Rey Azteca | Fun things in Lock Haven / Mill Hall, PA

The Way Less Traveled Team
5 days ago
4 min read

Fun things to do in Lock Haven

Overview

Sometimes it gets a bit boring going to the same restaurants over and over again. At least that is how we feel. Wendy's, Burger King, Taco Bell? We have had them a thousand times. We decided to take a little trip to Mill Hall, PA and try out Rey Azteca! According to some friends of ours - this place is outstanding for a chain restaurant. Is it though? Keep reading to find out! Fun things to do in Lock Haven

Where is it?

Address: 101 Hogan Blvd, Mill Hall, PA 17751

Coordinates: 41.12003398509187, -77.47362803694635

Aerial view of Lock Haven/Flemington area. Streets, buildings, and greenery visible. Green arrows point to Rey Azteca and locations. Red arrow for north. — Location relative to Lock Haven / Flemington.

The Good

After parking and walking through the front doors of the building - we immediately loved the atmosphere. Directly through the door - there is a silly cardboard cut out where you could pose for pictures if you wanted to (we behaved and didn't pose for any this time).

Cardboard mariachi with guitar beside a claw machine. Blue suit with gold embroidery, "Corona" text on front. Brick wall and colorful toys. — The above mentioned cardboard cutout

Colorful Mexican serape and sombrero on wall. Neon lights reflect in restaurant, creating a festive atmosphere. Signs say "WELCOME" and "MARGARITA TOWERS!" — A colorful serape hung over the window seperating the entrance lobby and doorway entrance.

There is then a second set of doors that you have to walk through to enter the actual restaurant. Upon walking through these doors - we were greeted by 4 staff members and a really cool Mesoamerican (corona) pyramid! 1 of these staff members then lead us to our booth.

Pyramid sculpture with stairs, "God Bless America" text, potted cacti, and colorful mural background of mountains and sunset. — The Mesoamerican Pyramid that greets you in Rey Azteca, Mill Hall

After being seated, it is incredibly clear that the curators of this restaurant cared greatly for the decor and atmosphere. All around you are small paintings, streamers, and decorations that really set the mood for Mexican cuisine, The bright and colorful surroundings bolstered mood on such a cloudy and rainy day. On top of it all, the music was not overbearing and the booths were very spacious, leaving more than enough room for a medium size party of 4. Take a look at some of the seating and booths.

Colorful restaurant booth with "El Jalisco Mexican Restaurant" text. Painting of a man on a horse by buildings and cacti, vibrant reds and greens. — The beautiful booth we were sitting at

Colorful bench with painted scenes of cowboys and a horse in a rural landscape. Maroon seats, tiled floor, and a light wall backdrop. — The booths next to our table to the right

After we were seated and we took in the environment for a moment or two, the waitress came to our table and dropped of some warm tortilla chips (yep - they are heated) and salsa.

Basket of yellow tortilla chips on a vibrant table with a bowl of red salsa nearby; a menu with beer images is visible. — Warm chips and some very, very good salsa - note the awesome table art

We needed a moment or two to look over the drink menu - so the waitress went to assist some other tables. The selection in the menus is pretty good - there are about 3 pages of alcoholic beverages to choose from including margaritas and the like. Ultimately, this is what we went with. The waitress came back and we placed our orders for drinks and reviewed the menu - also providing our orders for food. I ended up getting the Camarones Quesadilla and my wife picked up an Enchilada Supreme! For our drinks we got an El Churro, El Jefe, and Margarita Special (tropical margarita).

A red cocktail with two straws on a colorful table featuring a guitar player mural. A glass of iced coffee is in the background. — The tropical margarita - you can see the El Churro in the background here

Salt-rimmed margarita with lime garnish on a colorful table beside a plate of food. Background shows vivid artwork of a farmer and donkey. — The El Jefe Margarita

A stuffed quesadilla on one plate, rice and refried beans on another. Bright table art depicts musicians in vibrant colors. — Camarones Quesadilla with rice and refired beans and cheese

Plate of enchiladas topped with lettuce, tomato slice, and sour cream. Colorful table setting with pink basket and sauce in background. — The Enchilada Supreme

Both of the margaritas were definitely acceptable quality - though it should be of note that the alcohol content of them was fairly low (probably a good thing based on the amount you get). The El Churro was very sweet and yummy. The quesadilla was very good! The shrimp were tender, there was just enough contents to be filling and not be overstuffed. The sauces and sour cream came together to give a very pleasant taste. The tortilla was soft and easy to cut through with a normal butter knife.

All in all, the cost of this was not very much - for 3 alcoholic drinks and the amount of food we got - the total ended up being $62.89! Pretty good if you ask me.

Restaurant receipt showing items: Enchilada Supreme, Camarones Quesadilla, El Churro, El Jefe, Margarita with a total of $62.89. — Our receipt for the evening out

The Bad

Where there is good, there is more times than not some bad. Rey Azteca has its fair share of good, but is not without is bad. My wife described her Enchilada supreme as she was eating it. It was noted that there was very little flavor both in the beef, chicken, beans, cheese, and the sauce.

Additionally, with the El Jeffe, there was a notable amount of sour in it that completely overwhelmed the taste of alcohol. Some people may like this, but others may not. In our case, this was a negative tick.

We chucked this up to a fluke and acknowledged that it probably was not the normal, but an outlier instance, given my dish being so flavorful.

Conclusion

If you are driving through the area and are in the mood to try some outstanding Mexican cuisine, we highly recommend swinging by to check it out. Though, if you are in the surrounding area, perhaps an hour to two hours away, your efforts may be better spent finding something closer to you.

Our Rating

6/10