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Robin Garr

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Los Aztecas is just as good as ever

by Robin Garr » Wed Oct 09, 2024 6:13 am

Los Aztecas is just as good as ever

Crunchy bits, tender bits, flavorful pork: Mexican carnitas smirks at norteamericano pulled pork and says "Hold my cerveza." Yes, it's that good.
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I confess to being a little surprised at first when Mary came home from lunch with a friend the other day raving about how good the food at Los Aztecas had been.

Why the surprise? To be honest, I rarely think much about the Mexican-run local chains like Los Aztecas and El Nopal anymore, and I realized with a jolt that there might be a hint of food snobbery about that.

After all, when I reviewed the first Los Aztecas on Herr Lane in 1997, eleven years before it would be surrounded by Westport Village, I was pretty excited. “Authentic Mexican cuisine has become a viable option in Louisville these days,” I wrote in a review around that time.

Immigrant restaurateurs Saúl García, who died in 2021, and his brother Manuel, who remains at the helm of the family business, were first among a corps of new neighbors from South of the Border who began offering an alternative to the bland Americanized grub (and bathtub-size margaritas) that had previously been Louisville's only option in this world-food niche.

“Los Aztecas is far from the only excellent example,” I wrote in that late ‘90s review, perhaps conscious that Bruce Úcan’s blue food truck that would eventually evolve into Mayan Cafe was rolling around the same time. “But it's a good one, with tasty Mexican fare good enough to lure us back again and again.”

I kept that promise to come back too, at least for a while, as did a lot of people drawn by the mini-chain’s quality Mexican fare made easy with bilingual menus and service staff.

But then – here comes the snob bit – as immigrant communities grew and serious, Spanish-speaking taquerias popped up to serve them, excited foodies followed along, eager to try the latest new thing.

Before long the earlier mini-chains became under-valued because, well, they look Mexican-American, have multiple locations, and have been around for years. 

But it’s a wise partner who pays attention to his spouse, and Mary seemed really impressed by her $9.99 arroz con pollo lunch special. “The very simple combination of the nacho sauce on the chicken, then mixing with the rice, was sort of addictive. Such wonderful flavors. You got the smoky grilled taste on the chicken bits and the nacho sauce. I’d order this again,” she said, also praising the sparkling clean dining room and very fresh food.

Sold! Off we went, and if it didn’t feel quite as adventurous as the tinest taqueria – when I tried out my Spanish on our server, they responded in excellent English – everything was good, and a hearty meal for two was admirably affordable. ...

Read my full review on LouisvilleHotBytes:
https://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/los- ... od-as-ever

You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly online this week:
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/

Los Aztecas
1107 Herr Lane
Westport Village
426-3994
https://losaztecas.net
https://facebook.com/losaztecasrestaurant
https://instagram.com/losaztecas.restaurant
Other locations:
445 E. Market St., 561-8535, and 9207 U.S. Highway 42, 228-2450.

Noise Level: There was a definite buzz on a busy Saturday, but conversation was never difficult with sound levels around 72dB, particularly in the confines of a comfortable booth.

Accessibility: The restaurant appears to be accessible to wheelchair users.

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