Cocina Chiwas

We had the Cafecita and Mask of Zorro for drinks to start. Followed up with the Chicharrones and Empanadas. Ended with the peach cheesecake and tres leches carrot cake. The drinks were good, but the food was fantastic. We had to stop ourselves from finishing our entrees because we wanted leftovers. The tres leches carrot cake was probably my favorite part of the meal. Maybe try getting the berry crumble on the side because it almost overcomplicated it. But still great! Service was great and was surprisingly slow for a Saturday night.

This place was a bust. Queso was good. Chicharron and the empanadas were dry af. I don't leave bad reviews but the food was not worth the price. Service was great, but I would not recommend going here. The whole restaurant was extremely warm. It's summer in az, so you would expect a cooler environment but this too warm and uncomfortable.

I tried this place for a brunch hangout with friends a few months ago. The ambiance and vibe of this place were modern and cute. The service was pretty fast and friendly. I am not sure about their regular menus but their brunch menu was not huge, though there were many interesting options to choose from. My partner and I ordered two different brunch items, although they look sort of similar in the photos that I took. The food was delicious and the portion was quite generous as well. I definitely needed a to-go box and enjoyed the leftovers the next day. I also had their special spritz cocktail, which was tasty and had a beautiful presentation. To me, this place feels like an elevated Mexican dining experience, especially if you are looking for a cozy place to chat with friends or have a date night. I am very curious about their other cocktails and I see they have a nice patio seating area. I think it'd be really fun to come back here at night when the weather is nicer and have a cocktail or two on the patio. I am not sure if it is dog friendly. But this place is sort of inside the Culdsec community which is super dog friendly. They constantly have community and public events that I love to attend with my puppy. It would be really special to end the night at this restaurant with some drinks!

Great food but snotty attitude! Made a reservation for my husband and I and our foodie friends visiting from out of town, four of us. When we showed up (on time) for our reservation we were told we had been allotted 90 minutes for our evening; another group had the seating after us. No problem we thought. 85 minutes later (sincerely!) the server had taken our bill to the cashier for payment and the host came out to our table telling us we had to leave the table for the next seating. We told him politely that our server had taken our credit card and we'd leave as soon as she returned. He got very belligerent, surprising all of us, as we felt we were being very accommodating. Out server was great, but that host really soured us on an otherwise enjoyable evening. Delicious "Chiwas" food but for a casual restaurant (not fancy), disappointing service attitude. Visit was April 2024.

I've been wanting to try the much hyped Cocina Chiwas since it opened. We somehow managed a last minute reservation on a weekend. FYI, indoor seating is reservation only. There's a small patio for walk ins. The building is sleek modern angled glass. We ordered the elote and oysters for apps. I got a chili relleno for an entree. Partner got the emmoladas. He had sangria and raved about it. I was appreciative for an NA beer option. The elote was amazing. They grill it over mesquite and it was really truly perfect. By far the best thing we got. The oysters were on the briney side, which I tend to like and on the small side, which I also tend to like. The salmon roe was interesting texture wise but I felt like with the brine from the oysters, it ended making a salty bite. I got shell in one of the oysters which is never pleasant. The relleno was just okay. The batter was too heavy. The tomato sauce was a bit bland. Twice I got crunchy bits that I convinced myself were pepitas but I think were really just seeds. I will say the globs of crema/requeson on top were incredible. My partner's mole was really good. I think it was too spicy for him but I thought it was great. We got a chunk of carrot cake for dinner that was solid. The service was good. Lots of check ins. Let me preface this--we went on a day with a heat advisory--but the A/C was not keeping up. The high ceiling and the wood fire grill made for an uncomfortably hot room. So on whole, I'm glad we tried Cocina Chiwas. It was a fun date night. Probably not a regular stop for us, but I do feel like it would be fun to come back for a drink and to work our way through some of the appetizers.

We made a reservation and got there a bit early so we got to walk about this nice car-free community. When we got the table and hear about their special, we ordered it right away. The shrimps are perfectly cooked and seasoned, the green paste that comes with them is super complement the tasty shrimps. Oysters are so fresh and delicious. Chile con queso is the best! I love all kind of chiles and veggies in the creamy (not too creamy) sauce. I could not stop dipping chips into this queso. The sweet corn panna coat is so delicious and looks loving in pink plate.

Cute place! We were sat in the back next to the kitchen. The service was good.... Everything brought out at a reasonable pace, water was self refill via water pitcher, cocktails were good. Now... The food... The ceviche was delicious. It has a nice kick to it and had plenty of shrimp and octopus. I wish there were more "chips" (fried tortilla) to go with it as there was a lot. The quesadilla was mouthwatering good. I would definitely recommend it and would get it again.The enmoladas were SPICY. It had some good flavors but the spice was definitely what was left in your mouth. I wouldn't get it again... But it was our server's favorite dish...The Costillas de Res aka Korean style short ribs were amazing. I would definitely get them again. They were the star of the night. The tacos were also delicious and the carnitas was cooked perfectly. We did get a dessert to share... But it wasn't amazing. We were celebrating my friend's 40th and maybe I've become accustomed to it.. but usually nicer places will give the birthday person a free dessert. This location does not do that. Overall 4 out of 5 stars. It was good but I wouldn't say "you HAVE to try this place!" If I were to go again, I'd get the quesadilla and the Korean short ribs again.

We scored a weekend dinner table to try out Cocina Chiwas. Inside there's only a handful of tables but a decent number of seats at the bar. There's also a patio space but it's already far too hot out for that.I got a red sangria and it was really tasty! There was some mystery flavor there that worked really well. Not sure if it was the rosemary or maybe some almond in there but it was a very smooth sangria. For the appetizer, I got the elote and any elote I ever eat again will be compared to this one. The sweet corn and mesquite from the grill are an awesome combination. The sauce on top is some kinda mayo and lime. So you get great sweetness from the corn, mesquite flavors, creaminess and citrus acidity all in each bite and it's the best thing I have eaten in a while.Main course: enmoladas. From my pedestrian perspective, these are chicken enchiladas with molé. I must have missed it on the menu but this molé is packing some heat. It's flavorful but more heat than I am usually looking for. Otherwise it was good.Dessert was tres leches carrot cake. Very good and heavy, but the carrot cake part of it just didn't seem to combine with the other flavors very well. It's good but disjointed. Overall the food and service was great. Would go again. Might go again just for elote.

This place has always been an absolute hit for me!! If you are looking for elevated authentic mexican cuisine in phoenix then this is your spot. Cocina chiwas is now a James Beard finalist and it's absolutely deserved! Everything i have tried here has been plated beautifully, has a delicious flavor profile, and has been unforgettable! I have tried Cocina Chiwas multiple times for both brunch and dinner and both menus are worth checking out. The restaurant itself is very inviting and airy. Service has always been great whether you sit at a table either inside or on their large patio or at the bar!! Plus, they have an open concept kitchen, so if you get a table by there, it's awesome to watch!! High ranking spot overall for me in Phoenix, love it here!

the food was amazing. service was really slow. we ate outside and the vibes were amazing. elote was my favorite part of the meal