Daniel B.
Yelp
We had a wonderful time at Azotea Cantina in Atlantic Station. We live in the neighborhood and have been pleasantly surprised by this place. My wife first came here with one of her girlfriends for lunch. We later returned together for dinner with friends. We've enjoyed the food, service, and atmosphere.
The restaurant opened in October 2021 as part of the early 2020s renovation of Atlantic Station by developer and current owner Hines. For longtime Atlantans, Azotea is pretty much the spiritual successor to Rosa Mexicano (https://bit.ly/3JoFaHX), Atlantic Station's first "upscale" Mexican restaurant and bar. As a homeowner in this mixed-use development since 2005, I've got to say Azotea has been a nice upgrade and welcome addition.
Azotea is part of Atlantic Station's recently-renovated "Atlantic Green" space (formerly "Central Park"). It's in the center of the development, next to the park and splash pads. The restaurant has its own beautiful two-story building with multiple patios. It looks great.
Our party of four showed up on a Saturday and checked in at the host/hostess stand at 6:31pm. I put us down on the waitlist. I received a text from Resy with our estimated wait time (30 minutes) and the ability to remove ourselves from the waitlist by texting '9' back. I received another text when our table was ready, at 7:00pm. 29 minutes later -- pretty accurate estimate. The text said our table would be held for 10 minutes. We used the wait time to explore Atlantic Station's Maker's Market (arts, crafts, etc.) so it worked out well.
While the waitlist texts were from Resy, I don't think you can make a reservation for Azotea Cantina. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this restaurant is first come, first served only. This place is popular and I think it will do well in the long term.
The restaurant was bustling and loud, inside and out. It had a fun, festive ambiance. The design and decor was modern and sleek. I liked it a lot. We were seated upstairs on the open-air rooftop patio, which was pretty awesome. We had a view of the green, fountains, and city skyline. The rooftop patio wasn't too crowded, which was nice. They have a separate indoor bar upstairs. Out on the rooftop patio, they had a variety of seating: regular tables, high tops, and lounge seating. There's a lower-level patio too. It faces the fountains.
During our visit, Azotea's menu contained a good variety of contemporary takes on Mexican cuisine. Everything from Tostada de Pulpo (grilled Spanish octopus, $14) to chargrilled 12-ounce NY strip Carne Asada ($32). And of course, lots of tacos. The drink menu was decently extensive as well with different kinds of margaritas, cocktails, beer, wine, and non-alcoholic Mexican beverages (e.g., Topo-Chico, Mexican Coke, hibiscus limeaid; $4-6 each).
Here's what I tried:
Chips y Dip
* Queso Fundido ($12) - broiled chihuahua cheese, crispy pork belly, grilled onions, soft corn tortillas (flour tortillas also an option); also came with blue corn totopos (chips)
Veggies y Mas
* Esquites ($7) - charred sweet corn, pecorino cheese, Morita mayo
Los Tacos
* Baja Fish (3 tacos for $14) - tempura cod, pickled red onions, shaved cabbage, Morita mayo, on fresh corn tortillas
Los Fuertes
* "Sancocho" Secco ($19) - slow-cooked chicken leg, arroz blanco, root vegetable stew, avocado
Margaritas
* Azotea Margarita on the rocks (frozen also an option) ($10) - Blanco tequila, house curacao, lime, agave
* Passionate & Committed ($13) - El Jimador, jalapeno, chinola passion fruit, lime, agave
Overall, I thought everything was delicious. All of the ingredients were fresh and every dish was well executed. The Queso Fundido was served in a cast iron skillet. I loved the thick, substantial chunks of pork belly in the cheese. Also, the blue corn totopos were a refreshing change from the usual tortilla chips. While not significantly different, to me, they were crunchier and had a different appetizing flavor profile and texture.
The Esquites were smooth and delectable. I was impressed with the Baja Fish tacos. They were really tasty and satisfying. Crispy, big, meaty portions of fish and fresh veggies. Yum. I'd order them again. I also liked the "Sancocho" Secco. The chicken was tender and flavorful. The dish was filling and comforting.
Our server was Tymeshia F. She was fantastic. She had an upbeat and friendly personality. Our host was nice too. All of our food and drink came out in a reasonable amount of time.
Atlantic Station offers 2 hours free parking in their underground deck. The best and easiest place to park is on level P2 (lowest level) because P1 is much busier. You can directly access P2 via 16th St NW between Market St NW and State St NW (south side of property) as well as via 20th St (north side of property). Parking near any number of stairwells will work. For simplicity, I suggest parking near stairwells 5 and 8 (green color) near Publix and taking those up to get to Azotea.