Azteca Grill Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Big Bear Lake

I'm rating this spot a 5 because the atmosphere and the service were on point. They accommodated our party of 20 in their patio area. They had multiple heaters going which kept us, and another large party in the patio, very comfortable. A very interactive and pleasant gentleman was entertaining us with his guitar and songs we enjoyed singing along to. He incorporated the family members of both parties which was really cool of him. Phu is the man! Not an exaggeration at all, he is undoubtedly one of the best, most caring, attentive, and sincere servers we've ever had. It is obvious he knows his craft well and executed it perfectly. Not one of us had a single compliant all night. The staff came out not only once, but TWICE, to sing Happy Birthday to 3 family members we were celebrating... The first time 2 of our 3 were in the restroom so Staff graciously offered to wait and return... The way the room ignited because everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves was what made it more than your typical restaurant birthday song. We're all very particular about Mexican cuisine but from what I could tell everyone enjoyed their food and drinks, which were varying - from margaritas and VIP Micheladas to Jamaica and fountain drinks. Phu was kind enough to place the order for our children first so they could have their food and the adults were willing to wait a little longer to have ours, because making sure our kids are set was most important. That really meant a lot to me for him to do that. Thank you Phu!! Rosa, the proprietor, came out and checked on us often. It was a personal touch that made our time there more enjoyable.

I didn't read any reviews about this place before going. My family collectively agreed on this spot for our family vacation and birthdays dinner. We come up to big bear at least once a year and I'm pretty sure that this will be a go-to spot for us to get together for dinner. Thank you to ALL the staff for making tonight a great night. I couldn't wait to give you all a review you...

Best happy hours (good happy hours are hard to find in Big Bear). Also great salsa choices at the salsa bar... one that's even too hot! (it balances out the medium).... Warm, thin, not oily chips.... so much better than thick, heavy oily ones common at some Mexican food restaurants. If I want Mexican, I find myself wanting to support Azteca and Sonoran.... the small family places that are friendlier, and NEED and appreciate business, instead of the ones that have slightly better locations and are full only due to their locations. $3.50 happy hour margaritas are good AND who can complain about the $1 taco nights???????? They've got some fun outside seating too. I had the fajitas the other night and they were better and less greasy than another Mexican food place in town where I've tried them. One complaint is I was charged for extra tortillas when the 3 that came with the dish weren't enough... oh well. You sort of need 4 or 5 to eat the fajitas. No big deal. Overall, it's a good, friendly place and they aim to please... and since I'm usually on a budget, I appreciate happy hours and Azteca might have Big Bear's best happy hour deals. If you just have the urge for a margarita and chips and salsa... you can't go wrong. It's a good restaurant strategy, because I might go in expecting to order almost nothing - but I end up getting 2 margaritas and 4 or 5 tacos and spending more than I'd planned... but I leave VERY SATISFIED and HAPPY. Some online reviewers are pretty mean... perhaps got one bad dish and judged the whole place on a bad day.... Go with the soft tacos instead of hard if you're looking for "authentic." Anyone can see by the number of GREAT reviews, that in the end, the place is one of the better choices in Big Bear and worth a 2nd chance if things weren't perfect the first...

I just had a really bad experience at Azteca grill in Big Bear Lake CA last night the owner Rosa was so rude to me . I go here every Tuesday for there tacos and on Thursday for the fajitas the food is always so good I’m so sad that I won’t be going here anymore . So I told her my to go order was cold they don’t keep it under a heat lamp it’s just on the table she refuses to make me more tacos instead put my entire plate in the microwave she said the cost of food was really high right now and that was the reason she could not make me another batch ok so I understand . I eat steaming hot soggy tacos she did not properly greet me as I watched her walk from the table to table with a giant smile, and then come back to mine with a frown . I didn’t mean to upset her. I just asked a question about the food. Then when it was time to pay , my cousin said “ I will pay for your horchata”the waiter waiting our table had already added it to her bill, but when I told the owner Rosa that My Cousin would be paying for it , right in front of me, she got the receipt and looked to see if the horchata was on my cousin bill on her receipt as if I were lying . Then when I paid with my credit card she proceeded to tell me the monthly bill from the credit card service was very high and I would be charged 2.99 for my transaction because it was under 10$ ok fine but at this point I’m worried about her business expenses and not how great my food was or my customer service was I didn’t know she was the owner at the time so I called the restaurant to speak with a manager. She handed the hostess the phone and the hostess took my complaint as she was a regular waitress and he were a manager . I will never ever go back here it is an awful shame because the food is actually really good. Thank you for reading I just had to...