Azul Tequila — Restaurant in Ocala

From Nogales, Mexico to Central Florida for decades I have sampled various Latin cuisines. Azul's claim to fame is Jalisco region dishes such as Birria. I do not feel they represent the top 10 I have ever sampled. They actually hit the bottom 10 of those I have been privileged to sample over the years. Not to mention that the service on a slow Monday night was less than average. Carla was nice but not attentive. She was borderline negligent. Drink refill only happened once. When it did happen, I was give a Coke instead of a Coke Zero. While this might have upset others, I was actually happy since the Coke Zero was watered down severely! The Coke was on par but it is not for diabetics such as myself. I drank it without raising an issue since I needed a little sugar after such a long wait for the bland food. I had the Chef's burrito (new) which was lack luster and bland. The menu had me believing this would be a flavorful dish and a Chef's specialty item. It hit neither of those. It lacked a citrus touch such as a lime wedges which should accompany it. The complimentary chips and salsa also lacked a salt profile. If there is a Chef here, they should go back to study under someone with more experience. I doubt this would place in any competition. My wife, who adores Latin food, especially Mexican was disappointed. So if you think I am biased, well, I hate to say it, I am not alone. The only thing I can think of is happy hour pitchers of margaritas might redeem this place if you drink it first on an empty stomach. My only recommendation is the refried beans. The rice dishes were below average for the Marion County area. I do not recommend this place unless you like bland, lack luster, soul-less, and sub-par cuisine. Even a tostada is too thin for my pro of a wife to eat! We have little to compliment besides beans and plating. Photos to be added later. Oh, management did not stop by to ask about the experience. Indicating, they don't care about improvement/feedback. We will...

I went here for lunch on Saturday with my husband and 3yo. My first impression walking in the door was very good. The restaurant decor is very interesting with a more modern twist. Definitely not like any Mexican restaurant I’ve been too. It has a cool vibe and non traditional. Also, it is VERY clean. No weird smells. Our server was Tracy and she was awesome! Very attentive and made great recommendations. She told us that everything was made fresh in house daily, and we could taste the difference compared to other places. The chips are thicker than most and held up nicely when dipping into the salsa. The salsa was very good, imo. It is thick like tomato paste which gives you good bites full of flavor. Not runny at all like most other places. I didn’t drip once, lol. I ordered the Cantina Bowl with Carnitas and the Street Elote (corn on the cob) on the side. Both were absolutely delicious. Lastly, I ordered a classic frozen margarita with salt. Just a regular size nothing huge and nothing extra added. It was very tasty. However… I felt fine leaving the restaurant but by the time I got to the car (hubby was driving) I was slurring my words and could hardly function. This was on a full stomach, lol. Luckily we don’t live far from here and we went straight home where I laid down and slept for almost two hours. 😳

I can laugh about it now, but it was rather alarming and kind of scary at the time. It felt like I had had 5-6 shots of tequila. 😆 I have no idea how much tequila they use in their frozen machines, but they are STRONG!! Drinker beware, lol. Overall, I will definitely go back and would recommend this place to others (I already have😉🍹) I also need to test the margaritas again to see if that day was just a fluke or if they really are...

What a huge disappointment. This food is a disgrace to Mexican culture. Walking in this place was empty. Clue number 1 should of been that but I figured maybe because it was a Sunday. Clue #2 was the lack of Hispanics working in here. #3 the drink mixer was under par plus over serving alcohol in the mix drinks. Great buzz but just over the top.

Now the food. No no no way. Street elote was not cooked. I order 2 to see if it was the first one but it was a disappointment for both. The rice was dry. No flavor on any of the food. Chicken was flavorless, just cooked to have a presentation. The tacos 😓😓😓 made me cry because I only order to give this place a try.

My server matched the food with her lack of motivation to impress and keep my desire to stay and eat pleasant. She was so horrible with attending to our needs. I gave up after mentioning multiple times on a refill of my drink. (Soda & water).

Now they have a clean restroom and that is most likely because this place is not busy.

I do not recommend this place if you are looking for Mexican food. This is a knock off of a TexMex. Rather go to On the Border restaurant then come here.

No worries Taco Bell is close by if you want...