The best Mexican restaurant in Ames!! The staff is so friendly! Food is always out so fast and inexpensive! Fully recommend!

This place is great. I've had both dine in and take out meals. Dinning in fantastic because you get as much chips and salsa as you could possibly eat and your main entree is served on hot plates. Everything is very fresh and organized. Service is friendly and everything is a reasonable price. Take out is still good, but you will get less of what you ordered than if you were to eat in at the restaurant. If you buy $6 worth of take out then will give you a bag of chips and cup of salsa with your meal. read more

We were on the road and decided to eat supper. Using Yelp we decided on El Aztecs. We were not disappointed. My wife had a burrito and I had a chicken fajita quesadilla, which was very good. Excellent service and a nicely decorated restaurant. read more

It's your standard westernized Mexican fare, what sets it apart is their consistent service and food quality. I always have friendly, prompt service. To be noted that when entering the restaurant the host stand is located at the back entrance. From what I understand the restaurant and it's other location is owned by a very friendly, local family. Which is shown through their consistently good service. I don't stray far from my usual which is the California Burrito (sooo good), but neither I or anyone I've had dinner with has ever had anything bad to say about their entrees. The atmosphere is very clean and lively. The one thing I'd like to see is more variety in their drink menu. I noticed on the board there were more options, but the menu itself was lacking. Also you can only get flavored margaritas frozen which is a real bummer for us rocks kind of gals. read more

Me and my girlfriend were looking for a good mexican restaurant and we found El Azteca! And I can say that the food was VERY good. Chips and Salsa were served right away and they have my favorite Mexican pop; Jarritos. The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is the waiter seemed like he was a little grumpy, and it took a long time to get a refill on drinks. Still gr8 though! 8/8 read more

One of my favorite resteraunts in town, and hands down the best Mexican food restaurant in Ames. My favorite cuisine is Mexican food and finding good Mexican food in Iowa has been a Challenge, but El Azteca fits the bill. Their chips and salsa are spot on, and my favorite dish is the shrimp enchiladas. The service is friendly and super fast, and the ambiance is great. My favorite Mexican food place in Ames. The only reason I gave 4 stars rather than 5 is because the last two times I went, they were skimpy on the meet when I ordered Taco salad. read more

It's not the worst, but it's not the best. But it's like every other Mexican restaurant: fast, courteous and at a great price. I keep returning because it's a nice relaxed place to have lunch with friends. read more

The best staff in town! They are very friendly and they treat their customers very well, which means a lot to us! We feel like we walk in greeted by family each time we are there. All of their dishes are to die for. We love their fajitas for two and you can't beat their delicious salsa! Even on the busiest night, there service is quick and precise. This is our favorite restaurant in Ames! read more

Always great food and very fast service. Highly recommend for anyone interested in Mexican!

We always come here when I'm in town. Need to check other items on the menu. No matter how busy they are we always feel like we need to hurry and leave. Sure feels like bums rush. read more

Great service, great food have eaten at both locations and would definitely go back again. I had the California Burrito the first time (which was great) the second time I went I had the Chicken enchiladas and wow I was definitely not disappointed. The chips and salsa are great, although the Queso is very runny which seems to be a problem with most Iowa Mexican restaurants, it's not a huge gripe because it's still delicious. read more

Queso and margaritas are amazing and will keep us coming back. Some of the entree menu items are great and some are just okay. Service is normally quick and friendly. Prices are affordable. Parking can be bad during meal rushes with it being right next to Wallaby's. read more

One of our favorite Mexican places to eat at. We go mostly to the one in north Ames. It is a family favorite and go for a lot of special occasions. The food is always great. The place is always busy. My son loves going for his birthday the most! read more

Terrible customer service by Manager....We were charged twice on our credit card and did not realize it until we viewed our statement. We called and spoke to the manager who was rude and not accommodating. The next time we were in Iowa we went to the restaurant with our statements clearing showing the duplicate charges. The manager then argued and refused to refund payment until we brought in another employee who agreed that we had been over charged. Rather than apologizing we were told to never come back to his restaurant... we are appalled!!! read more

The margs here are great. It's usually busy, so make sure you get there early. The ONLY bummer about the place is that the chips they serve aren't salted. I highly recommend trying their queso! read more

I'm sucking down a great strawberry margarita. Maybe two. Loving the super nachos at reasonable prices. What's not to like?

Talk about quick service. I have been here twice now and both times it looked busy bur we were seated within minutes and our food showed up hot and delicious in no time. Rhe prices are good too, we ordered margarittas, dips, entrees, and dessert and spent.the same as we do at other Mexican restaurants without the desserts. I only wish the portions were a tad larger. I am used to Mexican restaurants where I cannot finish my plate and am stuffed. Here, I am not left hungry by any account, but there is room for dessert and I don't get lunch for the next day. read more

I've always been a fan of El Azteca. The service is extremely great no matter if its busy. You can look at your empty glass of water then look away for 10 seconds and it seems to always be refilled. Same goes for the chips and salsa. My go to at any Mexican restaurant are fajitas. Their chile rellenos are also great though! read more

tried El Azteca for the first time. We arrived at 7:30 and had a 30 minute wait. As it was a Friday night and we could sit at the bar we were happy. it did take the bartenders several minutes to ask for our order. you need to be a little aggressive,its loud with the blenders going with all the margaritas being made. once we were seated the service was quick. I ofdered the Chile Verde and my husband ordered the Chori-Pollo. we have eaten at a lot of Mexican restaurants,authentic Mexican restaurants, and this Chile Verde was the best. just the right amount of heat. Great prices all around.Get the Texas margarita,made with grand Marnier.Only a $1.75 difference and at $6.50 for 12 oz. Its a bargain. read more

Hands down the best Mexican place in Ames. Food is always served fast and hot. Every item I have ever tried has been amazing. Price is very reasonable as well. But during the peak hours, the restaurant gets so crowded that often, you have to wait 10-15 min for seating. read more

I only gave this place a one star, because they don't allow you to give less than that. The food was very chain-like. I felt as though I was eating at a clean, non-greasy Taco Bell. The atmosphere was decent, however, the cheese dip was nothing to brag about. The only thing that had flavor, was the expired jabanero sauce on the table. I would not go again. read more

The best mexican & margaritas in Ames. Service is always fast as hell and the servers are always attentive. I like this location better than the one on Dayton but they're both good. Plus you get a free tequila shot if it's your birthday ;) read more

Great price!!! You can't beat their lunch menu. Ask for their hot salsa. I would go back to this place.

Nice run of the mill Mexican food, and for Ames, it's quite good. The service is always great, and I don't think it's possible for food to come out quicker. Parking is limited, and if you hit it during a dinner or lunch rush, it's not unusual to have a 10 minute wait. Shrimp tacos are excellent, but then again, the carnitas is my personal go to menu item. read more

We ate here last night! The service was very fast and friendly! We loved the margaritas and the food was wonderful! We had the fajitas. Would highly recommend this restaurant. read more

The service is always so bad. They are just rushing and don't bother to stay one second longer for your service. Slow service also. If you don't want to die hungry, then don't come here, though I love the large quantity of Mexican food. read more

Staffs are rude. Does not care of the customer. Difficult to communicate in English. I have been there a few times. But during last weekend there was a manger type of person who was really rude. read more

Spectacular food and great service. I will definitely be back. Lots of great food at a fair price. Nice new area of town too.

Went here while waiting for our pup to get testing done at the college vet hospital. The neighborhood is beautiful, as is the location. The parking lot behind is really nice rather than the street but the dumpster was filthy, which is where we had to park. Walked in the restaurant and it was beautiful inside, very clean and not the typical Mexican over themed. We try Mexican restaurants where ever we go and so we had to. The cheese dip was good as was the salsa. Husband got a burrito and thought it was pretty good. I got a quesadilla and it was alright. I really like my quesadillas crispy and it wasn't and I love them with lots of cheese and that it wasn't either. I would go back and try something else, definitely wouldn't let that one mediocre meal deter me. The prices were really great, the speediness of the food was great, bathrooms were very clean, the staff was very friendly. Overall was a pretty good experience and would recommend and go back if ever in town. read more

Located in the Somerset area in North Ames, it makes for a convenient place to land on an empty stomach. The service is very good. The food is above average, but I wouldn't say it's outstanding. The building is new (like the rest of Somerset) and decorated appropriately for the clientele. My family and I enjoy coming here and have never had a bad experience. Friday and Saturday nights expect a wait. This is a family-friendly restaurant. read more

Pretty decent food for quite low prices. The only drawback is you have to ask for the "hot" salsa and even that isn't quite up to what I'm used to from growing up in the south. Oh, also their drinks are quite pricey but man are those margaritas STRONG. A couple of those would probably knock me out for the night. Another bonus, the wait staff is AWESOME. Very friendly and VERY funny. And it doesn't hurt that every one of the wait staff is nice to look at. Fast food, fair prices, friendly staff, what's not to like?! read more

Best Mexican food in Ames hands down. The Waiting staff is consistently friendly and fast. Food portions are great and meals always come to your table hot. Free warm tortilla chips and salsa for your table, and they're good enough you could almost eat just them for your meal. read more

Place was packed, especially for a Tuesday night. There wasn't an empty table in the place. Salsa was pretty spicy for an appetizer with the on par chips. Food was pretty good. Drinks were strong. read more

We have been there several times. Usually great service and atmosphere. Tonight not so much but typically a great place, might have had an off night. read more

Never dissapointed at El Azteca! This is my favorite mexican eat in Ames. The chipotle queso dip is the best queso Ive tasted. If youre visiting with a friend/significant other, I recommend the fajitas for two. With some salty margaritas! read more

Probably the best tasting Mexican food I can remember having. I like being able to distinguish between the burrito and the rice and the refried beans on my plate; at some Mexican restaurants it all blends together in a lettuce-covered mess, but not here! Great service and great prices too. Nice atmosphere, clean and spacious. Nothing to complain about at all after one visit. Will be back! read more

Uninspired menu and loud atmosphere. The food comes fast--but it is bland and dry. I suspect it's made early in the day and then blasted with heat and rushed to your table. read more

Service was great . Menu is full . Food was fantastic . Price was right . Enough said.

I like the food here generally, but we have had several instances when we received rancid taco shells. It kind of puts a damper on lunch when that happens. It is also extremely noisy in the restaurant, mostly due to its popularity. read more

After such high reviews, I'll admit I was looking forward to a very good meal. I am sorry I was disappointed. I ordered a combo plate of chile reiano, beef burrito, and an enchilada. The chile reiano was watery with very little cheese. It was a little over cooked and mushy, but thankfully the sauce masked that. The burrito tasted like it had filling from a can, and was not very memorable. The enchilada actually had promise, if not a little dry - which the sauce also helped to correct. The chips were crunchy, but bland - ah! Salsa to the rescue! This being a sit down, nice establishment, I was hoping for more flavor and creativity, but alas I could have saved my money and gotten the same thing at a Mexican drive through restaurant. However, they don't sing to you on your birthday, which was done twice while I was here. I'll save my money next time and forego the entertainment. read more