14 Best Mexican Restaurants in Phoenix

If you were to ask a group of Phoenix locals about their favorite Mexican restaurant, you would likely get a different answer from each person. With over 300 Mexican restaurants in the valley, there are seemingly endless options and everyone seems to have their own favorite place.

If it sounds intimidating to sift through hundreds of Mexican restaurants in search of the best ones, don’t worry! We’ve done the research (read: taco eating) and created this guide to the very best Mexican restaurants in Phoenix. Happy eating!

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14. Call Her Martina

Compared to the rest of Phoenix,  Scottsdale is not known for Mexican food. But Call Her Martina serves authentic Mexican dishes in a high-end setting right next to the Scottsdale Fashion Square mall. Peruse the menu while enjoying a complementary trio of salsas. (A variety of fresh salsas is one of our love languages here at Female Foodie!) For your entree, try the enchiladas verdes which come topped with fresh avocado and another delicious sauce, a creamy chile poblano that will have you scraping your plate.

13. Las 15 Salsas Restaurant Oaxaqueño

For traditional Oaxacan cuisine, head to Las 15 Salsas, known around town for its mole. If you are new to mole, this is the right place to sample this rich, flavorful sauce. Try their enchilada sampler with one traditional green, one red coloradito mole, and one black mole-covered enchilada, filled with your choice of chicken or cheese. On the rare, cold day in Phoenix, warm your soul with a steaming bowl of warm pozole, a traditional Mexican stew with red chile broth, excellent braised pork, and hominy. 

12. Testal Mexican Kitchen

For a quick, satisfying bite, stop by Testal a counter-service spot offering burritos made the open-ended, traditional Chihuahuan way. All you need to do is pick a filling to be crammed into a warm, soft tortilla. For your first time, try the deshebrada (shredded beef in a green sauce and potatoes) or the traditional carne asada paired with guacamole, beans, onion, and cilantro. Top with red salsa, green salsa, or spicy chili oil and enjoy! 

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11. Mariscos Playa Hermosa

While you may not expect a landlocked state to offer great seafood, Mariscos Playa Hermosa may make you momentarily forget you are in the desert. The menu is massive and includes almost every kind of seafood you can think of, so the molcajete with green sauce is our favorite way to sample several of their specialties.

With grilled shrimp, fried fish, carne asada, and chicken all served in a delicious tomatillo lime sauce, this dish is big enough to serve two and still have some left over!

10. Cocina Madrigal

Don’t let Cocina Madrigal’s modest appearance fool you, this unassuming building houses one of the best Mexican restaurants in Phoenix. Cocina Madrigal serves the classic Mexican dishes you know and love with a gourmet twist. Try the steak tacos with house-made corn tortillas, chipotle-pomegranate marinated steak, fried peppers, onions, and gorgonzola cheese. Gorgonzola may seem like an odd choice for tacos, but trust the chef, this combination of flavors works flawlessly.

Don’t forget to save room for dessert— the churros here are unreal! Stuffed with Bavarian cream, drizzled with caramel, and served with extra cream for dipping, we are convinced these are the best churros you can get this side of the border.

9. Huarachis Taqueria

Can’t get into Bacanora? Head to its casual sister restaurant, Huarachis Taqueria, to experience the magic of chef René Andrade. The quesadilla is a must; it’s a massive tortilla, rolled and filled with cheese, and paired with a smokey, spicy, and fatty frijole dip that will have you licking the dish clean. Follow with your choice of tacos: the Lala Lengua is moist, tender, and well-seasoned; the chicharrones are perfectly textured, chewy, crispy, and full of flavor; and the pescado features a generous chunk of crispy fish topped with a creamy chipotle sauce over a bed of avocado. For the cherry on top, dress your tacos to your preferred spice level with their trio of fresh, flavorful salsas.

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8. Cocina Chiwas

The owners of beloved Tacos Chiwas recently opened a full-service restaurant in Tempe, graduating from traditional taco beginnings to an upscale Mexican restaurant with flair. Be ready to be surprised and delighted by creative and flavorful combinations; dishes here offer a spin on the classics. Like on the Costilla de Res, these beef short ribs are served over traditional, perfectly executed rice and pinto beans, but are cut Korean-style and covered in a sticky-sweet salsa macha. The cheesy chile relleno is bathed in a light, refreshing tomato puree that cuts through the typical heaviness of this dish, making it the ideal dish on a hot Phoenix day.

7. Gallo Blanco

We couldn’t write a guide to the best Mexican restaurants in Phoenix without including tortas. These big, messy sandwiches are a popular dish all over Phoenix, but our favorite is from Gallo Blanco. Choose from nine different tortas, all served on Noble’s fresh-baked Telera bread. We love the Naco, piled high with carne asada avocado and two over-easy eggs, but the sandwich that keeps us coming back time and time again is the La Bomba. Savory al pastor, generous chunks of pineapple, and a blend of gooey manchego and chihuahua cheeses—this is what a perfectly executed torta tastes like.

6. Espiritu

This bustling spot is the sister restaurant to the acclaimed Bacanora in and adds a stylish, high-end dining option to Mesa’s main street. Look for the restaurant with the busy chef out front grilling fragrant meats and vegetables on a wood-fired grill right on the sidewalk. Start your meal with the ceviche mixto: shrimp, fresh fish, cucumbers, onions, and serrano peppers in a chiltepin broth that packs a bit of heat. Or, go for the queso fundido with melted menonita cheese, a mild tomatillo salsa, and piled high with crisply little shoestring potatoes served with warm corn tortillas. For your main, you’ll likely want to order one of the specials. Espiritu focuses on what is locally available, so most of its main courses are seasonal items. Trust your waiter to point you in the right direction, but expect more seafood-focused specials here like a whole roasted fish served with all the fixings to make your own tacos.

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5. Chilte

Known for their self-proclaimed “new school” Mexican food, Chilte serves up bold, delicious eats from one of the best new downtown Phoenix restaurants. While the menu is constantly changing, the creative combinations are always spot on.  We indulged in a rich and fatty bone marrow-topped chorizo vampiro, followed by a cool and refreshing shrimp in a thick chocolate aguachile sauce. Even their simple thick yucca fry is mouthwatering, with a sprinkle of creamy queso chinco and umami furikake seasoning. Ask your waiter for recommendations on the current menu, but order at least one thing from each section to get a feel for their expansive offerings.

4. Casa Corazon

One of the more traditional Mexican restaurants on this guide, Casa Corazon offers our favorite classic comfort foods, including an extensive complenetary salsa bar. Ten varieties of salsa are made in-house daily, so they have all the flavors we love, plus unique salsa flavors like cucumber, serrano, and pineapple. As incredible as the salsa selection is, don’t get too full on chips and salsa because the entrees are just as good!

Casa Corazon serves our favorite enchiladas in the valley: the red chile sauce enchilada. Choose from chicken, cheese, or beef, or one of each! We also love the Camarones Culichi, shrimp in creamy green sauce, and the signature Tacos Corazon, shredded beef and cheese tacos smothered and grilled in red chile sauce.

3. Taco Chelo

This busy taco spot in Downtown Phoenix is always packed, and for good reason. You can’t go wrong with any taco on the small menu at Taco Chelo, but be sure to try at least two: the Costra and the fish. The costra taco is closer to an open-faced quesadilla than a taco, with carne asada, gooey cheese melted into the tortilla, and rich caramelized onions. The fresh fish is beer battered, fried, and topped with bright pickled onions, and creamy chile crema. Make sure you also grab a side of chips, salsa, and guac, and wash everything down with their house-made horchata or agua fresca for a delicious and satisfying meal.

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2. Ta’Carbon

Ta’Carbon, one of the best Mexican restaurants in Phoenix, is known for the best tacos around—and it absolutely lives up to its reputation. Most of the tacos are served in their most basic state, with just meat and tortillas. The meat is so good you could eat it straight, but stop by the salsa bar to add onions, cilantro, limes, and of course, salsa. Try the grilled carne asada, the juicy beef barbacoa, or the Hazz taco, which is carne asada topped with green chilis and melted cheese, and make sure you grab a cup of their horchata. While there is usually a line at this popular joint, it’s worth the wait and the line moves quickly. Just make sure you’re paying attention to the signs as there are different lines to order and pay.

1. Bacanora

Located in the eccentric Grand Avenue district, Bacanora is not only the best Mexican restaurants in Phoenix, it is the best restaurants in Phoenix, period. This small, hip spot packs a punch with its flavorful Mexican dishes. The embered elote (street corn) is non-negotiable; covered with two different cremas and a secret blend of spices, it’s some of the best we’ve had. Ask about the specials—the menu is as small as the restaurant, but the specials are where the magic is, with fresh and local combinations. Some standouts from previous rotations have been their fresh ceviche, crispy pork belly, slow-smoked birria, or immaculately executed steak and scallops. Trust your waiter’s recommendations, order as much as you possibly can, and most importantly, plan ahead; reservations open the first day of the month and book up fast!