped in banana leaves and seasoned with achiote and orange. The tender shredded pork is served in a neat mound on a piece of banana leaf with pickled red onions, black beans, rice and tortillas.
Enchiladas are served three ways: rojas ($10.25-$13.75), suizas ($10.25-$11.99) and mole ($12.99-$13.50). Corn tortillas are filled with your choice of cheese and onion or meat, then topped with a tomato-heavy mild red sauce for rojas, a slightly spicier salsa verde for the suizas or a deep red mole poblano. All come with a side of orange-hued rice and refried beans, which are served in a square dish, keeping the plate tidy.
The seafood menu consists of five types of shrimp preparations and two soups. For those who like it spicy, try the Camarones a la Diabla ($15.99), which are made here with a sauce of chile de arbol. A mixed seafood soup called siete mares ($16.20) includes shrimp, fish, clams, mussels, octopus, crab legs and meat, and vegetables in a rich red broth.
Azteca’s popular lunch buffet ($10.99, weekdays) focuses heavily on Tex-Mex classics. Freshly fried taco shells are available for ground beef or shredded chicken tacos. Chicken chimichangas, steak a la Mexicana, pollo en mole and fajitas all make regular appearances. On Sunday, the buffet ($17.95) expands for brunch, and includes an omelet station, waffles, Cochinita Pibil, ceviche, empanadas and menudo. If you’re into buffets, it’s worth it to spring for the Sunday brunch.
Both buffets include a salsa bar with four different types; you get the same with fresh chips when you dine in. There’s a standard variety with a tomato base, plus three more unique offerings. The two green varieties are especially good. Both offer a freshness and a heat that’s very welcome on rich meats and fried tortillas.
