By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

Plaza Azteca is a chain of family owned and operated Mexican restaurants located (at the time of this writing) in seven East Coast states: Virginia (23), Pennsylvania (9), North Carolina (3), Connecticut (2), Massachusetts (1), Maryland (1), and New Jersey (1). Their first restaurant opened in Virginia Beach, VA in the 1990s.

The VRG received an email from a reader who dined recently at the Midlothian, VA Plaza Azteca. He wrote:

“…I wanted to share that the rice used by this chain is cooked in either chicken broth or with a chicken broth bouillon. I spoke with a manager at the Plaza Azteca in Midlothian, Virginia to verify. She brought out the cooks and we asked how the rice was prepared. The biggest concern is that their menu had a ‘Vegetarian’ section and all ‘vegetarian’ dishes are served with a side of rice.

I would also like to add that I initially asked my waiter if the rice was vegetarian, he said yes, I specifically asked if it was cooked in stock and his hesitation in answering made me question his knowledge.”

The VRG wanted to determine if the rice at Plaza Azteca is prepared with animal broth so we first sent an email through their website contact form,
and then called the Midlothian, VA restaurant. First we learned from employees that there isn’t a corporate office that handles inquiries such as ours. The menu should be the same in all restaurants but may vary.

When we asked specifically about the rice, we learned that “white rice” offered with the vegan menu option is not made with animal stock. It’s “just water, garlic and salt.”

“Rice” on the menu is not vegetarian. It’s “yellow in color due to spices and is prepared in chicken stock.”

We called Plaza Azteca a second time to learn more about its “vegan burrito bowl” listed on its online menu. In September 2019 we were informed that the online menu is not current. Now they offer a vegan bowl and a vegan burrito called Burrito Vegano. The vegan bowl consists of soy meat, rice, black beans, guacamole, corn, onions, poblano peppers, mushrooms, vegan cheese, and pico de gallo sauce. The vegan burrito has the same components of the vegan bowl placed inside of a wheat tortilla. The “soy meat” is a “plant-based protein.”The “vegan cheese” is “tofu.” The white rice, black beans, guacamole, corn, onions, mushrooms, poblano peppers, and pico de gallo sauce are vegan.

The VRG asked if there are any animal flavors, fats or stock in any vegan bowl or burrito component. We were informed that there were not. They replied to our question about kitchen protocols that the soy meat “is grilled on a clean surface away from meat products.”

In another conversation, they read off the labels of the soy meat, soy cheese, and tortilla. The soy meat is PlantFare^® brand. The soy cheese is West Soy^® brand. They called the cheese “tofu” on several occasions during our call. Both appear to be all-plant soy products from what we gathered from reading off the labels while we spoke.

We asked specifically if the wheat tortilla contained L-cysteine or egg or dairy products. They read the label while we were on the phone, spelling out the names and concluded L-cysteine, dairy (whey or casein) or egg ingredients were not present.

The manager also confirmed that the soy meat and vegetables are grilled separated in vegetable oil away from all meat products.

When we asked if gelatin was in the guacamole, the reply was that they make their own and do not add gelatin.

They use the menu put out by the Plaza Azteca corporate office. All restaurant locations should offer the same menu but call before visiting to avoid surprises.

When we asked if guests could substitute a meat product with the soy meat in other menu dishes, we were told that it could be done, but advised that patrons should make the request upon ordering. Their rep also pointed out that vegan diners should request the white rice in these menu substitutions since the yellow rice is prepared with chicken broth.

VRG readers should check with the manager at any Plaza Azteca restaurant if in doubt about any menu options or ingredients. Here is the website list of locations: https://www.plazaazteca.com/locations-hours

The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

For information about other restaurant chains, see https://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php

For information about vegan and vegetarian restaurants in the USA and Canada, see https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php