El Azteca
1520 S Dayton Ave, Ames, IA, 50010
El Azteca Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Ames for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Ames for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Ames for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
1520 S Dayton Ave
Ames, IA, 50010 - Phone (515) 232-0116
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Opening Hours
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Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
Categories
Mexican Cuisine
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.
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Matthew S.
Nice joint with plenty of seating. They serve complimentary chips and salsa. The chips are unsalted which I don't particularly like but the salsa was pretty good (lots of cilantro). I ordered the Burrito California and it was tasty. The burrito was filled with sliced steak, guacamole, sour cream, cheese and lettuce. The burrito are very large and filling, and the best part was how quickly the food came to the table. I would definitely recommend this for lunch or dinner.
(4)Jennifer A.
This place is pretty good! And I don't mean "pretty good for Ames"; I mean it's actually good. The salsa is tasty and lightly spicy. Chips are fresh. I tried the Chori-Pollo based on a colleague's recommendation. The Chori-Pollo is sliced white meat chicken topped with chorizo and cheese sauce and served with rice, beans, and tortillas. I subbed the beans for guacamole and made myself little burritos with the tortillas. The service here is lightning quick! I was amazed by how quickly the order was taken and then served to the table. This quick service makes it great for a quick work lunch. I'll return!
(4)Gina C.
This place is the best we have found in our area. They have the best servers, very friendly and make you feel at home. Tables are always clean. Food is always great. Especially the chicken tortilla soup. My family loves their cheese sauce. Good for young or old. I highly recommend coming here.
(5)Patrick T.
For sure my favorite Mexican spot in Iowa that I know of. The service and atmosphere in here is great! Every meal I have had has been excellent and the owners are fun, and always smiling. Sometime they even bring you over a free shot, to celebrate your meal. Always good specials here and I recommended the Veggie Fajita's . They are amazing and come steaming hot and piled high. The chips and salsa are hands down some of the best I have ever had. The food comes fast, so even if you waiting in line to get in on a Saturday night you will be seated shortly. The place is kinda outside of town on highway 30 but it's worth the drive and you will not leave hungry!
(5)Dan L.
The ambiance and atmosphere is what one expects from a Mexican joint. I ordered the Pollo Chipotle which was flavorful and delicious. The salsa for the chips had a nice kick and the rice and bean sides were standard. My wife enjoyed here Chipotle steak quesadilla which had the same sauce as my entree. The service was quick and friendly! Happy we looked on Yelp and found the place.
(4)Alex D.
So I wasn't sure what to expect, when you pull up the place is tucked away in a little area with a trailer park and a few hotels. The place seems pretty busy, the bar is limited (6 seats), no beer on tap and a modest selection of spirits available. The menu is your typical mexican fare, nothing exceptional but it's all done decently. Salsa and chips are food, service is fast at the bar. Overall I wouldn't go out of my way to come here, but if you're staying at a nearby hotel and don't want to have to drive a couple miles this is a easy place to grab a quick meal, have a beer and unwind.
(4)Andrew W.
The service is fast & friendly, food is hot and tasty, prices are reasonable, varied menu with vegetarian options. Plenty of parking. The owner personally works the floor and keeps an eye on quality. Good food for a good price.
(4)Stevo H.
Terrible service, bad food, and the most pretentious wait staff I've ever encountered. No wonder this place was dead when we came in. I definitely do not recommend going here.
(2)Adam N.
Great food, great places, good atmosphere. I should give this place 4 stars but I'm not a huge Mexican food fan. The waiter was really cool and always looked out for us. I will definitely be back here when it's convenient.
(3)Travis B.
This is just good stuff. Great food, quick service, priced right. Big margaritas, cold beer. Excellent salsa. Best Mexican in town.
(5)Haley R.
This is by far the best authentic Mexican food in Ames. I've never been to the Somerset location, but the Dayton Avenue restaurant in an old Happy Chef next to a cluster of Highway 30 hotels is terrific. Much better than the widely popular La Fuente and west Ames' Cazador, it's worth a visit. Their takeout service is also fantastic - fast and packaged perfectly.
(4)Lane H.
This is only reviewing the margaritas as we had just chips and salsa. Imagine frozen lime juice really watered down....then you have the margaritas We had last night. Limited salt around the rim and no lime. Looked around and no limes anywhere. I thought they might be making them with wine due to the lack of alcohol taste. Even the color was washed out. When the server asked how the drink was and I told them, they didn't offer to correct it. We drank our juice and left. Wouldn't have left a tip but server never came back to take our bill. Standing around the bar was keeping him busy.
(1)John N.
As a quick addition to my original review. I recently went back to try the chicken enchiladas. This entree comes as a single plate of three enchiladas. No rice, no beans, no sides. I ordered a side of refried beans to go with my dinner. Upside: The enchiladas are hot, fresh, filling. Packed with lots of chicken and smothered in sauce (see picture). Downside: No seasoning or other detectable herbs or savory spices on the itself. Just plain chicken inside the tortilla. Kind of a shame.
(2)Matt E.
This one of two Mexican restaurants we patronize in the area. They're located in the old Happy Chef / Embers building just off of Highway 30. Apparently business is good because they've recently added a new addition. Even better because it provides a relaxed spacious atmosphere even on the busiest of weekend nights. We prefer El Azteca over the other "Fountain" Mexican restaurant because of the wide number of menu items, and some very good specialties. The chili verde here is my favorite in the area, and they have very good LARGE tamales. Two strong recommendations for your visit right there. El Azteca is a good Mexican restaurant, the service is fast and friendly and the prices are very kind on the wallet. It does fit in to the ubiquitous order-by-number free chips and salsa restaurants. There's nothing particularly creative or authentic here. There are 3 restaurants with the identical business model in Ames and one in Nevada. El Azteca is one of the best.
(3)Samantha C.
I went here the other day for lunch because I didn't want to drive anywhere and it's a short walk away. My boyfriend told me multiple times not to because he went to eat here a few times with his coworkers and each time he said was bad. Now I've learned my lesson, listen to the man! First of all this place made me feel claustrophobic. It's all one room, with two sides of seating and the bar in the middle, I think there were maybe 4 bar stools and there was this weird orange light above that made it look like you were under a heating lamp. I asked for the margarita and I'm pretty sure it came out of one of those huge igloo coolers with the spout at the bottom. It tasted like sweet and sour mix with some salt. Tortilla chips were too thick and firm, not light and crunchy. Salsa was eh. Instead of getting the picture and leaving to eat somewhere else, I ordered one of the combo plates that came with a burrito, enchilada, and tamale. I asked for chicken in all and the guy said the tamales have pork in them. That's fine with me. Until it came out about five minutes later. The plate was hot and the three items were buried under a red sauce that honestly smelled like spaghettio's, and melted cheese on top of that. The taste made me think I was in an Italian restaurant. I asked for hot sauce, and they gave me a dish of green and brown liquid that burned my mouth but didn't really taste spicy. The guys working there are serious creeps, ladies I suggest you don't come here alone unless you want to be gawked at and patted on the back as you are handed your check (yes this happened to me.) Come to find out, I was charged $1.50 for that nasty sauce, when all I wanted was a normal bottle of hot sauce! I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough to pay and run out of there. Sorry to anyone that works here, and anyone that goes here more than once.
(1)Lindsey F.
The restaurant was clean and the staff was super friendly. When we sat down we were given warm chips and salsa. Our food arrived only like 5 minutes after we ordered. I ordered the taco salad with chicken and my husband ordered the taco and 2 enchiladas with rice combination. We were both happy with our choices. The food was hot and delicious. We will definitely be going here again!
(5)Mark B.
Great food with good prices to match. Even though I'm not a big fan of Mexican food, I find that El Azteca has menu items to satisfy anyone who comes in. The wait staff is always prompt and courteous and food comes fast and hot. Sometimes the service is so fast it makes you wonder if they knew what you wanted ahead of time. I have nothing but good things to say about El Azteca. The location is a little out of the way, but it's worth the extra few minutes of driving. They also offer a free basket of chips with salsa for each table.
(5)Stacy S.
This place is good, but not the best in Ames. The guys that run the place are awesome, but the food sometimes lacks in punch. I feel like a lot of the dishes are so far from real mexican food...ugh. I tend to stay with the specialty burritos or the steak dishes. Ground beef is a no for me. I usually pick this one after La Fuente, but both are really not traditional.
(3)Lizette P.
I was recently in Ames for a wedding and decided to have a pre-reception snack at El Azteca. I have to say that I loved the chicken taquitos and the huge margarita I ordered. The food is not very complex but it's good. I could tell by what others in my party ordered that some dishes are probably best avoided like the "Chalupa" which is not really. It's more like a soggy tostada. If I were to be in Ames again I would probably go back.
(4)Roz S.
We used to go to La Fuente or Cazador for Mexican, but now we always head to El Azteca. The service is good and very friendly, and the food is better without a price increase. We've always been treated with great courtesy by the staff, who seem genuinely happy to take our business. Expect your entrees to arrive extremely fast! On one occasion, we called ahead as we were bringing in a very large party, but another group claimed our table by saying that they were the ones that had called ahead. The management was extremely apologetic and helped re-arrange several tables quickly to accommodate our group. Good food, good value - they're worth the trip!
(4)W C.
Best service in town! They are more than accommodating and love to see us "regulars" come in! It great being greeted by handshakes and hugs from the owners and staff. Food is always hot and fresh, Carne Asada Tacos are the best thing on the menu and I get them time and time again. They keep the chips & salsa full and the Cadillac Margarita's are the best in town. We visit almost weekly and have very very rarely been disappointed with the food.
(5)Danelle W.
If you're tired of trying to find parking and dealing with loud college kids at La Fuente definitely give this place a try. The location is a little far out of town but the food and service does not disappoint.
(4)Doug P.
Do you love boiled ground beef pretending to be a Mexican dish? Go here... you'll love the place. They put ground beef in almost everything.
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