Rey Azteca

My daughter goes to PSU. We took her here for dinner one evening. it was an enjoyable Mexican meal. The place was crowded. The service was good. The price point was good. We will go back again.

I grew up in Los Angeles and return there frequently so I have some context for this. if I were in L.A., I would rate 3 stars. Solid but not spectacular in freshness and flavor. In State College I give 4 stars. My go to dish is carnitas and I love Rey Azteca’s tomatillo sauce and carnitas. It’s sharp and salty with lots of pork. I really can’t comment on the rest of the menu, but the carnitas are really great. I always get them.

State College Magaine ranked Rey Azteca as the best Mexican restaurant in 2015, however I think the food is just average. Nothing to boast about. I’ve had real and delicious Mexican when I lived in Los Angeles. The food at Rey Azteca doesn’t taste authentic, and it seems the food is pre made due to the quick service of the meals.
I had ordered a beef burrito one time and the beef was tough and bland. I only ate ½ of the burrito.
If you’re looking for mediocre Mexican food then Rey Azteca is the place to go.

Ate lunch here with my wife. I had the burrito Cancun and she had fajitas. Food came out fast and it was really good. The knock on this place is that it does not have a liquor license, so no margaritas or Pacificos with your meal.

We went back this past Thanksgiving weekend. The place just rocks. Great services and good food. My past review stands for this place.

Service was fast. The food was delicious. The staff was nice and friendly. I had the intention to post pictures but I was so hungry that I forgot

Ordered the pollo adobe. The vegetables were very fresh and the chicken was tasty. The salsa and chips were great as well. Everything tasted fresher than it does at comparable Mexican restaurants. Our service wasn’t that great and I wish there was a bar. Would still definitely go back though! Best Mexican in town.

What did el pollo say when he crossed the road? Eat here if you can’t find any real Mexican food. The service implies it will be authentic, but strangely it’s not. Es loco ese! Having grown up in CA with good, great, and freaking fantastic Mexican food on nearly every corner, I just can’t bring myself to eat here. And, it’s not just a stylistic difference. They make the majority of their meals with GROUND beef. Que pasa con eso? Is that American cheese they’re using? Melts like it.
When I eat Mexican I want some mouth watering hunks of cheap beef that have been simmering in sauce for hours, if not days, crushed between fresh tortillas someone’s mom just made. Guess I’m a picky eater, eh? The prices are good– but they reflect the quality of the food. This is a money making small chain that’s gotten by on central PA’s love of a cheap meal and free chips. At least they did get the salsa right!

Very good and authentic Mexican food at a great value and prompt, nice service. Can’t go wrong here!!!

Good food, good service, good prices. What’s not to like?

OMG! What can I say. The food was amazing. The prices are just as extraordinary. The service was perfect. We went for my wife’s birthday and had a larger party then usual. Everything was beyond our expectations. You have to try the horchata and fried ice cream and fried banana for desert. I definitely recommend this restaurant if you are looking for authentic Mexican food. Way to go guys!

Typical Mexican restaurant. Tortilla chips and salsa were authentic. I wish they had a choice of black beans and not just refried beans. I probably will not return here.

Lived off LA’s taco trucks during college, and knelt at the altar of La Taqueria in SF (one of the nation’s best Mex joints) for another eight years. You will not find that sort of restaurant in Central PA, obviously. Having said that, Rey Azteca has consistently delivered excellent results well over 90% of the times I’ve eaten there, which is over 50 visits.
When eating there, it’s a lottery whether you get the freshest chips or ones that aren’t warm to the touch. The salsa isn’t great, but has good flavor and a few splashes of the ubiquitous habañero sauce fixes things. Their lunch specials are great deals, two with water plus tip under $ 20 every time. Lunch special #12, the fajita burrito and the lunch fajitas are standouts. For dinner, the fajitas for two are tough to finish and the camarones del diablo are a nice departure. There’s a lot of choices, and while it admittedly is a step off the world-​class restaurants in major cities, think about it, anyone that good has moved there where the big bucks are, so be thankful we have a really good mexican joint here.
I’ve never waited for a table here, and the place holds 350 people. Out of towners at FB games and Thon/​other similar events need to wait anywhere, and your patience is duly rewarded here. BYO and be merry!

Authentic Mexican!
Best joint in town
— chicken fajita –regular
— chicken and cheese flatuas
EAT HERE!

Great food, service is always super quick. Last time I went for lunch it took less than 20 minutes total.

Waiters are super friendly. Cheese dip and chips are great! Food is great!

The most authentic Mexican food you will get in state college. They tend to keep the food less spicy, but you can ask them to go more spicy and they will up the heat. The waiter tend to not be fluent english speakers, however the hostess/​person that checks you out is normally more fluent in case you have special dietary needs or are allergic to something.
One of the more affordable places to go eat and has plenty of options. It is BYOB if you want to bring beer in.

Rey Azteca translates as King of the Spanish or Spanish King. And for State College, that’s an appropriate name since this Mexican restaurant is king of all Mexican food in State College. It is by far the best in town. But that’s not saying much, considering Mexcian food in State College is really hurting.
When compared to other Mexican restaurants in the US, I’d probably give this place three stars. Even the national chain Chevy’s is better, and that’s four stars for my rating. The only five star Mexican restaurant I’ve ever experienced is Guapos in DC (
).
Still, this is about the best you can get for State College. I gave it a local 4 star rating since the service was friendly, prices are VERY reasonable, and the food itself was very savory. Chips and salsa are good, but sub par compared to others in town. The menu offers a ton of selections (almost too many), but nonetheless it’s an adventure to read the menu.
Setting is nicely intimate with high-​back booths, though they do have tables out front if you like to sit near a window. Service was very good, with chips and salsa and drink refills. When you visit any sort of ethnic restaurant, it’s nice to see waiters and waitresses of that ethnic background, because it hopefully means the cooks are probably of the same background. The hostess/​cashier and the one answering their phone is a local, so that’s a perfect balance of ethnic to local employees.
For my first visit I ordered a dinner combination of two enchiladas (one chicken, one cheese), rice, and beans. My wife ordered the Camarones al Mojo de Ajo (shrimp marinated in garlic salsa). Our meals were very good. Not top-​notch, but solidly tasty and well prepared.
The chicken within my enchilada was nice pieces of tender white meat, seasoned perfectly. It resembled near-​shredded chicken (decent sized pieces that are almost falling apart), which I prefer over other chicken preparation such as chicken morsels. The cheese enchilada was delicious, but not completely melted all the way inside. It wasn’t enough to make me send it back, as I still enjoyed the entire enchilada.
Chips and salsa come with free refills. Chips are a little on the thick side (they should be much thinner!), and they use a little too much yellow hominy/​corn instead of white in the masa. Salsa is runny, but still tasty.
Portion size was generous for named dishes, but a touch small for dinner combinations, and even smaller for lunch combinations. However, I felt full and satisfied with the dinner combo, not stuffed. So that’s a good thing. If you get a dinner or lunch combo to eat there, you probably won’t be taking any leftovers home if you have a healthy to average appetite. So serving size was good, but not ideal for leftovers.
This was a quick meal for us, just two entrees and drinks, so I can’t comment on the desserts or sides. Overall I was very happy with our experience, because our food was well worth the price.

Un lugar muy típico mexicano!
Me gustó mucho la atención, el mesero se desesperó un poco con mi indecisión pero fue inevitable porque quería ordenar de todo, así que no pudo evitar hacer cara de desesperación conmigo. Deliciosa la comida, las tortillas son de maíz verdadero, la decoración autóctona, muy colorida, muy acogedora, mas o menos me sentí en México comiendo tacos. Lo que no me gustó fue la americanada del «sour cream».
Los trabajadores son muy sonrientes y conversadores.

Quick and good authentic Mexican.
Chips and salsa were hot and served within seconds of sitting down. Good taking mere minutes to be served. We love it there, plus it’s BYOB.

This place is great and BYOB! The food was excellent and very reasonably priced. The waitstaff was great! From reading prior reviews I had assumed that it would have a minimal décor, but the ambiance was very good.
I’d highly recommend!