Azteca Mexican Restaurant

I love this little, family run restaurant! I’ve been going here for years. They’re rice and guacamole are the best! I always order the chicken enchilada plate because it’s perfect every time. If you order it during lunch time you can get it at a cheaper price. The only time I was disappointed with the food was when I ordered the crab enchilada dish. It sounds good but it tasted very bland. The margaritas are good. The service is always amazing! They’re always so friendly and conversable.

We love this place and have been coming for over 15 years!!! but things have changed. Menu keeps changing. They removed the grand combination that you could choose 3 items and was sooooo good. But now they only offer 1 item or two item combo and removed items as selections like tostada for example. Food and service is still good but everything is just not the same. We will still come but not as often. I guess we just miss the mainland prices too.

Best salsa. Outstanding Mexican food!!!
Fresh and authentic. I rarely take the time to write a review.

Good fresh food. Super friendly service. Consistent quality. I come here with my dad almost every other week. He gets the bean tostada plate and I get the bean burrito plate. Chips and salsa always fresh and tasty right off the bat. Love this place.

What a hidden gem! Best Mexican food in Oahu but not when compared to mainland Mexican restaurants. Not many servers so those that are present seem overworked and stressed. The basket of chips they give you is tiny for a group of four. Ask for two baskets and get the homemade guacamole– mmmm, muy sabrosa! My favorite dishes are the red enchiladas and the chimichanga! Be careful, sometimes the owner lady can make you feel like a burden for coming in:(

I had a crab enchalada. I tasted like it came out of can of crab soup mix. I was let down because I love sea food. The service was good so I will bump my would be 2 stars to a 3. Maybe I will give them a chance to redeem themselves in the future but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

We came here this past weekend because our original destination had no parking. Bf order the small beef enchilada platter and I had the small chicken quesadilla platter. For me the quesadilla was enough, but the platters are kinda small compared to other Mexican places so bf was still hungry. We had to supplement with bubble drinks from Maunakea Marketplace. The taste, however, is better than that of other Mexican restaurants in town.

This is one of those places that has been around so long that you almost forget about it.
A few weeks ago I wanted a margarita and was on the east side of town. We decided on Azteca (after confirming they had booze) and were not disappointed.
We got the last table available and held on to it for a long while while we had a few pitchers of margaritas and some quality Mexican food (which we don’t exactly have an abundance of here). The owners are lovely and the service was great. This place is back on my radar and I will be back again soon.

The restaurant is easy to find and the credit card paid parking lot is only a ½ block away and dirt cheap which is convenient.
When we walked in we were greeted right away from a distance behind the bar counter and were told we can sit where ever we like. We chose to sit by the door, which I would not recommend for future patrons because the door kept swinging open with the wind and was blowing in dirt and debris from outside.
The waitress took our order and shortly afterwards a different server brought out chips and salsa to our table which was tasty and spicy. Then the waitress brought out my margarita which was ok, it tasted like it was a premixed margarita but I was disappointed by the size (small) for the cost ($ 11).
The restaurant was not very busy and a table came in about 5 minutes after us and sat a ways down from us. The waitress took the other tables order and shortly after they got their food. We were kind of in a hurry and wondered why this other table got their food first but we were sure our order would be out soon. After a couple minutes the waitress came out with food that we thought would be ours but it turned out she gave our food to this other table so she brought them the new food and took away the food that was in front of them and brought it over to us to eat. I have never seen this before and was very turned off that they did not make us fresh food (no offense to the other table, they looked like nice normal people). This practice is not very sanitary.
We didn’t want to complain and just ate the food. The red sauce was flavorful but the green verde sauce was bland. We both got chicken burritos and my husbands was much larger then mine. There was no seasoning on either of the chicken in the burritos, it just tasted like boiled chicken.
The waitress was pleasant but not very with it. I will remain on the quest for tasty Mexican food but I probably will not be back to Azteca for the drinks, food or service.

I loooove Aztecs ! I’ve been going there for 20years, yes that long. My parents’ are from Mexico City, so I know Mexican food. I know the owners Sara, and Domingo.
If I were to have reviewed Azteca’s at any other point in my life I would have given 4 stars for food (certain foods). Buuut, sadly there food quality and portion size has changed for the worse :(my favorite thing there, the guacamole, has changed. I’m 100% convinced it’s from a Premade package. There guac used to obviously be 100% fresh avocados with cilantro and tomatoes, salt. It was chunky, and tasted amazing! Now this pre packed NOT fresh avocado stuff is a totally different in color, texture, and most importantly FLAVOR! If you have ever tasted both fresh, and the packaged you’d know what I’m talking about. Seriously WHY did you do that Azteca? If it was reasons of cost, just charge more for real stuff, and don’t try to trick me. People are looking for good Mexican food here, and they will pay for it.
Also, there lunch special enchiladas, and burritos are about ¾ smaller. It was again very noticeable if you are a regular there. So so disappointed. :(

Surprised at all the poor reviews for this lovely establishment. Perhaps I’m easily pleased (well, I am) but I do love this place. I’ve been coming here since 2003 and I’ve always been satisfied. I do not come as often anymore as I only spend half the year in Hawaii but I always make it a point to come back once a trip.
My favorite meal tastes the same today as they did 10 years ago! I love that! The server who helped us was very pleasant, friendly and efficient. No complaints there. We were seated and waited on promptly on a weekday at lunch time. The food came out quickly and was quite tasty. For 2, our bill for lunch was less than 20.00 (without tip).Can’t beat that. I understand this to be a family-​run business. The older lady (perhaps the owner?) made me smile seeing her greet her customers like family.

Friendly would probably not be the word I’d use here. Very laid back and snail speed is more suitable. My mom loved the menudo but it’s ok. I ordered the chimichanga with chicken because for some reason they didn’t have pork chimichangas but noticed they do have pork burritos??? Idk mama San wanted to take my extra napkin I had under my utensil settings saying I wasn’t suppose to have it. Uuuuum ok. So the chimichanga was alright but my Mexican food preference will remain with Sergs hands down. Again the food was alright but not fully satisfying.

I absolutely adore coming to Azteca, okay so I must admit I’m a little bit prejudiced towards the food, service and people who run this place as my daughter is married to the owner’s son, Isaac. Yep, I can proudly call him my son-​in-​law who serves food with a smile!
My oldest son took a breather from his job on Tuesday and we opted for dinner there. I always have the beef burrito with rojo sauce, no beans, avocado, just meat and cheese in the burrito. The rice is excellent, I’ve got to try to learn to make it myself. Served tasty, piping hot and fresh.
To my delight, I got to see my two grandsons later on, starting the learning early, great customer service talent in the making. Jacob and Joshua (my chimichangas) will make a great addition to the Azteca family one day and probably the third generation restaurant owners.
They have the best authentic Mexican food in Honolulu. Yeah, I lived in LA, had some authentic Mexican food, but the food at Azteca comes in first!

«Hello? May I place a takeout order?»
«WHAT?»
”…err, a takeout… Takeout…MAY I ORDER TAKEOUT PLEASE?“
Having to yell my order in the phone was already an awkward way to start my experience with Azteca. :-/​I chose it because it was conveniently close and had good reviews on Unilocal,but I was very sad the whole way through.
After yelling that I wanted a Shrimp Acapulco Salad and the Crab Enchiladas very loudly over the phone, my bf and I headed over to go pick it up. When I got there I was informed that they had run out of shrimp. Sigh. Only other choice for salad was chicken, and I was trying not to go too carb heavy, so I went ahead and settled for that. Waited another ten minutes for them to make my salad, and drove back home.
Happy to be home and not have to cook after my long work day, I opened the takeout box to quite a surprise. They say you can’t spell «salad» without «sad»…I was very very sad indeed. I had expected a nice salad with greens and grilled chicken since it was a Mexican restaurant… nope. Iceberg lettuce, dry shredded chicken, a hard boiled egg. Cry. T. T
Crab enchiladas were also very underwhelming. $ 16 for a plate of two. They were decent sized but they used a weird white creamy sauce that had the chunks of crab in it, and bf was not feeling it. I ate one mostly because I was starving and it was better than my salad. They gave us a small bag of chips and cup of salsa which was a nice gesture, but I could have gone without. I honestly think the rice and beans were probably the best things out of the meal– rice was surprisingly fluffy and not too salty.
Overall…I wouldn’t come back here. Maybe I just ordered the wrong meals, but I feel like there are other Mexican restaurants I’ve already eaten at that I would choose instead.

4 + (–10) = –6 stars
4 = Yummy Food
–10 = Hostile Customer «Service»
— — — — — — — — — — — — –
UGH. I really struggled writing this review :(
Our experience is the kind that causes websites like Unilocal to be created so patrons can warn future customers exactly which restaurants DO not-​so-​nice-​things to their customers :(
Experience Explanation:
On a Pau Hana Happy Friday evening after work, a fairly large group of us went there for dinner and drinks.
Nice, clean restaurant; medium on the smaller side seating area.
It was my first time there and I will tell you that the food here is more than super great. Service at first was pleasant and seemed nice. We placed our orders and the food took some time to come mostly because our group was large.
Everything we ordered was eventually served hot, fresh, and delicious! No complaints about the taste of the food. But *that* is all I will say about the food.
Everything seemed fine as we ate. As we ate, however, things changed. Key words: «At» and «First».
At first water was served normally and pleasantly. But eventually our cups would be practically slammed back on the table. Then no smiles from the wait staff turned into scowls and they even glared at us.
How uncomfortable. Me being the youngest and perhaps bravest lol went up to the man scowling most to ask why about the water slamming and scowls. He angrily told me, You guys need to leave! People are coming for dinner and we need your tables!
The restaurant was not empty but it was not even half full even with us there — Really! What’s the deal?! :(
So I hope you see why there’s nothing for me to explain about the food here:
Why would I write a review to encourage ppl to go there (for the food) if the atmosphere those ppl may potentially experience is extremely hostile to its customers?!
Suggestions:
— If you will eat there to just eat, grab, and go, you will probably have a good experience.
— If you are looking to catch up and relax with a group of friends after work for a bit or are on a date to get to know each other, this will not in any sense be a good choice for your needs.
— If you want good to great Mexican food with much better customer service and a nice pleasant atmosphere, I’d rather refer you to three of my favs in the town area, Torito’s down Waialae Ave in Market City, Wahoo’s on Ward Ave (burritos-​ask4moist fish), or Mexican Lindo in Liliha :)

Finally had dinner there the other week… Charming little place, looks like it is an authentic family run business.
Parking is available in the municipal lots with a short walk to the restaurant.
People were very nice, restaurant is quite small. I thought the food was good… not great, but good. Sorry I don’t have anything really memorable to say about this little place except I’ve been told they are known for their salsa.

Azteca Mexican Restaurant is a family run, neighborhood restaurant. On a busy Friday night, service was brisk as they tried to turn the tables over quickly, so we ate and left.
The food is not bad. The Large Chicken Mole Enchiladas served with Rice and Beans came with two enchiladas stuffed with shredded chicken and topped with mole sauce. The mole isn’t sweet and has a dark earthy quality to it. The Pork Adobo served with Tortilla, Rice and Beans was just okay. Cubes of fatty pork simmered in a red sauce made with peppers and achiote paste, the flavor was mild and the pork wasn’t as tender as I hoped it would be.
A couple of tips if you do go: plates are large so lighter eaters can get away with sharing a large plate or ordering a couple things ala carte, they also serve standard mix margaritas by the glass and the pitcher.
Overall an okay choice for Mexican when you’re in Kaimuki.

We ordered Tostada and Enchiladas, ’twas good not great. Not the best Mexican I’ve had but pretty good considering we were on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Service is very friendly. Looks like it’s family run and they do a great job of making sure customers are happy.
We went on a Monday night and waited about 5 min the place was packed. It’s not a huge room, which makes it quaint. They have a few booths and tables.

It kills me to post such a bad review however, I must.
I want to love this place because it’s a quaint, family-​owned Mexican restaurant which seems to cater to regulars and has a genuine family feel.
I’ve been here twice and both times was not impressed with the flavor of the food. They offer a basket of complimentary homemade chips and salsa which were pretty good but I was starving so I’m not sure if I’m basing my opinion on that or not.
I could go into detail about how unimpressed I’ve been with the two types of burritos and chicken quesadilla I’ve tasted but it’d be a waste of time. The food is just «eh». I don’t care if it is authentic Mexican or not because having grown up on Oahu, I do realize that I’d have nothing to compare it to.
(Is Taco Bell authentic? Their ads say «Yo Quero Taco Bell» and they used to use a Chihuahua, does that count?)
What I do care about is how much of a «yum» factor is involved when I indulged in food which is typically off of my well maintained healthy, minimally processed food diet.
In spite of lacking in depth and flavor, the food does seem «clean» and uncomplicated and definitely not overly seasoned or salty. I believe I do better (not even knowing what the hell I’m doing) adding flavor to my «Mexican» dishes while cooking at home.
Two stars for the value because the plates will fill you up, also for the variety and the fact that they serve beer.
Parking is in a nearby lot unless you can find a street stall in front or around the corner. All stalls are metered or must be paid for.

Que sirve comida mexicana que es simplemente irresistible y deliciosa! (Serving Mexican food that is simply irresistable and delicious!)
Well, what do you expect from a restaurant that. has been around since 1976? We’ve been regular customers at Azteca for many years during which we’ve seen this family-​run restaurant change location and generations. The family is from Guerrero estado, Mexico so their food is authentic with just a bit of American «tweaks».
When you enter, you’re greeted with a smile and genuine welcoming voice. You’ve now entered into a neighborhood cantina… simple, clean and earthy warm. No, wild colors or sombreros or piñatas, here (thankfully). Your server will bring you a basket of freshly fried tortilla chips and a dip bowl of salsa fresca, which I think is the BEST in Hawaii. Then, you peruse the menu to find beverages (alcohol & non-​alcohol) and food selections in a la carte, combinations and house specialties categories. There are so many delicious choices but you fight the urge to over order, so don’t fill up with the chips.
Tonight, we ordered the chile rellenos and steak taco combination plates. The chile rellenos (roasted poblano) was stuffed with cheese and coated in an airy egg batter and the steak taco was filled with seasoned grilled steak pieces and shredded cabbage (?). But, the other «star» on this plate is the refried beans with melted cheese (rice is included but, the beans are more mentionable). Gosh, we thought we might not have put enough coins into our parking meter, but, between the fast and efficient service of the unctuous food and our hunger, we were in and out within 30 minutes!
Go to Azteca Mexican Foods and you’ll find yourself in Mexico! Don’t EVEN think Tex-​Mex, ever…