I went to Ixtapa for a family dinner on a Saturday night, 10-20-2012. When the food arrived, I noticed that it didn't smell right. As I cut through my chile relleno, the smell of rotten food became overwhelming. Both the bell pepper and the meat were spoiled.
(1)
barbi d.
Authentic, cheap, yummy salsa & chips, just great mexican food.... forget Superior grill-- this is right next door!!
(4)
Jason W.
Wow ... It was not what I expected ... I am a Mexican food junkie from Los Angeles and was highly skeptical of this place ... The tamales were outrageous ... They were perfectly warm and fluffy ... Not dry or soggy ... And full of flavor ... The stuffed pablano peppers blew me away , they had a smoked taste and wee Stuffed with an authentic Mexican cheese. This place is a Mexican Food Gem in the heart of Birmingham.
(5)
Sam G.
I'd always told people that Ixtapa was better than most other cheap Mexican restaurants around here. The problem is that they are very inconsistent. Sometimes I'll have a great server who is very attentive, then other times (like today) we get someone that barely speaks English, doesn't refill drinks, and gets orders wrong. I always come here for lunch so I can't comment on their dinner service, but I always get the #7, La Favorita, that comes with a flauta, chile relleno, and a beef quesadilla. My buddy today got the Three Tacos plate because I had a coupon for a buy one, get one free entree. The server recommended that we save the coupon for a dinner service but I couldn't understand why he wanted me to do that. Maybe to get him a bigger tip today? Either way, we did use the coupon but it turned out to only be $5 off an entree even though the coupon read "complementary entree." Very misleading. Our chips and salsa smelled like old fryer oil and tasted like cardboard. I like the salsa at Ixtapa so having badly cooked chips was disappointing. My friend paid for queso dip so he was even more disappointed. When our entrees arrived, the taco shells and my flauta also smelled of old oil and my chile relleno was a pile of cheese and meat with one tiny sliver of pepper in the middle. My friend's tacos were supposed to be soft shell, which made the badly fried hard shell tacos even worse. The quesadillas are usually pretty good here and today my quesadilla was pretty good, definitely the high point of the meal. I've been here plenty of times and gotten the exact same meal that was excellent. It's just a shame that I don't know what to expect when I sit down for a meal. That is what keeps me from coming back here more often.
(3)
Lindsay D.
I so love Ixtapa! My all time favorite Mexican restaurant, years ago, was Mexicali, which unfortunately, is no longer open, however the majority of the kitchen and wait staff now work at Ixtapa, and therefore I've discovered the same exceptionally great food and service that I absolutely loved at Mexicali. Needless to say, my absolute, hands down, favorite Mexican restaurant is now Ixtapa!! Try it out....you will not be disappointed!!
(5)
Melody H.
This has your typical fare and decoration, but it's a nice little place! When I worked on 280 a few months ago, this was a regular stop on Wednesday or Friday because they had a special where you got your drink free with the purchase of a lunch meal. I would always get the beef nachos. The nachos are very simple, just the meat, beans, lettuce, cheese, sour cream and jalapenos, but they are quite good! I haven't eaten there for dinner in probably about 10 years, so I don't know how their dinner service is, but lunch is quick and good.
(4)
Ken L.
Food was not very good. As one commented on here the food had a bad smell and a bad taste. Service was poor and my family and one other table were in the whole restaurant. I will not go back.
(1)
Katie S.
I very much liked this place. It was in a little shopping mall and a typical Mexican resturant. Servings were HUGE and very cheap.
(4)
Dacre K.
They do take credit cards and you can wear a sweet sombrero if it's your birthday.
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes
If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.
Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.
Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.
Angelica D.
I went to Ixtapa for a family dinner on a Saturday night, 10-20-2012. When the food arrived, I noticed that it didn't smell right. As I cut through my chile relleno, the smell of rotten food became overwhelming. Both the bell pepper and the meat were spoiled.
(1)barbi d.
Authentic, cheap, yummy salsa & chips, just great mexican food.... forget Superior grill-- this is right next door!!
(4)Jason W.
Wow ... It was not what I expected ... I am a Mexican food junkie from Los Angeles and was highly skeptical of this place ... The tamales were outrageous ... They were perfectly warm and fluffy ... Not dry or soggy ... And full of flavor ... The stuffed pablano peppers blew me away , they had a smoked taste and wee Stuffed with an authentic Mexican cheese. This place is a Mexican Food Gem in the heart of Birmingham.
(5)Sam G.
I'd always told people that Ixtapa was better than most other cheap Mexican restaurants around here. The problem is that they are very inconsistent. Sometimes I'll have a great server who is very attentive, then other times (like today) we get someone that barely speaks English, doesn't refill drinks, and gets orders wrong. I always come here for lunch so I can't comment on their dinner service, but I always get the #7, La Favorita, that comes with a flauta, chile relleno, and a beef quesadilla. My buddy today got the Three Tacos plate because I had a coupon for a buy one, get one free entree. The server recommended that we save the coupon for a dinner service but I couldn't understand why he wanted me to do that. Maybe to get him a bigger tip today? Either way, we did use the coupon but it turned out to only be $5 off an entree even though the coupon read "complementary entree." Very misleading. Our chips and salsa smelled like old fryer oil and tasted like cardboard. I like the salsa at Ixtapa so having badly cooked chips was disappointing. My friend paid for queso dip so he was even more disappointed. When our entrees arrived, the taco shells and my flauta also smelled of old oil and my chile relleno was a pile of cheese and meat with one tiny sliver of pepper in the middle. My friend's tacos were supposed to be soft shell, which made the badly fried hard shell tacos even worse. The quesadillas are usually pretty good here and today my quesadilla was pretty good, definitely the high point of the meal. I've been here plenty of times and gotten the exact same meal that was excellent. It's just a shame that I don't know what to expect when I sit down for a meal. That is what keeps me from coming back here more often.
(3)Lindsay D.
I so love Ixtapa! My all time favorite Mexican restaurant, years ago, was Mexicali, which unfortunately, is no longer open, however the majority of the kitchen and wait staff now work at Ixtapa, and therefore I've discovered the same exceptionally great food and service that I absolutely loved at Mexicali. Needless to say, my absolute, hands down, favorite Mexican restaurant is now Ixtapa!! Try it out....you will not be disappointed!!
(5)Melody H.
This has your typical fare and decoration, but it's a nice little place! When I worked on 280 a few months ago, this was a regular stop on Wednesday or Friday because they had a special where you got your drink free with the purchase of a lunch meal. I would always get the beef nachos. The nachos are very simple, just the meat, beans, lettuce, cheese, sour cream and jalapenos, but they are quite good! I haven't eaten there for dinner in probably about 10 years, so I don't know how their dinner service is, but lunch is quick and good.
(4)Ken L.
Food was not very good. As one commented on here the food had a bad smell and a bad taste. Service was poor and my family and one other table were in the whole restaurant. I will not go back.
(1)Katie S.
I very much liked this place. It was in a little shopping mall and a typical Mexican resturant. Servings were HUGE and very cheap.
(4)Dacre K.
They do take credit cards and you can wear a sweet sombrero if it's your birthday.
(3)