El Azul Grande III

Very good food and great service. They have so many great dishes to choose from! The dining room is great, with several televisions. The atmosphere is very casual but also very nice. They also offer carry out, which we have used a few times. They do a good job of packaging the food so it stays hot until you get it home. All in all it is a very good choice for dining, and the best when you really want Tex-​Mex.

Excited about checking out the Mexican place beside my hotel on my latest biz trip, I strolled across the parking lot and grabbed a table for one (which I do so often it has become markedly less depressing than you may think).
The tl;dr rundown: acceptable but slightly below average Tex-​Mex flavors; friendly, attentive staff; good prices.
For the bored, here’s the deets:
Let’s start with the good. Prices are extremely affordable; I defy you to upsize a combo at your local McWenBurgerDee’s and not come close to or exceed the per-​meal cost of El Azul’s generously portioned plates. Additionally, the staff — from the moment I walked in to paying the check — was exceptional: friendly, attentive, helpful.
Unfortunately, that’s where the praise ends and the frumpy average review starts. The food was, to my disappointment, decidedly bland — not in a «needs salt» kind of way, just very one-​note and boring. The salsa (free, with chips) was effectively chunky ketchup. The mole on my «Special de Ricardo» was clearly from a can. The chicken, while appropriately textured and well cooked, was devoid of the Tex-​Mex flavors I love so much. The cheese dip could have been a bright spot, but it came without the Jalepenos that I specifically requested, leaving nothing to balance its dairy richness. There was not the tiniest sniff of spice or heat in any aspect of my entire meal, but more than that (as I know some just don’t like spicy food), it lacked the complexity of flavors that is the strong suit of Tex-​Mex cooking. To be clear, there was nothing bad or unappetizing, just very boring food.
Last thing, which cannot be quantified or even easily described in a review, but I think is important: as I was paying, a woman was picking up a to-​go order, talking to the lady at the front desk about her day, the new lunch buffet, and other topics, and I realized that this is a locals’ place, part of and active in the community. Now, it doesn’t change my personal experience or opinion, but given the discourse of the folks in the restaurant and the overwhelmingly positive reviews, I think it’s safe to say that this place is well-​liked around these parts, people support it. So great, El Azul Grande, do what you do. If I ever roll back through though, how about sliding some Jalepenos and maybe a bit of cumin my way?

The only one in town with best services especially with the best discounts and gifts for all schools in the town. Tanks to all its customers and its surroundings…

My family and I discovered this restaurant in 2011. It is consistently a great place to eat. The food is great, service is good, place is always clean, and prices are reasonable.

Don’t know how much of it was that I was starving, but the food was delicious! Great service, fun music, and comfy booths. If I’m ever in Hazard again, I’ll be back here.

I was so surprised how good the food is. I have no idea what the prices are like because someone else paid for mine (and I didn’t pay that much attention), but I can’t imagine it is very high. I was in a really large party, and the staff and kitchen did a pretty good job of serving/​waiting on us all in a timely fashion. My negative could be that this is certainly NOT the best Mexican food I’ve had (Mexican is my absolute favorite). The quality of the chicken did not thrill me, and some of the chips we had tasted stale. The beans and cheese sauce were really good, the rice was good, and I had the chicken chimichangas (sp?) as my entrée. The chimichangas are supposed to be fried, and these seemed more like chicken burritos (I am used to a very crispy outer shell) than fried chimichangas.

Very nice restaurant! The service can be a little slow between lunch (noon) and dinner (5 p.m.). Everything on the menu is good, though.

While it’s not the fanciest Mexican restaurant I’ve been to, the food at El Azul stacks up against the best I’ve had. Definitely try the Pork Tips Colorado or Pork Tips Chile Verde. The pork was so tender and juicy and just breaks apart in your mouth. And at less than $ 7.50, the best deal in town. Their wings are great as well.
Dessert was disappointing. The fried ice-​cream was tough, stale corn flakes coated ice-​cream.
The servers are very friendly, attentive and fast.
The only thing that keeps me from giving this place 5 stars is that they still allow smoking in the restaurant.