El Azteca Perimeter — Restaurant in Sandy Springs

We thought we had an amazing place to celebrate our wedding dinner and dance. My husband and I booked the upstairs space at this venue for our special event. From the beginning, everything seemed promising. We were shown the space by Carlos, who explained it could hold up to 150 guests. We were told the package included 3 hours of event time, two bartenders (for open bar or guest-purchased drinks), at a rate of $500. Food would be served buffet-style (fajita bar) at $25 per guest. We opted not to do an open bar and instead planned to order a few margarita pitchers ($30 each). We confirmed with the manager, Carett, that we would be bringing our own music and had around 65 RSVPs at the time.

Later, a family member surprised us by hiring a DJ, and after checking with Carett, she approved it, though we had to pay a $200 DJ fee, which we agreed to and paid.

Event day started off great. we brought our own decorations, had our approved DJ set up, and even confirmed (again with Carett) that we could bring in our own cake and desserts. Then a family member brought two small side dishes as a surprise. I double-checked with Carett before bringing them in. She told my husband it was approved, and we brought them in. No issues, so we thought.

Three hours into our event, Carett called us outside and dropped a bombshell: a $1,400 fee had been added because we "brought in outside food." These were the same small side dishes that SHE approved. Then, the owner—Victor Macias—came out and made the situation worse. He told us the fee was added because of the food and also added a “rude guest fee” because someone had allegedly been rude to the bartender (news to us, and absolutely unverified).

As if that wasn’t enough, we noticed an additional $1,000 in tips had been added to our tab, even though our guests were already tipping individually at the bar. None of this was disclosed beforehand, zero communication or written notice about these outrageous charges. Carett simply stated "everyone knows there's an automatic 20% gratuity added to large parties".

Victor then started complaining about things that had already been approved:

That our music (played by our approved DJ) was “scaring away customers.” It was Mexican music in a Mexican restaurant.

That we had “too many guests,” even though we stayed under the 150 limit and had text message confirmation with Carett that more guests could show up.

To make matters worse, when one of our guests got sick outside, Victor yelled at me in front of others, threatening to charge my credit card on file for the “damage.” I told him he had no right to do so without consent and that we would pursue legal action if he did. His response? “Oh you paid this much? That’s nothing Im not worried about the $, I have plenty of money.” Completely unprofessional and arrogant.

We overpaid for this event and were blindsided with hidden charges, false claims, and humiliation on our wedding day. It’s clear that Carett gave verbal permission for everything, but she backtracked when Victor stepped in, essentially throwing us under the bus. We were lied to, mistreated, and clearly profiled.

Shame on Victor and Carett. What should have been a joyful celebration turned into a stressful and deeply disappointing experience. They can claim we caused damages but we have the receipts and witnesses as to what happened. Their greed and unprofessionalism...

Alright, buckle up, because my experience at El Azteca Perimeter was less "fiesta" and more "fiscal fiasco." Please note there are two different locations, so this is only pertaining to this one below. Let's break it down: The Mirage of Decent Service: Our waitress, initially, was a star. Attentive, friendly – the whole nine yards. The food? Passable. Not life-altering, but not offensive either. And the restaurant was practically a ghost town, so no excuse for delays. The Shady Check Drop: Here's where the fiesta turned into a full-blown fraud alert. We handed over the card early, due to a time crunch. When the waitress returned, she dropped the receipt and in the back back part was the itemized receipt, but she didn’t even communicate that tip was included or wasn’t included, no explanation. Just a breezy dismissal. The 18% "Surprise": A quick glance at the receipt revealed the truth: an 18% gratuity, automatically added. For a table of THREE. No prior warning, and the receipt itself didn't explicitly state "gratuity included." It was a calculated attempt to deceive. The "Hidden" Sign and Unapologetic Manager: When we finally caught on (because, yes, we can read), the waitress vanished. The manager then appeared, brandishing a tiny, almost invisible sign that vaguely mentioned an automatic gratuity for bills over $70. Fine, I get that policy, but the execution was atrocious. Intentional Deception: The real issue wasn't the gratuity itself; it was the blatant attempt to conceal it. The waitress's deceptive delivery, the hidden receipt, it all screamed "we're trying to pull a fast one." And the manager's complete lack of remorse? Salt in the wound. In summary: El Azteca Perimeter engages in shady business practices, intentionally trying to take advantage of customers with bills over $70. They rely on deception and hidden information. Avoid this place like a bad batch of salsa. You've...

1/5 Stars - Terrible Customer Service, Go Elsewhere

Came in on a Wednesday for a casual coworker farewell, planning to sit at the BAR, given that the intent was a casual drop in and people would be arriving/leaving at different times. The bar was occupied (Happy Retirement, Rick), so they seated us at a table instead - then hit us with their "no split checks over 6 people" policy.

Here's the kicker: we specifically wanted the bar to avoid this exact problem. When I explained this to management along with our situation (coworkers don't know each other well, varying departure times), the manager dismissively said "That would make it easier on YOU but it wouldn't make it easy on US."

This was Wednesday at 5pm - not prime time. They forced us into a situation that didn't work for anyone, then refused the most basic accommodation. Their seating choice created the problem, but somehow that was our fault? They could have offered a couple of solutions (like printing out an itemized receipt so we could at least venmo appropriate amounts), but we were met with flat-out refusal for something ENTIRELY POSSIBLE.

After being refused, our server basically ignored us - checking in on us as minimally as possible. I know I personally spent less money as a result and others did too - as we didn't want to complicate the venmo process. Three staff members at the hostess stand didn't even say goodbye or thank me for coming in. Not only did they lose business that night from a party of 8, but future business as well.

Go to Chuy's, Tin Lizzy's, or Superica instead - all within 5 minutes and they actually understand customer service.

Zero flexibility, zero problem-solving, zero chance...