Yes, I have to agree with some of the more recent reviews (my original is 10 years old!) this restaurant has slipped a bit over the years. Some things have changed. The chips don't seems as fresh and the refied beans have changed to a much lighter color and are not as tasty. I do still like the restaurant as a lunch option because service is still quick and reasonably priced. And still pretty tasty. Everyone in the place was friendly and welcoming. read more

I love this place. It's huge, so almost always has seating, but yet it's spacious. The service is always fast, and the kitchen even faster. I started with a house margarita, small, and it was excellent. The house made salsa with the chips is excellent. I had a burrito filled with chicken and cheese, and my wife had pork enchiladas. Both very good. My only comment is the food is seasoned for the Wisconsin palate. I would like more heat. The cashier suggested asking for their house-made hot sauce next time, and i absolutely will. read more

El Azteca Mexican Restaraunt - Enchiladas Pancho Villa (3) - Mexican Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

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This used to be one of my favorite places. I'd bring my family here twice a month. It has been about a year and half since we have been here ...and what happened!? The food's flavor is gone as is the prompt service. Still as friendly as ever... but man. They used to bring your food out seemingly within 5 minutes of placing your order and you would eat until you were stuffed and enjoy every bite. Now you are only eating because you're paying for it. My chimichanga's flavor was lack luster as was the chips and beans. My son took one bite of his chicken and cheese quesadilla WHICH WAS DRIPPING WITH CHICKEN JUICE and lost his appetite immediately. Clearly They changed recipes for everything and none for the better. Sad. read more

I ordered a chicken burrito, just like I always do. Now they put the side rice and refried beans in the burrito, but, don't specify the change on their menu. They will no longer be our go to for Mexican food!3 read more

I and 3 of my friends stopped for dinner at El Azteca after going to the movies. We were served by Berna and I must say we had excellent service from him! He was friendly, well-informed about the menu and easy to talk to. We loved him! I also enjoyed talking to the checkout guy with the cool hair! I recommend El Azteca for good food, fine Margaritas and excellent service! read more

It was OK. Apparently the bar is not really meant for eating at. But it had chairs and I was solo so I sat there. Was ignored for a while and just prior to bailing a waiter came by and took care of me. He was a good guy, and apologetic. Kind of typical for the area it seems for basic Mexican restaurants to not really like doing food service at the bar. They will do it, but don't seem really keen on it. Food was ok. Respectable but on the mediocre side and somewhat bland. read more

The food and service were fucking terrible if I could give it zero I would. 13$ for two pounds of dog food grade beef wrapped in soggy corn products with a thin film on top to just put the icing on the cake. Ambiance was corny and lame. All around terrible. read more

What a great restaurant for Mexican, American food employees are kind and considerate. Happy to serve you. The place is clean and the food is great very affordable with a wonderful atmosphere could not be happier. Will definitely be going back many times. read more

Tonight we brought a party of nine for a pre-wedding celebration; we did have reservations. This was an absolutely disappointing experience. I had to ask for waiter for waters, after 30 minutes. After one hour we began to enquirer about the delay in our food being served. The manager and waiter only responded in a defensive manner, explaining that there was only one cook. After another 15 minutes we decided there was little hope of getting our food. We left and made guacamole at home. Not what we were anticipating in such an important evening that we all were looking forward to, so much. Just out of principle, my family will never visit this establishment again. The owner/manager really should reconsider how they approach customer service. read more

Had a nice dinner with a friend as it's one of her favorite Mexican restaurants. It's nice and spacious and full of color and artwork on the walls, tables, and chairs. It was odd they sat us at a big booth that could have had six maybe eight people when it was just us two. All of the two person tables were empty...but they were in the middle of the aisle. I love margaritas, and had to get one on the rocks. I got a small and surprised how BIG a small was. The menu is a little overwhelming as there are so many options! There's no reason why anyone can't find something they like. I got a chicken and avocado burrito and as you can see by my photo, it was really good as I scarfed it down before remembering to take a picture. If you want to surprise someone for their birthday, go here! Nearby it was a kids birthday and bunch of the staff sang a version of happy birthday. They then told the kid to close his eyes to give him sort of a treat and then they covered his face in whip cream! lol The kid was a good sport about it. A nice experience...nothing outstanding but would consider going again if I was in the area. read more

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Sorry. Green Bay location is better. With that being said I did like the addition of the bean dip with salsa at the beginning of the meal. The giant margarita was gross. Lacking real flavor and tasting like a low quality mix. The tacos were really good. I ordered the sausage, onion and cilantro tacos served on corn tortillas. These were the one thing good about the meal. I wish they had more cilantro on them. The beans and rice were average at best. The service was good they were quick and prompt. This and the tacos is why they were a 3 instead of a 2. I would come back because frankly those tacos were the bomb. read more

El Azteca Mexican Restaraunt - Salsa and chips. - Mexican Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

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Yo homies and homettes! This place is legit as hell! The food is bussin and the service is some of the best I have ever had on a consistent basis. My favorite spot in appleton by a lightyear. Skkkkrrrttttt!!!!! read more

I don't recommend. Margaritas tasted like thick syrup also their carnitas did not look appetizing and weren't as good as I hoped for. Also don't think they have corn tortillas as I was brought flour.Didn't feel very welcomed our waiter barely took our order and barely checked on us only when he happened to walk by our table and I made eye contact he asked how everything was. It wasn't even that busy. Figured maybe he was having a bad day so I left him a 12 dollar tip. If you are looking for some real good food I recommend mr taco downtown college ave or in Kimberly. Or chicken palace in menasha. read more

Pretty lame for the price. I ordered 2 enchiladas, 1 chimichanga, & beef nachos. So for over $30.00 I got 2 terrible enchiladas, no cheese, refried beans, & rice + beef nachos w/huge dollops of sour cream & guacamole & for the chimichanga *cough cough* again NO CHEESE & a plate full of lettuce, refried beans & more tasteless rice. The chimichanga was so lame I can honestly say that the frozen ones at walmart are better. Yes. I am dead serious. They have cheese in them too. Imagine that. Whoever started this business does not care about Mexican food, customers & clearly has no pride in what they do. This food is a disgrace. They think filling up a plate with lettuce, refried beans & watered down spanish rice is going to distract from their overpriced food. Taco Johns is better than this & really wish I had ordered from them instead. Won't make that mistake again. A special thump on the head for the write up the Appleton monthly wrote recommending them. I would doubt they've ever eaten there. read more

Great service! We loved coming here and when Covid hit, we picked up food all the time. The Monster burrito is amazing. Food is always fresh and ready fast! I would say it's a little more white washed then truly authentic Mexican cuisine. However, I can understand due to the area. Still would go back over and over. read more

Ordered a Cancun fajita got just a shrimp and then charge for just a shrimp,,,, but never got what I asked for,,,, they never did anything about it. The margarita was $9 for medium and was the worst Margarita ever. Had to do my own Mixology and ask for oranges and add some sugar to it just to drink it it was horrible. I won't be back thank you very much read more

I ordered last night. I used Grubhub for the first time. Total disaster! I got a text from the Grubhub driver saying that he was on his way, yes, I thought that was strange. He arrived about 5 minutes later, keep in mind it was like 10-15 minutes after I ordered online! Contactless delivery was seamless, unfortunately the $37 meal consisted of three tacos, and what looked like an enchilada drowning in refried bean soup. It weighed less than a pound (including packaging). I texted the driver, who was great, he said he would go back to the Restaraunt and get things corrected. He returned about 45 minutes later with the correct order, and Grubhub refunded the full meal. The food was cold, so I'm guessing when he went back, they gave him the original order that had been sitting around for over an hour! The food was not worth anywhere near $37, I'm guessing $5 at Taco Bell would be a better deal. We even tried the tacos that were originally delivered, and still can't figure out the "mystery meat" in them. Most of it went in the trash, along with my willingness to eat Elazteca food ever again. read more

The servers put on quite the show balancing beer bottles on their head for table delivery and bringing 7 plates on their arm to serve a table all at once. Chips and salsa was delicious but the additional bean dip sure was a nice surprise. My flautas were deep fried and a little different than I am used to but the chicken was still plenty flavorful and I would order again. The kids menu items are a nice size for a child and we all left with wonderfully full bellies. The decor is very bright and fun. read more

Wow this place has gone downhill. Used to be decent Mexican for a reasonable price. Chips were stale, pork in the chili verde tasted like it had been slow cooked for days, ground beef enchilada had no flavor. Prices have gone up too. read more

Absolutely disgusting food. Pork burrito had to be about the lowest grade meat you can get away with selling. Greasy with large chunks of unrendered fat throughout and tasted like it was days old. When I complained to the waiter he took the burrito slammed the receipt down and said "ask for your discount at the front" as if I were trying to scam them. Awful service, even worse food. Will never ever ever ever consider eating there again. read more

El Azteca Mexican Restaraunt - Taco Bell uses higher quality meat... - Mexican Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

Really don't understand the previous comment referring to high prices. The prices are exactly what you'd expect of the average Mexican restaurant. My wife and I believe they have the best chip and salsa combo ever. The bean dip they provide as well is really good. Sometimes we split the fajitas for two. A great deal with more than enough food. More recently we each have moved to a combo that includes two tacos, so we can save room for more chips and salsa. On one occasion our food took insanely long to arrive and we couldn't locate our waiter to get more drinks or chips and salsa. However we have been to both el aztecas in Appleton multiple times and this was a one time occurrence. read more

I have been here a ton of times, but as I struggle to catch up to myself I am writing a new review as I have recently revisited El Azteca. This time for lunch with my 11-yr old. This place is fun. The music is upbeat marachi and the servers(mostly young men dressed in what looks like soccer uniforms. I saw one young lady. What's up with that???)) are very friendly and a bit flirty. Its a big restaurant, tables are ginormous. Chips and salsa at the beginning of the meal are generous helpings. I really only eat two things on the menu here, my daughter only orders Cheese Quesadillas(kids!). I rotate between the vegitarian fajitas and the Mahi Mahi tacos. I used to think that fish tacos were an aberration, but now I love 'em! I had the fish this time. The daughter ordered her usual. I also asked for guac to go with my lunch. The guac arrived and I was pleasantly suprised( i didn't remember) that it was a large helping. I actually struggled to finish it. In my mind, one never ever wastes good guacamole! This stuff is fresh, not overly processed or seasoned. I like my guac au natural. Our lunch dishes were on our table in less than 15 minutes. My fish was good, but this time a bit fishy smelling. It came served with a nice pile of pico de gallo(with extra cilantro, yum!) and some kind of mayo with cocktail sauce mixed in. I ate those three tacos and savored every bite. after lunch, I went home for a nap before work and dreamed of drinking glass after glass of water. :-) Woke up very thirsty. Maybe a little too much salt for lunch? I recommend this place for birthdays, business lunches and date night as the Regal Multi-plex is right next door. Mexican food and a movie is always a safe bet in my book. :-) read more

Very disappointed. Have been in before and liked it. Stopped in on a Sunday for dinner. Poor service, couldn't get our drink order correct. The chihuahua margarita was terrible, wife switched to soda. Informed when I ordered that mine would take 20+ minutes, no worries, just keep the chips & dips coming. Food arrived, kid's cheese quesadilla had a red sauce over it. The as for mentioned extra time was apparently needed to burn my bacon wrapped shrimp into little charcoal briquettes. It will be a long time before we try it again. Other choices in Appleton. read more

Well I wasn't wowwed and I wasn't disappointed. I came in for a late Friday lunch and ordered the the Burrito El Azteca with shredded chicken. The chicken was mixed with jalapeños though not at all spicy. In fact, the chicken itself was incredibly boring and bland. However. The chips, salsa, and bean dip were fantastic. The rice and beans the burrito came with were pretty good. It was plated very prettily and the portion was generous. The decor is extremely colorful, though nearly over the top. Service was speedy and confident. Overall? Not bad. Typical Mexican place in the Midwest. Its bright and cheery and I'd come here with friends for a margarita or two. read more

We visited here with several friends during the week. We had to wait a bit for a table, but other then that, the service was great. Very attentive. Food came out super quick, which I was a bit reluctant on the quality, but OMG! So good. I had the Cancun fajitas (combination steak, chicken, and shrimp). So good! Tons of meat too. Most places you are out of meat before tortillas, not here! We had to ask for more tortillas! Drinks were good too. read more

Food quality and taste has gone much lower here than past years. I could not eat my lunch because it was not fresh or prepared properly. Even the chips I think have changed. Clearly not the same as several probably longer years in the past. read more

Pretty sure this place is only in business cause it's the only "authentic" Mexican restaurant on this side of town. Waiter was never around and was annoyed that we asked if there was any specials. No specials. I ordered vegetarian burrito, not much you can screw up there. My boyfriend got pulled pork burrito. It was super dry and fatty meat. When we asked for it to be taken off our bill or even a gift card..the server laughed and said it's pulled pork..he walks away comes back, give us our bill and walks away. So rude. Doesn't discount anything or even say anything till we wave him over and he says we have to talk to the cashier about it. Cashier says he ate half so he has to pay for half..he didn't even eat half. It was ripped apart to see the rest of the gross meat. Never going there again.. I've been there a few times and always disappointed. read more

El Azteca Mexican Restaraunt - Pulled pork burrito. Giant nasty fat chucks through the whole thing. - Mexican Near Me - Appleton, Wisconsin

Slow service, mediocre food, and high prices just about sums it up. It took my wife and I an hour and fifteen minutes to have a meal, and that includes no wait to be seated. It has an open, industrial feel which makes it loud and difficult to carry on a conversation. And that doesn't take into account the screaming kids. When our food finally arrived after nearly a forty minute wait, my burrito was luke warm and the cheese on top wasn't even melted. Tried to cut our losses and get a to go box but our server went AWOL. Even had to wait to pay the bill because the hostess was on the phone. Not impressed... read more

Certainly not the worst food I've ever had, but bordering on that line. I haven't rated here since about 2000 and decided to stop for lunch. I ordered several items off the menus and all of it wasn't anything to write home about. The ground hamburger in tacos was flavorless and full of grease and tasted like it was meant as a filler instead of a central element of the dish. The steak in the fajita was underwhelming at best. It was over cooked and rather flavorless and detracted from an otherwise OK fajita. The tortillas of the food I ordered (and hard shell on taco) was already soggy from grease when I received them, which was again very quick, to give you an idea of how greasy the meats were. I've also never encountered a dish with whole Pablo is that weren't fire roasted before. It's almost like they were stewed. Whatever they were doing just sucks that subtle taste right out of them (which is why you fire roast... it brings out the flavor considerably). I would have less of an issue with the food if it were priced accordingly for its quality. You certainly get a lot, but if you're a fan of flavor commonly found in South/Central American dishes, this isn't going to be what your looking for. As a world traveler, especially to south and Central America, I've had a lot of time to develop a pretty good pallet when it come to threes foods, and this just didn't come close to even some of the more basic street vendors outside this country. I remember El Azteca having so much flavor and I'm left wondering where that's gone all this time later.... maybe I'll try back in another 15 years, but until then, I'll stick with Sangria's, Lindo, or Mi Casa, all of which offer a wide array of authentic, properly cooked, and flavorful dishes. Sangrias takes that a step further and adds a TexMex spin on a lot of dishes that most foodies will enjoy. Positive: quick service (the place was deserted) Quick turn around after my order Lot of food Negatives Overpriced for the quality of what you receive Very greasy and soggy Over cooked meats Very bland... grandma Mabel would probably think it needed some heat... Too Americanized read more

Just your average Mexican joint. Not sure why everyone in the valley rants and raves about this place. Been here before many times but was my first time back in a long time. Food comes out quick so that's a plus but presentation and the bar area are in rough shape. Do yourself a favor and goto an all you can eat taco Tuesday at a local bar. Don't make the mistake I made only to live your night in disappointment of what could have been. read more

This place is clean, friendly, authentic Mexican food! Ask for Jonathan, or Adrian. These guys walk us our beers when we walk in, getting to know them a little goes a long way to your level of service. They are always fast and hot, just some of the little extras goes a long ways! I see so many haters. Have you ever been to Mexico? This is authentic Mexican fare. Slow down, enjoy a Mexican beer, a Victoria, or a Sol. Margaritas are delicious and boozy! Nothing wrong with that, Bring the wife! Wink read more

I and my mom were here for the first time come here yesterday... The food and drinks were good..!!! I recommend this place!

This place has decent Mexican food and I opted to give it three stars because it's not as good as Solea, my favorite Mexican restaurant in the Fox Valley. I came here with a group of six for lunch. We only had about 45 minutes total and the staff was very good at accommodating our hurry. There were chips and this bean dipping sauce on the table, which I know is standard for Mexican restaurants, but my rumbling tummy appreciated its presence nonetheless. I got the bean burrito, cheese burrito, and Mexican rice. I enjoyed them all, although I felt they were a little bit soggy because they were drowned in sauce. There was a little bit more sauce than there was contents. The decor is kind of over-the-top-Mexican kitschy, if that makes sense. I thought it was hilarious that there was a sign that talks about the effects of tequila near the entrance/exit. I really appreciated that there were decent vegetarian options. However, compared to other Mexican food places, El Azteca can't quite measure up. It tastes a just a step above Taco Bell. Even though the prices are good, they're not a step above Taco Bell good. Overall, If I were in the area and craving Mexican food, El Azteca would fit the bill just fine. Note: I have been to both Appleton locations and found them to be comparable. read more

First the positive. The service was very fast and professional. The food came out quickly and the waiter was mostly attentive with the exception of refilling water, my cup was never touched after it was initially brought out. The variety is better than most Mexican restaurants, and the portions are a good size in line with the prices. Don't expect "authentic" Mexican food, as some reviewers have said...I suppose it's "authentic" if you've never been out of Wisconsin, it's American style Mexican cuisine no question. Most of the food was ok; I got the special dinner so I was able to try a variety of items. The rice and beans were very generic, seemed to be right out of packages off the Sysco truck. None of the food struck me as particularly flavorful--bland if anything. I couldn't finish the chili relleno, normally my favorite item, because the taste and texture were just off, something about how it was breaded. If you want fast Americanized Mexican food, decent portions, and want to pay more than Taco Bell or Taco John's, this is your place. If you want authentic Mexican food, and you know that means more than just "tacos you don't have to unwrap" or "burritos with some sauce on them" you're going to want to keep looking. read more

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Great food great times with friends and family! You can't go wrong with the fajitas and a margarita

Great experience. Staff was very friendly and very patient with my kids. I got the carne asada tacos and they were so good had to do a reload of them. In all I had 7 of them. The beans and rice for side were piping hot which hardly ever gets done right at a Mexican place. The complimentary bean dip and salsa were on point and the Mojito was on point like I had in Manzillo. Keep up the great work! We will be back. read more

If we didn't like the food so much, we would not keep coming back. Service is not the greatest. Whatever you do...DO NOT visit this location after 9PM. Their posted closing time is 10PM, but on three separate visits, they had music shut off, bar lights off, and were mopping the dining area by 9:15-9:30....while we sat and ate! Tonight, I ordered just cheese dip. It was barely melted when it came out, and at half a bowl, we ran out of chips. Asked the waiter 4, YES, 4 times for more chips, and he never brought any. He was more concerned with rolling up the entrance mats than in serving us. read more

Quality and authenticity has plummeted you could tell the chips were store bought and no longer made along with the margaritas use to live this place came almost weekly I will be sticking to the authentic Hispanic restaurants in the valley. My friend order the fish tacos and it was basically a fish stick on a tortilla with mayo. read more

I must say. I've never seen this before. Table of 9, they got six of the orders wrong including mine. We did ask them to correct it. That's true. The level of aggression from the waitress was...well...if not a woman..."fightin' words". She was nasty, sarcastic and snide. As an example, by sister in law mentioned no Guac because I'm allergic. Waitress aid "did you read the menu...?"We blew most of it off. At one point a lady came by and I made the mistake of touching her arm, with a finger tip I think, just barely and she barked out "Don't touch me!." I was going to ask her to correct my order (I wanted beef, gave me cheese) She turned out to be the manager. So, when we checked out with our $175 bill, I asked to speak with the manager, which was this lady standing behind the bar, and before I could say a word, she yelled out "You don't touch me...get out of here and never come back..." All righty then. That was a finger tip...maybe. It was loud and she was walking away, but just a light brush. But any rate, my wife passed away two days ago so I got to unload a lot of anxiety on her...little tough girl...bad ass.....the level of aggression, from the outset, was stunning. That's BEFORE the orders all came out wrong. Not a problem though, there are other Mexican restaurants. Two decades, twice a month.....used to be great service. I suspect these are different owners. read more

Always love going here! The brilliant colors & decorations are beautiful & make it a bright & pleasant atmosphere. We have always had prompt service & the food is excellent. I love ordering Guacamole on the side so I can eat as much as I like! It is amazing! They make everything fresh themselves no nasty canned guacamole here! read more