This is a very eclectic food from Mexico and perhaps other Latin countries. The choice of cocktails and straight up liquor is different from the run of the mill bar. The bartenders are friendly, warm and attentive. Look for Groupon so you can save some money when you eat and/or drink. Show them some love! We need restaurants like this in Jax Beach! read more

My friends and I visited on a Monday night. We ordered several items to share because that's how we roll;) We started with guac and chips as well as the queso which included slices of avocado, yes please! This was not your average queso as it was not runny. In fact it had a long cheese pull because it was real Mexican cheese (not the fake stuff)! We had to help each other break away from the queso lol! I recently attended a Yelp event and could not stop thinking about the goat barbacoa tacos. Yes I said goat. It was evident they marinated the goat and cooked it perfectly as it is so tender and juicy! I also enjoyed a slice of a quesadilla. But I think the menu item that stole the show was my friends chipotle adobo, which was a half chiken. The chicken was succulent and savory! And the roasted brussel sprouts that came with it were so good! I ordered my favorite cocktail, the blood orange margarita, which I also sampled at the Yelp event. I look forward to going back and ordering new menu items as I want to try everything eventually;) read more

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I came for the vegan challenge and left in awe of the dishes. My absolute favorite was the birria and the second place runner up was the enchiladas. I hope that they keep these items on the menu, I would love to come back after the challenge is over and order these things again! Our server was very nice and attentive. I do think the restaurant is a bit dark and would like just a bit more lighting. read more

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This place is our go to Mexican place in Jax! Delicious food! Authentic tacos. Ask for the house habanero hot sauce! They even have live music on the weekends for a good vibe with friends and family! read more

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Love coming to Ajua! Everything is always fresh and full of flavor. I got the verde enchiladas and my husband had the quesadillas--both were delicious. The dip trio is a must for an appetizer and the portions are really generous for the price. Server was quick and attentive. Ambience reminds me of being in Mexico City, lively and good! Great food, great value, and definitely a spot we'll keep coming back to! read more

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Discovered this eatery because one of my favorite local bands was performing there. While I went for the music, I sampled many of their tasty dishes that were specially priced as part of their World Cup specials. We tried the Esquites street corn which was loaded with flavor and an added touch of lemon that gave the corn a boost of freshness, then we had the Quesabirria loaded tots piled with perfectly seasoned braised beef, topped with pico de gallo, and cheese...an absolute flavor explosion, and the beef flautas with a mole sauce that were amazing. The atmosphere was lively and they had jumbo screens so we could watch the World Cup match. The service was friendly and accommodating. And of course the live music in the bar area was great! I will be back to try more of their tasty dishes! read more

Ajua Mexican Kitchen & Bar - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Jacksonville Beach, Florida

Oh I thought this place was great! Went in with a few friends and sat in the lounge area, started with a delicious margarita, and it all went uphill from there! Like I liked it all the ambience, service, food all great! Server was the sweetest, decorated so cool, like coastal beachy Mexico, the food was elevated Mexican, just a lil different then your standard! Yea really enjoyed will return! read more

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The restaurant had a great Carne Asada quesadilla...talk about tender steak and fresh ingredients ! We also enjoyed the queso, and chips. I like that they had Mexican Coke in a bottle. My hubby liked the beer on tap list. The service was friendly, which was great because we decided for a late night bite at 8:30 when they were closing at nine and they're very welcoming to see us and feed us. Would definitely return. Upscale, Mexican cuisine, great for groups or date night. Plenty of seating. Check them out. read more

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We stopped by for a late lunch on New Years Eve. Bellied up to the beautiful bar. It was nice to see besides the Mexican beers Anya also features several local taps. I choose my favorite Mocama IPA -Cosmico and my bff had a classic margarita. We each went with the 3 taco entree with beans and rice. I choose a goat taco, pork taco and a fish taco. I was so curious about Goat and would order again. All tacos were yummy and the beans and rice delicious. Can't wait to return! read more

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We visited this place on Friday night, before the shenanigans began to shenan. Neither of us had been there before. Our server, Shane, was fast, attentive and very personable. We were served with chips and salsa. We requested a hotter salsa and got the habenero salsa (10/10 recommend). I got the NY strip and it was really good! My only gripe was that it didnt really have any seasoning on it. Some salt flakes would've made it perfect. The chimichurri was amazing. The BF got the quesabirria tacos which he enjoyed. As an appetizer, we got the oysters and were delightfully surprised on how good they were, they were a tad small though. The pineapple drink (i forgot the name) was really good! It was like a pineapple slushy almost, but with alcohol. The ambiance has intimate lighting but the music was up beat. We are definitely open to going again and trying more food. read more

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I knew Ajua was going to be special and the flaming tomahawk steak sealed the deal! I was there for a dinner recently and dish after dish was an experience for my tastebuds! I meannnn if I can watch fresh tortillas being made by hand, it's a sure sign that great things are to follow! We tried so many dishes and not one missed. The Aire tacos were delicate but full of flavor, the goat barbacoa tacos were rich and tender, and the beef birria was everything you want birria to be. The aguachile, which may have been my fav, brought a bright, refreshing kick and you can never go wrong with Mexican street corn!. No meal is complete without dessert and we ended with churros that were warm, crispy, and perfect. If you're ever in the beach area, craving Mexican food, this is the spot to visit! read more

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Very lively place. The food sampling during the Yelp event were all tasty as were the different margaritas. Will definitely go back to try more items from the menu. read more

Ajua Mexican Kitchen & Bar - Appetizers delicious - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Jacksonville Beach, Florida

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The ambiance was cozy and there was plenty of seating. I like that you could choose to be out in the open or in a booth or off the side in the bar area. The service was great. The staff were kind and always smiling. It was odd that we didn't get plates to enjoy the offerings. They gladly bought some out toward the middle of the event when asked. The cocktails are TOP NOTCH! I had the best margarita of my life that night! lol! read more

The service was awesome. The young ladies were very polite and acted promptly with requests. The ambiance wasn't particularly Mexican to like the space, nice and wide open definitely a place you could hold an event or 2 at the same time. The food was solid the air nachos were a cool little treat and the tacos were good but my favorite was the steak and potato. Will define returning here with the fam to share some solid cuisine read more

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Ok Ajua is brand new and I will give it another chance down the road. That being said first impressions: Big space, lots of booths, great for groups. Slow service, understaffed. Blood orange marg was decent. The ceviche tostada was terrible. One tostada for $17 and the fish was chewy. My friends liked their meat dishes a lot, maybe seafood just isnt the right thing to order. read more

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The food here is EXCELLENT. I would recommend a dish or two but honestly we order and eat everything. Marie is hands down the best server/manager I have experienced in Jacksonville in my 20 years here. read more

Large space, good for parties. They have a parking area for this specific building. Rec using as street parking is limited. Blood Orange Margarita- 10/10, strong and tasty! Fish tacos lacked a little flavor and fish portion was small. More of like a fish stick in the tortilla but with yummy toppings. Esquites - super yummy street corn in a bowl. My husband loved the chicken tacos. Service was good! Happy hour during the week with $3 tacos. Would recommend checking out! read more

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We tried this restaurant shortly after they opened and plan to try again. The space is large, plenty of booth seating. Our waiter was new and couldn't give us recommendations but the food we received was good. The tacos were more like quesadillas and when asked they said they were in fact tacos. Could just be a different style. We will definitely be back and continue to try the menu read more

Ajua Mexican Kitchen & Bar - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Jacksonville Beach, Florida

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We were looking for somewhere to eat with very low expectations since it was Thanksgiving night. We saw Ajua was open and decided to walk in with no expectations at all, but this place surprised us! It had a great ambiance and delicious food. I ordered the carne asada, and my friend ordered two fish and one shrimp taco (normally it's fish or shrimp, but if you ask, they'll let you mix them). The server was super nice and helped us with the menu. For my drink, I had the red sangria. We were torn between the tres leches and the churros for dessert; we went with the pumpkin spice tres leches, and it was so good! Overall, the food was de-li-ci-ous! I really liked the flavor of the meat, and the portions were both eye- and belly-filling. :) I highly recommend this place, it will definitely be our "Jax Beach Dinner Stop" from now on. read more

Ajua Mexican Kitchen & Bar - Pumpkin Spice Tres Leches - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Jacksonville Beach, Florida

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Finally tried Ajua, the newest Mexican place in downtown Jax Beach. The food and drinks were tasty, but the service left some to be desired. The house salsa and chips to start were great. We also had the Queso fundido which was good, but came out at the same time as our food so we were not able to fully enjoy. For my entree, I had the Caramones Fuego a la Parrilla (wood fired shrimp) which I enjoyed. My bf had Carnitas tacos and also enjoyed them. Our server seemed to be making all of the drinks in addition to serving, which led to the service being a bit slow. I will definitely give this place another shot because the food was great, and hopefully the service will be better staffed read more

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No mention of food service specification on open table. Show up for our reservation and they have no vegetarian options and it's a buffet. I wouldn't have booked with them if I knew in advance. The app says nothing or their website. read more

We have patronized this venue through many changes. I like that they changed to semi circular booths in the bar area. Very inviting. The service was as good as could be expected with understaffing of only one server and one bartender. Our friends arrived and waited almost 30 mins for their margaritas. The food quality overall was good even though the plates sat for some time before serving. Not your typical margaritas but good flavor and refreshing. Love the black tortilla chips and the salsa and quac were very good. We will return and hopefully management figures out the staffing issues so giving a four for encouragement! read more

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Stopped into the new Ajua on a Taco Tuesday. There were 4 tacos you could get for $3 each, so my friend and I tried the quesabirria & carnitas. Both super delicious. Then we shared the short rib flautas and esquites. The flautas were really flavorful & crispy!!! Get the blood orange margarita! Service was prompt and attentive and the restaurant itself is cute. Great location. read more

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Dinner was amazing we had tacos and chicken quesadilla, the atmosphere was great service quick . We definitely be back .

Second time here food was cold which is never good! The ambiance okay our waiter made service acceptable. One thing that is important is having hot food. Vendors are more important than guest is what I got from the general manger. The queso is unique and it's good. Based on our main course at 5pm being cold and being giving an excuse of a menu change and that I have to request to speak to the chef I won't be back. Customer service is everything to me and the service was subpar and the short rib cold and tough nothing like my first visit in July so with that I will no be back. read more

Ajua Mexican Kitchen & Bar - Chips and salsa - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Jacksonville Beach, Florida

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The single most worst restaurant experience we have ever had. This is saying alot, we eat out about 6 times a week. Where to start - no paper menu - only germ loaded crappy electronic device. Limited menu once you figure out electronic menu The "sausa" looked and tasted like tomato sauce mixed with ketchup My wife had something that always contains chicken breast meat, they used more that half dark meat. All the chicken was old and over cooked The prices were ridiculous considering how bad everything was. Appears the place is ran by folks from India. My guess it the owner bit off more than she / he can chew with high rents and makes up the difference with out of date crappy food. If you go, plan on leaving and finding somewhere else that has edible food - like we did. read more

Cozy atmosphere with great service and good! Large portions and tasty chips and salsa. Would recommend for the area. read more

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Had reservations via OpenTable, got there and there is a sign that they're closed for maintenance. No notice and phone number redirects to a personal voicemail. read more

Ajua Mexican Kitchen & Bar - Front door - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Jacksonville Beach, Florida

The margaritas were good but my chile rellleno was served with a burnt crust of cheese on top. The waiter offered to take it back to the chef but the chef had it served that way. I will not go there again. read more

Short Rib plate was a good value Lots of food for 32 dollars however I would give the actual short rib a 5 outta 10 rating A bit tough and not fall off the bone good enough We also got the three taco plate with Carnitas (awesome ) crispy chicken ( meh ) and steak ( surprisingly meh ) rice and beans came with but the portion of both were 3/4 full small ( tiny ) ramekins The actual waitress was not knowledgeable about the menu or accompaniments The hostess was very abrupt with her tone and demeanor Big Pet Peeve When two people order food, don't bring one entree 10 minutes before the other diners food Big Faux Pas on Ajua Might come back for Carnitas The medium spicy salsa was very tasty read more

Ajua Mexican Kitchen & Bar - Short Rib plate - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Jacksonville Beach, Florida

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The entire experience was great. The food is elevated, the drinks were delicious, and the service was personable and attentive. So good read more

Ajua Mexican Kitchen & Bar - Nachos with all the meats. Birria, Carnitas... so good - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Jacksonville Beach, Florida

Great new addition to Jax beach! The venue is very large and great for groups. Great queso, guac, tacos and margs. Our server tonight (Israel), was also very attentive. read more

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Excellent food, great drinks, and cool vibes. Great spot to go for authentic mexican food. read more

I had the chicken enchiladas and they were horrible. Not shredded white chicken meat. Some pieces seem like thighs.

Disappointed with the service, food and management in general. Ordered an interesting quesadilla but it was really 3 soggy tacos on crusty cold tortilla. Guacamole was tasteless. Nobody liked their meals. Server was nice but inexperienced. No wine list and terrible wine options. My Mexican Margarita was nice but the regular margarita tasted like mixer. Won't be back. It saddens me that this new place in a cool spot won't last. read more

Brody was the best server. His tea was amazing!! Also, the menus are tablets and that was super fancy. Very happy with my time here.

BRODY IS THE BEST!!! I will be making AJUA my new bar spot just because of your staff member Brody. He has a beautiful spirit, and is truly one of the best bartenders I have ever met. My spicy margarita was delish! Brody makes a difference! read more

Always looking for a taco Tuesday special! When you go on Tuesdays ask the bartender for their special combo three tacos at $3 each. Very impressive tacos. Margs were a bit pricey. Service was great. read more

Food was excellent -I had the enmoladas. Also had nice cocktails... and servers were very friendly.

OK... Food was great. The service was great, but Desiree made it happen! She was so attentive and helpful