OMG. I just finished a lunch for 2 ( $49 including tip) Chips: From a bag at either Safeway or discount foods Fish tacos: frozen, defrosted fish ( probably in microwave) "when fish is mushy and no taste whatsoever, it has probably been frozen and defrosted in the microwave". Salad: bottled 1000 Island dressing ( that weird fake taste) Shrimp wrapped with bacon: good Mashed potatoes: mix from box ( has that texture that we all know is from a box) Service and décor: good read more

I had high expectation for Playa Azul since my trusted source (a Mexican guy who works at my favorite Italian restaurant where I dine 2 times a month for the past 2 years) told me abut it. I was little disappointed. I couldn't tell what was wrong with the food...but...I was not attracted to them. When I eat I want to love every bite. I don't want to waist my energy chowing something I don't like. I only finished 1/3 of my plate. I didn't like their fresh oysters. They were too big for me. I prefer smaller / sweeter / tighter kind such as Kumamoto Barron Point and Chelsea Gems. At least they were fresh... I liked their Shrimp dishes such as Camarones Fritos and Camarones Con Tocino with fresh large shrimps. They overused flavorless yellow cheese on some of their dishes. (If you eat kraft sliced cheese, then you may like it) I liked their Micheladas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73t_ibldVWU Very refreshing. read more

I want more Yelpers to come here. Or maybe I don't? I've been here before when I first moved to SF and what caught my eye ws the fact that it was a seafood mexican restaurant. The whole red snapper with chipotle sauce is really good, Just be ready to pick at it as if you were in a chinese restaurant. The baked oysters were also really good The Tostada w/ Ceviche was very light and probably one of my favorites The atmosphere is what made this place cool. You know when you go to a chinese restaurant and you see a bunch of Chinese people in there? You should go ahead and assume the place will rock. Playa Azul was like that but with a ton of Latin Americans. My girlfriend and I were the only non-Latin Americans in there. I knew this place was a winner. :) read more

I love this place! I went here for the first time tonight, and I'll be returning. I enjoyed the lively atmosphere; there's a lot more going on inside than you can see from the street. Lots of waiters, lots of patrons. A full bar in the back. A nifty Internet jukebox. A mariachi band (Saturday night). We were brought some so-so chips and salsa to start, Then, we started off with an order of the camarones cocktail to start, a generous gobletful of shrimp in a red sauce with onions and cilantro, accompanied by a fried tortilla and and saltine crackers (?!). For our main courses, we both ordered red snapper, prepared in two different ways; J. had the grilled "huachinango" preparation (that's actually simply the word for "red snapper"), and I had it al mojo de ajo, with butter and garlic. The latter was swimming in sooo much butter, but it was sooo good. We both had beans and rice on the side. I bet the former were prepared with lard, but they were very tasty. So be it. I enjoyed my very blue, very strong Playa Azul cocktail. Service was mostly prompt, definitely friendly. A mixed clientele, in a refreshing way. Fun! Recommended. read more

Thanks to my Chiropractor for telling me about this gem. What a find! What I found very interesting was this restaurant lets you chose sides. I ended up ordering the shrimp cooked in garlic and white wine with mashed potatoes and vegetables as sides. It was so surprisingly good! Very much reminded me of one of my favorite spots in Daly City, Boulevard Cafe. The vegetables were cooked perfectly. Everything was so good, we left very happy. read more

This place is pretty much right across from my new pad in the outer mission so I'm obligated to chow down frequently at good old Playa Azul. Even on a hopping, Reggaeton music-filled Saturday, we still got quick service and damn good stuff to eat. Their shrimp cocktails are very popular and huge and are a tad ketchupy, but that's nothing a few tablespoons of tapatio, lime juice and salt can't fix. If you ask for their tostadas de fish and crab ceviche without mayo, they are AWESOME, and great even with the mayo although that's my preference. Their salsa is also borderline perfect. Everything's cheap too, and the menu's extensive, pretty much guaranteeing the fact that I can go there a million times in a row and never get boring. read more

Playa Azul Friday and Saturday nights rocks! - The Nachos deserve 5 stars, they are to die for, yummy yummy for my tummy! - The mariachis are cool for a song or two, otherwise be prepared to spend a lot of $$. - Your alternative to mariachis is the fabulous jukebox. - The wait is never long. - Restrooms are clean. - Good for big groups. The food is pretty good, but I don't care for their side orders, I like baked potatoes and french fries but not with my Mexican food. The staff is not always friendly, they are not rude, just not friendly "enough." read more

Huge fan of this place! A relative of mine took us here after deciding that we wanted good seafood (since it is apparently on the best dungeness crab seasons in a long time.) And yes, I am not disappoint. I ordered the jalapeno poppers. And no, they were not your typical small frozen aisle section jalapeno poppers. They were the real deal, huge deep fried jalapenos oozing with chedder cheese. To offset the gluttony, they serve it on a bed of greens that you can choose to eat as a salad (or at least to my knowledge.) I washed it off with a regular sized pomegranate margarita, garnished with a phat salt rim and a cherry. I'm not a fan of tequila, and although I was coaxed by the others to order a margarita, I was pleasantly surprised. I couldn't really taste the tequila in the drink, so the drink is definitely up there as one of my favorite margarita drinks. Last but not least we each ordered a tostada - two dungeness crab and one shrimp. So refreshing sans the optional mayo! Full of lime and cilantro, the tostada was a solid 5/5. This aint your measly tostada with a pinch of meat on top, no, the tostada was piled with crab- so much crab that it spilled everywhere on the plate in front of you. Que deliciosa! The only downside is that the service can be a tad bit slow, but the food definitely compensates for that. read more

This place is overrated. A lot of my friends have gone here so I finally decided to give it a try. Their coctel de camarones is hands down my favorite! And their guacamole is really good too. My favorite two things to order. I've tried other things in the menu and they taste so plain -- no flavor whatsoever. it is over priced and the wait is too long even when they're not super busy. Overall, it's not a bad place to eat but I wouldn't recommend it to friends. There's other places that are cheaper & taste much better. read more

I took my folks here when they visited because we wanted to try something different (they're very FOB-y, so Latin American food is very far out for them). We all really enjoyed it. I probably would have preferred my dish (some kind of banana leaf wrapped roasted fish, whole) to be a little less spicy, but you can't complain about the awesome cacophony of flavors. The portions are huge! The agua fresca is definitely worth trying, and even my mom liked the horchata. We came here on a Saturday night, and they had a Mariachi band come in. They serenaded the table next to us, and unfortunately we were sitting in the front area next to the door. Since the doorway extends into the restaurant, this area is surrounded on two sides by glass and the other is the wall, so it was like an echo chamber. It was loud. So I guess, don't sit there if you come here. Again, the food was excellent. The atmosphere is very casual, laid-back family style. I would say it's best for a very informal dinner on a weeknight or Sunday. Certainly one of the better places to eat in this part of Bernal. read more

Brung drang bling oww.. the lime margarita gives me goose bumps. Here how I drink my margarita (PG 18) Ingredients: $ 4.95 Lime Margarita Salt Fresh Jalapeno cut halves A Straw A boyfriend or girlfriend Mariaci band How to use: Have a little salt on your f* finger Sip margarita from your straw only once lick the salt slowly suck your drink again very quick spread the cut up jalapeno on your lips (upper and bottom) last but not least kiss your sweetheart. The heat will transfer to him or her Heat on ..inside and outside. Drang Drang... song begins This is a recommendation for people who live at the cold weather area like San Francisco. + This offer not available everywhere + Tax not included + Drink responsible + Do not drive after drinking + Song available as request read more

Crab nachos, crab nachos, crab nachos . . . that's all you need to order. They are so good. Crab, cheese, topped with shrimp; avocados, jalepenos, and sour cream come on the side. Sadly, I've been disappointed with other items. The fish had a weird mustard sauce, the cocktail had big slimy pieces of oysters, and the jalepeno poppers were good (and hot), but not something to go back for. The crab nachos are well worth the trip, enjoy a beer, enjoy the live mariachis and be patient (the service isn't the best). The margarita was made with some pretty bad tequila, so I wouldn't bother. read more

Sadly this restaurant caught fire on June 18, 2016. We hope that the owners have the insurance to reopen. This was the fire that burned Cole hardware Playa Azul club 3300 and two other taquerias. We wish the owners all the best and hope you can reopen this great restaurant read more

Great pitchers of margaritas. Very fresh seafood. Reasonably priced. Doesn't look like much....but the quality is what counts. read more

I went w/ a friend yesterday 08/07/2010. It was around 6.30pm when in, greeted, and seated very fast. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. I ordered pineapple juice (kinda watery, but delicious) and Carne Asada as the waitress suggested w/ baked potato and clam chowder on the side. The beef is sliced thin, but wide. However it's not really as tender as i thought it would. I ordered medium well, maybe should ordered medium, but I just don't like to eat w/ half blood dripping off. It's okay I guess. The baked potato is good, but I was hoping to they used melted cheese that a bit salty to balanced out the plain potato. The soup is delicious tho it's a bit too rich for my taste and it's modern clam chowder (w/ red pepper), not the classic ones. My overall food is okay. My friend's food however, is yummy!!! You heard ppl ordered fish here because it's fresh.. yep! That's what he ordered and it's true.. it tasted fresh and just melted in your mouth and it came w/ generous portion. Their potato salad was delicious too. The potato is cook perfectly w/ no mushy texture and tasted fresh. The veggie was okay. Don't know about the cranberry juice here.. I didn't taste it. There was also a group of live mariachi that came in to the restaurant while we were almost finished eating. It's loud, but I always like live performances. However, they take break after only 1 song? huh?... that's it?! I don't know.. didn't stay too long to found out because, like I said, we're almost finished eating. I'll come back and maybe I'll try the fish dishes next time, however, I feel the price is kinda steep for location and ambiance that they're trying to sell here. 3 stars! read more

Pretty damn good ceviche. We came on a Thursday night and it was crowded so busy and slow service. But the prawns were huge and a bargain. The hot salsa was a bit weak for my taste and the chips were not that fresh. I would go back for the seafood ceviche though, it is off the hook. read more

Good breakfasts in the Mission/Bernal vicinity! Although, the Huevos Rancheros is on the runny side before it even hits your system. Check out my photos of this morning's repast... read more

Playa Azul - Omelette a la Mexicana! - Latin American Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

I LOVE their Vuelva a la Vida, which is a HUGE ceviche filled with oysters, octopus, shrimp, crab...if you love seafood, you have to come to Playa Azul and try this dish! I've had it quite a few times and it has always been fresh and delicious. Also verrrry satisfying- I never order anything else with it, because I am SO FULL by the time I get to the bottom of the glass. read more

I have been going here for years. Festive evenings with music and Margarita's. My favorite is the whole fish, flash fried, and the filette of fish sauteed. I love their baked potato with butter and sour cream they call it papas relleno, and steamed vegetables. Very large portions of food, enough to take home. Go read more

Well done mariscada plate (fish, oysters, shrimp). Fast and pleasant service. read more

The waiters don't really speak English but they still get everything done. It was really crowded when I went but they didn't forget about us :) The dishes seem expensive initially, averaging 16-25 buttt it is for seafood dishes and you get A LOT OF FOOOOOOD. dish + 2 sides and flaminggggg hot flower torttillas. it was flaming hot.I think they made it fresh or something on the pan , SOOOOOOOO HOT. it was delicious. Also it's sucha big portion that I shared a prawn cream sauce with my friend and we were fulll. It was sooooooo creamy yet light. You don't feel you just drank from a udderr after. yum yumm read more

I came here last Friday night to celebrate a dear friend's birthday...and boy was the food AMAZING!! I forgot the exact name of the dish I got...but it was basically a fish relleno...it was a delicious piece of fish stuffed with crab and shrimp (I think). The portions were just right, and dessert was also amazing. We ended our meal with coffee and a creme brulee. Oh, and the margaritas are yummy as well! I definitely plan on coming back, and I think this time I will bring my significant other, who happens to love seafood. I only have one complaint...and that is the damn mariachi music!! I don't hate mariachi music or anything...but damn, it was so freakin' loud, we couldn't hear each other talk. It made the overall experience a little awkward... read more

Disappointing! We were looking forward to our lunch here but it was a waste of time and money. Customer service took forever! Which doesn't make sense because there were only a few other tables to tend to and there was 4-5 waitresses. Our food was even more disappointing because it was bland! We had to use so many lemons and tapatio and salt to get some flavor....no flavor and was super bland. Disappointing! I will not go back here again nor refer it. read more

Sortuv a round about story how we ended up at Playa Azul on a Monday nite...A place with a patio and drinks was high on the list cause it was during the short heatwave we had a few weeks ago. So we rolled to to the Jay N Bee club for some food and drinks in the patio...FAIL, it was closed. So then I suggested we grab some tacos from Taq. Cancun and then hit-up El Rio's Patio. Neg'ed again! Then my buddy John was like let's hit up Playa they have good drinks. And so we did.....but I digress. The margaritas we got were solid.. ten bucks, with a floater of Cointreau...delicious. I order the aquachile dish and my girl and I shared a tostada de ceviche. I can't remember her entree but I do remember that all food was awesome right down to the homemade chips and salsa. So a note about the aguachile dish...I'm Mexican and I'd never even heard of it 'till I tried it for the first time when I was living in Redwood City at El Grullense. So the dish...butterfly a bunch of prawns then let them soak in lemon\lime juice(like ceviche) spiked with serranos, add some cucumber slices, some onions and that's the dish. I love spicy food but this dish get me everytime...oh the sweet pain of having your mouth on fire! Any how, if you like spicy food and ceviche give this a try you won't be disappointed. Last but not least, the other thing I really like about the place is the ambiance. It's just like you stepped into Mexican fiesta. Both times I was there they had a Mariachi cranking out the musica and my paisanos filled most of the tables. That said, don't go there if you want a quiet meal ;-0 read more

Maybe I was expecting too much after some of the rave reviews but I was disappointed. We had the mixed ceviche tostada, a half dozen of the crab and shrimp nachos and the fish fillet in a garlic, butter, white wine sauce. The ceviche was excellent with a nice bite to it. The nachos were good but with the beans, way too heavy for me. The fish was fine but nothing spectacular. We also made the mistake of ordering bloody marys. They were terrible enough that we had to send them back. Luckily, Dr. P is cute and charming so we were able to get refreshing beers instead. The prices weren't outrageous and the service was good. We saw lots of big families enjoying their meals so maybe we just ordered wrong. read more

I probably shouldn't review this place as I didn't actually eat a meal here, but . . . went intending to eat, but as we walked in, we got blasted by a horn from a mariachi. Ears ringing we made our way to our table, which was towards the back - thankfully away from the 6-8 mariachis but not far enough to avoid the deafining insturments. We made it through one drink and chips and salsa and HAD to get the heck outta there. Couldn't hear for the next couple of hours. Will need to come back cuz the food looked awesome and the chips and drinks were A-OK. Just couldn't suffer through the "entertainment". Place was clean and staff was helpful and friendly --- will have to ask when they DON'T have entertainment to try the food. One star for drinks, one star for service. read more

Worth sitting through the sometimes painfully loud mariachis. This place reminds me of Siete Mares in Redwood City, but a bit classier. Breakfast is my favorite, but be sure to get there before they switch to the lunch menu at noon. Their huevos rancheros are my second favorite after Pastores'; I was even inspired to spend several days trying to duplicate the recipe. You can get pretty close with the right combo of red bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, oregano, and vinegary hot sauce. I'd avoid the deep-fried dishes myself, but if you want a real gut-bomb, go for the deep-fried bacon-wrapped shrimp. The crab nachos are a must, I guess unless you have a shellfish allergy. These are not your Chevy's/Chili's piles of canned olives and refried beans atop mediocre chips; these are individual chips loaded with a decadent mix of fresh crabmeat and cheese, with mounds of sliced avocado and pickled jalapeos and sour cream to add as you prefer. The various seafood cocktails, including the decadent hangover-fighter "Vuelve a la Vida", are delicious. Chew carefully, though; my most bizarre restaurant accident to date was when I broke a tooth biting into an oyster pearl in one of their cocktails. At least I still have the pearl as a souvenir of a thousand dollars of dental work. There's a full bar, and on weekends there's quite the party atmosphere. Try a michelada - basically a Beery Mary - it's far better than it sounds. Okay, half of my friends have come to agree with me. The other half still think it's gross to mix beer and lime juice and hot sauce and Clamato. Portions are large. Coffee is good; I think it has a little cinnamon in it. Iced tea is good and fresh. Chips and salsa are decent, not stellar. Service is pretty good even when they're slammed, except that it's always hard to get the check. On the other hand, that seems to be because they don't want to rush anyone out the door. read more

A hidden gem in the mission. Great service! Not sure why other reviewers say it's bad. Every time I've come here it feels like home. Super friendly and hospitable service. It's always super busy. There's always a line waiting to be seated, but every table is full. Food is delicious! The shrimp cocktail is a must. So is their "camarones a la plancha" - so perfectly cooked. They have plenty sides to choose from. The vegetables aren't the best. Unfortunately, they're boiled and overcooked so you end up not eating them. The fries are crispy. The baked potato is a good size. Overall, the food is so satisfying. The Aguas Frescas are to die for. Just like my Tia used to make at home. I will say that the prices are a little steep. I know these plates should be a lot less than they are. But I don't mind so much since I always leave this place happy. read more

I went to Playa Azul for lunch today and I will never get that hour of my life back. I am perplexed at the glowing reviews and the Four-Star rating. I was craving some delicious chips and salsa and big bowl of soup to warm up my bones so I headed out for my limited lunch break with a Mission (pardon the pun?) and ended up near Playa Azul. I was going to go to the Mexican place next door, but walked out once I noticed the chips on the tables looked store bought. You know the kind....that look like they came out of one of those giant bags you would get at Costco? Anyway, so I went to Playa--there were quite a few people and the inside looked pretty nice, so I thought "what the hay" I'll give it a shot. I ordered the Caldo De Camaron with a side of rice and beans (I was hungry ok??). First the chips & salsa: sooooooooooo disappointing. The chips were stale and I'm pretty sure store-bought. Actually, the salsa was pretty good, but man alive the chips sucked. The Soup: Very generous portion, but the only discernible taste in the otherwise bland broth was FISH SAUCE! If you have ever tasted fish sauce by itself, you know this is not a desirable flavor. In an effort to salvage my lunch, I fished out all the tiger prawns (which were way over cooked and also bland), and ate them with the (store bought) corn tortilla and the side of rice and beans. The rice, was very good but the beans had no seasoning. So once I salted, tapatio-ed, and salsa-ed everything my make-shift prawn tacos were ok. At the prices that Playa Azul charges, I expect robust flavors, properly cooked prawns, and home-made tortillas and chips. Bottom line: I won't return. read more

Wow, FABULOUS service!! Really attentive and knowledgeable, plus bilingual which made my Greco more at ease. Our waitress kept coming by to check on us, we received our food really promptly, even tho it was pretty crowded. She even noticed that my man wasn't really touching his drink, and she asked if he liked it and offered to replace it if he didn't! That being said, the drinks were pretty sweet. We got their specialty cocktails, I think next time we'll stick to margaritas. At least the cocktails are LARGE, but both of ours were waaaaaay sweet. I got the Coco Loco, too much sweetened pina juice, not enough coco (but plenty of rum!) He ordered a white russian (with Mexican food? who does that?? no wonder) and it was delicious and tasted like a milkshake. Reminds me of the 'seperaters' my dad makes for my mom and my tias as dessert... Food was worth the money since the portions are very generous! I had one of the Coctels, since I saw that almost every table in the restaurant had one. Sweet cold tomato broth with cilantro, onions and lime. Fresh shrimp, octopus and oysters, and believe me, there is a lot of seafood in that glass! the shrimp and octopus were tender and delicious. The oysters were a little stringy and not very salty, but they were HUGE! My date had the house special camarones - shrimp and fresh veggies in a light butter sauce. The entrees each come with two sides, and the have american sides as well like baked potatoes, etc. All in all, it was delicious and Im ready to go back to sample the margaritas and other features of the enormous menu. Maybe not during the world cup tho...if Mexico loses, it could get interesting. read more

Customer service here is mediocre. A huge sign says "please wait to be seated" hmmm ok we stand there for a long time, no one care to seat us... ok fine... there goes an empty table in the back....party of 2 sat ourselves down. waitress keeps walking past us... tried to flag her down, hmmm... ignored us....she finally comes around and drops down our menu. it took her forever to take our order down. after engulfing the meal, it took her even longer to give us our bill. The food was delicious. Not your typical Mexican Restaurant. if you are looking for fried and drizzled w/ gucamole look elsewhere. I like how my dish was exactly what was written on the menu... grilled chicken w/ sauteed onions, rice and refried beans. Mmmmm so good. I decided to dip my grilled chicken in that green sauce that was in a bottle. wow was that a bad idea or what. that green sauce burned my lips and then it made it difficult for me to eat..... Not a bad place to eat something different. I would definitely come back and try the fish. It looked tasty and its ONE whole fish.... yes including the head and tail :) read more

I've had several meals here. The food is great, and never overcooked. I've had the fish filet ala veracruzana (spicy!), the whole fried fish, grilled shrimp with garlic, and many more. I love their nachos that are topped with crab meat and other seafood. The portions are very generous. With each entree you get 2 sides, plus tortillas or bread. The margaritas are superb, they don't mess around here! The service is hit or miss. Last time I came with my mom, we were seated immediately, but it took forever for the waitress to greet us, take our order and the bring the check. I think, after our plates were cleared we maybe waited 15 mins for the check. What the heck! The bus boy was doing a better job than she was. Anyway, one waitress won't keep my family away! Will be back for the margaritas and nachos! read more

Sometimes I search Yelp for new places to try for a good bloody mary. I came across one recommendation for Playa Azul, so I thought I would give it a try. First off, they stop serving breakfast at Noon, even on the weekend - so for those that are thinking it's a brunch option on the weekend, beware. Quickly the food. I had the fish tacos - I've had way better at other places. My friend had the grilled shrimp with cheese. Wasn't more than grilled shrimp with mexican three cheese melted on top - pretty disappointing. ****************Bloody Mary Review**************** Simply, I'm 90% sure that this is just a mix. It had that sweet taste that one only finds in a store bought mix. If it isn't, they are adding simple syrup or some other sweetener that just isn't my taste. Sugar should never be added to a bloody mary. That's about it - not much else to say!!! Read some of my other Bloody Mary reviews at: http://www.yelp.com/list/bloody-marys-in-san-francisco-san-francisco read more

I would probably give this place 3.5 stars if that was possible but I rounded down to be conservative. I went on a Thursday evening. GOOD: - Friendly service. My waiter was very attentive and checked on my table several times. I normally don't get such nice service at Mexican restaurants. - Large selection of seafood dishes. - Prices are not bad when you factor in that this is a seafood restaurant. If you look at this place as a Mexican restaurant in Bernal Heights, you might think the prices are high. - Clean and spacious dining area. Not dingy or cramped like many other Mexican restaurants around the Mission. - LARGE portions. JUST OKAY: - The Pescado Entero Sarandeado ( whole fish baked in a plantain leaf) was like $18, which isn't bad for a whole snapper. The dish was okay tasting but nothing spectacular. I would try other fish dishes before ordering again. - The clam chowder is pretty average. It is full of cream but not super clammy or flavorful. BAD: - The Filete Relleno (stuffed fish) was not very good. It was pretty mushy and they used tilapia (I think). They pretty much just put a layer of this stuffing and lathered it all over the top of a piece of fish. The stuffing itself was very creamy and not very good. I wouldn't get this dish again. CONCLUSION: An authentic (not full of gringos) and decent but not spectacular Mexican-style seafood restaurant. If you like fresh whole fish, you should definitely check this place out. read more

Food's OK, not great. Still, it's hard to beat a $4.99 plate of chilaquiles -- on the breakfast menu, served 7 days until noon -- that's too big to finish. Not so sure why they came with toast, but... ok, whatevahs. OK-to-good salsa, not so great chips. Prices on the lunch menu were astronomical, however -- I shudder to think what they would be at dinnertime. read more

With much help from the Yelpers I decided to hit this place up for a Friday night margarita. I'm not big on the whole tequila thing, but man was I need of something good and strong. So I met a friend and ordered a drink. The waitress harldy spoke english, and I knew that was a good sign of a REAL mexican restaraunt. The mariachi band was SOO loud, but I didn't mind. It took me back to all the times I have been to Mexico. Man I love that place! It remided me of beautiful beaches and sipping great cocktails on those beautiful beaches. Sleeping in, and clear water you can see the fishies. Anyway... So we decided to order the stuffed mushrooms with crab and mussels. Very good and cheesy. Just put a little tapatio on them, and your good to go! Great service. Good food. Fun/loud environment. 4 stars for the fact that the potties were gross and the band was So loud. Good mariachi band though. read more

Update - I had to take off a star. We went last night for my husband's birthday, and the mariachis, who I usually enjoy, were ridiculously loud and played *literally* 17 songs in a row while surrounding our table... the manager tried to make them move, but gave up because of the drunk dudes asking for more music. manager, this is your job - just make them move. I love playa azul - it's a big family place with amazing coctel de camarones. for the uninitiated, order coctel de camarones and get extra limes. fish out a shrimp and a big chunk of avocado onto your saltine or tostada (I'm a saltine) person, squeeze on lots of lime, and take it down in one big bite. Heaven. If you close your eyes maybe you're on the beach in Mexico, sand between your toes. The micheladas are great and there are lots of great strong drinks. I start with a ceviche tostada and have the coctel as a main dish - but the main dish snapper and shrimp dishes are great. Tonight there was a female soloist in the Mariachi group that was amazing - I doubt she'll stay in a local group for long, but wonderful. I am slowly learning that you just have to sit back and take in the music when the mariachi is loud, not try to talk over it. Just enjoy. read more

Oh the days I have spent sipping on clamato and _______ (tecate, vodka, tequila, etc. it mixes well with all), always days that involved booze before noon. Some of those days were on the Playa, but that's a different story all together. Just the other day I was wondering why more restaurants don't cater to the clamato crowd, and now I know of one that does, Playa Azul. Not only does Playa Azul have a full bar, clamato, and Long Island Ice Tea (2 sizes) on their menu, but they also have a magnitude of fresh and briny mariscos. Tostadas de ceviche ($3.50) are a good way to try out some of them without stressing the budget and come with a small mountain of the seafood of your choice buried under salsa fresca and fresh avocado. The pulpo was a surprising favorite with toothsome but very meaty large chunks of octopus that were not in the least bit chewy. If you order the ensalada Cancun you should be advised that it's served in a tostada shell that's roughly the size of my head. It's an enormous salad topped with all manner of seafood, but I have to say I was far more taken with my Vuelve a la Vida. The V a la V is billed as a shrimp, oyster, octopus, and scallop cocktail, "to come back to life." Yep, sounds like what I need on a clamato morning. The shrimp were especially sweet and tasty, and the oysters very fresh. I do find the bivalve the size of my fist type of oyster to be a bit overwhelming and prefer the petite kumamotos or sweetwaters from Tomales Bay myself, but to each their own. The dusting of shredded crab meat that capped my mammoth goblet of a cocktail was a little fishy, but overall it was still a very enjoyable treat. Booze, seafood, and clamato? I'm sold. read more

Delicious food. Clean food, great portions. Nachos Playa Azul-- try it. It's delicious! Chips loaded with beans, cheese, crab ceviche and shrimp, sour cream, jalapenos and avocado, INDIVIDUALLY. Hence the pricing. Whole red snapper, fried. Perfection. Flaky fish with crispy skin. Prices = moderate/reasonable. Service = friendly. read more

Apparently I missed the crazy crowds and lines to get into this place. Totally fine by me. It only facilitated getting the shrimp nachos and seafood cocktail out to my friend and I ALL the quicker. I'll be back to try out some more stuff like the ceviches, but I'll def. have to order those nachos as an app. YUM! read more