Carnitas quesadilla...giant and yummy! Carne asada tacos also were delicious. Mild salsa was different but also good.

Delicious mole! Margaritas are sub par. Best to stick to beer. Very friendly.

Finally, good authentic Mexican in Humboldt! Huge menu, super veggie friendly, great staff, tons of room, a hidden gem. I was burnt out on the so-so local mexican places, but I'll be back here for sure. read more

We found Valley Azteca on Yelp during a road trip. It was an excellent choice. Loved the salsa (two varieties that you can mix or eat separately); they even served it with a little dollop of sour cream. We had the super quesadilla with carnitas and a burrito with carnitas - red sauce was especially delicious, you could taste the ingredients, something special. Service was friendly and efficient. We don't live near by but if we're ever in the neighborhood again, we'd definitely go back. read more

I love their giant burritos...their food is amazing and the owner is a very sweet guy. Awesome low prices is a plus!

Being from the east coast, my taste buds may be different. The chicken burrito filled the plate, so two meals. The chips and salsa were much different than I'm used to. Very friendly and the owner walked around to say hello which I think is great. read more

This place is pretty bad. My potatoes were not cooked at all and had bad service. I usually love the food in this town so needless to say, giving a place 1 Star is pretty harsh but this place deserves it. read more

Great food!! The guacamole and chips are great!! Everyone in my family loved it: mole, fajitas, enchiladas de pollo (chicken) and bean, rice and cheese burrito. They do take time to make the food but if you want freshly made food, it is worth the wait. read more

Best Mexican food in Arcata, hands down. Don't waste your time on Carmela's. Rita's is delicious too, but Luzmila's is better. The food comes out super fast too. read more

Food is excellent and the service is superb. Best Mexican restaurant in Humboldt County by far.

The chili colorado and staff are outstanding. I was told there was not good Mexican food in the area they were wrong.

Best Mexican food in arcata, or at least the asada tacos in my opinion. Well made food and drinks. Don't go anywhere else

I have eaten here several times and will continue to do so. The food has been excellent every time...more than I can say for any of the numerous Mexican restaurants in the area which tend to be unpredictable at best. The service, on the other hand, has been wildly unpredictable and mostly (in my experience) poor...however any place that can back up less than ideal service with great food is a winner in my book. read more

I had the nachos and my husband had a burrito. Both were VERY delicious! The staff was attentive and friendly. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Service is very good. There was even live music, not loud, which was a very nice touch. However there's better mexican food available in the area (like about 4 miles south). The tortilla chips were just ok, like something out of a bag from the store. There was also a very small (less than a teaspoon?) of sour cream placed on the table with the chips and salsa, but not enough to add to flavor to anything. We felt there could be a bit more spice in the beef - really bland for us. I had a combination of beef taco, beef enchilada, and beef burrito, served with beans: very "plain-tasting". My wife had a "combination burrito" which she said was a bit "dry", needing something extra. Overall ok, but just needed a bit more to make it great. Priced just over $10/person with one beverage (no alcohol for our meal). read more

I have to agree with the good reviews on this charm of a restaurant. I am new in the area. I have tried most of the large Mexican places in the area. This little hole in the wall has my best vote hands down. The host is extremely pleasing and just plain nice. The food cooked perfect. The meat is so good it melts in your mouth. The beans and rice have flavor. The prices are great, large menu. If you want a huge burrito order theirs it's the size of a rolled up nSunday paper!! You either cannot finish it. Or if you do. You won't be hungry for days!! Something for everyone. I eat here at least once or twice a month. read more

This is one of my favorite spots in the area. It's always clean and quiet and the food is the best you can get in the area.

I've been here a few times and I haven't had a bad experience yet. Worked in a restaurant for years and I know good service when I see it and good food. The owners are amazing people! The food always tastes fresh and I love their flour tortillas. I love coming here for the price as well, compared to Rita's near the square this is hands down the best! The food here is what my Mexican grandmother would make :) Don't be fooled by its looks this is worth the try! read more

I ordered a particular dish that is remarkably easy to prepare due to it's simplicity. Well they failed at their attempt at super nachos. Additionally, the size of the meal was very small for being priced at $10.00. read more

We were looking forward to trying this place after reading how vegetarian/vegan friendly it is. We called ahead and asked if they use chicken broth in their rice and we were told they do not. However, when arrived at the restaurant and asked our server, we were told the rice IS chicken based. We are big fans of rice and bean burritos, so we left without ordering. Maybe there are other items on the menu that could work for vegan/vegetarians who don't want the rice, but I don't consider a restaurant that turns a non-animal based food into an animal based food to be vegetarian friendly. read more

Mmmmh food is okay but the menudo and albondigas soup needs more spicy they were a little bit tasteless

Great authentic Mexican food and drinks! My family and I tried the menudo, a plate with steak and cactus, and quesadilla. Everything was delicious and the server was nice. read more

I was very disappointed after reading the great reviews on Yelp. I can't comment on the authenticity, but I have had quite a bit of Mexican food and this was a disappointment. Very little flavor in most of the food. Even the salsa was pretty much flavorless - it had some heat, but no actually flavor. The chips that came with the salsa were very thick and tasted as if they had been sitting around for a while. My plate, for $8.50, was a teeny tiny enchilada about the size of an egg roll. My husband liked his burrito. My 7 year old finished his adult-sized (and priced) plate (no kids menu) and was still hungry. Service was fine. read more

Man! This place has absolutely GREAT delicious and filling Burritos!! Definitely the best place in Arcata to get a good quality burrito for under $10! My two personal menu favorites is the Azteca Super Burrito Supreme* I THINK it's the name for it either that or super burrito combination perhaps. It's a MASSIVE wet burrito with pico-Del-gallo on it in either red or green sauce covering the burrito with fresh veggies n lettuce and cheese w/sour cream and that's just what they put on TOP of the burrito! Inside is there speciality house beans that are such an amazing delicious taste themselves I order just a side of these beans sometimes there good enough as a stand alone meal themselves! Then there's rice, and veggies and Mexican cheeses with your choice of 5-6 different meat combinations as well as a vegetarian tofu flavored well enough I myself didn't know it wasn't real meat at first! Lol it makes such a great tasting meal that I leave barely able to walk, let alone stand up from the table when I leave with STILL about a third to a half of the burrito remaining in a to go box for a late dinner or next day's lunch! This burrito is about $12-$17 depending on the meat type & add-ons or filling options your looking for but if you want a lighter meal both on the stomach AND the pocketbook then under their regular burritos menu my second favorite here is there 'el-pastor' burrito with one of the best marinated succulent pork I have ever had! You can for an addition $0.75 get it as a wet burrito (or just use the salsa they have already on the table for free) and the inside is the simple traditional burrito-beans,rice,cheese,salsa, and thick cubed marinated pork (or 4 other meat choices, & two vegetarian options of tofu or chile rellanos) and this makes for -in my opinion- one of the top three burritos you can get anywhere in humboldt or trinity county for under ten bucks!! They also have pretty decent house salsas here, tho not as good as some of the other local eateries but overall this is a great family owned and operated local business with friendly service and an "at-home" comfortable feel to it. They seem to do more phone-in pick up orders there while I'm eating than they do of actual dine-in customers and on a weeknight for dinner you can count on it being a very quiet, peaceful, & even romantic dinner setting with a large spacious dining area divided up into three spaces each with several tucked away cozy corners for privacy from other guests eating there. Perfect for date nights guys! Great food, @ reasonably low prices! A decent selection of draft beer, some wine, & many other beverages to choose from, and a full course meal for two including the wine or beer will cost you around $40-$55! And that's not eating light, that's including most menu options and dinner courses that I can think of they offer at that price! I recommend this for anyone! Single starving college student, elderly couples wanting a quiet luncheon together, large company or group event lunches or dinners, birthday parties, or a great place to bring the family together for a meal to even a hot date night! The Valley Azteca can provide you with the most options and best overall quality for your money and is the cheapest place to eat of the top 10 quality dine-in restaurants in town! They are very accommodating and happy to help you get the most out of any dining experience you need!! read more

Very good restaurant. Salsa is great and food is consistently good. They are renovating and the place looks nice and clean. We like the soups and shredded beef quesadillas. Ice cold beers too. read more

Based on the location, I think this place is now called Valley Azteca. Have eaten here a few times in 2011 and 2012 and the food is excellent, reasonably priced, and they serve it FAST. If you like Mexican food, this place is awesome - must try if you are staying in hotel row on Valley West Blvd (off Giuntoli Lane exit) in Arcata. Not easy to find as it is way back up in the corner of the mall and there is very little signage. read more

This review is for this location the restaurant is now called Valley Azteca: YUM!!! This place is fantastic!! The service is wonderful, the atmosphere is a little dated but it feels welcoming. The food is wonderful. I have tried many different items on the menu and have yet to try something that is not to my expectations. read more

So far the best and most authentic Mexican food in the area. My lady and I live up the road and are at least once a week customers I recommend a Valley Burrito for first timers. read more

Unfortunately not as good as other ratings. Stale chips, slow service and exceptionally average food.

Love the customer service!! Always nice!! Love the food!!! Best place for Mexican in Arcata!! Rita's is horrible!!

The service is outstanding for a simple family restaurant. Chef Ruby is skilled at making delicious food. We got so tired of the blah food at other local (and long-time) Mexican restaurants. This beats them hands down. Don't let the lack of crowds fool you. The take out service is steady, and regulars come back often. I loved the fajita chicken salad, and their chile rellenos are divine. Not too cheesy, and delicious fresh peppers served with a nice sauce. They're open seven days a week; we'll be back. read more

Awesome food! Huge portions and i can make 2 meals out of it. The staff is friendly. We call in orders so often they know our voices(yes we love them that much). Give them a try you won't be disappointed. The best prices around. We get alot of food and spend around $20. read more

A new prize in our overcrowded Mexican food population. Family run, very friendly, attentive service, and delicious food. We like Luzmila's too (a sentimental favorite), Carmela's, Rita's, too, but I think Valley Azteca may just have the edge on flavor for conventional Mexican fare. Homemade chips, homemade salsa, to start with. Beer on tap. Have only been there a few times so far, so haven't tried their real specialities, but their combinations are great. Especially suggest trying the chili rellenos and the tamales. Looks like other reviewers have liked the menudo and quesadilla, too. We're looking forward to exploring the menu more. However...it seems that they don't get the patronage they deserve. I even have a feeling they may be struggling to survive. So if you're a NoHum local or a traveler passing through, please check 'em out, and help spread the word, too. We want this family to succeed and keep feeding us for a long time to come! read more