Plaza Azteca Méxican Restaurant | Robinson Township — Restaurant in Robinson Township

If you're in the mood for a kitchy American Mexican restaurant, this place is great, and I'd give it a "best in class" rating for this category.

Let's start with the decor. It's nice, clean, spacious, and would be over the top of it weren't so meticulously done. To be clear, I've never been to Mexico, and certainly not to any actual Aztec temple, but it definitely feels like they went all in on trying to create an atmosphere. It's kind of what I would expect the Disney version of "Aztec" to look like, kind of a theme park ride. Cool if you can get past the nagging sense of gross cultural appropriation. It was a Thursday night and this restaurant was nextdoor to our hotel.

Like many American Mexican places the menu is overwhelming until you realize that it's a hundred permutations on the same seven ingredients, and fifty shades of margarita. Again, my elitist foodie snobbery gives way to a grudging respect for their commitment to turn everything up to eleven. They absolutely got way more creative than I expected, and I'm glad I went based on that alone.

For example, one of our first cocktails took the concept of "smoky mezcal" to a new level, serving the drink topped with a burning cinnamon stick. The cinnamon stick was fully on fire with no obvious way to extinguish it without dunking it in the drink and imbibing the ashes. Our server seemed to have no appreciation of the dilemma, and we just looked at him incredulously until he carried the flaming stick away somewhere.

I give them props for the creativity of their cocktails--one of mine was garnished with an actual orchid--but balance wasn't one of their criteria. All the drinks we had were cloyingly sweet variations on adult Kool aid, great if that's what you're in the mood for.

I really liked that they served complimentary house made chips and salsa like the "good ol' days," and the salsa actually had some kick to it.

Our entrees were well prepared but ENORMOUS! We got one of the more expensive house specialties that was served in a huge, hot, heavy iron bowl. It's a good thing we liked it because we ended up getting five meals out of it! You almost got the sense that they price them by the pound--my guess is that there were at least two pounds of food served in a single dish.

At any rate, I think it's clear that I have mixed feelings about this place. On the one hand, at it's heart Plaza Azteca is just another variation on the typical American Mexican restaurant. On the other, they've taken this concept, doubled down on it, and taken it to a whole new level. In other words, while they may have chosen to go in a dubious direction, I give them full marks for going the extra mile. At the end of the day, the food was good, and we absolutely got what...

Food was ok, but we won’t be back! Customer service was trash🗑 . Me, and my family went here to dinner last night (4-23). When we sat down the waiter arrived few minutes later. He took our drink order (which he seemed to rush us with), then later on he took our food order. We received our food in a timely matter, but it wasn’t right I ordered the birria tacos, my son ordered the kid’s quesadilla, and my cousin ordered the super queso dip. My birria tacos didn’t come with a bowl of Consommé as advertised, only a 2 oz disposable condiments cup with some type of think spicy stuff in it. My son loved his quesadilla ( even though it was just a folded taco with cheese in it) but his fries not so much they were some plain frozen fries the threw in the grease and put on the plate, no salt or anything (he was still hungry so I took him somewhere else). The waiter put a cup of queso on the table and walked away we didn’t what it was for so it sat there, come to find out he told my cousin she ordered the cheese dip and not the super queso dip 😒. Anyways she received the dip but it didn’t come with and flour tortilla chips as mentioned on the menu so she had to use the chips that were already on the table. Me and my cousin also ordered two flag margaritas but we never received them when the waiter came to take my cup of water to refill it ( which he almost gave to another table) I asked about our drink and he said he forgot and he placed an orange margarita on the table and walked away, I didn’t know what it was so it sat there he came back and asked if I didn’t like it I told him I didn’t order it and we ordered 2 flag margaritas he asked if we wanted them but at this point I didn’t want anything else. I was looking forward to trying this place and after trying it I was highly...

Let me start by saying that I grew up frequently visiting various parts of Texas enjoying fine Tex-mex and Mexican foods.

I had high hopes for Azteca based on what I had heard. I went in with the same expectations that I have with any Pittsburgh Mexican restaurant. "There's no way it can compare to Texas."

We were seated promptly. It's a Monday night, no surprise there. We are one of the few couples seated on this side of the restaurant. We are brought chips and salsa and our drink order taken.

First, the chips are thin and fantastic. They do seriously lack salt however they are likely one of the best chips I've had in Pittsburgh. The salsa was rather average. Based on the chips and the "table side" guacamole I was getting a little excited as I browsed the menu.

We ordered the table side guacamole. True to form the avocado was halved and cut right there. The server asked our spice level and preferences on cilantro, lime, tomato, and onion. The guacamole being fresh was rather solid. It was under seasoned and everything but the avocado was prepared beforehand.

Then we get to the meal. Combo Fajitas with flour tortillas and a combo meal of two beef tacos in a corn tortilla with rice and beans.

The rice was dry. The meat was under seasoned and greasy. The tortillas were literally from the grocery store.

It amazes me anytime a Mexican restaurant serves anything but homemade tortillas. In Texas, everywhere you go, even "fast casual" restaurants have a form of fresh tortillas. There's a huge difference.

Overall it's an average Mexican restaurant in Pittsburgh. I give them points for the chips...