El Azteco East — Restaurant in East Lansing

Was in town from Chicago with my teen son who is checking out MSU for college. Popped in on our way out of town around 1p on a thurs. We were so excited to get some good Mexican on our way out of town. Unfortunately this was probably the worst Mexican food I’ve had in years. Upon arrival - Place looks fun, typical college decor, festive music. Greeted by host & told where to sit, not escorted to our seats, but basically the host just said “you can sit there” and pointed to a booth. Yikes. Server brought chips and salsa and chips were hard and burnt tasting. Salsa ok, and the guacamole was ice cold and in shape of a ball- like it was scooped out of a container, so definitely not fresh. I’m vegetarian and asked what type of things I could order. I eat at Mexican restaurants all the time and never have issue finding plenty of vegan and veg options. The server told me the rice is made with chicken and the beans have lard, no they weren’t options. I asked if I could have a veggie taco and she said there really aren’t veggies available other than onions and peppers. I finally settled on a veggie tamale even though she didn’t know what was in it. At that point I was so hungry I didn’t care. My son ordered enchiladas mole. Food came and appearance of my son’s food looked decent but after he dug under the enormous amount of lettuce , the actual enchiladas were really small, and not at all hot, just slightly warm. And my tamale???? Omg it was the tiniest thing, by itself on a tiny plate. No garnish, no lettuce, tomato- nothing to even make it look presentable. Just a sad tamale on a tiny white plate. I took one bite and was sad I did as it was so dry, it crumbled all over the plate. Didn’t even eat it. Server came over and asked how everything was and I mentioned we were pretty disappointed especially with my dismal tamale. She asked if I wanted another one!! Ummm no thx! Thought maybe she’d take the tamale off the bill- nope, still there. Was super bummed that this place was our last impression of our MSU trip as we drove home right after, both of us...

El Azteco had the worst customer service I have ever experienced in my life. Our waiter, Zac, acted erratically all night. He continued to get orders wrong and had to come back multiple times because he forgot the orders. When my friends ordered the Topopo salad, he brought the salad with dressing even after they requested no dressing. When they tried to send it back, he acted like he did not want to take the order back. They, then, ordered the Fajitas which were basically a pile of onions which they could not eat. When we went to contest the charge for the meal that could not be consumed, Zac yelled at my friend and became very aggressive. Eventually the charge was take off. Because of Zac's aggressive behavior, we asked if another waiter could cash out our checks. Zac came to our table and attempted to snatch our payments, almost hitting me in the face. We preceded to tell Zac that we would like to speak to the manger. Zac refused to go get the manager, threatened to call the police on us, and said that we could sit there all night because another waiter would not be over to check us out. This went on for over 30 minutes. Zac continued to come back to our table and harass us. Eventually, another waitress came to cash out out. I have never been treated this way in my life. Zac and the rest of the staff were extremely unprofessional. Never should a business allow their employees to harass and disrespect their customers in such a way. I will never...

Visited the East Lansing location for lunch on March 26, 2023 with my family of 4 . We heard great things about the service, food, and location from friends so decided to make the drive from Kalamazoo. Location was great, lots of shopping in local businesses, coffee shops, and even a target. Food was mediocre, at best. Beef tacos didn't seem to have much seasoning at all. Chicken tacos were not bad, meat was moist and seasoned. The one recommendation I would caution folks visiting this eatery would be to tread cautiously as this location will gouge you with upcharges. I am OK with upcharges but some items need to be standard with the meal. The server was quick to ask if I would like the fajita sides (lettuce, sour cream, and cheese), unknowingly I said "yes", not knowing that what should have been a staple was actually 4.50 extra. The server didn't mention there would be an upcharge. The amount of cheese given on the fajita side was about a spoonful, and of course the upcharge was 2.75. I understand upcharges but come on $7.25 for items that are a staple of meals is a little over the top, and if there are upcharges then at least mention that to the customer. Also, asked for a detailed receipt and the server looked a little confused and seemed reluctant "I can get it for you but it prints in the back"...... I asked to talk with a manager, and they were in "interviews". Would not recommend this location and if you do eat there be cautious of...