We absolutely love going to Villa Aztec! Food & drinks are always amazing ! Only Downside is be ready to wait. We went in on a Wednesday for lunch and still waited for about close to 1 hour . Was thinking since it's midweek we would be lucky and get in a bit quicker but food and ambiance is just that amazing! We are definitely willing to wait and to be fair we were a table of 10 so I am sure if it is a smaller group you will be seated a lot quicker. Not sure if they take reservations so will definitely have to look into that. Anywho food and drinks are amazing! The meat is always super tender and never lacks flavor ! Great spot to Check out if you are the area! Oh and to the mamas with the littles unfortunately there is no changing station so we may have to use stroller to change the littles or standing up, hopefully in future they will install one. read more

Food was good. Service was terrible. Took 30 minutes just to take our order then only brought out one plate after 20 minutes and waited on the second plate for about 15 minutes. Was not busy at all. read more

the food was honestly pretty good, tasted just like home. i went during lunch and it was very chill, definitely recommend going that hour if you don't like the crowds. service was fast and the waiters didn't check in too lil or too much, they did awesome.definitely recommend going. read more

Very good, small beautiful restaurant we loved it. The service was phenomenal. The food was amazing. BEST GUAC EVER!! read more

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I have always loved the food here and often refer people to dine here who are visiting the area. My recent visit has changed my opinion. Food was good, not as good as before, and prices have gone up more than reasonably expected. Service was spotty at best. When we got our check I wanted to look it over due to new "surcharges" showing up at many restaurants. At bottom of tab was "large party surcharge-20%". What are they thinking!? We were a party of 4! Not large at all. I assumed it was a mistake and asked about it. I was informed that 4 is a large party. So they auto-tipped their staff hoping diners wouldn't notice the extra charge. That is only if it is going to staff and not the house. Very disappointed to see. In this case our waitress would have only been tipped IF the surcharge was given to her. Shady biz-not a fan. read more

MENU AND FOOD: This review is for their lunch menu only. The waitress emphasized to our party that we look at their lunch menu, so I assume their dinner menu is significantly different. Villa Azteca serves a relatively limited list of Mexican favorites. They do also have a nice list of drinks, offering a variety of flavor options along with Paloma flights. SERVICE AND ATMOSPHERE: Service was friendly and welcoming, but the entrees did take a bit of time to arrive at the table. The dining room decor was modern and appealing. PARKING: Located in downtown Salinas, they have limited street parking. There is a parking structure with hourly rates around the corner. IMPRESSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: I was a part of a large party, so we had the chips and guacamole topped with ribeye chicharron and the esquite totopos, both of which were tasty! I am a fan of their salsa and chips, which were surprisingly light and crispy. However, the trios de tacos were mediocre at best for the price and quality. I tried the gorditas with chicken as well, which were also pretty unimpressive. Overall, while this is a great option for date night, I most likely won't be returning outside of special occasions. The price for shared appetizers, an entree, a drink and tip totaled to $50. read more

Villa Azteca - The gorditas with chicken and the Paloma flight. - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

Two words.. ribeye chicharon. And the huevos Ranchero on the Sunday brunch menu is out of this world good. read more

I'm so happy that Villa has opened up in Salinas. A beautiful representation of Hispanic food with a twist! I will admit I was a little skeptical before coming here but I'm so happy I did. It gets REALLY busy here, especially with the limited seating. However if you're lucky enough to get there early and seated you're in for the biggest of treats. Service is always so good; super nice servers and hosts. My go to is the Mille Amarillo (filet mignon & prawns with potatoes beans & rice) WAHHH I love this dish so much. 10/10 would recommend and definitely worth the price. Don't forget to get an horchata if you have room in your tummy! 5/5 stars, def try this place out. read more

Villa Azteca - Virgin strawberry Paloma - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

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3 Stars - Ok Stopped by for dinner on Saturday night around 5:30pm and waited about 30-40 minutes for a table. On this visit I tried the Casuelita which is a beef in sauce service with grilled Mexican onions (very good), a fried nopal (also good) and a strip of queso fresco, if I recall correctly. It comes with a side of green rice and refried beans. The green rice was not my favorite, it had no flavor. The dish is also served with 2 tortillas. The tortilla's might be hand made but they are definitely not fresh they were cracked like cold tortillas. The order only includes 2 tortillas they did give me 2 more upon request. The horchata was also very good. Also had a Michelada and it was good enough, not rushing back for another. Reasons why I gave them 3 stars and not 4: 1. They AUTOMATICALLY INCLUDE 20% TIP for tables of 4+. Even though my service was mediocre and my waitress spent the majority of her time tending to her very drunk friends in the table next to mine. I wasn't given a chance to tip what I felt was worth the service I received. Otherwise, I probably would have given them 4 stars. 2. The menu on the website is outdated and not what they currently serve. Once seated we were told to use the QR code on the table to load the current menu. Overall the food had good flavor. The price in my opinion is a bit high for the portions received. Also, place is a bit small and can get pretty loud. read more

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The food was excellent. I would say the menu would be half-and-half, half traditional, Mexican and half innovated with different ingredients but flavorful. I would highly recommend people to try it out. read more

Staff and servers were awesome. We ordered the fish tacos and chilaquiles with chicken. Service was quick. Will definitly be back! read more

Villa Azteca - The fish tacos were delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

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MEXICAN TRAP: PUTTING LIPSTICK ON A PIG-OF-A-RESTAURANT! SHORT REVIEW: Please know I've stopped my vacation to sit down and warn you about this awful restaurant. Here's the short story to help you determine this is in fact THE WRONG place to eat: 100% AVERAGE MEXICAN FOOD!!! You will find absolute nothing new, interesting, or creative here. Food is terribly overpriced. Portions are on the small side of your anticipated "Mexican" experience, and, there is no menu: you have to use your smart phone to scan their QR code - and that opens up a can of worms of abominable, insulting "fine print": *** They charge you 20% gratuity for 4 or more including children! *** You get charged for chips and it's a trap too!!! They seat you at a table with cereal bowl bowl of about about 10 chips already in place. There is no notification anywhere that you'll be charged when you ask for more chips, and if you have more than 1 person in your party, you will be through that bowl before your browser pulls up the menu. Our party had two adults and two children. We were charged $2 for asking for "more chips" then, we were charged another $3 for asking for our 3rd bowl with salsa refill!!! *** The give you a time limit for how long you can stay! 90 minute max or you get kicked out. *** "We politely decline modifications" is written on the top of every menu page - just to remind you it's their way or the highway. *** "If you are underage drinking, all drinks will be confiscated from table and will not be removed from tab" - hahaha! Is it really necessary to insult patrons with this? And good luck getting me to pay for anything that is removed from the table before I've finished it! *** The fact that I have to read "Please check in with host, no self-seating" after a host has already seated me and instructed me to point my phone at the QR code tells me this is another dig at my intelligence, and another reminder that I'm dealing with a ignorant owner. LONG REVIEW: There's a reason why Mexican food is on the lower end of the price spectrum: it's easy to cook, ingredients are in abundance, and you can throw a rock into a crowd anywhere and hit 10 people that can make the best Mexican food you've ever had - PERIOD. So reading their menu celebrating "Chef Andres Alvarez" really promises an experience NO ONE is going to have. The place "seemed" to be a good bet for our dinner as it was the only Mexican restaurant open in the downtown area. There are only a few good points to comment on, so I'll get those out quick: restaurant looked very nice from the outside. A friendly host was kind to seat us very quickly too. Kids food was delivered in less than 5 minutes after we ordered it. They only charged $6 per kids meal - the kids meal was small too and not listed on the menu... If you have small kids that don't eat much (like we do) it's perfect... There's only one choice: chicken or cheese quesadilla, that comes with 3/4 a cup of rice, and 1/2 a cup of refried beans. The quesadilla is made from one small 6-inch regular ol' corn tortillas filled with the ingredients and then folded and cooked. At least the $6 price matched the portion. The service was very kind and attentive. And that's the end of the good... I ordered Mole Enchiladas Carnitas (pictured). It was just okay and $25-f***ing bucks!... Mole sauce was nothing different or special and I would not be surprised if it were store bought, but if it was in fact made fresh by the almighty Chef Andres Alvarez, than for sure he got his training from Walmart. Instead of the normal platter plate one gets from a Mexican restaurant with the entree positioned next to a generous portion of rice and beans, Villa Azteca short changed customers again with an average entree portion (two enchiladas) and the kids portion of rice and beans!!! (3/4 a cup of rice, and 1/2 a cup of refried beans). Just not cool. My wife ordered Chicken Mole and almost all of it ended up in the hands of the homeless people camping out in empty storefront right next to the restaurant. $20 for a chopped flavorless chicken breast swimming in average mole sauce!!! Literally, it was boiled chicken, dry, with sauce poured all over it, served with the kids portion of rice and beans. I have to hand it to the homeless couple that decided to camp out next to Villa Azteca... Who would bring home any of this food? They must be getting fed about every 5 minutes by patrons leaving with boxed food... So here is the end of yet another review to remind you that it takes zero intelligence to own or manage a restaurant. The dumbest-of-the-dumb can make a good living selling crap food at rip off prices. I guess the positive reviews are from those that live in this small town and really have no clue how they are getting taken. Hope you passed on VA. read more

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We had reservations, and were accommodated immediately upon arrival yummy chips and salsa on the table. Very attentive wait staff. A party of 8 and all served together. Delicious chili relleno, tacos, asada fries, and the rice and beans are outstanding! Will definitely return for more delicious food and stellar service read more

This place is amazing. The salsa was my favorite. Was almost full before the my meal came. Food is a little pricey but you know what they say you get what you pay for. I would definitely recommend this place. They have Carne en su jugo on Sunday's. I will make a trip here just to try that one day . read more

Villa Azteca - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

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11/27/22 Salinas. There's probably no reason why you'd ever pick this city as a destination. I mean, I didn't even know this place existed either for years until I had to service my Evo X and they had one of few dealerships in all of Northern CA (and the rest were no-go's according to reputation.) Anyway, yeah, that's the only reason I could think of for coming to Salinas--cuz you got an Evo. Oh and, cuz we were driving back from the central coast.... Yeah man, we partied with another family over the Thanksgiving weekend, but alas we left our AirBnb apart. But then we got a call an hour or so later from said family to pick a place to meet and get one last eat either in Salinas and Gilroy. Now, I know Gilroy has some decent food in their main "old town" area, but Salinas..... well, it was closer, and why not. And strangely, this wasn't even the highest rated restaurant. There were others, but they were closed this Sunday. I was REALLY prepared for THE WORST. Ya know what?........... I think this might have been one of the best 3 Mexican meals I've had in YEARS!!!!!!!!!! How can this be???????? SALINAS?!????? 1. Table Salsa and Chips: I cannot stress this enough... their salsa is CRACK. O M F G. This is bad btw, and I JUST realized this is not good for their business. You see, their salsa was sooooo good that I ate waaaay too much. We asked for seconds, thirds, fourths, ....and yes, fifths. It was THAT good. Smokey. A little salty. Roasty. SPICY. SPEEEEECY. Gawd. Yes, it's proudly hot. Chips themselves are too thin for me, but that salsa..... one of the best I've EVER had. Too good. I ate way too much and couldn't really finish more than half of the food we ordered! 10/10 2. Jamaica $5: Nice. Thick and flavorful. 7/10 3. Creamy Crispy Chilaquiles $14 + Steak $8 "crispy tortillas topped with one of our delicious house made salsas, queso fresco, sour cream, pickled red onions, avocado slices. pick your sauce: crema de flow de calabaza, creamy squash blossom, crema poblana, creamy poblano pepper": They asked how I wanted my meat, and I told them rare expecting them to overcook it........... nailed it!--I mean I nailed it. Yeah, that "rare" was cooked pretty much "medium well" but whatever, it was great. Serious steak, not cheap sht. But, more importantly... Yeah, I never order Chilaquiles. I realize it's Bobby Flay's favorite food in the world, or perhaps the only thing he can make cuz every time I see him on TV it's that. And I've tried it a few places and it's always a pile of mushy grossness. Just never understood it. But THIS VERSION--HOLY F. Crispy, THICK, crunchy, SAVORY AS F tortilla chips. Mmmmmm... sssaaaaauuuccee (I got the "creamy poblano pepper" sauce.) One gripe--they asked me how I wanted my eggs, and I said "sunny side up." They gave me over easy. Whatever. Still the best version I've ever had. 10/10 4. Guacamole $10 + Ribeye Chicharron $5: We had to ask them what they meant by "ribeye chicharron" cause chicharron typically is fried skin, not steak. Well, the guy they brought out to explain didn't make sense either. Whatever. So, when we got it, I realized it was basically deep fried ribeye cubes. Probably could have used something fattier to get it crunchier. Whatever. The guac was a bit average tasting. The combo was good though. 7/10 5. Calamari $20 "chiles secos sauce, house blackberry marmalade, charred lemon": The calamari wasn't great, but that sauce was REALLY special. Yes, BLACKBERRY. I dunno what chiles secos is but it tasted like a nicely rich mole. 7/10 6. Cazuelita $30 "filet mignon, salsa roja (roasted tomato salsa), salsa verde (roasted tomatillo salsa), queso fresco, grilled cactus, grilled scallions, avocado, rice, beans, handmade tortillas": Kinda a stew with steak? It was GREAT though. Can't really describe it--just a super flavorful stew, and yummy steak bits inside. Oh, and their handmade black tortillas are REALLY good--super airy and fluffy yet thin. Remarkable. And thanks for for using "handmade" not "homemade" cuz restaurants aren't homes. Salinas? Definitely home to one of top 10 best Mexican restaurants in the Northern half of California. Oh one thing, they had a mandatory 20% tip, and yet their receipt shows a scale of 15%/20%/etc tips to add. I feel sorry for whoever added extra tip cuz that would be compound! 5/5 #salinas #mexican #bestmexican #bestever #mexicanfood #mexicancuisine #chilaquiles #cazuelita #guacamole read more

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food was a 10/10 amazing molcajetes& service was great, will definitely be back and i would 10/10 recommend read more

Villa Azteca - Mazapán margarita 10/10 alcohol wasn't too overpowering but it did its job - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

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Highly disappointed in this place. Food is excellent. What I absolutely cannot stand is the fact that they automatically put a 20% "service charge" on the ticket for a party of 4. Past experience showed me that the food was excellent. Having a service charge placed on the ticket without word from the server and NOTHING on the menu stating this charge would be applied is unacceptable. Call me old school I don't care. I say beware of this kind of crap because some people wouldn't notice and still leave a tip on top of the "service charge". I hope this eatery sees this review as it's enough to make me go elsewhere for a decent meal. Totally unacceptable to do this in my humble opinion. read more

Villa Azteca - The cross wall - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

Service was great, everybody was friendly. Unfortunately we did not enjoy the drinks and the food. The bone marrow appetizer was the only thing we enjoyed. The lobster enchiladas were okay but definitely over-priced, the ribeye aguachile though was the real downer, DID NOT taste like an aguachile at all and black lime sauce was definitely too much soy sauce-vinegary flavor :( The REAL surprise was our server refused to send back the drink, TEJUINO, my friend ordered. It was just not the drink we were expecting, did not taste like tamarind and usually restaurants and even some bars will take drinks back, was really disappointed. Overall, I dont know if I would come back just because I dont think its authentic Mexican flavors but loved the ambience of the place. :( read more

Villa Azteca - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

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The place is really innovative with their food! Tacos de nopal was a nopal empanizado, and it was all pulled together really well with the salsa. The flan was creamy and dense. The enchiladas verde (salsa de tomatillo) were thickly covered in salsa. The creativity behind the food is great, it's not your typical Mexican food. read more

Villa Azteca - Tacos de Nopal - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

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Be aware!! We dined here last week. The waitress recommended the special of steak, chicken and lobster fajitas for $45. We both told her that was a great deal and she said we should share. So if you have dined here you know the meal comes with 2 tablespoons of rice and beans. We were VERY surprised when bill came and the fajitas were actually $110. I spoke to the manager on site who could do nothing. The waitress Nada stated she did not tell us the price. She never tells how much special is (deceitful). I had him call the owner , I was willing to pay half $55 since there was a miscommunication. The owner only took $20 off. RIDICULOUS!!!!! I emailed owner next day and he never responded. FYI make sure you ask about all prices at Villa Azteca they pulled a fast one on me. I will never go there again. read more

Visited this place on a Wed night and everything was so delicious - from the appetizers to the entrees! We were seated fairly quick and the food came right out once we placed the order. They gave us free chips and salsa. We also tried the Guac w/ steak which was creamy and well seasoned. The calamari came with a creamy sauce and blackberry. Enchiladas Enchipotladas was amazing!! I love the fresh enchiladas and sauce that came with it. read more

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Excellent service - food was delicious and unique - cost for the entire meal was outrageously priced. 4 of us went to dinner on a Saturday night. We originally arrived at Eva's but it was closed for maintenance. So we ended up going here. The place was beautiful inside and very elegant. I almost felt like I was underdressed but it worked out. We ordered 1 appetizer, 4 entrees, 3 agua frescas, and 1 soda. The food is unique. Beware - it is spicy so if you're a light weight, be sure you ask them to prepare your food mild. Our bill came out to $182 and I rounded it up to $200 for the tip. Very very very pricy! They added a 20% "SERVICE FEE" which I should've questioned but I read on the menu that 4 or more will have an additional charge. We enjoyed our experience but in my opinion this place is WAY OVERPRICED. read more

The restaurant is very cute. I love the decor and the music they play. The drinks are super tasty but the food is inconsistent. Sometimes it is great and sometimes it is the complete opposite. During my most recent visit, I ordered the "ribeye" guacamole as an appetizer. We received guacamole with a few pieces of burned fat and burned meat crumbs. For my entree I ordered the flautas and I couldn't eat them since all I was able to taste was the old, dirty oil they were cooked in. I was so disappointed because I usually love flautas. When we received the check, I noticed they include a 3% transaction fee and they automatically charge 20% gratuity for parties or 4 or more. I usually tip at least 20% anyway but automatically adding it to the bill just seems a little tacky. These little additional fees also show how greedy this place is. I do have to add though that despite my food being inedible, the bust boys were very attentive and the drink I ordered was very good. read more

Came with high expectations and boy was I served!!! Service was great, attention to detail! Me and my comadre ordered the bone marrow appetizer AMAZING! Such great flavor, the bone marrow was cooked perfectly, the sope it comes with had delicious black beans, so yum! I ordered the chicken mole because I heard great things and comes with handmade tortillas de maíz. Mole was spicy and sweet perfect balance, and my friend ordered the shrimp tacos, also full of flavor! Their salsa is so good with their chips! Def coming back soon! read more

Villa Azteca - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

AMAZING FOOD! You're going to love it here. The ambiance is nice and the service is great. If you're from Salinas or the surrounding areas you probably already know about this spot. If you're not and you're in town, you should definitely give it a try! You won't regret it. read more

Went here for lunch the other day. Everything we ordered was EXCELLENT! Our waitress was awesome and gave a lot of recommendations on what to get, which was near everything on the menu! I got the Gorditas with carnitas and it was very good. Everything was so fresh and you can tell! Will definitely stop by again when coming through town. read more

Very beautiful little location with good food and customer service. May need to wait in line during bust hours. Would recommend for small intimate meals read more

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There are always lines out the door at Azteca. I've been here a few times for lunch. Their food is fresh, delicious and simply exquisite. They pay attention to every detail here. But the thought of waiting in line for a table is not a happy thought right after a pandemic, so I've avoided dinner for the last couple of years. Well, it turns out this is a fun spot to spend a Friday night. Young couples wearing their latest purchases from Aerie alongside larger tables of families make this a fabulous people watching spot. The first thing different about dinner is that service felt a little more rushed than usual and we didn't get to chat with the server about what they recommend the way we do at lunch time. The service is still friendly and welcoming - just not as warm and informative. We ordered the Lobster Enchiladas and the Filet Mignon Mole Amarillo. The enchiladas came with a yellow-colored sauce. Simply delicious and sprinkled with pumpkin seeds, which added so much to the dish. The steak was prepared exactly as ordered and complemented with a yellow sauce. The accompanying shrimp was huge and flavorful. So the entrees were spot on. The service was efficient and all of them checked on us often, even if it was not their table. I think that's all you can ask for on a busy Friday night. Dessert was sublime with the best cheese cake I've ever had. They have several coffee drinks to complement it as well as cocktails. Just one small gripe: we were charged a 3% transaction fee. In other words, their customers eat the credit card fees. I guess it's not a big deal, but it's a little unusual. I understand that it's hard to make it in this business so this is only a minor annoyance. But adding their own tip, which was 20% of the bill including tax and the transaction fee was presumptuous. We would've tipped that anyway and often we go over 20% because we are small business owners ourselves. We'll be glad to return, but next time we're bringing cash so we can avoid the transaction fee and tip what we want. I hate to end on that note so I want to add that the servers are obviously passionate about what they do and this place is one of the most unique Mexican restaurants in Salinas, where high-quality Mexican restaurants abound. read more

Villa Azteca - Cheese cake - best in town! - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

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In Salinas for work and I found myself hungry like a wolf and after looking at 3 candidates I decided on Villa Azteca. The restaurant is located in a super cleaned up old town Salinas on Main Street. The street is lined with restaurants and cool shops. We walked through the doors and were welcomed by an impressively decorated interior that increased my value a few thousand bucks. Our welcoming waitress came by and took our drink order and knowing what we wanted we just ordered our entrees and appetizers all at once. We weren't playing! For drinks the house made Jamaica and for the appetizers we ordered the guacamole with chicharones and the Mango Aguachile. For the entrees I had to order the red chilaquiles and my wife ordered some molcajete thing. The Jamaica drink was the first to arrive alone with some chips and salsa. If we would have stopped our experience at this point I would have pushed 5 stars upon this place. The salsa had a very nice flavor and had the perfect amount of spice. After three small servings of salsa and chips we were ready to move on. The guacamole arrived glistening with the pomegranate jewels and tempting us with our friends the chicharones. We immediately started digging, looking for a Sweet Thursday. The bowl was a bit clunky but the taste was acceptable and the chicharones made us feel right at home. Our enthusiasm was diminished when I moved the bowl for another swipe and witnessed a dead dry cricket crashing our table. This is when our meal turned Tortilla Flat! The Mango Aguachile arrived beautifully displayed and I dug into the hopeful experience. Instead of a life changing experience it was apparent that all I had in front of me was Grapes of Wrath. It was barely edible from a highly concentrated lemon juice that cooked my taste buds and twisted my face muscles into a holloween mask! My chilaquiles arrived and they were visual pearl straight out of a food pageant. They had the right texture, the right color but I quickly fell out of love as each spoonful was smothered with an off putting sour lemon flavor from the pickled onions. I kept trying to ignore the taste but after a few spoonfuls I realized these could only be eaten by the Red Pony! The plate that my wife picked was simply a salty that produced a Winter of Discontent! I was left with a Dubious Battle, the meal was a Cannery Row of disappointment, an experience that would force Steinbeck to rewrite this experience as a tragic novel! If you're looking for great chips, salsa, and drinks then this is your place, however if you're looking for a unique life changing dining experience then you need to catch the Wayward Bus to another place on Main Street. read more

Villa Azteca - The Cricket Guacamole. - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

Great menu! Would say it's my favorite Mexican restaurant in Salinas. Very creative menu and the taste doesn't disappoint! It does get crowded so go early or late so you don't have to wait. Can't wait to try their other restaurant in Carmel! read more

We usually don't eat at restaurants with Mexican cuisine but we decided to give this one a try and we were not disappointed. We loved the ambience the place itself had a great vibe, food absolutely amazing delicious flavors couldn't get enough of it definitely will be back read more

Villa Azteca - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

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Wow I lived in Salinas from 1985 to 1999. There wasn't a restaurant this outstanding during that era. This place makes creative stuff! It far surpasses the typical taco, burrito, quesadilla eateries. During Autumn 2020 Covid restrictions there are just a few tables on the sidewalk. Even for lunch a reservation is a must if you want to dine. If you are a Mexico-phile who has traveled the country extensively and especially to Oaxaca you'll find some of those culinary regional delights here. Excellent. read more

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I had a tofu dish with a type of chipotle sauce and roasted pineapple that is not listed on the internet menu, which included cauliflower rice and assorted julienne cut raw vegetables. It really was incredibly delicious. My husband had a chili relleno surrounded by refried black beans, which he said was also delicious - home made fresh and hot tortillas. The service was excellent - quick to take our order and yet very relaxed. We ate outside and were very comfortable. BTW, the restaurant including the ladies room was very clean and artfully decorated in Mexican motif. A truly lovely lunch. read more

I would definitely recommend this spot. They have their own twist on their dishes and is really tasty. We were visiting from sac to salinas and this place was recommended. We went with intentions to grab drinks and something light to eat so we chose the Paloma flight and some desserts. First off the served us chips and salsa as we waited which I really appreciated AND not to mention the salsa had a unique taste and was super good. They served us within a timely manner. And the desserts were bomb. They actually closed at 3:30 I believe so they were nice enough to still serve us even tho it was nearing that time. We'll definitely be coming back next time we go that way. read more

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I recently visited Villa Azteca with high expectations based on previous visits that were fine, but unfortunately, my experience this time was far from satisfactory. I went with my boyfriend's family to celebrate Día de las Madres, so there were six of us. The service was notably lacking, which was disappointing, especially given the large party service fee we were charged. I typically don't mind paying such fees as long as the server is attentive, but that was not the case here. The food itself is overpriced, particularly the lunch menu items. I ordered a burrito bowl, which turned out to be essentially an overpriced version of a Chipotle bowl, with nothing special to justify the premium price. To make matters worse, my original order of a shrimp burrito was incorrectly served as shrimp tacos. After waiting 50 minutes for our food, I decided to accept the shrimp tacos rather than wait any longer. The shrimp tacos were underwhelming, and I've had better ones elsewhere for a more reasonable price. My experience was further inconvenienced by a significant issue with my order. After 30 minutes of waiting for our food, our server finally attended to us, not with our food, but to inform us they ran out of chile verde. We ended up ordering another entree to replace our original choice. However, I was charged for a dish I didn't receive. I found out later that day that I was overcharged, and due to my busy schedule, I went back four days later to sort things out in person since they weren't answering their phone. When I raised the issue, the staff insisted I should have received the chile verde. The manager and staff stated, "They never run out of chile verde." Stunned by their response, I emphasized that on that specific day we came to dine in, they were out, which was what prompted us to order a whole other dish. Eventually, I did receive a refund, but it was given with a noticeable attitude, adding to the overall negative experience. On a positive note, the food did look presentable. However, despite its appearance, the food was still lacking in flavor. Given the poor service, inflated prices, and mishandling of my order, I won't be planning on coming back to Villa Azteca. There are plenty of other establishments that offer better food and customer service without the unnecessary hassle. It's disappointing to see a decline in service quality at a place I once enjoyed. read more

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Came here on a Friday night, so the wait time was definitely long-- both to be seated and for our table's food to come out (they didn't take reservations). The menu was packed with options, which actually made it harder to pick one. I settled on the fish tacos since it was my first time trying this place out and I wanted to stay on the safe side. I really have no complaints on my food as I found it really flavorful! Did not give them full 5 stars because I did taste some of my friends enchiladas verde and it wasn't anything special, especially for the higher prices of the restaurant. Good environment, although very cramped. Service could have been better, but they were busy so this is understandable. Overall, good food but I'm not sure if I'd come back as it wasn't anything to write home about. read more

Villa Azteca - Fish tacos - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

Where to start..... road trips are always fun specially when it comes to try new things (food). I found this restaurant on yelp of course. My wife loves chilaquilles so I found this place for her and we decided to give it a try. The ambience is very welcoming and the staff is very friendly and upbeat. Everything in the menu looked very tasty buy you can't eat everything so I try a huarache (hand made tortilla top with beans and corn fungus) let me tell you I was not disappointed very very good. So next time you are around salinas California don't hesitate to stop by for some good authentic Mexican food. read more

Villa Azteca - Mexican beer Michelada Jamiaca (hibiscus) agua fresca - Mexican Near Me - Salinas, California

The food , the service , the ambiance chef kiss I love their mole and it's so filling !

Restaurant, drinks, and food oh so pretty, and all delicious. Looking for an excuse to return for more. Will be back!

Love the food and Gina is a great waitress with wonderful recommendations and personality.