Friendly, family-run local gem. I came in for lunch on a Saturday, and it was full of Spanish-speaking families - a good sign for a Mexican restaurant! I decided to get the cubana torta, which turned out to be massive! I thought I'd have half for lunch and eat the rest later, but it was so good that I did, in fact, manage to finish it one sitting. The service is casual but courteous. Also good for kids - they have high chairs, a kids' menu, and a changing table in the ladies room (did not venture to check if there was also one in the men's). read more

Azteca Grill - Cubana torta - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I saw this place recommended in a local facebook foodie group, and it didn't disappoint! Definitely a no frills, mom and pop type, but the food was amazing! I tried a pastor, carnita, and asada taco. All three were delicious, but the pastor especially hit. I've struggled finding good, flavorful pastor here and I'm SO happy to find a place that makes it well. They have a salad/salsa bar set up where you can get your own toppings. I actually really love that! My husband and I each got margs. His lime was good and got the hibiscus. I'll definitely order that one again! They were good and strong. My husband ordered the birria. The tacos themselves were great! Very flavorful. My only complaint is I wish the consume wasn't as watery as it was, but the flavor itself was still good! We also ordered chips for the table. They came out hot and freshly made. I'm already thinking about when I can come here next and try more menu items! 10/10 recommend. read more

Azteca Grill - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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The food is authentic as are the family that owns the business. Drinks are very good. Service is excellent. It's not their fault but the price of eating out here is hard on a senior from a past where Mexican food was super reasonable (Los Angeles, last century). I try to eat here when I can. Not a fan of their choice of Mexican music, young, contemporary and a bit loud (said the old gringo). Prefer the old Mariachi or Linda Rondstat style. Still, I love this joint. read more

This is my second time coming here and I love this place! The service is so good. You order at the counter and grab a table (so far, we haven't had trouble finding seating). They take your order at the front and bring food out as it's made. So far, I've tried the asada torta, chips w guac, asada tacos, pupusas w cheese & beans, and the chicken milanesa. All dishes have been amazing. So flavorful, fresh, and delicious. FYI : the chips are fried fresh and come out piping hot. YUM. I'm already wanting to go back. read more

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The food was amazing! Everything is so fresh! Taste is excellent! The bathroom was clean and the service was very good!

Outstanding carnitas and Pico de Gallo bar. If you want Mexican food hot or mild you get to choose. Friendly staff and authentic Mexican food. No cheddar cheese here. Quaint atmosphere. Bright and comfortable. Street tacos and enchiladas available. Full bar too. You won't be disappointed. No chips and salsa when you are seated, but that's a Tex Mex thing anyway. Well worth the search. Lots of parking spaces. read more

Azteca Grill - pico de Gallo - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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We ordered chicken and cheese quesadillas and an assortment of gorditas (steak, carnitas, beef). They delivered to the brewery next door where we were. The food was hot and had great flavor. I would recommend if you are in the area! Great service! read more

Wow! This place serves delicious authentic Mexican food. I had the horchata, which had a lovely cinnammon aftertaste, and three tacos- carne asada, chorizo, and carnitas. They have a toppings bar. A word of caution...the red sauces are burn-your-mouth spicy! The cost is reasonable, as well. This is a great place for a lunch! read more

Azteca Grill - Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Food was OUTSTANDING!!!! I'm sure it's the absolute best Mexican food I've ever had!! Extremely authentic and delicious food. The service was phenomenal and definitely making this a go to place! So glad we stopped in. read more

We ate there for the first time this week and were very pleasantly surprised. The service was wonderful and the menu varied. Excellent margaritas, the best I've had in this area. One dish was Carne Asada, and it was quite tasty with tender meat. Served with beans, rice, onions and house-made corn tortillas. Another dish was the Carne Burrito, also excellent. I would have preferred a cheese sauce on top, but perhaps that is not authentic. We will be back! read more

I've passed this place a thousand times and never even considered eating there. As I left the Lakewood YMCA, I decided Mexican sounded good for dinner. I was so happy and my tastebuds were too. Aztec Grill hands down has the absolute best Carnitas in the state! So flavorful, not dry the absolute best! Definitely a hidden gem! read more

been coming here all the time for a couple years and food is always good , staff is very nice and welcoming . nothing really to complain about , overall very nice i would recommend for a nice meal and the decor is very pleasing read more

Azteca Grill - pozole - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

sinceramente no me gusto para nada, para empezar tienes que hacer tu orden en la entrada, pedí algo y me dijeron que no es hora para vender esa comida.... después pedí una gordita y nuevamente que no pueden venderme solo una...... read more

Very friendly staff (family run), very relaxed atmosphere. The chips and guacamole were outstanding. The food very affordable and absolutely delicious. Fresh and homemade. Will definitely be revisiting often. read more

Azteca Grill - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I come here often for Togo orders and never seem to have a problem but today they were charging me 50 cents or an extra little container of salsa I ordered 8 tacos 2 little containers in not enough for the tacos highly disappointed read more

We recently moved to Durham from San Francisco and we were looking for a Mexican taqueria for our burrito and taco fix. This place is in our new neighborhood and the food was shockingly delicious. The tacos al pastor rival anything we enjoyed in the Mission District in SF, and come really close to our favorite street tacos in Sayulita, Mexico. The service is great and the staff is warm and friendly. Highly recommended! read more

This might be the best taco place in the triangle. Tried their gorditas and pupusa, which are both really fresh and good. Also had their huevos Mexicano, which just oozes comfort breakfast happiness. One thing I really want to try next is their soup, which always look amazing. The exterior and interior won't make this an afterwork trendy taco hangout, but the food beats everything out there in terms of flavor, freshness, and authenticity. Oh, the family that runs the place is super friend and just great people that are proud of their food. Now, let's talk about the tacos, especially the tripe taco. The tender chewy and fried texture of the meat, plus the flavor...that is addictive. All their tacos are great. They have a full topping bar where you can add to you tacos (comes as meat and tortilla) however you want. Their sauces are great and their spicy ones are actually very spicy. Highly recommend all their stuff actually. Lastly, being so close to county fare, new music Hall, and cocoa cinnamon...this place is just too convenient. Definitely a good option to grab some kick-ass Mexican food before enjoying a couple beers right across the street at county fare. read more

WOW, this place is so delicious and authentic! The papusas especially stood out - such a tasty meal! What really stood out is that this is a family run business, and the staff is so kind and accommodating. Can't wait to explore the menu more! read more

I ordered from here through ubereats, because I wanted to try their tacos. Boy, did they leave a lot to be desired. I ordered the al pastor tacos and carne asada tacos (for variety). The al pastor tacos were decent. Good enough to eat while they were in front of me, but I wouldn't order them again. The carne asada, however, was pretty much terrible. The meat was so salty I couldn't eat it, and there were no other spices whatsoever. It tasted like grilled beef that had been dipped in salt. Where's the spices?? Cumin? Chili? Garlic, even? Where's the flavor?? It seems Mexican restaurants in this area really water down their food to appeal to an American palate, which disappoints me. If you're looking for bold Mexican flavors, look elsewhere. read more

On the outside it doesn't draw much attention but this food is DELICIOUS the best Mexican food I've ever had in Durham and I'm from Durham the chorizo sopes and gorditas are a must the pozole taste homemade and the horchata is amazing I've been there more than once in the same week that's how good it is read more

What a fun Mexican spot! Azteca is decorated in the usual Mexican restaurant style, and I think the space would be good for a large group or a kitschy, fun "date night" vibe. The food was excellent, and I'd happily go back for more floutas. read more

Azteca Grill - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Yay! Azteca Grill is a delicious restaurant in the Lakewood community right across from the Scrap Exchange and next to the new Cocoa Cinnamon on Chapel Hill St. Came in for lunch on New Years Day and ordered a milanesa plate, papusa, tacos and rice/beans. YUM. The milanesa was incredible-perfectly breaded and fried with amazing flavors. The rice and beans were well flavored as well and a great addition. The papusa was SO GOOD and I want to bottle the pickled onions and eat them at every meal. The barbacao and carnitas were well cooked and seasoned and the taco salsa bar was a great addition to the tacos. The prices are out of control amazing too. Do yourself a favor and skip the nightmare parking/line/overpriced food at Nanataco and come down the street to this awesome local business with the best Mexican food in Durham. Buen provecha! read more

I had their quesadilla with corn tortilla instead of flour tortilla. You could tell it was authentically made. I could eat the tortilla alone it was so good. Great Mexican food! read more

Ordered the Chicken Fajita lunch as part of a group order for teacher appreciation week. The order was submitted incorrectly. I was fine with it as it certainly wasn't their fault. But, they insisted that I get the meal I wanted and served it up to go, super-fast. Above and beyond service and very delicious! I will definitely be a return customer! read more

We all love Mexican food and we were looking for a place we have never been. We arrived at Azteca Grill and took a second look before we went in and WOW are we glad we did! This is a family owned and run business and they care that you enjoy their freshly prepared food and are happy you visited. We each tried a different item on the menu and everything was fresh, well prepared, and, most importantly, delicious. You will not be disappointed! read more

First off I will say that all four visits to Azteca the food was always fresh and delicious. Enjoyed the beef soup, the asada platter, the carnitas platter and the goat soup. Sometimes the food seems a little under-seasoned but their well stocked salsa bar more than makes up for that fault. The only thing that has been strange is the behavior of the only person I've ever seen take orders/take payments/bring out the food etc. A few times she's been strangely confrontational about requests, including 1. Refusing to give me extra containers for salsas from the salsa bar. I had ordered the guacamole (which is excellent) and chips and wanted to eat some salsa with some of the chips. Finally after a good bit of begging, she relented and gave me two very small containers; 2. Refusing to give me a takeout container for my leftover guacamole because, to quote her, 'there's not enough there to give you a container'; 3. Refusing to give a friend eating with me a plate for her tacos' accompaniments. My other friend and I had gotten a separate plate with tortillas on it as we had ordered plates but my friend didn't get one with her tacos. She's a bit overboard about being sanitary and doesn't feel comfortable taking her tacos to apply the fixings directly onto them. She explained that to the server who told her that a plate of tacos didn't get an extra plate. 4. Acting stunned when I asked for a fork to help eat the large pieces of carrot, potatoes, chayote and beef in the soup. Fortunately after a little more begging she grabbed me a fork. I get that it's a pain to have to deal with folks requesting lots of things but literally all we were asking for was extra cutlery/dishes. I can't say I would be back soon as Tacos Nacos and El Cuscalteco are both closer to my work but Azteca is certainly a huge step up from other places in the area (looking right at you La Vaquita). read more

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Stopped in for lunch with work folks. Very nice manager and friendly, helpful staff. The food was fresh and flavorful, especially the tacos and sopes. The salsa bar was also good. Inexpensive...good food/good value. Kid friendly. Plenty of parking. read more

Authentic taste, good price. Menu has good variety. Hand made tortillas were great. Fast to-go. Friendly staff.

I had an amazing experience here last weekend. The food is phenomenal. Tacos and tortas are amazing. The Cuban torta is not a Cuban sandwich but so what? It is so close to a Cuban frita and fritas are always better anyway. Amazing. The caldos- there were 6 to choose from. I had the chicken caldo. Talk about amazing comfort food. The staff was warm and friendly. I will be back this week. read more

Very clean, super fresh food, nicest staff. In a town that rarely ever does Mexican food right, Azteca grill Is a total gem. The dining room feels like a cheerful street fair. Highly recommend enchiladas suizas, gorditas, and guacamole. Their chips are always made fresh and usually come to the table hot out of the fryer read more

Our new favorite! Good prices, great/DELICIOUS quality, speedy service. We got the Gorditas and the Torta--holy cow. We'd never had that before and we highly recommend it! The place was very clean and was beautifully decorated. Go check it out! read more

I've been to plenty of restaurants during this Covid and eating here was the most stressful experience ever. The staff here are rude and so paranoid. It was like walking on eggshells. The whole set up is confusing. You're asked to get in line to order. If there's no table ready then you wait in the same spot the line is and it is really crowded. A lot of the tables were removed for social distancing, so there's a lot of back up. Then your food is brought out without condiments so in order to get them you have to put back on your mask, walk up to a salad bar, get in line to get someone to serve you some. Your order should just come with limes & salsa like every other restaurant. It took us over an 1 hour to get a table & then our food. To make it worse as soon as you're done eating they ask you to leave. The food was not bad, but I cannot enjoy a meal like that. It should just be to go orders in that case. read more

New to the neighborhood and always trying to find quality tacos, I went in a little late on a Wednesday night. It's a casual place, but you can tell that the people working there care about it. I ordered three tacos (pastor, pollo, asada), two pupusas (revueltas), and a horchata, my friend got a couple of sopes. We were the only customers at the time, and the food came out quickly. Their salsa bar is loaded, and while I was putting some red salsa on my taco, a guy that worked there walked up and said "just to warn you, the red salsas are very hot." That was endearing, but he also wasn't kidding. Everything was really delicious, honestly some of the best pupusas I've ever had, seriously good horchata, and I snagged a bite of sope that was amazing. What really made the meal perfect was getting to watch a spanish language version of the gameshow The Wall with the people that worked there. We had a lot of fun answering trivia questions with them, and sharing in the heartbreak when the contestants lost it all. It was honestly one of the nicest experiences I've had since moving to the area, and I'll definitely be making it a regular spot. Affordable, casual, delicious, friendly; you really can't go wrong here. Oh, and on your way out or if you're just passing by, make sure to take a look at their quality assortment of Mexican candies for sale by the register, totally worth it. read more

As a guerito that loves actual Mexican food, this is the best I've had in the state. Their lengua is by far the best I've ever eaten. Their tripa is great as well, however if you like your tripa crunchy, you might want to specify that in your order. The decorations inside are beautiful and the salsa bar has everything you need for your tacos with a variety of salsas. This isn't your average Americanized Mexican restaurant with cheese on everything, this is the definition of an authentic taqueria. read more

My new favorite mexican restaurant in durham. From LA and Mexican, recently moved to NC, and have been on the hunt for good Mexican food. This restaurant serves homemade, grandma like food. The tacos of cabeza, lengua and barbacoa are amazing. The pozole is not as great but still quite delicious. The service is what you would expect from a mom and pops restaurant, not fancy but super welcoming. The hot sauces specially the oil based that will b on your table are hot but super tasty. And all this with a suprr affordable price. read more

I had takeout from here a few days ago. It was just terrible. The ingredients didn't seem fresh, and the cheese was very... watery? I won't go back. When I went in to pick up the food I also noticed that they have a buffet, but no one was in there and the food looked dried out, like it had been out there all day. read more

What the owners don't spend on decor they invest in authentic, delicious and abundant Mexican food. The daily buffet lunch ($9.99, all you can eat) is a wonderland -- one Saturday, Azteca offered fresh menudo soup, homemade mole with Chicken, pupusas, roast chicken, beef fajitas, refried beans, roast platano (bananas) and home made salsas and tortillas. The atmosphere is very friendly and pretty much only Mexican and Central American families eat there. A true sign that the food is homemade and true to taste. They also offer a full line of juices (horchata, jamaica) and beer. I'll definitely be going back. read more

Great tacos, tortas, and salsas along with kind and friendly employees make Azteca an asset to the Lakewood area! read more

Azteca Grill - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

This place is under new ownership (I think they said 8 months). It's now call Azteca Taqueria, which is what it is. You order at the counter, though there's plenty of room to sit. The food is fresh and hot when it comes out and everything on the salsa bar is as fresh and yummy as it gets! read more

Food was great and service was fast. I lived in Mexico for a while so my judgement of what is "good Mexican" is pretty strict. I ordered a gordita de pollo and a sope de chorizo. It arrived fast and was delicious. I was sad when I looked down and found I had finished my plate. I'll definitely be coming back. read more