I have to say amazing we love the food and service was great the waitress listened how i wanted and came out exactly like I like it .Portions are huge fill us quickly We were very surprised . Highly recommended read more

My favorite restaurant in Ames. Food is fresh and staff is very friendly. You will not find a better casual dining experience in town.

As I sit here right now attempting to enjoy a meal, I ordered 3 beef enchiladas and rice and beans a strawberry margarita Margarita good Enchiladas looked good, but not only bland, but watery. When I said this to waiter, he apparently was offened and said as he took my plate, so you want nothing. You want nothing! How rude! I wil never give them another shot and will not refer anyone here to this place. TOTALLY DISAPPOINTED! read more

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. read more

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! read more

This is just good stuff. Great food, quick service, priced right. Big margaritas, cold beer. Excellent salsa. Best Mexican in town. read more

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. read more

El Azteca used to be one of my favorite places to eat in Ames, but it has been going downhill for some time now. The service is still decent, but I often feel rushed to eat and leave. The last few meals I've had there have not been good.. not horrible, but not good. I'm not sure what's changed, but please bring back the old El Azteca! read more

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. read more

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! read more

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. read more

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. read more

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. read more

Referred here by a colleague and the food and drink definitely doesn't disappoint in terms of taste. Though for a family-owned restaurant, it seemed to lack two common facets: portions and service. The portions for the food, especially the dinner combination plates were really rather small. Typically when you order a combination with a few enchiladas and a taco or quesadilla, it includes a big plate with rice and beans as well. Not so here. Also - the service was really lacking. I was sitting in the bar, early in the evening, and as soon as I finished my food, one of the several servers swooped in and took my plate and replaced it with the check. Well, I was thinking of having another drink or two and watching the NFL game they're showing, but I guess they want me to leave... I might give it another try the next time I'm in Ames, but only if I can't find anything else. read more

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. read more

I love this location! The waitstaff is very accommodating and give fast service. My food is always good. However, today we were there during a very busy lunch, and the two hostesses were so full of attitude, it was bad. No hello, thank you, goodbyes, slapped menus on the tables, just glared at customers. I understand we all have bad days, and this is not a career. The waitstaff were really under pressure and couldn't have been more pleasant even though they were busy. The hostesses acted like they were doing you a favor and grudgingly at that. Not a good impression. Having worked in the service industry, I know the challenges, but these hostesses were not caring about anyone. read more

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! read more

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. read more

El Azteca is a popular Ames area Mexican restaurant for a good reason - their food is good as are the prices. The service has been a bit slack as of late, knocking a star off of what would have been a sure-fire 5-Star review. They have a huge menu and full bar which offers the "best" margaritas in Ames. I'm not sure about that as I've never had one. They have excellent fajitas, enchiladas (especially the enchiladas verdes) and taco salads. The food comes out quickly. We timed it one time and even on a busy Friday night it was hot and at our table in eight minutes. Everything tastes fresh and I've never had anything I didn't like. It's nice to be greeted with a hot, crispy batch of fresh tortilla chips and a delightful salsa, though with the fast turnaround time you barely get a chance to enjoy them. I am less than pleased with the service lately. The past two times I've gone there it has taken them seemingly forever to wait on us even when the place isn't all that busy. They seemed to have more than enough time to stand around and talk, just not enough time to properly wait on you. Once they do finally get around to you everything goes quickly. Overall, the poor service isn't enough to keep me from going back because this place is unquestionably the best Mexican restaurant in Ames. read more

I ordered the Burrito California, being from L.A. I thought it was tasty. Wasn't thrilled with the cheesy sauce and lettuce in the burrito but that's my preference. Not bad for Iowan Mexican food. Will go back and try something else. read more

El Azteca - Just order to go looks legit... lets see how good its going to be. - Mexican Near Me - Ames, Iowa

We enjoyed the takeout meals of carnitas and chilled verde. Everything was great: the pork, rice beans (so good!!), chips, and salsa. The food was fast and I appreciated the curbside option during covid. I'll be returning! read more

Not my favorite place for Mexican food. I've had burritos taco salads and the carne asada plate from this place and literally have been sick every time I've eaten here. The service is super speedy and usually that's not a bad thing but I'm pretty sure they microwave most of there food. Plates are always ridiculously hot the rice is dry and feels microwaved. The meat is always dry and rubbery. I know some people love it here and so it's probably the last time. To be honest I would rather have Taco Bell or taco johns. read more

One of my favorite restaurants in ames! The servers are always friendly and the service is usually crazy fast. The food is delicious as well. read more

Went in at 9:50 on a Friday night with a group on 5 and they would even make us 1 drink. Kind rude. Lied about it being 9:55.

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. read more

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. read more

Awesome! Not much to say other than that my food was hot, fast, and delicious! The speed was the element that really pleased me, I didn't even get through my first round of chips and salsa! (The salsa is exceptional here also) Overall I'm highly pleased with my experience, and they gain bonus points for airing the Little League World Series on one of their few tv's. Try the Pork Carnitas! Cheers, Y'all read more

Very happy we decided to stop here as we were moving my daughter into college. Delicious food and wonderful staff. The owners son, Albert and server, Yarath were extremely friendly. Will come again! read more

I usually love El Azteca from a price and food stand point. However, I placed a call to see what their hours were and the person who answered was not incredibly friendly. It made me quiet uncomfortable even though I was exceptionally kinda and even talked through what I was asking when they didn't understand. Would probably go to the Stange road location. read more

Just average Mexican food, nothing great. The salsa was very good. The taco and burrito were just ok. The chili relleno was a train wreck on the plate with a big gob of cheese on the top. It was left uneaten. No one came back to check so why leave a tip? Not a place I would come back to. read more

We had driven from Duluth and were quite hungry. Chips were on the table before we sat down! Margarita was great and food was fabulous! Our server was beyond friendly! read more

My wife and I had eaten at this restaurant's other location and found that the food was comparable. Good standard Mexican fare at good prices. read more

We just stopped at the Dayton location. It was 8:20 and the restaurant closes at 9:00. They told us they would not serve us because it was too late. We've eaten here before and were looking forward to it, but after being treated like this, it will be a long time before we go back. read more

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. read more

We stopped in as it was close to hotel and seemed busy (I take that as good sign). The wait staff and food would deserve 4-5 stars but I am still floored by the rudeness of the manager. We asked for table for 10. Yes, that's tough on a busy night and we prepared for the wait, settling in with a drink and chatting. I honestly witnessed the Manager walk by us, call out someones table, walk back into restaurant then abruptly stomp back out to tell them in a most rude way, "This is the second time I had to call you.". After an hour wait they said our table was ready but they split us in two booths. I asked the manager to reseat us together as we have waited over an hour. I was matter-of-fact, not rude, and he told me, "I will not allow you to talk to me that way and if you don't like it you can go someplace else.". I'm not making this up. There is not one female staff person there that we saw. My opinion is that there is a problem with the Manager. read more

The most disgusting mexican food i have ever had... i do not recomend eating here ever... drive 2 blocks to dairy queen garantee the food is way better read more

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. read more

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! read more

The food was okay. The beans are a tiny bit less runny than at Cazador's but that was about the only difference. Service good for pre-dinner drinks and dinner, but then we practically had to throw bricks at the 6 waiters just standing around for refills/more drink orders. The big thing, though, is don't bother if there are more than 4 in your party. They had 7 weeks prior notice for a group of 21, and -- the night before when I called (for the fourth time) for final confirmation -- said they "don't take reservations." (Why didn't they mention that the first three times I'd called?) They did manage to figure it out when all 21 of us were standing inside the door, but I spoke to the manager before I left. (To compliment him on the fact that they'd evidently decided they wanted our business.) TWICE (yes, twice, because I wasn't sure he understood what I said the first time) the manager told me that they "didn't want the business" of large groups. If you've got more than 4 in your group, and you want Mexican food, go to Cazador's. read more

We Love the food here so we stopped by Sunday around 2. Crowd was gone but there were still plenty of staff in the building. We were waited on and brought our drinks, chips and salsa and food in a very timely manor. Then the problems began - after delivering our food, we never saw the waiter again. We were never asked if our food was as we had ordered, if there were any issues with what was delivered. I had drank almost all of my Diet Coke and placed it near the edge of the table to signify that I would like a refill. Well I guess it was all you can drink day (one glass is all you can drink). We finished our meal, which was fine and tasty as is normal for this restaurant, and then proceeded to the checkout. We never received a check and notified the person checking us out only to have him chuckle. We will return as we do like the food at this location but will think about when we visit so that we receive actual service not like going thru a drive thru. P.S. both of us have worked in the food industry and do not think we are asking too much of the wait staff. read more