Grand Azteca - Troy — Restaurant in Troy

Date Visited: 5/19/2017 Around 4 PM

Woke up craving some real Mexican food. Didn't want to go down to Southwest as I was with a friend on a time constraint so we we needed to stay local. I used to go to the Grand Azteca at 14/John-R when I lived in Troy all the time so I figured this would be similar.

This might have been the actual worst service experience I've had. It started out fine, we got seated, there was only one other table in the restaurant. Waiter came, took our drink orders and was back with drinks/chips & salsa pretty quickly. But, then it all started...

My buddy was placing an order for a chicken and cheese quesadilla. He asked the waiter if it came with sour cream to which the waiter rolled his eyes and told him he'd have to order a side. He ordered a side of sour cream. No biggie. I ordered my usual Mexican favorite of beef enchiladas in verde sauce.

When the orders came, the quesadilla was accompanied by no less than one grocery store tub full of sour cream in a bowl and my enchiladas didn't come with any refried beans (which hey, shame on me; but, I've never been to a Mexican restaurant and had to order a side of beans with my dinner). The waiter was gone by the time I'd noticed but I just held out and figured I'd order a side of beans at that awkward moment when the waiter/waitress always comes by to ask how everything is when your mouth is full. Except... that moment never came.

So we ate and drank, and our drinks emptied, but didn't refill until after my friend had finished and I was about done, myself. The waiter showed up with a full cup, plopped it down and was already turning around before I could get his attention to ask for the side of beans. Beans came quickly. I was correct in assuming a side of beans would be a can full after the sour cream debacle, but I was ok with that, I love refried beans.

That about sums up my trip. tl;dr ghost waiter beans don't come with meals sides are HUGE Go the extra distance to Mojave Cantina. I've never had this...

We started going to Grande Azteca when they opened the first restaurant on 14-mile Road. The food was delicious, the service great, and the ambiance Mexican, with Mexican music, Mexican wait staff, and Mexican decor. It fast became our favorite restaurant and we were delighted when they opened one in Troy. Unfortunately, the one in Troy has changed hands or management several times since it opened. The quality of the food has gone down some. The carnitas used to be my favorite item, because it was perfectly seasoned and had some crispy bits, but now it's fatty, imperfectly seasoned, and has no crispy bits, so I don't order it any more. The Chicken Chilaquiles used to come with slices of fresh onion and green pepper on top and was reasonably spicy. Now it's unbearably hot and no more green pepper and onion to add a fresh taste, so I don't order it any more. The tamales are the best I've ever eaten, as is the red sauce on them, but lately, the sauce is almost too spicy. What really has changed is the service. The waitstaff used to be wonderful. They would bring extra napkins, refill your salsa quickly, and be pleasant. No more. They barely speak English, so our orders have been wrong two out of the last four times we went, and they are just shy of surly. It's still our favorite Mexican restaurant, but if they don't train the wait staff and if they keep making the food spicier, it soon won't be. Is it worth a try? Definitely. Does it help to speak...

Grand Azteca is a solid local chain for Mexican food, serving up favourites in epic lunch combinations that assure a full belly for under $10 in many cases. Their combination dinners can be a great compromise if you have diverse tastes, picky eaters, or a budget. At $14 on average, you get a handsome amount of food that's pretty darned tasty.

The Troy location can get absolutely slammed. I visited during one of those weekend crushes when the servers were doing their absolute best to keep up. Ours was great about checking in for water, refills, and the endless tortilla chips with white cream sauce and salsa. Given how popular Azteca gets, I'm always appreciative of their hard-working staff.

We ended up with meals for four, and unfortunately the kitchen ran out of a main entree. They were great about substituting it, though the sides were delivered incorrectly. No worries, it happens. The uneven delivery of food meant two members of our party were finished by the time the third and fourth were served, and the third meal wasn't even particularly warm. We didn't complain - mostly, we were just starving.

This location has lots of parking and ample seating between tables and colourful booths. TVs tend to be on but they're...