Jon Parton and Tim Everson are back again with a look at Manhattan’s newest Mexican restaurant, Azul Mexican Grill, located at 1116 Moro St.
While you can never go wrong with Mexican food, we decided to check it out and see if Azul could stand up to its competition in Aggieville.
Atmosphere
Tim: It’s pretty laid-back overall. The decor is very similar to Wabash, the restaurant that was there before Azul. It has a sort of underwater feel with blue fluorescent lights reflecting off the metal on the walls and at the bar. Also, they kick it old school and put out a paper table cloth with crayons so even adults can draw and color on the tables while they wait for their food.
Jon: They’re going for something different at Azul, and I was glad to come along for the ride. I liked the openness of the restaurant and didn’t feel like I was being cramped into a small bar.
The crayons were a little confusing at first just because I wasn’t expecting them. Soon enough, though, I felt like a 10-year-old again and was drawing pictures of cars falling off cliffs.
Food
Tim: I got the chicken bacon ranch club and it was delicious. The chicken was spicy and flavorful, incredibly well cooked. Sometimes you run into dryness with chicken sandwiches but this was not the case with this sandwich, which was paired with a great Texas Toast bun that was lightly toasted to perfection.
We also tried their chips and salsa, and I’d say they were OK. Nothing special, but for chips and salsa it got the job done. Ditto for the french fries that came with the sandwich – definitely more than fine but nothing too terribly special.
Jon: I ordered the stuffed poblano pepper, an enormous pepper overstuffed with cheese and shrimp. Every bite contained a multitude of flavors and spices that made me want to stop time just so I could savor an extra moment of it. The chips and salsa were serviceable, but uninspiring. Like most appetizers, they were there to serve as practice while we waited for the real food to show up.
Value
Tim: The sandwich with fries ran me $8.50. While I will sing the praises of the flavor of that chicken in the sandwich, that only made me want more of it. It wasn’t a terribly big sandwich, and for almost nine bucks I wish that I would’ve gotten a little more for my buck.
The chips and salsa were only $3 so that was more than fine.
I loved the food at Azul and I look forward to going back. I just wish you got a little more.
Jon: No me gusta. I found the portions to be rather small considering what the prices were. The stuffed pepper, which ran a little over $10, came with a small platter with a small serving of cheese-covered refried beans, a small serving of rice, a small serving of salad and a tablespoon’s worth of guacamole.
While the food was great, I can’t help but be taken aback by the small portion sizes. For me, I thought the price didn’t match the amount of food. I’ll probably visit again, but I’ll have to ask for a double order of chips next time.
Tim: 4 out of 5 stars
Jon: 3 out of 5 stars