We stopped here traveling through town. You never know what you're going to get when you're not from the area. I thought it was great! Also good prices, and our waiter was super on top of it. read more

Do not miss Valley Azteca: the food is wonderful. The restaurant is located directly across the street from the hotel area and was the best food we ate in in Arcata, which you wouldn't expect in a tourist area. They have some of the best Mexican food I've ever eaten, and I grew up on California (i.e., not Tex-Mex) Mexican food. It's vegan friendly. They made a killer burrito with tofu. OK, tofu is not traditionally Mexican, but to have a delicious vegan option was muy delicioso, and all of the rest of the ingredients (plain [not canned, refried] pinto beans, freshly made salsa, homemade tortillas, etc.) were muy auténtico. Be forewarned: the burrito was enormous (just look at the Valley Burrito picture and you'll see what I mean). Ask them to bring you a container to take food home. Everything is made fresh: beans, homemade tortillas. You read that right: homemade tortillas. The food was delicious and a bargain. I can judge a good they are made from homemade corn tortillas. If you don't know anything about Mexican food, you probably won't get that Valley Azteca's chips are the real deal, made fresh in the kitchen, not out of some name-brand bag. We got fresh salsa with our chips. I doubt there was chicken broth in the rice. If there had been, I would have been sick to my stomach within the hour. Double check anyway. Valley Azteca has non-vegan dishes with steak and chicken. The people there were so nice that they opened the restaurant after 9:00 p.m. (usually the time the restaurant closes) for us and another patron. We had planned to get the food to go so they wouldn't have to stay open, but they graciously insisted we stay and eat. My only regret is that we didn't have a chance to go back when we were in Arcata. If you like Mexican food at all, Valley Azteca makes delicious food. If you don't like Mexican food, you will when you leave the restaurant. They are definitely on my "must visit" list when I return. read more

This place is a little out of the way in this shopping center, tucked away in the northeastern corner. It's well worth making your way to the restaurant. I had a carnitas burrito. It was a plain presentation, and plainly good! Carnitas, guacamole, and beans inside the tortilla -- plain and simple, and simply delicious. Washed it down with a Modelo Especial. Great assortment of Mexican cervezas available. For really good Mexican food, visit Valley Azteca! read more

Valley Azteca Mexican Restaurant - Tortilla chips ready to go! - Mexican Near Me - Arcata, California

Certainly doesn't have curb appeal. One more store in a strip mall. It's close so we tried it. We love it. Staff are friendly. It's clean. Food is very good and authentic and isn't half onions like some places. I'm always amazed when I have the chimichanga and its stuffed with meat.....no fillers. We go at lunch because dinners are just too much food. We have had errors in our bill several times, so be sure to check that. We would highly recommend this place. Usually lots of available tables and they do a lot of business as takeout, Grubhub, etc. read more

Nasty food , The worst food I've ever had in northern California, and the waiter's attention was terrible, apart from disgusting and expensive food. read more

Super great classic Mexican food. Nothing too fancy but delicious home cooked Mexican food. This place is easy to overlook but i think it's much better than most other Mexican restaurants in the area. Their mole enchiladas are my favorite. read more

What a find! We were stopping in Arcata on our way driving through. It was well worth waiting to finish highway 299 to find this unassuming restaurant. The food was relatively reasonably priced when looking at the menu... but then when it came it was an amazing value. Huge, but still reasonable, portions. Delicious. The five of us all ordered from the lunch menu and got a variety of dishes. The biggest hit was the molé, but all dishes were enjoyed by all. The $5 cheese nachos were a nice treat with real cheese browned nicely. Service was excellent and super friendly. read more

I travel to the north coast almost twice a month and I have to come here for the mini grilled tacos...every time. They are like human catnip. So fresh and delicious and loaded with cilantro. I can't get enough of them. I can have two tacos, a tecate & small guacamole for just over $10. I would pay double. I have been here a dozen times because I love them so much! read more

Valley Azteca Mexican Restaurant - Two mini grilled chicken tacos- - Mexican Near Me - Arcata, California

Traveling from the Bay Area and were craving great mexican food. We sure found it here. And at great prices. Service was quick and the staff was friendly. I would highly recommend this authentic Mexican restaurant to anyone. read more

This place. I ordered the Valley Burrito to-go, and when I got my order all nice and packed up, it was heavy! I mean, not heavy in my stomach (that came later) but carrying it I was like whoa. This thing weighs a ton! Which is a GOOD thing. When I arrived home, I opened up the box and saw my behemoth of a burrito. It was large, flavorful, full of toppings and the flour tortilla was bomb. Chips were a little hardcore of a crunch for my sensitive chompers, but I don't want to sound like I've a chip on my shoulder. Some places in the area don't even give you chips (or charge you extra), so this was very kind of them to add them in. Chips are chips. However. The food though. If you love burritos, check this place out. The Menu is pretty large and they have lunch specials, but I just needed my Asada fix. They are going to get tired of seeing my mug from now on, I'm a fan! read more

Went here for dinner. The food was very good. My favorite was the fresh hand made tortillas. Its a definite must stop in and try this place! read more

The food is good and flavorful but it really bothered me that there are multiple 'beautiful paintings' of virgins getting sacrificed throughout the restaurant. That is so sexist and glorifies violence against women. It's 2020, take those pictures down and this will be a good restaurant. read more

Not bad, but not great either. I suppose I'll sidestep the "authentic or not" debate and just say that I wasn't really wowed by anything that I got. I ordered a wet chicken burrito to go. It took a while coming out, and I suppose that I wouldn't have minded so much if there was anything extraordinary about the flavor or quality of preparation, but there wasn't anything particularly noticeable about it. The garnish, sauce, and components were pretty average. Chips and salsa were included on the side, both of which were also average. The size of the burrito was decent, but as opposed to most taquerias, I felt like I paid for it. Maybe it was a bit more expensive because it's a restaurant, but I definitely didn't go home feeling like I'd gotten a deal, which is usually the yin to the yang of flavor when I consider my favorite places to get Mexican food. So, it wasn't BAD, but in my opinion there's nothing about it that makes it stand out amongst the competition in the area. read more

On business travel here in Eureka/Arcata, CA. Decent food. Not really cheap, though. Got the strip steak entree. Most Mexican restaurants can make an inferior piece of meat taste good. This place wasn't an exception to that. Comfort food. I have had better for less money, though. read more

Good authentic mexican good and even better service. Way bigger inside than it seems on the outside. The beer is about 9 bucks for a pitcher of imported beer. read more

Valley Azteca Mexican Restaurant - Flautas with rice and beans - Mexican Near Me - Arcata, California

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First time here while in business. Very attentive servers, great tostada and Chile relleno combo to go with a cold Bohemia beer!

When traveling it's always hard to find authentic Mexican food but we hit a homerun with Aztec, their tortillas were fresh and warm their chips were thick and long and their salsa was hot and spicy what more can you ask for? Well maybe ground beef tacos...boom! Awesome experience everything was flavorful even the guacamole! read more

Major disappointment, again. I live near Valley Azteca and had tried it years ago, for in-house late lunch with a friend. NO happy memories so avoided it for so long. Yesterday I was thinking of Taco Tuesday, and was at the Center. Read some good reviews so called and ordered two fish tacos, beans and rice. That's all. Picked it up (had to go inside), it was $19.10!!! All in one box, tortillas were stale, fish ? was a few flakes. Seriously, tiny flakes. Beans tasted canned, rice was meh, the tablespoon of salsa was spicy and tasty. So for $20, I got a spoonful of tasty salsa.i just don't understand the good reviews! Staying away for good now, even tho it's local and convenient. read more

I asked locals where to get great, authentic Mexican food and this is where they pointed me...and they were right on the money. I had the chicken chimichanga with rice and beans and an order of chips and salsa to go. Everything was delicious. Flavorful salsa and the chops were fresh. Chimi was well seasoned and not at all greasy. Definitely would recommend! read more

The table had four mini tacos, a carnitas taco, cheese enchiladas, and a bean cheese and rice burrito. All were loved. Carnitas were excellent. Enchilada sauce was clearly homemade and flawless. The beans are delicious for any bean lover. Be sure to check it out if you want real California Mexican food. Yes, that's a thing. And possibly not a thing. But it's delish. Check it. read more

Valley Azteca Mexican Restaurant - Two options of salsa (clearly homemade), excellent enchilada sauce (not spicy), and great beans and mini tacos. - Mexican Near Me - Arcata, California

Staying nearby while traveling and didn't want fast food. Checked and this place had good reviews. Had the enchiladas combo and baby tacos. Both were good but liked the tacos best. Good chips and friendly service. If I'm going through Arcata again and looking for Mexican I would come back. read more

Home of the best chimichangas in Arcata, maybe Humboldt. This place is spectacular. The service is fast, but the food is never of poor quality. Go eat there right now. read more

Meh. Not flavorful or exceptional. The tortilla chips were very crunchy, clearly made early in the day. My enchilada was served cold, on a hot plate. I had to ask to reheat. Crispy tacos are not home made, deep fried like they do in SoCal and Arizona. Hot sauce with red handle just tasted like vinegar. Not impressed at all. read more

The staff is very friendly and the food is amazing! The soft homemade tortillas are amazing!!

The number rings to Azteca at 5000 valley, wrong place. GPS is crazy. The actual restaurant is in McKinneyvillle

Food was adequate. Service is very slow and not very professional. The chips do not seem homemade. Salsas are pretty good.

The Camerons Al Mojo de Ajo is the best thing I have ever eaten (when it comes to shrimp) and I would say just order that and the pitcher of Margaritas...even though there are no refills:) we ate at a seafood restaurant and the shrimp wasn't even close to how amazing this was. Way to make yourself/restaurant standout on the California coast. Free refills on the margaritas would seal the deal for me moving here! read more

The Abuelo that runs this place is cool but the food is mediocre and I've had the takeout a few times and it was cold all times

This restaurant in this location closed in approximately March, 2011 and moved to McKinleyville. The McKinleyville location still serves good food, the service is still great and their new building is better lighted and more pleasant. read more

Aztec Valley is a hole-in-the-wall treasure tucked away in the left corner of the valley west shopping center. Don't let its inconspicuous exterior fool you. A wrap around bar awaits you along with two large dining rooms, it's a surprisingly large restaurant! The steak and chicken Fajitas were the best I've had in the area. Chimichangas, burritos, and tacos were delicious with the ground beef filling. I liked the little extras like sour cream with your chips and salsa, and guacamole served with every entree. The beans and flour tortillas were very good as well, and the rice was cooked well. The owner served us and was so kind! The margaritas were just strong enough. read more

Not great. The chips were so hard they were impossible to even eat. We got about 3 tablespoons of salsa with our chips and salsa order (which tasted like V8)and the burritos were just so-so. I am currently attempting to find something positive to say: the staff is friendly....and it is not McDonalds..... read more

This place was very delicious and I loved the flavor of the chicken and beef. I recommend it. Staff is very nice.

I can't say enough good things about this restaurant! Friendly staff...we have 5 small boys and it can be a challenge sometimes, but we felt so comfortable and welcome! Chips and salsa were some of the best I've had! We all ordered something different and we all enjoyed it! Glad we found this gem of a restaurant! We will definitely come back again next summer!!! read more

VERY good AUTHENTIC mexican food. the owners speak spanish! i felt like I was home eating my moms abondigas. the service is good and the food was delicious. i would reccomend to any one craving mexican not that caramela's white mexican food. read more

Friendly staff and fast service. I had a nice tasting chili rellano & enchilada plate; my wife a rather bland tasting chicken taco.

the place is always pretty empty but their meat is flavorful and their service is good

This has to be some of the best Mexican food in Humboldt, hands down. Their "mini" tacos are pretty authentic, just like you'd get at a taco shop. I always enjoy the food and service here, without the crowd you see at Rita's, or the high cost. read more

I really like the food here and the quiet calming family friendly atmosphere. Highly recommend.

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

Wow! What a tasty find! A delicious margarita and friendly service topped off by a wonderful entree. I had the beef taco and beef enchilada, and it was exactly what I hoped for. Too bad I'm a tourist! I'd come here again in a heartbeat. read more