The Most Flavorful Mexican in Phoenix

The Mission Old Town

★★★★☆ 4 (3133) • $$$

"This venue is beautiful - historic and charming! The chandeliers throughout the restaurant offer a very romantic vibe. Our waiter was cool and knowledgeable of the menu items.For starters, we had the tableside guacamole, which wasn't tableside, per se, but I did see the gentleman making it in the corner of the dining room. I liked that you could customize heat levels. We also ordered the beef skewers and it was the most decadent and flavorful piece of meat!! Must order! For our entrees, we ordered the skirt steak tacos and salmon. I highly recommend the Salmon, the skin was perfectly crisp yet tender and flavorful on the inside. The skirt steak looked delicious although they might consider larger tortillas compared to meat ratio. For dessert, they treated us to a pumpkin bread pudding - AMAZING - for my birthday. It was a nice send-off. 10/10 experience!"

Chino Bandido

★★★★☆ 4 (2377) • $$

"I was staying at the Hilton Tapatio for a few nights, and one of those nights, I went out for something to eat. I remembered that Chino had moved locations awhile ago, and it was pretty close to the hotel. I stopped on by.I went with a 2 item bowl with black beans, jerk fried rice, jerk chicken, and jade red chicken in a quesadilla. Water to drink, and of course the snickerdoodle cookie. How was it? Still as good as before. Everything just works! I mix my fried rice with the black beans and go to town. Portion sizes are still great, jade red chicken is still sweet and crunchy and delicious, jerk chicken has some nice spice to it, and the cookie is always a nice finishing touch!I enjoyed my meal so much, that I took my Mom back here about a week later. Chino Bandido, twice in one week. How lucky am I? Lol! This place has always been great, and still is! Bomb food and huge portions! Love it!"

Presidio Cocina Mexicana

★★★★★ 4.6 (1113) • $$

""ANOTHER AMAZING EXPERIENCE!" I brought my family here, knowing that they would like it and I was right. Everybody enjoyed their food. We all had a great time. Customer service was great yet again and honestly, I would keep coming back because the food is consistent. Portions are well and you can taste the homemade quality."

Otro Cafe

★★★★☆ 4.1 (1163) • $$

"Food was good , horchata was tasty , our server was obviously stressed . We tried having empathy for him , but the amount of times he completely ignored us While he checked on other tables 6/7 times in a row then the end of our meal he said something along the lines of "sorry for leaving you hanging ". The place was busy and food was good , just hope we get a different server or someone with a better attitude if we choose to return"

The Beach House

★★★★☆ 4.3 (989) • $

"If you're looking for beachy, Cali-style tacos, this is the best value spot in town. Service is friendly and fast, and the portions for the price and quality are unbeatable. I find the 2 for $5 tacos to be a filling meal, since the size is a little bigger than your classic Mexican street taco. My go to is the nopales, but their specials are always great. They don't have any indoor seating, but the shaded picnic tables with misters are pretty bearable for anything about 100 degrees and under, in my experience. It helps that they have cheap frozen slushies in just about any flavor you could think of. They also have a cute hippie vibe, with a classic VW bus and other fun, funky decor."

Chico Malo

★★★★☆ 4 (1130) • $$

"Beautiful restaurant- open, airy and modern with a great patio. This is not traditional Mexican food. All the dishes are very unique. My husband had the enchiladas which he loved. I had the one all vegan dish on the menu, Charred Cabbage. It was really delicious with so much flavor. I ate about 1/4 of it because one can only eat so much cabbage. Lol I think serving half the amount of cabbage and adding a side of beans would be much better. Our server Tyler was great!"

Tacos Chiwas

★★★★☆ 4.3 (973) • $$

"Tacos Chiwas...yes, yes, I saw this on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, so I was in the area and thought, why not!?!Already impressed driving up here as they had a partially covered parking lot! Big plus in this scorching heat. As you walk in, you are greeted with their upbeat dance house music. They have a bar inside with tequila, on tap draft beer. They are short-staffed, so you order at the front, then pay, get your order number, and then find your table. Multiple tvs playing professional sports (MLB). A bit loud inside to be able to carry on a conversation. They have a patio area for outside dining and also mostly inside dining. The servers are friendly and welcoming!Gordita (Flour) - Deshebrada Roja: Red Chile Shredded Beef, Potatoes, Beans (3.5/5). The beef and potatoes were flavorful, spicy, and tender. Parts of the gordita were firm/dense/tough. I appreciated that it was house-made.Tacos (Handmade Corn Tortillas)Pastor: Marinated Pork, Cilantro, White Onions (4/5). It was very tasty, nicely marinated. I would get this again in a heartbeat.Tripas: Beef Tripe, Cilantro, White Onions (4/5). I liked that they deep-fried it, but some pieces were pretty dry. Otherwise, it was good. Both corn tortillas were cool, not warmed on the flat top.Horchata (4/5) - smooth, not chalky. You could enjoy the rice and cinnamon!They have a self-serve sauce bar, which they also have the pickled carrot, jalapeño, onion. Overall, experience 3.5 stars.Congratulations for being in business here in Phoenix for 8 years!!!"

Los Reyes De La Torta

★★★★☆ 4.3 (966) • $$

"It had been a hot minute since visiting this restaurant. They are known for their tortas as the name implies. A torta is a Mexican sandwich. It was fairly early yet the place is packed. A good sign. Most clientele are Spanish speaking. All servers are nice and speak English. We ordered the Cubana (ham, mozzarella, pork sirloin, tomato, onions, jalapeños, avocado and mayo) and Pechuga Asada (grilled chicken breast, mozzarella cheese, tomato, onions, jalapeños, avocado and mayo) tortas. Service was pleasant and quick. Can you say Muy bueño?! My dish came with a green salad and grilled onions. The other dish comes with potato chips. The tortas were delicious and good in size. The bread was lightly grilled and the meats were abundant. They were juicy and flavorful. There is a red salsa to put on the tortas which made it even better if that's possible. I took the remainder of the sauce home along with half my torta. Very filling and so good. The plaza itself looks a bit tired but who cares when the food makes up for it? Parking lot and street parking. Parking is tight and busy in the lot."

Fiesta Mexicana

★★★★☆ 4 (1091) • $$

"We had an outage at work, so our team came here for lunch. Food was ok nothing special. My boss and I came a little later than everyone else and the waitress seemed a little upset. Ample parking, inside is very festive. When I checked in a I cashed in my free dessert. Sopapilla which came as one with whip cream that tasted funny."

Gadzooks Enchiladas and Soup

★★★★☆ 4.1 (1022) • $$

"A really good meal.This was our first visit to Gadzooks Enchiladas and soup and we really enjoyed our meals. The employees are amazing at walking you through how to select the food, step by step as you build your meal.Fadzooks offers so many mix and match options to choose; from toppings to the type of tortilla. Quality ingredients and amazing flavor profile. On this visit I ordered the pork enchiladas with green sauce, corn tortillas, cornbread, and both cheeses. As much as I enjoyed the enchiladas, my favorite was the sweet and spicy cornbread, it was delicious I will definitely be back for more.If you're in the area , stop in you won't be disappointed"

Los Taquitos

★★★★☆ 3.9 (1102)

"Whenever we are in the area, this is a must! We love this place! Hands down the best street tacos we've ever had. The beans are heaven! We love the carne asada and shrimp tacos. Today we tried the carnitas tostada and the bean burritos and they were both super yummy.If you love tacos, and haven't been... what are you even waiting for?"

The Original Blue Adobe Grille

★★★★☆ 4.2 (931) • $$

"A small but attractive spot to grab New Mexican style grub. Our friendly server and complimentary chips and salsa got us off to a good start. I ordered the mini shredded beef chimichanga, green style. You can also order it with red sauce (spicier) or Christmas style - both sauces. It comes with rice and whole pinto beans, both were very good. Even the mini version is very filling. We kind of forget Blue Adobe is here and need to remind ourselves to add it to our rotation. It's a great place!"

The Fry Bread House

★★★★☆ 4.1 (881) • $$

"Fry bread or tacos? What about fry bread tacos! Flour, shortening, baking powder, and salt are mixed together. The dough is rolled and flattened until it is the size of a plate. Then the bread is fried in oil until it is fluffy and golden. Toppings are added and it all gets folded up like taco. The Fry Bread House is located on the corner of 7th and Hazelwood. They have a small parking lot; we got the last open space. Cars do leave occasionally if you're willing to wait. Sometimes there are spots on the street nearby. If that's full too, you can park in the residential area if you're willing to walk. Seating inside was all taken, but they had two fold-up tables and a canopy tent set up outside. The consistency of the freshly made fry bread is delicately crisp on the outside while being soft and doughy on the inside. It does get somewhat soggy as time goes on, which makes the taco fall apart more easily. Don't take too long to eat. I enjoyed the Vegetarian Taco, it came with a good amount of refried beans, onions, chili strips, sour cream, and lettuce. Everything was fresh. The Ultimate Taco was hastily assembled; it was served with several toppings that already fell out of the fry bread. Had to fix it for the picture. No complaints on taste though. The Beef taco had the lowest filling-to-bread ratio, but the meat was flavorful. Worth putting on your itinerary if you're visiting Phoenix for the first time!"

Los Sombreros

★★★★☆ 4 (916) • $$

"Ambiance- goodService - goodFood - average and a little on the bland side.Portions - good"

Maskadores Taco Shop

★★★★☆ 4.4 (755) • $

"This place is a chain and let me tell you, the quality does not lack. The same feisty cooks that take no gruff produce fine quick Mexican food. My only complaint, not many places to eat and not many spaces to park. It is a busy part of town, so that is to be expected. Not too loud and a great place to eat!"

The Original Carolina's Mexican Food

★★★★☆ 3.9 (925) • $

"We were looking for a spot to grab lunch after a hike, and I suggested here as it was on my bookmarks list and I had never tried it. Pretty easy to get to and there was a decent amount of parking around lunchtime. Ordering here is quick and efficient; you can peruse the menu on the wall and get in line when you are ready. I decided to go with the green chile with beans burro, and asked if I could get it with chicken and the employee said yes. My dining companion ordered a machaca burro and we waited for our food. Didn't take too long and everything is packaged to-go as a default, which most people end up doing.We were dining in so we grabbed a table, which was clean. The bag of food contained our food on a paper plate as well as napkins and hot salsa containers. I seemed to have gotten the wrong food item as mine appeared to be machaca rather than chicken (I initially thought it was a dark meat). I probably should have asked, but decided to eat it anyways. It was difficult to do even that - my burro/burrito was large and floppy and I took a few bites before it expanded and became very messy. The cheese wasn't melted well and I was not a fan. The saving grace is that the salsa was hot and delicious. I visited the bathroom and washed up and it's not 100% functional (toilet handle missing, no knob to open bathroom door). Although there was running water, soap and paper towels, yay. I may try a different menu item (try to get chicken?) or visit another location. Though this specific location is only affiliated with the Avondale one, according to their website. There are four Carolina's Mexican food locations on another website, so this tells me they are not the same chain. However, they both advertise having "the best tortillas in town"."

Jalapeño Buck's

★★★★☆ 4.4 (721)

"I ate the Buck out of this place, it's so Bucking good!!! It's definitely my new Buck Buddy...love it!I'm of the belief that you can make anything into a burrito...it's my favorite food group. Love so many things about this spot...the location, the storefront, outdoor seating only, smoky bbq smells, the burritos are phenomenal, the people are super friendly, everything! I went with the brisket, egg and cheese burrito and added refried beans to it. Loved every bite and was sad when it was gone. But I'll hit this again....but I'll probably wait a few days so I don't seem desperate. On a scale of 1 to 10, I love this place!"

Espos Mexican Food

★★★★☆ 4.1 (816) • $

"Still graet food and low prices after all of the years have passed. Definitely a place to check out."

Taquitos Jalisco

★★★★☆ 4.3 (740) • $$

"Due to a very spontaneous conversation, I made a quick decision to try Taquitos Jalisco tonight to put two minds at ease :)First, I love the aesthetics of the place, definitely got points there. The art, wavey sheet metal walls and light wood tables and I think gray floors (sorry, I'm colorblind). Whatever they are, I liked it! Lots of seating inside and some tables outside. Store was bright and clean and the employees were friendly with smiles. I got the Cabeza Taco, Pastor Taco and a Green Chili Pork burrito. While the tacos were a tad on the smaller scale even for street tacos, the burrito was HUGE! Everything I had was flavorful and good though...I'm full and satisfied."

Taqueria Mi Casita

★★★★★ 4.5 (655) • $

"So there I was...sitting in a meeting and perusing through Yelp because all I could think about was food and I had dinner plans to figure out. I saw this place pop up that I book marked awhile back and decided tonight was the night. I gotta say....tonight was a good night :)This place has all the flare and is completely decked out from floor to ceiling with unique decor. The staff is uber friendly and amazing! There's inside and outside seating as well and plenty of it. I went with my fav: Bean & Cheese Burrito ($5) and added a Carna Asada Taco ($2)! The bean and cheese was huge and perfect and the taco was delicious! Good food and low cost? This place is a no brainer!! My friend got the breakfast burrito and loved it as well. Definitely a new favorite spot for the list. On a scale of 1 - 10, don't pass this place up! I'm definitely going back again soon!"

Crescent Ballroom

★★★★☆ 4.2 (692)

"I've lost count of how many times I've witnessed the mesmerizing performance of The Ocean Blue, but this is undoubtedly their second mind-blowing show at this venue. Trust me, the vibes here are off the charts! The acoustics? Absolutely killer! Though I must admit, the staff can be a tad curt, and the drinks might leave you thirsting for more flavor. But hey, let's focus on the bright side--they constantly bring in phenomenal bands that rock this joint to its core!"

Jalapeno Inferno

★★★★☆ 3.7 (886) • $$

"My previous review is still mostly true, their food is pretty good. It's not very consistent though. One of the servers, Karen is very rude though. She was very snooty and not understanding when one of our guest's had a food intolerance. "I'm not a doctor, I don't specialize in food intolerances". Neither are we, but your patience and understanding would be helpful, KAREN."

Ta'Carbon

★★★★★ 4.6 (569) • $

"Fast friendly service and great food!The Taco meat was freshAs were the tortillas and the spices added such great flavor!A real win here"

Isabel's Amor

★★★★☆ 4 (739) • $$

"This is our favorite neighborhood restaurant. The food, the drinks, and the service are all top-notch. We have been here countless times; on one or two occasions there were minor issues, all addressed immediately.I am fairly certain that we have tried every single item on the menu. My favorite is the Pozole (I have had both the red and green, both are delicious) and my husband is a big fan of the Carnitas. I definitely always steal a few bites of that dish! I can also recommend the house margarita.The prices here are very reasonable for the quality of food.It is not great for a date night, as it is usually packed and crazy loud.They do accept reservations if you call, Sunday-Thursday only."

Valle Luna

★★★★☆ 3.7 (851) • $$

"Solid 4.5 Stars!Been awhile since I had been here (Pre Covid), and been a really long time since I left a review for this place. We did a volunteer event through work, and then after, decided to come here for lunch. We had a large group, and we were seated immediately in one of the back rooms. Went with the lunch special ($1.00 less than normal pricing) of the "mini" taco basket. I say "mini" because these are like regular size tacos. I went with 3 beef, 3 chicken. Next time, I would go with all beef. How were they? Fantastic! Crunchy shells, tasty meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese....perfect! Chips and salsa were refilled often, and so were the drinks. Service was great!Everyone enjoyed their meal, and I will definitely come back sooner than later. I forgot how good their mini tacos (and mini chimis) are at Valle Luna. Bomb!"

Revolu Modern Taqueria + Bar

★★★★☆ 4.1 (692) • $$

"Great service. A group of us met here for a mom's night out. Our server handled our large group like a pro. She was attentive, had a positive attitude, joked with us, and made us feel welcomed from start to finish. We never felt rushed. Great happy hour. Happy hour menu is fairly extensive. Lots of drink and food deals to choose from. Their happy hour menu is the size of some places regular menu. I ordered a combination of tacos from the happy hour and regular menu. Tacos are street taco sizes. Creative and fun flavors to choose from. I ordered the Del Mar (battered fish,) chicken tinga, and potato tacos. I absolutely loved the fish and potato tacos. Fish was not greasy. Cabbage was crisp and fresh. There was a slight sweetness. Potato tacos were packed with flavor. The outer shell was light and crispy. Potato insides were creamy. Flavors married well. I wish I had ordered two of the potato tacos. Chicken tinga was not on the same level as the other two. It was kind of there. Quality ingredients, but the chicken tinga just didn't stand out the way the potato and fish tacos did. Drinks were a hit. A solid margarita menu. The adult Caprisuns, (not what they are actually called, but how our server described them to us,) were the talk of the table. Many people ordered them multiple times. Someone asked to customize one. Our server said that that wasn't a problem. Ambiance is modern with traditional Mexican touches. I love the tiles around the bar. Day of the Dead murals/skulls are found in various places throughout. Make sure to get here early. We arrived at 4pm. By 4:15pm the dining area was half full. By 4:30 pm there was a wait. Plenty of parking. The parking lot is shared with AZ Ice and a Pho restaurant."

Centrico

★★★★★ 4.6 (541) • $$

"What a neat little bar/restaurant tucked inside an old hotel. It was easy to find and the entrance is through the hotel, in case you're looking for a door on the outside.I was in for a quick lunch and ordered a margarita and some shrimp tacos. The margarita was good but a bit small. The shrimp tacos were delicious and also small, but they gave you 4 of them which was nice. They had a nice flavor!The place is small, so I wouldn't plan on going with a large group. But for a quick lunch at the bar, I was in and out in no time. And with tacos in my belly!"

Dos Familias Local Mexican

★★★★☆ 4 (648) • $$

"What a great place to meet friends and enjoy wonderful food and service. The atmosphere was laid back not a sports bar and not just a mexican resturant. Seating is available on a covered patio, a huge bar, or typical resturant style. A family friendly dining experience. My food was served hot and fresh. Staff was very kind, each member that pasted my table inquired about any needs I may have. They even filled my water bottles before I left. I highly recommend you try this place."

Habanero's Mexican Grill

★★★★☆ 4.2 (587) • $$

"Delicious Food. Awesome Service .My Stephen Minister friend JefferyTreated me to lunch. It's my turn to treat a brother to Lunch. We both gave TestimonyHis Mom was Jehovah Witness and my background was Reform Jew,Food is terrific , well prepared . Reading the reviews that are positive . They staff knows how to prepare wonderful Mexican Dishes.If you are negative , keep your thoughts to yourself! My friend and brother has been coming here for 20 years. I will take his opinions Over yours. My chicken covered in spicy brown sauce Rice and Beans. Incredibly delicious!!Okay thos restaurant mau be smalland thetr may be little ambianve other then tbeir dedicated staff. When I eat at a restaurant it's all about the FOOD & the SERVICE.If you feel like i do this is " A Diamond In The Ruff!" You will not be Disappointed.Jeffrey M"

Los Olivos Mexican Patio

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (949) • $$

"Wanted to go somewhere new to celebrate my husband's baptism. Los Olivos is Family owned and operated for seventy years -3 generations. The old-town Scottsdale location was originally built many years ago by their grandfather, Tomas Corral.One of the most exotic restaurants in Arizona lets diners sit underneath dozens of teardrop-shaped glass windows, and it's an unforgettable experience. Their motto is "Esta es su casa y vuelvan pronto," which means "This is your home, please return soon."The waiter was very attentive and kept my water glass full. I also really enjoyed the hot salsa that came with the chips. I had the fish tacos which were loaded with fish! They were delicious and thankfully not fried. All around great experience."

Rita's Burritos

★★★★☆ 4.4 (516) • $

"Lots of parking, fast friendly service, good burritos.... There is no seating inside so expect to get your burritos to go. Place is clean and we were greeted when we walked in. The burritos are smaller and a lil cheaper than burritos you get at other fast food burrito places like Filiberto's, Los favoritos burritos, etc. They're not tiny but the perfect size for people like me and my kids who don't have huge appetites. Good variety of tacos as well as some sides of corn, quesadillas and beans n cheese. They also have a couple healthy wrap options (turkey and bacon with egg whites) which not sure why you would get a wrap at a burrito place. But I guess if you have a friend come along and they don't like burritos? Lols I got the mole - shredded chicken cooked in sweet & spicy chocolate adobado sauce. I love mole and this was pretty food. But I realized I prefer eating this with rice and eggs instead of in a tortilla. Flour tortilla was yummy and homemade. My kids had the bacon and hash burrito, ate it all up so they def liked it. I didn't get a bite, selfish kids! Jk"

Valle Luna

★★★★☆ 3.7 (716) • $$

"Valle Luna came recommended by a local. I tried to go one night to find the parking lot overflowing. I thought there's no way I could get in in a timely manner so I checked their website if I could order carry out. It seemed that was overbooked (or sold out) as well. I deferred to lunch the following day. They're known for their Fundido which is like a Chimichanga but with choice of meat and a lot of jalapeño cream cheese. I was told the chips and salsa were a must have too.I was surprised at the size of the place inside. Lots of seats. And lunch was fairly busy too, but nothing like the night before. I was seated quickly, drinks brought right away and order taken. The chips and salsa followed. The salsa was very good, and the chips were fine. They weren't quite the best I ever had but they were quite tasty. I made quick work of them too.The main meal came very fast too. The lunch special was enough for two meals and that's what I turned it into. It came with some lettuce and tomatoes, Spanish rice and refried beans.Arguably the Fundido might be the tastiest Mexican food I ever had. I had the shredded chicken it was an excellent choice. I scared down the half portion of the meal and paid. I was in and out quickly and the servers were kind and responsive.Another wonderful meal in Phoenix. I do recommend. 4.8 rounds to a well earned 5."

Ta'Carbon

★★★★★ 4.5 (475) • $

"Stopped by here for lunch and was not disappointed! The service was quick and friendly and I ordered a pastor plate which came with beans and tortillas, which you choose flour or corn. They have a salsa bar which has different salsas, lime pickled onions, cucumbers, etc. The meat had great flavor and was not full of gristle, the beans were super tasty and the tortillas were great. Overall, a great stop for some good Mexican food!"

Loco Patron

★★★★☆ 3.5 (785) • $$

"We stopped by for margheritas and some snacks but didn't realize it was Fight Night (aka cage fighting on the screens). They said it would take 45 minutes to get seated, but it was so much quicker than that since the staff was organized and efficient. Hats off to them!We got 2 flavors of margheritas - prickly pear and watermelon. Both were delicious! Also ordered some chips and queso and a hard taco platter with beans and rice, which was yummy (though a challenge to eat).It was noisy and crowded, but loved the night time energy so didn't mind.Pro tip:Don't order the shredded chicken - I hear it's only average. Pork and beef were really great though."

Rio Mirage Cafe-Surprise

★★★★☆ 3.8 (659) • $$

"Our first visit here with family was good!They were very busy at 5pm. When we left at 6:30, the lobby was packed! All on a Thursday night!Services was great, food was delicious but my fried fish tacos were very dry.Usually when I order a dish like this, they're served with a creme' or some type of white sauce, but these came garnished with pico, cabbage and nothing more.The beans and rice were tasty, but no sauce was a big disappointment. The hubby enjoyed his chicken chimichanga which was served with sour cream and very fresh guac!"