Plaza Azteca (Ross Park Mall)

 

Plaza Azteca (Ross Park)

Overview: 

Plaza Azteca is a chain of Mexican restaurants located throughout the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The newest location in Pittsburgh is the one opened in Ross Park Mall where California Pizza Kitchen was. It is open from 11-10 Sunday to Thursday and 11-11 Friday and Saturday. Plaza Azteca has dine-in, online ordering, and delivery through Uber Eats or Postmates.

You have many different food options here, such as tacos, burritos, quesadillas, chimichangas, fajitas, and chef's special dishes.

The Food:

Chips w/ Salsa & Sauce

We started our meal off with complimentary chips and dip. They give you traditional salsa and a ranch sauce for dipping. I enjoyed the salsa it was the thin cantina style. However the ranch sauce did not go well with tortilla chips.

Tableside Guacamole 

We ordered the tableside guacamole for an appetizer. It was cool to see them come by the table and mix up all the ingredients in front of you. I thought the guacamole was a bit expensive, and they do not give you a lot either.

Build Your Own Combo

The build your own combo was just ok. The presentation is a bit scattered on the plate. Also, one of the tacos looked like it was from Taco Bell.

Tiger Shrimp Tacos

I had the tiger shrimp tacos. However, they do not actually make them with tiger shrimp, instead, they are regular shrimp that are deep fried. They load the tacos with mango coconut sauce and mango habanero relish. I enjoyed the tacos, but they were definitely messy and hard to eat. 

Birria Tacos

We also tried the birria tacos, which are usually one of the best dishes at a Mexican restaurant. These were pretty good; I only noticed that the dipping sauce was not spicy. Usually, birria tacos have a spicy consomme, or the tacos themselves are spicy. 

Service:

The service at Plaza Azteca was average and nothing special. It did take a long time for our food to come out, however, they were busy when we went for lunch. My favorite part about the service was the tableside guacamole presentation that they did. 

Atmosphere:

The inside of Plaza Azteca was pretty small. There are mainly booths and a small bar where you can sit. However, I thought the decorations were nice and felt modern. The location is also nice for those who frequent Ross Park Mall. It is at the same entrance as the Cheesecake Factory and LL Bean. 

Rating: Average |⭐⭐⭐✩✩|

Plaza Azteca is a growing chain of Mexican restaurants in the mid-Atlantic region of the US. This is the newest location in Pittsburgh, situated right in the popular Ross Park Mall. I thought the food was good, but also not amazing. It tasted like the food you would get from your typical Mexican chain restaurant. Also, the prices here were higher than other Mexican places I liked better. There are definitely better Mexican places in Pittsburgh, like Franklin Inn, Doce Taqueria, and Mezcal. However, if you like places such as Emilianos or On the Border you will find this very similar.