The north location off 2222 has a little more character, as the south version is tucked into a strip mall with a standard rectangular dining room. But the menu here is essentially the same: half Tex-Mex, and half interior Mexican food, divided neatly down the center. We ordered off the Tex-Mex side, which I'd rate here at 2-1/2 stars, so I'm assuming from some of the glowing reviews that their interior recipes rate higher. The plates are large in quantity, and they offer a variety of dishes. Everything was served quickly and piping hot. We ordered cabrito (goat meat) tacos, cheese enchiladas, and the shrimp-stuffed Cowboy Chili Relleno. Everything was fairly typical, except that the yellow cheese poured over the enchiladas tasted off, like American cheese, and the shrimp was hard and overcooked. We left both of those dishes unfinished. Any Mexican restaurant that doesn't serve house-made tortillas loses ground for me, and the salsa, while fresh, spicy and chunky, is served in what amounts to a large thimble with a tray of greasy tortilla chips that don't fit inside to dip. Not sure what is up with that. The drink menu offers an array of tequila-based drinks, with their signature drink being a blue-dyed frozen margarita in a very large stemmed glass, more like a goldfish bowl. We saw quite a lot of these perched on tables around the place, so they are popular. I was hoping for actual Azul brand tequila, from the restaurant name, but apparently the name relates only to this Disneyland-esque slushie, because they don't serve Azul brand tequila. Dyed and frozen drinks are not my thing, so we ordered rocks margaritas off the menu, which tasted fresh but at $10-12 for a regular size, were mostly ice and served in a highball glass. So again, not sure what's up with that, but we won't make the same mistake twice. On the plus side, which accounts for the extra half-star, that weekend night offered a talented Latino acoustic guitarist/singer who brightened the atmosphere considerably, along with the friendly staff. Without their presence, for Tex-Mex and drinks, I'd rate this place at 2-1/2 stars. Their interior food may be better, but it's not something I personally would order, and neither is their "Azul" drink, so this review is purely from my perspective. Your mileage may vary, depending on your tastes, so I give them a little benefit of the doubt with my rating. I probably won't be back to this location, because there are other Tex-Mex places I enjoy much more. read more

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Fantastic value on many plates, every time I go the staff is super friendly, and they have had enjoyable live music on the weekends

Delicious authentic mexican food, cute place. Love the tortillas and margaritas especially!

My go to place for good Mexican food and margaritas. The service is always good, the food always comes out fast and hot. I usually don't order enchiladas from restaurants but when I come here Its always a toss up whether to try something new or get enchiladas. They are so good. But, best part of coming here are the Heavy Blue Margaritas! They're $12 each but strong without tasting like straight tequila. They are prefect if you just want a nice big drink to relax and sip on through out your meal and they are absolutely delicious. Also, this location sometime shave mariachi on the weekends which is pretty cool. The people I've seen there are super talented. read more

Azul Tequila - Heavy blue margarita! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

Okay absolutely love me some Azul Tequila. I think I've been eating at this spot for at least 7 years, maybe more. I usually order the Texas sampler, chicken fajitas, or the south padre fajitas with shrimp. My partner gets the pollo huasteco. They have great salsa, queso, and chips too. Carlos is our favorite server. I feel like they have been extremely safe since the Covid-19 outbreak. My only suggestions for the business would be to provide compostable to-go packaging and paper bags as I cannot recycle the styrofoam or plastic. Please also ask the customer if they need plastic ware & napkins before automatically putting it in the bag. Thank you, One of your regulars - Kate read more

We where the second only table in the place. We got chips and our drinks. The service was dismal we waited for the server to come. They where busy just talking and laughing. I asked for ticket to pay for our drinks. Terrible customer service. read more

I'm going to upgrade my review to 4 stars. We've been eating at Azul Tequila again and since my 2011 review, they have upgraded the interior seating and they have a more stable waitstaff. The food is still good and they have both TexMex and Interior Mexican dishes that are consistently delicious. I would recommend them for either a quick lunch or a large group... or if you just want to try something different from the standard TexMex fare. PS. Sadly, since my earlier review from several years ago, the Herpeton store that was next door has closed, so you'll no longer have the option of feeding ill-behaved children to the reptiles. read more

Disappointed, the nacho chips were stale and soggy. To be fair it was a to go order due to COVID restrictions. Also not the best delivery experience. The driver didn't know which duplex I was in, my fault. So after trying to call me once they guessed and texted me after they had driven off. They got it wrong, luckily I know my neighbors and they texted me before the driver responded. Then I unpacked and opened the boxes before I realized it was not my order. The driver realized it too but I had already touched everything. Per his instructions I wrapped it back up and left it outside so he could switch it with the right order. I hope he didn't give it to someone else... Finally got the right order and the bag was on its side. The caramel sauce from the flan had completely emptied into the bag covering everything inside including my tortilla chips. read more

Azul Tequila - Caramel soaked chips :( - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

Chipotle GRILLED shrimp IS NOT Grilled and the fresh vegetables are "lots" of onions and green bell peppers, also NOT Grilled. If it hadn't been for the chipotle sauce it would have been sent back. Basic bland "sauteed" shrimp on top of onions and peppers. Dissappointed... read more

Best food and Drinks, The Heavy Blue is strong and the family owned business are super friendly. Mariachis on Friday

We LOVE this place. Do yourself a favor and get the heavy blue margarita. PS it's strong! They have a mariachi band Friday and Saturday nights and they have awesome enchiladas. read more

A small place in a strip mall that is not too bad at all. It has bother interior and Tejano food, which is a real plus. It was clean, the staff friendly and the service prompt. This is one of two locations. Our food was tasty as were the non-alcohol drinks, even though they have a full bar. I really did like the small place and will be back to try some interior items. I fully expect it to kick up another star. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. It is just fine as it is. read more

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Azul Tequila is more what I would call interior Mexican as opposed to your traditional tex-mex that we have every where in Austin. Interior Mexican is a little more hard to get I think. This restaurant is located in a old shopping center off South Lamar and 71 and it kind of blends in. Nothing special really, but then you walk inside and you might be a little surprised like me. It is definitely spruced up a bit on the inside. I actually took a friend here for dinner. I ordered the mole enchiladas and she had the taco salad. The mole was rich and delicious! My friend said that her taco salad was great too. It came in a huge taco shell bowl with combination chicken and beef on it. We interacted with several of the staff and they were all wonderful as well. Our waiter never let our drinks get low as well! The menu here is pretty big, but if you are looking for good interior Mexican food this is definitely a place worth checking out! read more

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Enjoyed wonderful meals: Chile Relleno Aleman and Taco salad. Went after lunch on a Sunday. Friendly staff, pleasant atmosphere. read more

Azul Tequila - Relleno Aleman - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I can't believe I keep forgetting about this place. I think it's because it sits in an assuming strip mall location next to a Target on Manchaca. But it's truly a secret gem! Trust me - I am highly critical of Mexican food. Blame it on my parents raised in Central Mexico and my thirteen childhood summers spent in Aguascalientes. Being in Austin, they offer the standard Tex-Mex dishes, but they also have wonderful interior dishes such as cochinita pibil, mole de olla, chile manzano, pescado yucateco, and albondigas en chipotle - dinner entrees range from 7.99 - 11.99 - reasonably and deservingly priced. There are two things that make this place ultra special, though, but let me explain a little first. Now, you see a lot of mariachi trios around town, especially East Austin - I have much respect for these musicians, but I feel they are not the easiest to talk to (mostly because they do not spend more than 20 minutes at any one restaurant). The group at Azul Tequila is the Mariachi Garibay. A septet ensemble, they are young and vibrant, brilliantly talented, funny, well-trained in classical and/or mariachi, and play music that is even more traditionally interior than what you might catch in East Austin. And, they have a harpist. Folks, you can't get more authentic than that. Oh, and the other thing that makes Azul Tequila special - well, they have an extensive collection of tequila at the bar, but most of all, they have Corralejo Reposado. It comes in the blue bottle, and it is one of the finest tequilas - one of the smoothest you'll ever have. Good for shots, margaritas, and martinis. It's all about the blue. read more

Azul Tequila - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I FINALLY tried Azul Tequila... it's about bloody time. I wanted to come here ever since I watched the show "The best thing I ever ate" and Adam Richmond said it was the Cochinita Pibil.. the cocha ca ca what? I had to look it up several times. ANYWHO My boyfriend ordered that and I ordered a chicken dish. Their website is still under construction so I can't say what it was! boo. But it was some sort of red sauce. The chicken was alright, nothing amazing. The Cochinita Pibil was actually really good, and it's because of the multiple awesome flavors that come together to sing a perfect harmonyyyyyyyy!!! It's served over plantains with pickled onions on the side. The strong bite from the onions, and the sweetness of the plantains compliments the savory amazing meaty flavor of the... cochinita? or pork? or whatever? Anyway, it is a very VERY good dish. But then I ate something horribly spicy and couldn't talk for a while because I had to hold water in my mouth. I know that's weird, but it's true. I still don't know what it was. Anyway, our waiter was nice, but he was really backed up. He had a bijillion tables and I wasn't surprised that he couldn't keep up because they gave the poor guy so much work! I think they were understaffed. I'm torn between 3 and 4 stars. The service was not too good (that's not his fault), and I wasn't soooo excited about the food (but my boyfriend got a really good dish, why didn't I get that one!?).. it seems that I'm trying to argue for 4. Ok, 4 it is. read more

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It's a hole in the wall kind of restaurant with great food and drinks that hit the spot every time. Come on a weekend night and might even see a mariachi band playing. It's a casual spot and they can make vegan / vegetarian options without a problem when asked. read more

Definitely one of the better Mexican food restaurants in Austin. It's a little strange since it sits in a strip center, next to a Target and a Dollar Store. But, please do not let that fool you. Cause, this place is great. The menu is much more interior Mexican than it is Tex-Mex, so it is a nice change if you are used to the generic food of Santa Rita or the like. Some killer options I have had recently are the Cochinita Pibil, Cabrito al Maguey, and my absolute favorite the Tex-Mex El Paso Rib Eye. Margaritas aint to shabby either. No Hipsters. read more

Azul Tequila - So much food!!! - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

Hola! This place is the primary reason I want to learn to speak Spanish. The staff are native speakers and by that I mean some of the staff has a very strong accent and I really have to use my listening skills and look them in the eye. I am not in the habit of paying serious attention to English speakers because I suffer from adult attention hyperactivity disorder and I am unmedicated. I stabilize my condition via margarita drinking and I re-discovered yesterday that the bartender at Azul makes a great agave/fresh lime margarita. I did not eat anything since Azul was the first stop of our South Lamar Margarita Tour. It is worth mentioning that Azul has delicious salsa and as I have said before a Mexican restaurant is not worth anything if the salsa is awful and not freshly prepared. My next visit to Azul will to partake in the food. I am not a first or last time visitor, but it has been awhile since I have been to this little jewel in a strip mall. read more

I ordered the Beef Fajita taco salad that was $12. Not too much meat, veggies tasted old, chips were stale. First time ordering from here . Sauce that came with salad was really good. Over all not satisfied. I'm open to trying another dish but this definitely wasn't worth $12. read more

I like Azul Tequila. It's near my apartment, it's near a pretty good nail place, they have tequila. All good things. However, I think their drinks are a little overpriced and I've had some really lackluster service there. I've had great experiences the two times I've stopped in for appetizers and a few drinks, but the two times I've gone for dinner with friends, we've had our food come out wrong or, in one case, a plate entirely forgotten. When that happened, they brought it out as everyone else was finishing and didn't offer any sort of comp/free dessert/grovelling apology. Overall, they're inconsistent, but not a bad place for drinks. I also really enjoy their mariachi band. Side note - they don't split checks. read more

Fresh ingredients and incredible food - we were fortunate to stop in on a trip through Austin. Would stop again!

Great food for a great price. We got the enchiladas and quesadillas and they were both great. The margaritas were also strong and flavorful , accompanying the dinner perfectly . read more

Meh. Looky lefty. Soup so salty it got sent back. Everything else we ordered was Altogether unremarkable. The service was actually good though. Shame. read more

would give 4.5 stars if I could. But 5 stars are left for perfect places. Food was great. We ordered different things. I had the spinach and mushroom enchiladas that were covered in a creamy poblano sauce. The spinach was fresh and perfectly cooked. The fiancé had a fish fish in a savory red sauce. Definitely want to learn the recipe. Atmosphere could use some improvement, a guy started to play sax but that wasn't until later into dinner and we could hear other tables conversation in the silence. read more

I hesitate to write this, because it's my quick and cheap lunchtime getaway, and I don't want to threaten that status with crowds. The first thing you will notice is the dauntingly large menu. You see, I am originally from El Paso which automatically makes me a huge snob wrt Mexican Food. Azul Tequila DOESN'T make El Paso style, which makes it an even bigger bar to hurdle. They do, and they do it well. My go to's are Chorizo sopes or tostadas, red pozole if I'm not wearing a white shirt, or the El Paso Ribeye, TA's answer to Matt's El Rancho Crenshaw Steak. Getting hungry just thinking about it. If these don't sound tasty, there are another 3,763,123 items. I'm sure you'll find something, read more

This place has really shown me how much I like Mexican food over the traditional Tex-Mex. We have had the Albondigas en Chipotle (4 big meatballs in a rather watery soup), Pollo Huasteco (SPICED chicken without being SPICY), and the Pescado Veracruzano (fish with a red sweet and tangy sauce over fried plantain). Each time, I've killed the entire dish, rice and beans and all. Sure I felt like an overpuffed blowfish when I was done because it's wayyyy too much food for me, but it was so good at the time. To increase round-ness, add on an order of sopapillas for the ride home - fried dough covered in honey, powdered sugar, and cinnamon. I'm definitely going to skip the jumbo margaritas, local and Mexican beers in order to save room for the NOMs next time. read more

Azul Tequila - Carne guisada - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

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This is some really great Mexican food but may not appeal to the superficial seekers of sweet margaritas and garbage enchiladas that seems to have taken over much of Austin these days. This place serves more authentic dishes, less TexMex, than many restaurants. The fresh chips and salsa are always great but I have to take it easy, my poor palate can't take the heat anymore after living in Virginia for 5 years and Azul's salsa is nice and spicy. The pipian sauce here is to die for and if you get the carnitas ask for a side of the sauce, phenomenal combination. The specialty margaritas, all named after famous Mexicans, are the real deal. Not full of sugar, sweet and sour mix and fruity flavors so they may not appeal to some but mine was fantastic. Nice kids options too. read more

Azul Tequila - The Jorge Negrete - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

Azul Tequila is excruciatingly marginal, and three stars is generous. That said, the service was solid and staff both attentive and friendly. The music is by far the best part of the ambiance. Nothing adorns the walls other than two TVs and some lights. It's a largely dark and bland space. Speaking of bland, the food won't leave you weak in the knees. The corn chips are okay, and the salsa has a nice kick but it's not extraordinary. I had carnitas, and they weren't awful, but the flavor was mundane, the meat kind of dry and definitely not worth $15. Served with rice and charro beans, the latter of which was quite good, they are orders of magnitude less impressive than Sazón, which is located about two miles north on Lamar. They serve the best carnitas I've had, not just in Austin but anywhere. All in all I was disappointed in Azul Tequila, especially given the fact that it's part of the Papalote family. If it's your only option Azul Tequila won't be your worst dining experience, but Mexican food is a cutthroat game in Austin and I'll definitely head back to Sazón next time I'm in the mood for carnitas. read more

Love this place. I moved to Austin this past August and live just around the corner so it was just a matter of time before I gave them a shot. Very glad I have, several times over. First, the service is excellent here. I've been here four times now and each time the level of service has been consistent, especially a gentleman named Daniel, who is a total bro. The food: three out of the four times I have been here I have ordered the pozole with al pastor tacos. I regret nothing. The pozole is excellent and comes with all the fixings. The al pastor tacos are great as well and, oh man, comes with this absolutely addictive green sauce. I don't know what the hell is used to make this stuff, but it must have come from some ancient Mayan god directly because this is serious stuff. It's one of those things you can't explain. They know their stuff here because even the complimentary chips and salsa are notable. No joke, their red salsa is probably the best I've ever had and has the perfect level of kick. Most importantly, everything is very fresh and comes out of the kitchen surface of the sun hot. Only thing that really didn't do it for me were some enchiladas I ordered, but that isn't to say they were bad. Just wasn't my thing regarding the accompanying sauce. Can't say enough good about AT. read more

My boyfriend and I frequent this place as we are from South Texas and love interior Mexican food. Margaritas are tasty, however the cabrito and chile relleno con almendras are why we keep coming back. I highly recommend the left side of the menu (that's the interior side, the right side is the tex-mex side). We've never had an issue with service, have always had attentive waiters. It does get kind of loud with the mariachi since it's a small place so conversations have to be cut short or need to happen in between songs. read more

Unassumingly excellent little Mexican restaurant. We had the heavy blue margaritas, enchiladas, flautas, and queso all of which I would order again. Inexpensive menu with great portions, and our server was delightful. We will definitely be back! read more

I had to try this place after seeing it on "Best Thing I Ever Ate" on Food Network. The food was just ok, but what makes this place 4 stars are the drinks! They have all kinds of fresh, yummy margaritas. I ordered the guava margarita made with fresh guava including a floater of some Austin-based tequila and wow...one of the best drinks ever! Strong and very delicious! They also had passion fruit, avocado, their special "blue" margarita, and so much more. I would definitely go here again just for drinks! Also, the queso is good, and the salsa is wonderful too as long as you like it spicy. I noticed the bad bathroom smell other Yelpers complained about, but only when I was actually IN the bathroom, not outside of it. There is a small patio with 3-4 tables. The view is just of the highway and other strip mall stores, but I still like having the option to sit outside at places! GO FOR THE DRINKS!! :) read more

Pros: --Excellent interior Mexican food --Great drinks --Good prices --The best cabrito in town! Cons: --Waitstaff have not attend finishing school. In other words, we've twice ordered an app and it twice came out AFTER our entrée. Fuggetaboutit! --You feel as if you're eating in a strip mall --There is a crazy loud mariachi band every Friday night. They are not bad, but you should know ahead of time. This could presumably be a pro for some people. read more

A little hard to find. I had to comb three adjacent malls before I found it. Ordered albondigas, which was on the entree section of the menu, not the soup section, but which proved to be soup with only four fairly large meatballs in it. But they were good meatballs, with a little rice in the middle. My companion had enchiladas with pipian sauce. Didn't taste much like the pumpkin seeds it was supposedly made of, but good. read more

I love this place. Here are my tips straight to the point -The avocado margarita is so amazing and creamy and delicious! Yummmm -Don't order from the Tex-Mex side of the menu, stick with interior food -I LOVE the pork chili relleno with almond cream sauce -Friday and Saturday nights they have mariachis but get there early -They re did the bathrooms but they still have a funny smell -The outside of the building leaves a lot to be desired but don't let that fool you! -Yummy salsa with small chip bowls but free refills -Friendly staff -Booths are a tight squeeze for more than 3 people and their knees Give them a try! read more

Azul Tequila - Avocado margarita deliciousness - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

We received prompt and courteous service upon arriving. After being seated, we received our complimentary chips and salsa which had nice flavors. We were there for lunch and ordered accordingly. My husband ordered the enchiladas and I had the taco plate. My husband's menu item came with two enchiladas, one cheese and the other beef. He asked if he could have both in cheese and was told that it would be an extra dollar charge which we thought was kind of strange. I loved the smoky flavor of the spicy enchilada sauce. My tacos were pretty standard but the beans and rice fell slightly flat for me, not anything too special or memorable. The portions were generous and we filled up really well. Our server was really lovely and the value was great. Nice little Tex-Mex place to grab a bite and go. read more

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Azul Tequila is an oldie-but-a-goodie. Wonderful as your weekday go to, lunch, or a lingering evening with friends. Outstanding margaritas and other cocktails. Azul Tequila has an inspired menu of interior choices as well as well-executed Tex-Mex favorites. And the service is always great! You can't go wrong! read more

Very family oriented. Menu was varied with great choices. The salsa was tasty with good heat. Fresh guacamole mariachi band on Friday night-a little cliché but a lot of fun. Prices were good-staff was helpful. Nothing extraordinary on the menu but the atmosphere was casual and comfortable. read more

Azul Tequila - Mariachi - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

I love this place. Consistently good! The caldos are so good, especially the mole de olla and caldo de Camaron. Salsa also great (a bit spicy). Mariachi on Fridays, too. read more