Delicias Azteca Mexican Restaurant & Bar

There is not much I love more than good, authentic Mexican food, and when it is in my city, it is a big deal! Delicias Azteca Mexican Restaurant & Bar just opened and I was excited to try it. In the spirit of tasting as many dishes as possible, we invited a friend to join us.

Can I just say: the place is glorious. The storefront gives you just a hint of the vibrancy you will find inside. It has that South American-Caribbean feel with bright colors, incredible artwork, and intricately patterned details. Even their bathrooms are gorgeous. The restaurant lighting is a little dim so even on a sunny afternoon it was a bit challenging to read the brightly colored menu.

The menu was quite large with plenty of choices for every palette. I was very excited to find some traditional items that are not typically offered, like molcajete and cazuela de marisco. And yes: they have street tacos!

Some of the artwork and details // Rachel Weatherholt

The chips were fresh and the salsa mild and delicious. We paired it with cold, bottled Modelo.

Chips, salsa, beer // Rachel Weatherholt

We started with prawn ceviche. It arrived in a very large martini glass with some of the freshest avocado I’ve seen in weeks, with thick wedges of ripe, juicy orange and lime. It was served with crispy fried corn tortillas but after tasting the bright and beautiful flavors of the ceviche, I dispatched the tortillas and dug in with my fork (I even considered asking for a spoon). The flavors of the citrus and produce were well-balanced with the richness of the prawns and I can honestly say, it surpassed my expectations. I’m pretty sure I tasted cucumber and maybe even a little mango or pineapple. It was a very generous portion; the three of us couldn’t finish it before our entrees arrived.

For the entrees we ordered Volcano Fajitas, Pollo en Mole, and Camarones a la Diabla. All three entrees were decent portions, not overwhelmingly large. The fajitas arrived table-side with flair: a shot of tequila doused across the top and lit on fire. (This menu item is listed as 21+.)

The fajitas came with charbroiled steak, roasted chicken and large prawns atop an incredible pile of mostly green pepper with some onions, mushrooms, and carrots. The steak and chicken were a bit dry and overcooked for my preference, but they made up for that with flavor. And THOSE PRAWNS! You know when you bite into a prawn, and it snaps, and you just know that it is fresh and well cooked? Yeah. Those were these prawns.

Mole is a very complex sauce that usually takes time to develop a personal rapport with. We are in the early stages of our love of mole, so we jumped right in and ordered it.

We were not disappointed.

The mole was rich and thick, not too bitter or sweet, mild but I don’t dare call it tame. It was the perfect companion for chicken and corn tortillas. I even found myself mopping up extra mole with my fajita meat.

The final entree, Camarones a la Diabla: tiger prawns with onions, garlic, mushrooms, in a spicy Nayarita sauce. These prawns were also big, beautiful, and perfectly cooked. The Nayarita sauce was buttery and rich with a decent amount of heat, but not overwhelmingly spicy. The sauce was richer and deeper than expected and each bite left you wanting more.