13 April 2016

#166: Plaza Azteca

Date Visited: 10 April 2016

Meal: Dinner

Diners: Me & Wendy

Experience: Continuing our theme of new Mexican/South American restaurants in Leesburg, this visit takes us to Plaza Azteca, in the Village at Leesburg. The Village at Leesburg now has enough restaurants that they publish a printable directory. It lists 18 restaurants and I’ve reviewed 12 of them so far. Plaza Azteca is a national chain, with locations in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and North Carolina. We first discovered it a few years ago when our son attended Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA (Go Captains!); it was a popular student hangout. The Leesburg location is in the spot formerly occupied by Finnegan’s Sports Bar & Grill (good riddance).

We were started off, of course, with the house chips & salsa. The chips are made on premises and a bit thicker than average, which is a good thing. The menu features all the Mexican-style dishes you’d expect in a Mexican restaurant. One of the more fun appetizers is the Fresh Guacamole, which is made in front of you on a cart. You can specify the spiciness you want, and we asked for medium, but it seemed hardly spicy at all to me. It certainly was made with fresh ingredients and had just the right chunky-yet-creamy texture and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

For our main courses, I got the Texas Fajitas (grilled steak, chicken, and shrimp) with the expected sides of rice, refried beans, sour cream, and pico de gallo. Wendy got the Shrimp Tacos, which had an enjoyable mix of hot shrimp and tortillas against the cold veggies. Other than that it was good but not exceptional; the portions were on the large side, and we left stuffed.

Our server was very professional and courteous, but not as attentive as we might have preferred (our drinks went un-refilled for almost the entire meal). The new decor is nice, with high-backed booths for a little extra separation from other customers.

If you’re shopping in the Village at Leesburg and have the urge for quality Mexican food, give Plaza Azteca a try.

Location: 1608 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg, VA 20175, 703-779-3612

Website: http://plazaazteca.com/

Total bill: $52.37 + $12.00 tip = $64.37

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