Taqueria Azteca — Restaurant in Dublin

Had high hopes but everything was mediocre at best. Probably wont return as there are many other places in the area to try out.

We weren't in the middle of a rush or anything, food came out all at once and within a decent amount of time.

Inside dining seating area could have been cleaner, no one wiped down any of the tables while we were there, had do it ourselves with napkins and napkins only.

Lets go down the list with positives before negatives.

Chips and Guac Large portion of house made chips, Guac served in sealed 8oz deli cup that was completely full so no chance of oxidation (guac no turn brown) Guac has no flavor, texture and taste makes me think it was powdered avocados mixed with water. If you've ever made wasabi from powder, like that but runnier. Some salt, cilantro, lime juice, love, anything could have made it better. At 7 dollars this was a huge loss and disappointment.

Shredded Lamb Tacos (not on the menu but there's advertisement on it all over the walls.) Enough lamb flavor to let you know it's there, but not over powering. Overall a very nice well balanced taco. Even better with some lime wedges squeezed into it. Good amount of lamb and well balanced in the meat to garnish ratio. Nothing I thoroughly enjoyed these. Could have used an acidic element like picked red onion or pickled jalapeno but that's just me nitpicking. I would highly recommend before biting into one of these to spread the meat out. I didn't which resulted in the first bite being nothing but air and tortilla, the second bite with so much lamb that it was tough to chew and gave the illusion of being dry, and the last bite similar to the first but with a bit more lamb.

Quesabirria Tacos Had really high hopes for this. The only reason we came here: my sister has never had Birria before and always wanted to check out 'that taco with that soupy dipping sauce' My sister finally had 'that taco with the soupy dipping sauce' The consommé was watered down. You can taste the beef in all it's limited glory (i've had better in Vegas of all places) in the tacos but the point of all this is the rich, perfectly seasoned, beefy and delicious consommé. The liquid so good some places dump instant ramen noodles in it to create something truly fusion and magical. Except this consommé was watered down it might pass as a savory La Croix. Cheese wasn't even melted. Didn't realize this until i saw the other pictures and noticed y'alls cheese is beautifully melted.

Overall all I probably wont come back. Plenty of other places in the area to check out. What we got vs What we paid wasn't worth it, but...

I'm not usually the type to chase after trendy viral establishments, but since I was in the area, I figured I'd give the famous Taqueria Azteca a whirl.

With the interesting combination of Vietnamese and Mexican food, you would think that this was a recent phenomenon, but lo and behold, they have actually been in business for over 25 years! These days, with all of the "fusion" cuisine, especially paired with Mexican, Taqueria Azteca is undoubtedly one of the innovators from way back in the day. Since the owners are a husband and wife dynamic duo representing both ethnicities, this is the truest form of fusion as it gets!

The Dublin/Pleasanton area is bustling these days, but I can imagine 25 years ago how this would have been a more quiet pocket of town. Now, the strip mall it is situated in is quite busy, with an REI across the lot, and a Tour Les Jours Korean bakery next door. Right down the block, you also have a plethora of new and modern businesses sprouting up.

I actually didn't find this Taqueria Azteca through Instagram or TikTok, but rather from an article on SFGate. What rose them to internet lore is their giant taco, which is said to feed 4 to 6 (or Matt Stonie), but since I didn't have that many people with me, I decided on another of their signature items... Birria Phở with Short Rib!

And let me tell you, the amount of meat is absolutely MASSIVE! Even I being the big eater that I am, could not finish in one sitting, and saved half for another meal. Complimentary chips and salsa are also on point.

The meat is tender and flavorful, but one major flaw is that the phở noodle itself is soft, chewy, and clumpy. This can be a major turnoff for some, but for me, the meat alone more than makes up for it!

The restaurant itself is surprisingly clean with nice Mexican theming (but inexplicably nothing remotely Vietnamese). Being a corner unit with many windows, it is bright and airy, with comfortable seating. You have a choice of standard tables or a raised bar/counter setup in the middle. On warmer days, one of the parking spaces has been commandeered for outdoor seating.

As mentioned, hyped up social media famous spots have never been huge draw for me, but perhaps Taqueria Azteca has gotten the ball rolling. Recently, I've found myself out in the Tri-Valley quite frequently, so you know I'll definitely pull on up to Taqueria Azteca again soon to try some other items, or even indulge in the Birria Phở with Short...

Oct 10, 2023: Food * Service ** Atmosphere * Was in the area and decided to try some seafood items. I'm going to preface that the IG reels are way over hyped for this place, and I think they are under new management. My meal was $32 with a drink, tax and 10% tip. Sadly, I was very disappointment in my visit today and will not be returning.

I started with the combination seafood cocktail at $18. It had shrimp, scallops, octopus, fish, mussels, and imitation crab. Everything except for the shrimp were inedible. Octopus and crab were hard & chewy, fish & scallops were uncooked and slimy. It wasn't spoiled, but rather frozen and not of any quality....so bad I spit it out! (I am writing this review while still in the restaurant, and I hope I don't get sick. Hopefully, all the lime that I squeezed into this cocktail prior killed anything questionable.)

Also, ordered one crispy fish and shrimp taco at $ each. All of the ingredients were fresh, however the shrimp was not cooked all the way. It was still raw in the middle and left it somewhat chewy. The shell was crispy and topped with fresh shredded lettuce, cilantro, and pico de gallo. Good portion size, yet both the fish and the prawns had no seasoning, therefore I felt the need to add their in-house salsa and Tapatío. March 2023: Food * Service ** Atmosphere * I often come here for their pozole and menudo. More recently , there's been a lot of hype on Instagram regarding their birria, and there are a couple of new items added to the menu, therefore I brought a GF for dinner, because she was craving the ramen rib bone birria. She enjoyed it, but it didn't look anything like in the vids on IG. We also ordered the bacon fries (just ok), fried tilapia with fries (just ok, crispy yet dry), and the horchata with whipped cream (less impressive than on IG). I'll still continue to go back, because I do love their pozole & menudo, however I'm tempted to try their other items, especially in their seafood selection. Unfortunately, this visit was a "miss" for me, thus...