I ordered the menudo. The soup itself was good and the meat was soft and tender. However, I would recommend removing some of the excess oil floating on top. It might also improve the flavor if the meat is boiled together with the stock, as the meat tasted like it was cooked separately and came across a bit bland. That said, the broth alone was delicious and had great flavor. The nachos and the dip were both very good and enjoyable. The staff were welcoming, friendly, and very helpful, which made the overall dining experience pleasant. read more

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Basic looking strip plaza Mexican restaurant in Grayslake. El Azteca is better than it looks thankfully, as in the food is what to pay attention to and not the lame location. It's a ways from the downtown area with all the cool restaurants, but that doesn't mean it should be neglected though. For sure it's not fancy, but the food is affordable. There's authentic stuff, as well as things palatable for bland preferences. After taking a long stroll from the downtown area, we finally ended up here. It looks like a pretty typical cheap looking strip mall Mexican restaurant. The drinks and food are better than the looks of the place though. Got some of the Jamaica. It's about $3 for a serving. This is agua fresca made with hibiscus flowers, giving it a purplish color as well as a sweet floral taste. As for the food, we each got a Veggie Burrito. It's about $7 each. These came with beans, cheese and cream, which I left off, lettuce, rice, tomatoes, and other vegetables. Maybe these weren't that big, but these also weren't small either. These were loaded and filling. Has plenty of authentic options if looking for anything. It's also friendly enough to American tastes. There's meaty proteins as well as items for vegetarians. read more

El Azteca II - a plate of food and a drink - Mexican Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

Lived here since 2016 never ordered anything from here until today. Steak tacos with onions and cilantro. Just a solid street taco no complaints at all, steak burrito excellent. Great price great food, definitely will be ordering again read more

The food is the saving grace of this spot. Every time we go to this location, the service is lacking. Of the 6 of us, we get our food in intervals vs the full table. Drinks take longer than it should. One time I think we got the food before drinks or at the same time. Mind, the food doesn't arrive exceptionally fast. I always get the Huachinango, and I always get the food last. I do order extra fried, which takes longer, but that SHOULD mean the other dishes are put on hold so they can arrive at the table at the same time. Food is tasty. Service is dreadful. read more

We've been coming here for years but haven't been here for a few months. Decided to have our go to meal here. A steak burrito and the Red Snapper dinner. The snapper was so over cooked it was mainly inedible. Literally was so hard and dry I couldn't cut it. The burrito was also over cooked. We were one of two tables and we waited 40 minutes for food that was really bad. It's unfortunate that they have gone so far down from their five-star days. read more

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This is a great resturant with very good food. Between the taco dinner and chicken flautas this place rocks. Topping off the meal with Flan made the visit even better. excellent. Can't wait to go back. Very hard working staff and a definite place to support small business owners. Give this place a try. read more

The meal was great...the service was prompt...their space is small compared to the Butera store next door, but good things CAN come out of small packages! read more

Friendly staff. Other than the potatoes not fully cooked in my soup they have tasty food. Cleanliness of the place. Unbeatable prices. I will definitely visit again. read more

Everything is made with love! Family owned/run. Don't be in rush, sit and enjoy the service. Your food is made upon order and it's delish! Chips are hot and FRESH. We've been twice and ea time we've enjoyed our meal! Stop in, grab a table and enjoy! Keep this little gem thriving. read more

Location is friendly and clean, and food is sold at a great price! If you're thinking of ordering Mexican food on a budget while supporting a local business this is the place. read more

El Azteca II - Pictured one asada taco and an asada sope. - Mexican Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

Went to try this place out for lunch and glad I did. Found another place that serves mole and this is pretty good as well. Had Laura as our server and she was awesome, friendly and fast. Ordered more stuffs to go for dinner since just wanna stay in tonight and rest. The place has typical Mexican restaurant decorations and the place was a bit on the darker or dimmer side. Their lengua tacos were good as well as their birreria tacos. I also tried their flan, though I was not a fan of to be honest, everyone has their own preference on how they like their flan but can't say I didn't try. I'll have to come again and try their Caldo de res and compare it with the way other restaurants make it. Over all it was a pleasant experience. I just wish the owner was more acknowledging to her customers and say hi, ask how was everything and smile but she didn't seem approachable and didn't give any acknowledgment even we are right in front of the register and she was behind the cashier checking us out. My reviews are about my overall entire experience from my entrance to the business and to my exit of the business experience. As I always mention on my previous reviews of other businesses, hospitality, friendliness, attentiveness and cleanliness is just as important as serving good foods. Almost a 5 star but the ending was kinda a downer. Was gonna rate 3 stars but that wouldn't be fair to the good service our waitress Laura has given us. read more

El Azteca II - Bunuello - Mexican Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

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Ordered to go from this place a while back. The customer service was great, the lady over the phone was so friendly and kind. The food was just alright. We got there right when we were told to pick it up. By the time we got home (not very far) it was room tempish and soggy. I might recommend if you could eat at the restaurant, but not the best Togo. I'll have to go back and try again at the restaurant! I loved the guacamole that was on the side of my quesadillas, be sure to try that. The prices were good so that's a plus read more

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Friendly staff and delicious food. Usually eat tacos or burritos but want to try the Pozole soon

Overcharged us and underfed us. Pathetic to give so little chips. Comparable to a chipotle side. Also didn't provide salsa after requesting read more

El Azteca II - Overcharge. 1/2 a bag. Very dissatisfied. - Mexican Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

We moved to wildwood after living in round lake. Our go to taco place was villasenor. After trying the couple local places this is our new go to! Authentic great tasting food! Friendly service also! Steak is betting than their cecina. The gorditas are amazing! read more

El Azteca II - Cecina 2 Taco Platter Dinner - Mexican Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

Good food. Friendly service. Never disappointed. We eat here when we want good food fast. The enchiladas are great ever time. Steak burrito is a winner. I would recommend if you're in the area. read more

El Azteca II - Steak Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

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Quiet spot located in a small strip mall. They have a steady takeout business. A little pricier than other places, but fast, friendly service. Lengua was delicious, asada was not as successful. Salsa for the chips was lacking, but the salsas in the bottles are spicy and good. Beans are some of the best I've had, and the rice has really good flavor but was dry and felt like it was maybe microwaved. Overall not bad, would try again. read more

Decent food, decent price. Enjoyed the quesadilla and taco the most. Staff was friendly. read more

El Azteca II - Combo 1 - Mexican Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

Wonderful food and service. We really like the vegetarian taco salad with extra beans and rice and green sauce. Also the jalapeño poppers with green sauce. Horchata is also a great treat! read more

My daughter and I stopped and had lunch. We both had the 2 taco dinners. The steak and el pastor were delicious! The rice and beans were delicious! The fried ice cream was good. Our server Laura was great! The only reason that I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars was that it is a bit pricey for what you get. We will be back though...just not as often. read more

From the time of entered I was welcome. I got the tamale lunch special and the chicken green Chile tamales were excellent. I'm looking forward to coming back and trying more items. They have Snapper on the dinner menu. read more

Delicious, freshly prepared Mexican food served with a smile in a casual environment. Highly recommend the Enchiladas...get a combination of 3 types! The chips are served fresh and HOT, the rice is moist and nicely seasoned. The chorizo tacos are also delicious! read more

El Azteca II - Mexican Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

Stopped here on our way back to the city and so glad we did. The food is authentic, hot, and muy delicioso!! The cashier and servers were incredibly nice and attentive. It may look unsuspecting next to the Butera but don't pass this place up!! Also free chips and salsa like any phenomenal authentic Mexican restaurant. read more

El Azteca II - Steak burrito, queso fundido, and steak quesadilla. Delicious!!! - Mexican Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

No flavor Miss 2 steak tacos 5:50 Don't recommend n Too expensive and miss The orderer read more

Chicken burrito had water dripping out of it with NO flavor. They must hold the pulled chicken in water. What Mexican restaurant in the Lake County and the Cook County area charges for extra chips and salsa? First basket of chips was not filled to to the top, so I asked for more chips and salsa. The server never let me know that it was a charge of $3.10 for the extra chips and salsa. I found out when I got the bill. Windows were smeary dirty and need cleaning. I highly recommend going to Tagueria Cinco Hermanos a few doors down from the Grayslake Jewel which just opened several months ago. The food is great and the restaurant is new, modern, and clean. read more

I got the recommendation from Jose about meat lovers burrito and it was delicious! There was a lot of flavor and I will be back for sure!

Up start business Really nice Waiting for food Clean environment Very welcoming Hope the food is good!!! Tacos de lengua Tongue tacos read more

El Azteca II - Mexican Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

Food was hot service fast for take out and delivery. I haven't eaten in the restaurant

I have been here twice. The first time I was very happy with the nachos. The second time I had the taco salad lunch special which was also very good. It seems I was charged 1.29 for an up charge for ice tea, then charged 2.99 for the tea and also a .50 service charge. Had one total on the bill that read cash and another total for cash. Adding the bill it came to the higher "charge" total. Don't know if I'm being ripped off cause bill was so confusing. I don't think I'm smart enough to go back there. read more

Best tacos when ordering out period! Grubhub delivered but not on weekends which is a bummer. These tacos are not only VERY good but they package them so neatly your thing you're eating at the restaurant. Fresh, tasty, delicious! Yep if you like tacos this is hands down an amazing place. Steak tacos with avocado and sour cream for me. 4 of them with the perfectly imperfect chips (if you know what I mean you totally get it) yeah they are that good. Add their Faldo and wham! read more

We had burritos / he had pastor and I had carnitas. They were good but I think we will try steak and chicken next and cilantro added because I love the flavor. Burritos were tasty and filling. The salsa verse is delicious. The salsa roja is best used sparingly. The small side of guacamole we ordered needed something. I added a bit of the roja and salt, stirred and it was improved. I'd come back. read more

We picked this place on a whim after a late afternoon at Duck Dog Park and we were really happy that the good reviews were accurate. This is definitely worthy of it's high stars. We're always looking for a new spot to get Mexican food and this place stands out as a fresh, authentic and affordable alternative to the endless number of super mediocre mexican restaurants in the area. Al pastor stood out as having a great level of spice, and delicious pineapple pieces. Fish was well flavored. Guacamole was very high quality. Salsa had a unique flavor that I really enjoyed. And finally, the chips here are FRESH and made in the restaurant. It makes a huge difference. Overall, we cant wait to go back! read more

I'm so glad I found this place! Decided to stop on after shopping at the new Butera market next door. Was not disappointed! I ordered chicken tacos and cecina tacos. My friend ordered a chille relleno burrito (yes, burrito!) My tacos were great! The chicken was flavorful and juicy (I hate dry chicken) and the cecina was seasoned perfectly. I ordered my tacos with only onions and cilantro but there are other toppings available. I had some of my friends burrito and that was great too, it was huge! We shared an order of chips/guacamole too- the guac had chunks of avocado which I exactly how I like it, not blended into a paste. Prices were reasonable, about the same as Tacos el Norte. They had 2 salsas available: a red and a green. PLEASE NOTE! The red sauce is hot!! Really hot! I love a bold firey salsa so this was great for me, but if you're just looking for "spicy" it might be too hot for you. Their green salsa (verde) was mostly mild with a hint of spice. Also very good. If I had one criticism, it would be that I would prefer a salsa in between the spiciness of the two available. Their food definitely can stand alone without a salsa though, don't get me wrong. Plenty of flavor to go around. The people here are really nice. The first time we came in it was a younger girl serving us and the second time was an older woman. Both very polite and attentive. I'm happy to see Grayslake with more great Mexican places. Definitely stop in if you like Mexican. read more

El Azteca II - Chicken Tacos and Cecina Tacos YUM - Mexican Near Me - Grayslake, Illinois

Food is average or slightly above. Price is average or slightly more expensive. Tried to call in an order for pickup, for just 3 tacos, and they said it was an hour wait at least, no exceptions. For pickup. They just lost a loyal customer that went there fairly often and supported them during the pandemic. AN HOUR FOR 3 TACOS..... read more

I have ordered from El Azteca II twice in three weeks. First, the restaurant is adorable and festive inside. Unfortunately because of Covid you can't eat inside just yet, but when you pick up your food, you'll be hit with vibrant colors and festive decor. The staff is awesome. So friendly and all smiles. Finally the food is excellent. I've been so happy with the food and service that I plan on ordering from them again tonight! Keep up the great business! read more

Some of the most authentic Mexican food in the area. And that is saying a lot. The staff is really nice too. I suggest the Pozole!

I love this place. Small family run. Very friendly and constantly try to please their customers. I like the chicken enchiladas but I am completely addicted to their steak tacos read more

Tried them once for carry out. Nice people but didn't care for the flavors of the rice and sauce

This restaurant is new ownership of the previous Mexican restaurant at this location. The menu stayed similar with a few changes. I like the Bistek Ranchero or Mecicana, good sauce flavor with the meat. The Carne Asada is also very good, be hungry, these are decent sized portions. Tacos are good Mexican style. Note: the red salsa is HOT. If you are adventurous, you can order off-menu and see what they make you ... :) , try Huevos Chorizo yum. I continue to return here because they put love into their food. Good Job! read more

I've found my new favorite Mexican restaurant! The fish taco (sorry for the picture with a bite already taken) was SO delicious! The fish was very fresh and full of flavor. I also tried the chicken enchiladas with salsa verde - YUM. Again - such good flavor. Very nice staff too! I will definitely be back! read more

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