I went in one afternoon on a recent outing with my partner and we sat at the bar. The server didn't hesitate to suggest one of their secret menu appetizers for us, which we of course took her up on, and which was absolutely delicious. At the time, it was just two young women operating the restaurant on this late afternoon. They were so hospitable and charming, and made sure we were never left with empty margarita glasses. Do order their frozen margaritas. Their taco plates are also quite yummy. Upon entering this place, you get the distinct feeling that there truly aren't many of these Mexican eateries left in our city, and I am of the opinion that we certainly should treasure them while we still can. read more

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I love Sazon and go almost weekly. Nice patio and great food and prices. Remind me of the old Austin, I miss. A nice touch would be to have piped in music, but overall always a good experience. read more

Sazon, why do most folks think you've lost your fizzle? For years it was the go to place in South Austin for some interior grub. I remember the hype and the great reviews and those huitlacoche empanadas. A few days ago I needed an al pastor taco fix and despite the falling ratings I turned in the parking lot. Place hadn't seemed to change much. I had changed a bit; thinking the wife was barely pregnant when we dined here previously. Now, a two year old little Rooster tagging along with me. For the venue I'm changing his name to reflect his Mexican counterpart. El Gallo started off with the queso. I usually throw out some cheese on a plate for his chips and tortillas. The rest never gets eaten and ends up a congealed brick in a bean bowl. Not this day my friends; the blend of the white cheese with the pico was naughty good. The bowl was empty and hopefully no passerby got photos of me almost pouring queso in my mouth. I'll also give them some props for the smoky chipotle salsa as well. My al pastor arrived as well as El Gallo's rice. The flavors of the al pastor were the best I've had in a while. Seems they threw the meat and the pineapple on the griddle producing a crunchy yet refined texure on the filling. Delicious charro beans and flavorful pacific style rice rounded out a surprisingly good meal for both of us. There were no issues with service on this visit; both servers working hard for the tables with lunch patrons. For this visit Sazon picks up right where I left her some two years ago. I had forgotten how many interesting dishes they have including a black mole. Thanks to the great food; I don't think it'll take me the same amount of time to visit again. read more

Sazón - Al Pastor - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Everything from my initial review stands, but the stench inside seems to have gotten worse. It literally smells like raw sewage is being covered up by a feeble air freshener. I had the pollo con pipian verde today, and the food continues to impress, but unless Covid has claimed your sense of smell, sit on the patio. read more

During COVID, taste is more important than ambience since everything is in styrofoam when delivered. Their chicken fajitas are amazingly tender and the chicken soup is so tasty! One of the few places that has tamarind margaritas. read more

Been here twice. First time I was NOT a fan. I ordered their mole and it had a burnt taste to the sauce. Do not order this. Second time, I got the Chile Relleno. They do this so damn well. I think I was thinking about it the next day and started drooling. I will definitely be coming back and ordering the same thing. read more

One of my favorite go-to places. Good salsa and margaritas. And interesting interior dishes. They have a patio, although the deck itself and furniture have seen better days, but still enjoyable. Ladies' restroom is weird, with two toilets (no stalls) in one room, but this kind of thing is what keeps Austin weird! Gotta love that! It's never super crowded and it's good quality for your money. ENJOY read more

A little slice of "Old Austin" indeed. Low key, great people watching, and authentic interior Mexican food. Their chicken mole enchiladas, house salsa, and light as air tortilla chips are outstanding. The margaritas are delicious and super clean. Meaning no frou frou flavors or additives-- just orange liquor, lime, and tequila. Prices are very fair and it's generally just a chill hang. Amazing. read more

I always like exploring Sazón's interior Mexico inspired entrees. This trips delightful discovery was Puerco en Chile Cazcabel: a wonderfully spicy slow simmered pork dish that recently reappeared on the dinner menu. My wife had the Tikin Xic, a Yucatán fish dish with a heady achiote sauce on a banana leaf. It was all she could do to resist the urge to lick the banana leaf to get every drop of the sauce. Always worth the trip when Tex Mex isn't good enough. read more

The prices are great and it's never busy but the margs weren't quite blended correctly and the food was a tad bit bland. The biggest problem was how long the service took and how the servers were not super happy to have 5 customers on a Saturday night?! I would go again because the food was legit and my bf was digging on the salsa and hope to have a different experience. read more

Sazón - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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This place is so underrated!! If you're reading this and it's open and you have at least one cubic centimeter of space in your tummy, go now. Great food, friendly and attentive staff, pleasant patio. It's not trying to be snobby and posh though, and that's quite fine with me, because it has its own personality. Best dish at the table last visit was surprisingly the pipian verde con pollo (I figured it would be the tikin xic.. great but not unreal-mind-blowing). But the chicken.. I mean who gets excited about chicken? Me, now, I guess.. it was so tender, nestled in ample sauce with such a unique, bright flavor. Shoot, I'm writing this at 6:30am sleepless and now I want that for breakfast. Or to have them make me a pillow out of the chicken. Ok maybe not, but it was that tender. The chips and salsa come with the meal and were nice and fresh. Ooh and some dishes come with really tasty pickled red onions on the side. I thought the cochinita pibil could've used a touch more sauce and just more vibrancy to it, but that's just personal preference. Covid-wise, went for an outside lunch and there was plenty of space. Our server was masked the whole time too, so no issues there. (Plus my group was all vacc'd.) read more

Delicious! Delicious!! Delicious!!! Hands down best enchiladas my family and I have ever had. On top of that staff is super friendly and very courteous. read more

I love surprises. Especially good ones....and Sazon was a really nice surprise tonight. Firstly, the owner (and bartender, and waiter and chef) is running this lrestaurant with only 2 people, him and a very nice waitress. How is that possible?! I just don't know, but he's doing it. Second, I'm a little impatient....yes it's true. So when I didn't get immediate service on the patio (there were at least 10 full tables) I came inside to sit at the bar and was the only guest sitting inside and tougher to ignore haha. And from this vantage point our 5 star story begins..... I ordered a beer, a marg and the snapper. I blew through 2 baskets of really excellent chips and salsa while waiting, and then the meal came. I was BLOWN AWAY at the entree. Dang, why didn't I take a pic ?! The fish was perfectly spiced and cooked in a banana leaf, with rice and pickled red onions on the side. and they even included some freshly made corn tortillas on the side. Wow, what a meal! And can I remind our readers that my meal, as well as the 30+ hungry people on the patio all enjoyed dinner made and served by the owner (and bartender, and waiter and chef). I will be back! Hopefully on another really busy Monday to watch these 2 magicians work. read more

7/10 queso. 9/10 enchiladas 10/10 tavo tacos if youre on south lamar and you want bfast tacos pick up a togo order

This place has amazing food, a dog friendly patio, friendly helpful wait staff, clean environment! The parking is not very good but that doesn't detract from the quality of the experience. It was like stepping into a little piece of mexico right in the heart of austin! I will definitely rate this place 5 stars. If the parking lot is full there are a couple side streets to park on. read more

I hate to do this... Still the best margaritas I've had. No icky mix. thank god. Food was amazing - corn chowder and pollo al carbon really well seasoned. Service was lousy. At 8:30, really loud band started on the patio. What am i? A grandma? No... but you can't enjoy your meal with a full scale rock band right next to your table. And any restaurant mgt worth their salt should know this. There was a mass exodus of people willing to pay more just one more of their lip lick worthy margarita. read more

DELICIOUS Mexican martinis!!! and pretty large...about 4 glasses full in the shaker. Tacos were yummy and flan was amazing :) read more

Sazón - Flan - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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They make amazing salsa, i crave the migas tacos and be sure to ask for their home made corn tortillas! And the mole is the best of the best! And add the Mexican martini and it's the perfect addition to any meal choice! Support this local business and add to your list to try asap! read more

It's getting hot in Austin, so we decided to try an old favorite. No hype or fancy decor, Sazon is just what it is...good Mexican food. The decor hasn't changed in years. We came here for lunch on Sunday and I will have to say, the food is just as good as I remembered. I ordered the chicken in mole or (wedding chicken). The dark chocolate mole was smothered on top of a perfectly tender whole leg of chicken and served with rice, beans, and tortillas. The corn tortilla here is one of the best--lots of corn flavor, but still pliable enough to wrap a heaping amount of stuffing without fear of breakage. The mole was so good! The chile en nogado was also a winner------oh so decadent. A roasted poblano pepper stuffed with shredded pork and various fruit and nuts smothered with some kind of white sauce ----salty, sweet, crunchy, smooth--a very unexpected combination. The service is OK, They took my order, delivered the food, and from time to time, filled my water glass. Perhaps, they don't cater to kids--- the waitress told us they were out of children's menus-- but gladly accommodated our cheese quesadilla request. Overall, this is a solid Mexican restaurant. read more

Sazón - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Authentic Yucatecan Mexican food. Always reliable, always delicious and always the nicest people working there.

Not quite what I expected but a little better actually. Early dinner on Thursday evening during happy hour. Drink specials are pretty good considering the size and quality of the margaritas. $4 for fresh lime juice, tequila, triple sec as sweet or not as you prefer in a large glass and domestic beers were $2.25, Ole! The 3-4 tables quickly swelled to 12 or more all partaking in happy hour specials expedited by attentive servers making sure the wait was minimal and the crowd was quite convivial. Chips and salsa to start were tasty with no complaints. We couldn't decide on entrees so we ordered 3 for the 2 of us. Carnitas, beef tenderloin skewer and chiles en nogada. The food arrived fairly quickly and we dug in. Carnitas were authentic large pieces of pork cooked in pork fat. The beef skewer was very tender, cooked medium rare with a nice grilled taste. The chiles dish, the most expensive at $16 was truly traditional and well prepared. Luckily we saved enough scraps for leftovers the next day. All in all I would probably go 3.5-4 on food and 4-5 on drinks and service so I arrive at a solid 4 on this first time experience. Go for happy hour for sure and see what you think. read more

Excellent Mexican Food. I highly recommend this place. I had the Tacos al Carbon and the flavor was delicious. I came back for a second time today and the waitress remembered me and my last order.....WOW. read more

A hidden gem in South Austin. The food and drinks are consistently amazing and you'll be treated like family...even on your first visit. Bonus: they are pet friendly on the patio. read more

Sazón - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

The place was nearly empty when we arrived, I wasn't sure if this was really what everyone was yelping about.. I went out on a limb and ordered the celebratory Mayan wedding entree. I couldn't begin to pronounce it, let alone remember how to spell it now. It was definitely very different from any other Mexican dish I'd had, but I think the white rice with carrots and peas was totally wrong. If I wanted that on the side I'd eat at home and boil it in a bag myself. On the other hand, the service was very pleasant, and I'm sure we'd be back if we were 900 miles closer. read more

Sazón - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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After trying a handful of other local Mexican food restaurants and being utterly dismayed, I found Sazon. Great, well-prepared Mexican food that's not overloaded with grease and cheese. It's not too expensive either, with plenty of entrées under $11, even for dinner. The building is definitely older, and doesn't have a bright storefront that welcomes you in. When you get inside, there's not a clear hostess "podium" and it doesn't have that typical restaurant feel to it. It's more or less a big room with a bunch of tables and a bar in it. When we visited for lunch, we were welcomed immediately and prompted to have a seat wherever we wanted. Service was slow after that, though, but it was tolerable, even for a gotta-have-it-now-generation-y like myself. As much as I hate to say it, both baskets of chips we were served were stale. The salsa was pretty tasty, though, and after a few handfuls of chips it didn't bug me anymore. I'm banking on that being a one-time-occurrence, though. The Tacos de Carnitas I ordered ($7) were pretty tasty and filling. They could have been a bit more dressed up, but I'm all about simple food that tastes good so they worked for me. The side of garlic rice was delicious. Their house margaritas don't use any syrups, so you get fresh strawberries for a strawberry margarita, which is a nice touch. For $6, though, it didn't have much tequila in it, or I just like them stronger than most. Overall, if you'd like to taste real Mexican food and not the Cheese Grease Pool of Doom™ that Taqueria Arandas served me in place of enchiladas, stop by Sazon for "Breakfast, Lunch [or] Dinner". read more

Sazón - Outside...so you don't miss the fairly unassuming building. ;) - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Need of some authentic soups and other interior fair, then you need to get to Sazón asap. The cochinita pibil and soup combo are the main reason we keep coming back, but the other is because Margarito, has been such a generous host. 100% recommend this homespun classic in the shadow of so many new and *formulaic* restaurants in the area. A taste of old Austin at a great price. read more

Interior Mexican moreso than Tex Mex we might be accustomed to finding in Austin. While the food was fairly good, the service was sluggish. I don't think it was the waitress either, it was the kitchen. This was the second time I had been here, and had the same experience. Sitting out on the patio was pleasant though. They make their own corn tortillas which I'll give them points for. Their parking lot is a joke. read more

What it lacks in fancy digs, Sazon certainly makes up for in its most important feature: the food. Combining an obvious affection for historic Mexican dishes with personable service, our stop in at lunch today was quick and tasty. Get in while the getting's good: as long as Sazon flies under greater Austin's radar, lunch may be along the lines of today's crowd, easily accessed with plenty of open seating, but the crowd there was clearly full of those who had been here and come back again. Now that's flavor. read more

Sazón - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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____________________________________ I've been back so many times now I'm becoming a regular. My favorite is still the Enchiladas de Pipian, but there are so many wonderful looking things on the menu that I have to squeeze in a new experience once in a while. Went on Friday night and our group decided to start with the QUESO GRINGO. Mmmm good. A subtle hint of sauteed onion and/or shallots. White cheese . . . creamy . . . delicious. I decided to try the CHILE EN NOGADA. The menu says the sauce is served cold, and thank goodness it's not. Mine arrived a little more like room temperature. For me the problem is that a cool sauce on top of (or under) a hot dish just immediately drops the temperature of the hot food, which is not my preference. The sauce seemed a bit gritty and not as creamy as I would have liked, but it was tasty. Not my favorite, but glad I tried it. I guess that I just didn't get my fix on Friday night, so I had to go back on Sunday afternoon and order the ENCHILADAS de PIPIAN. Ahhhhh. Now I feel better. Also ordered a ToGo plate for my son. He selected the ENCHILADAS de CARNITAS. When I asked later if it was good, he said, "Yeah, it was good. No, it was VERY good." He wants to try the ENCHILADAS de JAIBA next time. And don't forget to order a couple of their delicious frozen margaritas to enjoy with the chips and award winning hot sauce. Also, if you're going on a weekday, they often have Groupon Now deals ($10 for $20). Even if you're alone, you could probably order your meal and one to go. Unfortunately, I always go on the weekends, but it is sooooo worth every penny I spend, and I think their prices are VERY reasonable. read more

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This is my first review. I am a huge fan of Sazón and recommend it to my family and friends who are visiting Austin for the first time. I sold them on great service, tasty food and a pleasant atmosphere. We got anything but that during this visit. No frozen margaritas (broken machine) No chicken fajitas (out of chicken at 8) No olives for Meximarts (we don't have those) For a table of 8 the first and last dish were served almost 20 minutes apart. The small requests we made were not added to the meals. Kaylie our servers was helpful while overwhelmed as the other was rude and short. I was amazed to see it so slow on a Friday evening and now I understand why. The restaurant I once enjoyed and recommend has made a turn and not for the best. I don't recommend this unless you have a great deal of patience. read more

Sazón is awesome! I went here last night with my friend for her tenth wedding anniversary, since she and her husband were apart for their special day, and Sazón actually catered their wedding ten years back! (When 90% of your wedding guests fly in from up north, you make sure there's good Mexican food at the wedding.) The food is still just as good as it always was: amazing salsa, great fresh tortillas, and awesome sopecitos. Sadly, I don't come here enough since South Lamar is growing out of control, and it's nice to see Sazón hasn't changed much at all. This is one of my favorite Mexican places to bring friends from out of town, and it's significantly better than many other places. read more

Went on a pretty not-busy-at-all night. Waited about 15 minutes to get seated. There was 3-4 other occupied tables. Because we had a kind of big party (9), didn't get impatient. After being seated, took about 10 minutes to order drinks. Another 15 or so to put in food order. Another hour and 15 later, our order was finally on our table. In the mean time, the waiter didn't bother to check on/refill our drinks. The bus person, to his credit, kept our chips filled. The food came out and was pretty good. "Worth the wait" good? Not even close. Few things are worth that kind of wait/service. Had been here a couple of times before and had good experiences. This time, brought some out of towners who were impressed (in a bad way) that this level of service actually happens. Sorry - but in this zip code alone there are PLENTY of places that will give you just as good (and better) food with attentive service. I don't see any reason that I'll return. read more

Ok. The mex-Marts are good. The quest, good. Service lacking. It doesn't matter if we go in large groups, small groups, or alone. The staff seems put off by their tables. I would chuck it up to me being the common denominator but I have heard it too much from others and I don't frequent the place enough to be known. So it lends me to think the staff is not happy. Service for drinks is slow as well but they are good and strong. The patio is cute and covered. read more

Hands down the BEST Mexican food in Texas. The staff is always friendly and the food is so phenomenal we go at least once a week, they've known our orders for years now. We love seeing how busy it gets. This place deserves ALL the business it gets. Everyone is kind and the drinks are delicious. read more

So the food itself wasn't... bad. It was on the underside of mediocre, but nothing necessarily to complain about. I had the carnitas with pipian verde on the side, and he had the alambre (beef skewers). I've never had pipian before and I'd say it's worth trying - my husband said that it tasted more like the verde sauce used for chicarrones rather than the pipian he grew up with. The rice was unexpected... saturated in butter with peas & carrots. My husband's dinner came on the skewer, which he had thought nothing of, until our server very awkwardly decided that she was going to remove it as he had already started eating. A pepper flipped off of his plate when she did so & she asked if he still wanted it............... ? The menu at first glance looks pretty authentic, but I can easily think of places I've had better food & experiences at. read more

The Good: The food was great. No complaints, very tasty. The Bad: The service. After we ordered, we only saw our server twice more, and one of those times was to get the check. Our water was never refilled. My husband's entree came out within five minutes of placing our order. Our appetizer took an additional 10 minutes after that, and my entree took 15 more minutes. We were ready to leave by the time my food finally showed up. read more

Cute Tex Mex spot with great salsa. We chose to sit on the patio which had plenty of fans to keep us cool. I had the Mole Chicken which was great and had a bit of a kick. Would not recommend it for people who don't like spice. Was very affordable and had great, friendly service. read more

The place was dead we want it certain table and they told us it was reserved (nobody was there we were the only ones!) and the people for the reserve table never came, the food mm was ok nothing out of this world but I'll not come back. read more

The staff were nice and casual. The inside was very dark with all of the shades drawn. (I was there during the day.) The food was okay. It wasn't bad and it wasn't amazing. I had the sopecitos and the carnitas. The sopecitos were good. The flavor was nice, the masa patties were perfect (maybe needed a little salt), but the meat (cochinita pibil) was a bit dry. The carnitas were just okay. They were large "hunks" of meat vs shredded - which is what I'm accustomed to and prefer. The meat had very little flavor and, like the sopecitos, was a tad dry. The worst part was the "parking lot." It is basically one side of an aisle (with the restaurant on the other side). The parking spots are angled. When you back out to leave, however, there is no exit in the rear. So you have to make an awkward attempt to back up, turn around, and drive the "wrong way" to the entrance. Very strange. I'm not sure hat I would've done had another car entered as I was exiting. I would definitely give this place another try. They had so many things on the menu that looked awesome. Hopefully next time will be better and I can change my review. read more

The service here is absolutely horrible, attitude for what reason? It's the customers that pay the bills for those working here. Food was definitely mediocre, nothing special. Will not be coming here again. read more