Taco Azul — Restaurant in Boston

Rating: 3.5 stars (First visit alone would’ve been 4.5)

Taco Azul is a sleek, modern taco bar located directly across from the Boston Athenaeum. You enter through a charming outdoor patio, which adds to the inviting feel, and once inside, the interior is gorgeous—with comfortable seating, high ceilings, and a clean, contemporary design.

After two Monday visits, I can confidently say the food is strong, but the service, pricing structure, and attentiveness left me disappointed.

On my first visit (April 2025), I didn’t order drinks—just water—and focused on the food. The Crispy Fish Taco was the highlight: crisp, flavorful, and well-balanced, priced at $5.99. The Mexican Street Corn was also excellent, and I enjoyed the Quesa-Birria, Shrimp Al Pastor, Mojo Chicken, and Pork Carnitas tacos. The experience was smooth and enjoyable. Based on that visit alone, I would have rated Taco Azul 4.5 stars.

Unfortunately, my second visit (May 2025) fell short. Prices had gone up—the fish taco was now $6.99, and frozen drinks had risen from $14.99 to $15.99–$16.99. I ordered the Frozen Watermelon Sugar Mini Margarita and the Frozen Espresso Martini. Both were tasty and beautifully blended, but barely alcoholic. The margarita was more like a watermelon slushie, and the espresso martini tasted like a dessert drink. At $9 and $19.99 respectively for just 5 ounces each, the value simply wasn’t there.

When I asked about the price of the $19.99 espresso martini, the server said it was due to the amount of alcohol. But their mocktails—like the Margarita Mockarita ($14.99), Spicy Mockarita ($15.99), and Watermelon Agave ($15.99)—are only slightly cheaper and contain no alcohol. The pricing felt inconsistent and arbitrary.

The service also suffered. My churros were brought out before I finished my tacos, and no one checked on me after dessert, even though the restaurant was nearly empty on a Monday afternoon. The server saw my empty glass and asked if I wanted another drink. When I said no, she walked away, leaving the empty glass on my table where it remained until after I left.

I eventually did pay the tab with cash, but after the check was dropped off, no one returned for nearly 10 minutes.

When the server finally came back with my change, she asked, “Do you want the coins?”—an oddly casual question that struck me as presumptive and unpolished.

The restaurant has many self-service aspects such as paying your bill with a QR code, serving your own water, and even seating yourself. Those aspects are great, but they also can mean a service that is a bit neglectful.

Also worth noting: nearly every menu item ends in .99—$6.99, $15.99, $19.99. For a place with such a beautifully curated space, this kind of psychological pricing feels jarring and out of place.

Final thoughts: Taco Azul serves delicious food in a beautiful setting, and I truly wanted to love it. But between the price hikes, inconsistent service, and confusing drink and mocktail pricing, the experience didn’t match the ambiance. I gave it two sincere tries.

I normally would rate this place a 3, but will bump up the rating to a 4 because the...

I wanted to try this place for a while and finally made it on a Sunday night. There wasn't a ton of staff working so it took a bit to place our orders even though our server was working as the host, bartender, and server until other staff showed up. She was doing a great job as the only person on the floor for a while and was pleasant to speak to while we were debating what to try.

While it's cute that everything (for the most part) is made with blue corn tortilla, the food was really just one note. After all the hype surrounding this place, our meal was very underwhelming. Everything tasted the same and nothing was spicy or had any heat to it, not even the two different hot sauces/salsas on the table to add to your food. We started with a pitcher of Spicy Cucumber Margaritas that was tasty with a good jalapeño flavor but absolutely heat at all. The only spicy part was the Tajin rim.

We got the Mexican corn and chips with guac to start. Chips were crunchy, fresh, and delicious, which was great as the signature thing. The guac was a good portion and well seasoned but heavy on the cilantro. The Mexican Corn was good but so salty.

For our meals we got a quesabirria quesadilla, chicken taco, sweet potato and bean taco, and crispy fish taco. The quesabirria was soggy, missing the griddled crisp of a quesadilla which was the entire point of ordering it that way. If I wanted something that could be soggy, I would have just ordered a birria taco. The crispy fish taco was good but didn't taste much different than anything else we ate. The chicken taco was juicy but again, one note of flavor. Best taco of the order was the sweet potato and bean but maybe that's because it had some additional flavor to it compared to everything else and had some spice level to it before adding the salsa.

Shout out to the guys working the line you can see from the chefs counter, they clearly have a great attention to detail when they're putting the dishes together. Every thing we ordered was presented beautifully and simply even if the food itself was underwhelming.

All in all, I would skip this place for the price point and the fact that it just doesn't live up to the hype. The blue corn chips are great but that was about it. I would not put this as an honorable mention for taco places to try in Boston so I'm not sure how it is still on so many "best of" lists...

🌮 Taco Azul - Boston, MA 🌮 📍21 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02108

Had the absolute pleasure of trying Taco Azul yesterday, and let me tell you, this place is a gem! The ambiance is spot-on—classy with lush green plants and vibrant blue decor that gives the space an upscale yet relaxed vibe. 💙🌱

When it comes to Mexican spots, I always start with the basics: chips, dip, and margaritas. Taco Azul didn’t disappoint! Their blue corn chips were a fun twist, and the homemade guacamole was perfectly portioned for sharing at $14.99. Plus, their Mexican Corn dip paired with the chips was addictive. Definitely a 9/10 for that combo! 🥑🌽

Their Watermelon Sugar Margarita was dangerously good—sweet like a Jolly Rancher but with zero taste of alcohol, making it a little too easy to sip on! 🍉🍹 The drink menu has something for everyone, and the small plates are ideal for sampling and sharing.

Onto the tacos! Though they’re on the smaller side, each one is packed with flavor and super filling. Here’s what I tried:

Beef Birria: Slow-roasted brisket, citrus red onions, cilantro. So tender and flavorful! Skirt Steak: Grilled to perfection with avocado crema and red onions, $6.99. Crispy Fish: Beer-battered cod, cabbage slaw, chipotle mayo, $5.99—my absolute favorite! Fresh, crispy, and the chipotle mayo was spot-on. 🌮🔥 Crispy Avocado: Beer-battered avocado with slaw and chipotle mayo, $5.99. Not my top choice, but perfect for avocado lovers. Black Bean & Sweet Potato: Smashed beans, roasted sweet potato, queso fresco, chipotle mayo, $3.99—surprisingly amazing! A great veggie option. 🌱👌 Quesa-Birria: Brisket, onions, cilantro, Oaxaca cheese, and a delicious consomé, $6.99. Each taco brought something unique, but the crispy fish stole the show, 9/10! The vegetarian black bean & sweet potato taco was a surprising favorite too—totally worth trying, even for non-vegetarians.

Overall: Taco Azul is a must-visit for taco fans! 🌮✨ I can’t think of a better spot in Boston for classic, flavorful tacos with a twist.

Food: 9/10 🍽️ Ambiance: 8/10...