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Azteca Mexican Restaurants
Category: Restaurants Mexican Mexican [Edit]
2319 NW Market StSeattle, WA 98107
Neighborhood: Ballard
(206) 782-7079
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
36 reviews for Azteca Mexican Restaurants
Review Highlights
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"...really great and the chips and salsa are always plentiful." In 5 reviews -
"...trifecta of chile colorado, chile verde, and chile relleno..." In 1 review -
"This place is great for happy hour." In 2 reviews
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36 reviews in English
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Review from Yvonne M.
4/15/2012
4 stars for bar service! Always friendly, food is fantasticly warm & inviting, chips & salsa are endless. Never a bad experience in the bar:)
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Review from justine d.
Seattle, WA
3/22/2012
I am not sure what is the deal with this Azteca but unfortunately I have come here a couple times and the food is not the same as the other Azteca's. the menu is? So I am not sure why there is a difference. Maybe you should be drunk when you eat here??? I usually get the same dish I always get because it is so amazing but they manage to screw it up. I will never be coming to this location again. The service is equally as poor as the food, huge thumbs down.
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Review from Nolan H.
Seattle, WA
11/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
I am not sure how this restaurant earned the distinction of "Best Mexican Restaurant of the Northwest" by an online King 5 poll. While the menu is very expansive and impressive, the food just did not knock my socks off. It was pretty bland and not very reflective of the quality mexican food that I am used to eating.
On the upside, my server was awesome. She was very polite and friendly. The food was served to me promptly, without much of a wait. It's just a shame that I didn't enjoy my meal.
Luckily I have plenty of other delicious options in Ballard, because Azteca just ain't cutting it. -
Review from Abbey S.
Kent, WA
3/25/2012
Don't even bother. We brought a party of 16 people to azteca on Saturday night, and everything was what you'd expect from a generic mexican restaurant until the bill came. We gave our waitress several credit cards and a handful of cash (they won't split a bill for that many people, which we weren't told until we arrived) and told her to keep the change from the cash. She came back with our credit card slips and before anyone even had a chance to add a tip and sign them, she threw $10 down in my face and said "this is all you tip me??" She freaked out about how much the bill was versus how much cash we'd given her for a good five minutes before grabbing the manager, who stood at the head of our table with arms crossed, shaking his head and saying "wow". So if you'd like to be harassed for a tip and shamed by the management, make this azteca your first stop! If she hadn't thrown money in my face and demanded a bigger tip, she probably would have gotten one.
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Review from M H.
Anderson, CA
3/6/2012
All day happy hour Sunday... cheap! (I still use a lot of Tabasco)
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Review from Lana M.
Seattle, WA
6/7/2011
Growing up in Southern California, I was blessed with good Mexican Food. Given that I am afraid of the "roach-coach" type taco stands, I settle with the Americanized, Pacific Northwest Version. Azteca is a-ok. It is consistent and while it's not "the real thing" it's a pretty decent meal. The portions are enough for two meals, so "bueno" for the cost-savings.
My coworkers and I frequent this particular Azteca, simply because it is down the street from our office. The service has never failed us and the older waitress with short wispy dark hair is always a bundle of efficient energy.
Given what it is, it's just dandy! -
Review from Chuck B.
Seattle, WA
7/15/2011
Stay FAR away from THIS Azteca. This one is WAY bad.
I generally like Aztecs. But this Aztecs is consistently crap. Last time I mentioned no cheese in my taxi salad. Waiter argued with me that he saw the chef put the cheese in. Really ? Argue with me? This is an all around BAD restaurant. -
Review from Doug C.
10/27/2010
Sure it's not a taco truck and it doesn't feel as gritty or real as dining in a side street in Mexico City, but it delivers what you expect: huge piles of basic Mexican food.
The menu isn't a mystery and the meals don't undergo a seasonal change ("we have new spring tacos filled with arugula and delivered on the back of spawning salmon"); you'll find the usual tacos, enchiladas and burritos here.
And the meals will be served on plates the size of sombreros with a fine sheen of grease which glistens on the sunlight beaming through the windows (this only applies June through August). And you will feel full.
The waiters will be quick and persistent, perhaps because the restaurant is only half to a quarter full.
The front patio will beckon and draw you in with it's people watching potential at the corner of Market street.
And these are not all bad things, which is why you will go here and probably come back. -
Review from Katie S.
San Francisco, CA
7/29/2008
Azteca, a bit of Mexicoo.. OOOhhhhh My God..
What was I thinking??! Serious Gut-Bomb-B-Rama!
What gives!? The portions here are bigger than Barry Bonds' ego after slammin' #756 into the stands at AT&T park in SF!
I've eaten here numerous times when I haven't really given a crap about what I'm eating. It's not that it's bad.. it's just not that good.
That being said, the service here is always really great and the chips and salsa are always plentiful.. but with all the great Mexican restaurants popping up lately (I like to call them 'Taco Trucks'), Azteca has become less and less appealing to me.
The prices are decent and the portions are huge. I will say that their fajita plate is pretty good and that the margaritas aren't too shabby.. I won't say that I won't ever be back. It's close to home and it's never completely slammed. It's just not my first or second choice, that's all.Listed in: Not so much...
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Review from Hayley V.
7/28/2009
HOLY GRINGO SABOTAGE! How dare you sully the Azteca star average! I am spanish and mexican (no, they are not the same) and I FULLY endorse this spot. What do you expect it's chain american-style mexican food! Still, WAY better than Cafe Ole', I even prefer this place over the Matador and have totally hit it up when la carta de oaxaca (down the street) was packed and been just as satisfied.
I challenge all the one & two star reviewers to order this meal at Azteca and still rate it poorly:
- chips and salsa. The best part of Mexican restaurants: free appetizers! Plus my servers have always been super attentive to our table's disappearing salsa problem and brought extra quickly
- their top shelf margarita is a fish bowl of happiness versus a rocks glass rip-off. p.s. if you aren't always ordering top shelf margs you are asking for pre-made mixes and acid reflux.
- tres amigos. a dazzling trifecta of chile colorado, chile verde, and chile relleno the meat is seasoned and cooked to perfection and the relleno is cheesy, gooey goodness.
Yum. Give Azteca a break kiddies! -
Review from Kevin K.
Seattle, WA
11/14/2011
Chicken Sandwich was great. And the chips and salsa. All for $6.95.
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Review from Cami G.
Seattle, WA
11/21/2010
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD --DON'T-- GO HERE! Not even if you're hungover and crave a big plate of enchiladas and an imitation margarita. Stay away!
-- Went on a Saturday for lunch. There was a sign as soon as you walk in the door with the Specials of the Day. Pork fajitas for $8.50? I'll take it! Apparently they only honor lunch specials on weekdays and I found this out AFTER I had consumed the meal and was about to pay my tab ($14.96 wtf?). I asked why the Specials sign is still up in plain view with NO indication that it is only valid on weekdays? Home dude just shrugged. I told him I ordered the "Special" because uh, it was the special and expected to pay the price as stated. Home dude just shrugged: Sorry white girl, you owe me $14.96.
Misleading much? At HONEST establishments they would honor the special price because you know, their bad. Nope. Not at Azteca.
-- He was a horrible waiter; never smiled, never checked in on us during our meal, never asked if we wanted dessert, never filled our waters. Apparently we were a huge inconvenience.
-- When I told him my friend and I are paying separately, he scowled and RIPPED up the bill in front of us because he had to go through the laborious process of creating two separate bills. Good LORD.
-- As I was signing the credit card slip he STARED at me. Who STARES at someone while they are deciding what tip to leave? This was SO UNCOMFORTABLE. No tip for you. Not for a $15 plate of nasty.
Never again will I frequent any Azteca establishment and I SINCERELY urge you not to, too. -
Review from Tammy W.
2/12/2008
BLECH! Blech, blech, blech. I don't know what it is about this Ballard location. I mean, I used go to the Azteca at Shilshole all the time, and it was just fine. I've had good experiences at other Aztecas as well, including Lynnwood and Spokane.
But this one? The margaritas taste like they have soap in them. I don't know how you screw up shrimp with butter and mushrooms, but that they did on my last (and final) visit. The butter tasted burnt and the shrimp were overcooked.
You could fire off a cannon in the dining room and hit no one. Not even the wait staff, because they are all congregated in the bar. They are watching the television, volume set to "hearing loss," which is constantly playing Mexican soap operas.
When, oh when, will another restaurant move in? I'm waiting ...Listed in: Welcome to Ballard!, Agog for Agave
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Review from Melissa H.
Lisle, IL
1/26/2009
I actually love Azteca, because I love Americanized Mexican food. However, I have mixed feelings about the Ballard location.
First of all, there's no parking, but that seems to be an issue throughout Ballard. Secondly, the restaurant is older and has that BATHROOM smell throughout the building, which makes it quite unappealing to eat there! I came here to lunch, and was surprised to learn that they don't have a lunch menu at this location. Yup, you full pay full dinner price all day long.
My service and food was excellent though (or consistently Azteca quality, to those Yelpers who don't like it). -
Review from Carrie H.
Seattle, WA
2/24/2007
Harsh reviews! I find this place comfortable. Margaritas have always pleased (and with decents amount of tequila in them), their chips are always fresh, and salsa is great!
Portion sizes are pretty big, so consider that you're actually getting two meals for the price. -
Review from Megan R.
Seattle, WA
3/16/2008
I don't exactly know what people are expecting from Azteca - or if the others that have reviewed it expected it to be an amazing place for Mexican... It's never been known to be real or authentic, it is what it is - extremely Americanized Mexican food.
If you want something fast (I think our food came out within 7 minutes or less of ordering it), loads of free chips and salsa or just a basic taco or enchilada Azteca works. Like I said, it's not amazing but it works.
I do have to say that the Ballard location is my least favorite and for some reason the Shilshole one was waaaay better.
I definitely wouldn't rec commend it for people who want REAL Mexican food. -
Review from Taggart H.
Seattle, WA
11/19/2007
Really? You expected ntop-notch ouveau mexican ? Stop. Go to La Carta and wait 45 minutes. Expected trendy tex-mex cocktail lounge? Go to the Matador and wait 30 minutes and get bumped around at the bar. Both good options. For the rest of you that came for old fashioned fatty refried beans and rice and rachero sauce and friendly waiters and no wait, here we are.
I've come around on this place: great chips and salsa, reasonable food, and DOS EQUIS AMBER ON DRAFT! Comes in a massive glass. XX Amber in a huge glass! -
Review from Katie J.
2/26/2011
Gut bomb. This place is great for happy hour. Depressing and empty otherwise. The beer prices are a little steep. The salsa is watery and flavorless. The chips are scrumptious but lack salt. The enchiladas are moist and juicy. I would stick to the happy hour. I tried to buy the bull fighting painting in the bar for $100 but the bartender would not sell it!
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Review from Heather W.
Seattle, WA
2/27/2009
I won't lie, sometimes I want crappy food. More often, someone I want to go to lunch with wants crappy food. I do invariably end up at Azteca about once a year for crappy food. I don't want to hate on them because I adore the owner, but really...the food isn't going to win any awards. I know I tend to come off as a left-wing food-snob, but I keep it true to my blue collar heritage and eat at mediocre chain restaurants sometimes just like everyone in Snohomish County. This does not make me a bad left-wing food snob, or a failure to the integrity of Ballard yuppies.
Food quality aside, I hear it's a good place for cheap drinks during happy hour for people who feel perhaps out of place at Matador (hard liquor) or Bad Albert's (fancy beer). Sometimes a homie just wants a cheap BudLight, don't hate. -
Review from Benjamin S.
Seattle, WA
12/31/2011
The food here is okay, but they should rename it Ass-Wrecka because the two time's i've been here I've had to hit the toilet pretty hard the next day. I know, TMI, but trying to give an accurate portrayal of what my experience was. The Mexican Pizza is good, but other than that, the food is simply mediocre.
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Review from luvtotravel J.
Seattle, WA
2/16/2011
I am one of the few people who normally does truly think that Azteca is the best Mexican food out there..except for Ballard Azteca! Please try not to throw anything at me - I like what I like...
With that said. Eewww. I want to like this place. I really do. Especially because it is so close to my home HOWEVER I just can't.
The past few times have been such a disappointment. Someone actually changed the amount of tip that my husband wrote down. SCANDALOUS! When we called after being shocked at our credit card statement he said that he would give us a free meal next time we came in and to just ask. Really?! Like the waiters are going to believe us, "Excuse me, can we get a free meal says Eduardo". How embarrassing esp. if he doesn't remember us. A refund would have been better or even mailed us a gift certificate or something.
Then I stupidly came back and ordered a dessert that was no longer on the menu. I SHOULD HAVE seen that as a blaring sign but NOoooo I still requested it, ordered it to go and was disappointed when opening it up at home and finding an obviously old, recently defrosted tamalito that was grey when it should have been yello. BOOOOO Azteca!
Oh and I just have to laugh at their hilarious attempt at outdoor seating.....this is Ballard! We do have some class and deserve something better....when you drive by, just shake your head at their poor poor attempt.... -
Review from Rachel M.
Seattle, WA
11/22/2009
The food was authentic, but under-seasoned. I had the spinach tamales, which were steamed nicely, but the spinach was overcooked and the whole dish was well, lacking in flavor. Margaritas were weak, but large.
Our server was pretty obnoxious (think: TGIFridays), but he was attentive, so points for that. The restaurant was fairly empty on a Saturday night at 7 pm - that is a bad sign!
The booths were sticky. And saggy. I don't like to recline while I eat. :( -
Review from DeAnna L.
Swansea, MA
4/27/2011
Service is always great. Food comes out fast and delicious! I just wish it wasn't so far way. They have the best Arroz Con Pollo that I ever tasted at any Mexican restaurant. Love it, love it, love it:)
The dark decor needs a little pick me up... Hint, hint. -
Review from Aaron M.
4/12/2007
Bite me Azteca! You have fooled me before with your great location with no wait when everywhere else is busy. But all that is good about you is your chips and salsa. Your food makes me want to run and hide. Just go away and make room for a better place.
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Review from J H.
San Francisco, CA
7/11/2006
Azteca is known for average mexican food at best, but this place is downright horrible. Taco Bell quality at 8 times the price.
Listed in: Worst of Seattle
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Review from patricia r.
Seattle, WA
8/2/2010
What can I say I have been going to Azteca's since they began in Seattle and I have always had great service, great drinks, great food, and overall a great time. Going there tonight yeeeee hawwwwww.
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Review from Nate T.
Seattle, WA
10/30/2009
Decent Mexican food that Is obviously Americanized. Drinks are awesome, recommend the Cadillac. The owner is super nice and always working.
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Review from Chloe H.
Seattle, WA
3/16/2006
I agree with everyone else here, that this place sort of blows. As well as La Carta de Oaxaca, another viable alterative would be Malena's tacos, just a few blocks away, where you can get basically the same food (minus the giant umbrella drinks) for much cheaper.
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Review from Kevin S.
Seattle, WA
5/5/2008
The Margaritas need help. The food is ok but if the drink doesn't hit the spot....
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Review from Austin W.
Seattle, WA
11/4/2005 3 photos
Pretty piss-poor Mexican if you ask me. The only thing more piss-poor than the food is the price of the food. I mean, who pays $13 for a beef burrito? Go else where, anywhere else. If you want expensive mexican go to the Oaxacan (?) place around the corner...their food is amazing!
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Review from Margo F.
Seattle, WA
11/11/2009
it's kinda muffed up that this place only has 2.5 stars because I've always had a wonderful time here. I stumbled across this small family run cantina while indulging my shoe fetish at some of the local shops on market st. BOY WAS I SUPRISED! they gave me free chips and dippin sauce and kept it comin! Then i order a dish unique to their native region of mexico called a "chicken fajita". The server explained to me it was a closely guarded family recipe and it SHOWED. Tasty. I would recommend this dish to anyone visiting this establishment which pairs well with the spicy hot sauce tabasco they bring out to their politest of customers. I wish the Family Azteca only the best and hope their restaurant continues in their success. BRAVO.
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Review from Chrystal P.
Seattle, WA
1/25/2010
It is an Americanized chain, but at least you get consistent quality that tastes good for a reasonable price. I have struggled to find better Mexican in Seattle. Seems that good authentic does not exist, so I go here.
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Review from Carlie B.
Seattle, WA
4/21/2010
I was excited to go to Azteca today. I've mentioned this before, but a greasy spoon Mexican joint can really hit the spot. I know that fried things are good there, but today I was with a veg-head so I politely ordered a vegetarian burrito. All I ask is for beans, rice and cheese. On the menue they promised these things with steamed carrots, broccoli and mushrooms! Score, right? Nope. First, the rice. Old, burnt, dry, with a random accent of squishy pea. The veggies were a once frozen mix of squishy overcooked resemblance of something which was once nutritious.
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Review from Buckley S.
Seattle, WA
4/2/2010
This was my first time at Azteca and I was expecting the typical chain Mexican food experience, but I was shocked at how good their food actually was. I'm a Carnitas aficionado and the Carnitas burrito at Azteca was some of the best I've ever had. I will definitely be going back in the near future. Sorry I've waited over 2 years to visit you Azteca!
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Review from Victoria B.
Seattle, WA
3/13/2011
This review is strictly based on the service I received from the waiter Tom at this location. He was fantastic. One of the best customer service experiences I've ever received. If you have to go to this location, request Tom. He'll treat you like royalty. He'll make mediocre Mexican food taste like Gourmet.
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Review from Queen B.
Seattle, WA
2/20/2009
The view of the Ballard Locks was nice. a few flies flying around tho :[[ Thats just disgusting.
