Another dinner adventure provided by Groupon. I have driven by Sol Azteca numerous times and don’t think I would have ever stopped in if not for the explosion of daily deal websites.

Bread: We were of course served chips & salsa in place of bread & butter. The chips were lightly salted and the salsa was mild with a few chunks of tomato. Pretty standard.

chips & salsa

Menu: Apps, Soups, Salads, Traditional Plates, Specialties, Vegetarian, Dessert. The menu has a wide variety of authentic Mexican entrees, standard favorites, and even a kid’s menu with simplified dishes.

Food/Presentation:
Nacho Grande: tortilla chips, beans, salsa, jalapeno pepper, cheese
I don’t remember seeing any salsa on the plate, but it was definitely packed with beans, peppers, and melted cheese. This was the only nacho option (except for a smaller version minus the salsa) which was surprising, but it was well done leaving the chips coated with cheese but still crunchy.

nachos

Tortilla Soup: tortilla strips, avocado
I fell in love with tortilla soup when I tried it for the first time at Qdoba (yes, the chain you often find in mall food courts). Their version is cheesy, spicy, and truly delicious. Unfortunately Sol Azteca could not live up to my expectations. There was close to zero flavor! I was essentially eating soggy tortilla strips with chunks of avocado in chicken broth. Disappointing.

tortilla soup

Ensalada con Pollo al Grill: mesclun mix salad with house dressing, topped with grilled chicken strips, tomatoes, avocado, and guacamole
A pretty simple salad but that’s really all I wanted. The house dressing was lightly mixed with the greens and was surprisingly delicious. They were generous with the amount of avocados and guacamole which you don’t see very often. Both Matt & I (he devoured his Enchiladas Verdes) were completely satisfied with our entrees.

grilled chicken salad

Pastel Azteca: Light Coconut Cheesecake
We brought this home because we were both so stuffed. As soon as I presented the plate to Matt he asked if it was really cheesecake because it sure didn’t look like it. The top resembled flan and there was no graham cracker crust in sight. The menu mentioned “coconut” which there was none of and the sauce it came with wasn’t great. Good thing I had an ice cream bar in the freezer…

cheesecake

Bathroom: A small 1 room/stall bathroom with a peach ceramic sink and decorative tiles around the mirror. The ladies/men paintings on the doors added character.

ladies room door

bathroom stall

Service: We had to wait a little longer than we would have liked to be greeted by the host, but that was forgotten once we were seated on their outdoor patio. Our water glasses were filled regularly and each course was brought in a timely manner. We had little interaction with the waiter but he was pleasant when we saw him.

Overall: I was disappointed for a restaurant that boasts about its award-winning Mexican cuisine. Even Matt’s margarita was sub par, served in a tiny wine glass for $7. If you’re looking for some all around great Mexican food, I won’t be quick to recommend Sol Azteca. While our entrees were the best part of the meal, I was still underwhelmed with the food in general. I’m sure their tacos, fajitas, quesadillas etc kick butt.

The Perfect Bite: For this review I have to go with the perfect sip, being the Red Sangria. While it lacked fruit (a lime wedge does not count) it still had enough flavor and pop to overly satisfy. Worthy of the “Best of Boston” award it received.

sangria

http://www.solaztecarestaurants.com/