Having a meal in the Mexico-style surroundings of Azteca
For quite some time I have wanted to explore Kyiv’s small selection of Mexican restaurants, but because the Post has written about all of them more than once I kept putting it off. But then, last Friday, I unexpectedly found myself dining at Azteca, and decided it was a good opportunity to review the place, combining fun and work.
It so happened that a friend I was meeting with that night was invited to have dinner at Azteca with colleagues and brought me along. It took us a small walk from the Circus up Vorovskoho street to reach the restaurant, which was partly hidden underground. Lightning was dim and various Mexico-related decor elements – cactuses, sombreros, Indian masks, etc. – could be seen everywhere, hanging on walls and resting on window sills. The restaurant’s maroon walls were laid with weathered-looking stones that apparently meant to resemble Aztec building blocks. So my first impression was an absolutely positive one – it’s seemed like a cozy place and I was already anxious to try it.
The people we were meeting with had already arrived, and sat chatting at a long table. From the looks of the baskets of nachos and the many beers on the table, I could tell that the Mexican party was in full swing. There wasn’t much space let for us either, but after the others squeezed together a bit, there was room for two chairs on the side of the table, and as soon as we took our sits, we received menus. Everyone else had already made up their minds, so I hurried to pick something myself.
The menu seemed to hold everything you’d expect to find in a proper Mexican restaurant – there was guacamole, burritos, a few signature soups, fajitas, enchiladas and quesadillas, as well as a range of meat dishes – undoubtedly quite spicy. I wasn’t especially hungry, and besides, being sensitive to spices I had to be careful choosing a dish, and finally decided to pick what was called “Blue Quesadilla” (Hr 28), while my friend, being a vegetarian, picked the cheese quesadilla. For my beverage I tried ordering my favorite cocktail, sprite with Martini Bianco, but was informed that they were out at the moment, so I settled for a Corona (Hr 20).
One thing that was easily noticeable and slightly spoiled my impression of the restaurant was the fact that our waitress was very agitated for some reason, demonstrating her irritation at any given chance, and hurried me to make my order. There was a group of about 10 of us dining, and for some reason she was serving us all by herself, but a big company of guests means a good order, and if you serve them properly, pretty good tips too, so why be unhappy about it? Still, she clearly was.
When we ran out of nachos – which were quite good by the way – our server was quite displeased when my friend asked her for more, and took her time bringing them. Also, naturally it took a while before everyone at our table received their dishes, and trying to look at the situation from a more humorous side, my friend’s colleagues even started betting whether she would mix up some of the dishes, or if someone wouldn’t receive his or her food at all.
However, even though it didn’t happen very soon, everyone go their order. My “Blue Quesadilla,” with blue cheese, sweet corn and pepper was quite savory, the saltiness of the cheese combined well with pepper and the hot crunchy pastry. My neighbor to the right wasn’t too impressed with his chili burrito (Hr 52), which he thought was OK, but not exactly the best and shaped in an unexpected square form. He wasn’t able to finish the tomato soup that followed, and admitted that he didn’t think it worthy of the $10 he was to pay for it. The last to arrive at the table were the vegetable fajitas, which consisted of fried vegetables served sizzling in a pan. The waitress had some trouble serving them, and someone pointed out, as if reading my own thoughts, that it was good we didn’t all order the same, though the young man who was having it seemed to be enjoying it a lot, and they indeed looked quite tasty.
However, due to the behavior of the waitress, the atmosphere didn’t feel all that welcoming, and soon my friend and I left Azteca, with quite a mixed impression from the place on the whole, though I could say nothing negative about the food. But the truth is simple – there are so few places to have Mexican in the city, that the restaurant won’t lack customers one way or the other and doesn’t have to bother improving the service.
Azteca (39/11 Vorovskoho, 486-3092). Open 10 a.m. till the last customer
English menu: Yes
English-speaking staff: Yes
Average meal: Hr 150
