Best Mexican Drive-Thru 2022 | Maria's Frybread And Mexican Food | La Vida | Phoenix
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Best Mexican Drive-Thru

Maria's Frybread And Mexican Food

In a city with a 'Bertos on practically every corner, it's safe to say that Phoenicians have no shortage of choices when it comes to drive-thru Mexican food. But when we can, we eschew the corporate option and go for something a little more authentic (and in our opinion, way tastier). Maria's Frybread and Mexican Food is a small restaurant in east Phoenix, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in taste. The eponymous frybread is outstanding — we love it under the red chile beef, which in turn gets topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. Burritos (breakfast and non), tostadas — there's really not a bad choice here. You can eat in the homey dining room on oilcloth tablecloths, or pick up your meal in the drive-thru. Just be aware that unlike a 'Bertos, Maria's has limited hours for the dining room and the drive-thru, so make sure you time your visit well in order to try this hidden Arcadia gem.

Best Mexican Happy Hour

Casa Corazon

Chris Malloy

Among the many strip mall joints of midtown Phoenix, Casa Corazon sticks out. The red-painted restaurant is housed inside an old church, complete with high ceilings and arched doorways. However now, the space welcomes the masses to celebrate the holy ritual of happy hour. From 3 to 6 p.m. on weekdays, Casa Corazon serves carne asada, al pastor, and canasta-style tacos for $4 a pop. Draft and bottled beers cost $5 and a house margarita will set you back $6. On Tuesdays, the $4 taco deal runs all day long. We suspect that you'll love the food so much that you come back for lunch or dinner, when the menu includes mouthwatering fare like Pasta Corazon with Tequila Shrimp or the house special chicken with mole negro.

Best Tacos

La Bamba Mexican Grill Restaurant

Charles Barth

We don't get out to the west Valley town of El Mirage very often. But when we do, it's usually because we've been thinking about the tacos at La Bamba Mexican Grill Restaurant and we can't hold out any longer. We've written plenty about the outstanding al pastor at La Bamba, the tender meat marinated in a house-fermented pineapple vinegar. It's part of a very small menu: just a few kinds of tacos (get them Bamba style to add cheese), plus a quesadilla, a torta, and a salad. Topped with Chef Edson Garcia's red, green, and yellow sauces (red salsa, avocado salsa, and a secret salsa), tacos are accompanied by a pile of diced onions and cilantro, lime wedges, and cucumber slices. The lightly crispy shells give way to an incredible blend of flavors. Trust us when we say, these tacos are worth the drive.

Best Gorditas

Tacos Chiwas

Jackie Mercandetti Photo

If your experience with gorditas is limited to the ones you've had at Taco Bell, you haven't had real gorditas. At popular local chain Tacos Chiwas, the gorditas are small — about the size of a coaster — and stuffed with flavor. There's only four to choose from: two kinds of shredded beef (red sauce and green sauce) with potatoes and beans; ground beef with carrots, celery, potatoes, and beans; and the standout rajas gordita, which comes with roasted poblano peppers, Anaheim peppers, onions, asadero cheese, and beans. All offer incredible flavor with just the right amount of spice. Depending on how hungry you are, you're going to need at least two for a meal, so we recommend mixing and matching in order to experience what Tacos Chiwas has to offer.

Best Nachos

Cocina 10 Kitchen at Crescent Ballroom

We love melted cheese on tortilla chips, whether it's at the movie theater or a fast-food joint or a trendy eatery. But of all the nachos we've tried (and trust us, we've tried a lot), we haven't found any we like better than the chips and cheese at Cocina 10 Kitchen, the restaurant at Crescent Ballroom. Of course, there's way more to the I-10 Nachos than just chips and cheese. Order them and you'll see what we mean. The chips come buried under an avalanche of refried beans, cheddar cheese, Oaxaca cheese, cilantro, cotija cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream. It's messy, delicious, and more than enough to share. Add carne asada for extra flavor, then head into whatever show is going on at Crescent that evening.

Best Enchiladas

Cocina Madrigal Tacos + Tequila

Chris Malloy

Cocina Madrigal Tacos + Tequila looks like a hidden gem, except everyone knows about it, especially since Yelp put it at the top of their Top 100 Places to Eat in 2022. (By the way, that's a national list, not a local one.) The little restaurant tucked on a residential street in south Phoenix draws a crowd every day of the week. This neighborhood joint serves an eclectic menu of burgers, sandwiches, tacos, and burritos. But the enchiladas are the star: warm, soft, and unbelievably good . You get to choose from chicken, beef birria, barbacoa green chile, or wild mushroom (our favorite). You can also mix and match, the better to try what Cocina Madrigal has to offer. Each satisfying plate is served with two enchiladas, warm tortillas, rice, and beans.

Best Burritos

El NorteÑo

Chris Malloy

You know a burrito is good when people are willing to wait in the Arizona sun for it. To order your food at El Norteño, a tiny eatery in west Phoenix, you enter a small indoor space that holds maybe two people. Then, you stand around in the parking lot until your food is ready. There's a small covered patio with a few tables, but most patrons get their food to go. Believe us when we say, the food is worth it. They open at 7:30 a.m. so folks on their way to work can grab a hearty, delicious breakfast burrito (we like the chorizo, egg, and potato). Around lunch, there's a line to order dishes like the machaca burrito (machaca is El Norteño's specialty). We like the Arizona burro, a massive, two-meal creation that includes carne asada, rice, potato, beans, sour cream, and guacamole. In addition to nearly two dozen burrito options, El Norteño offers a full menu of tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and more. Just remember to bring cash — the establishment doesn't take credit or debit.

Best Chimichangas

Rito's Mexican Food

Jackie Mercandetti Photo

To the first person who saw a burrito and thought, "I should deep-fry this and top it with a bunch of stuff," we salute you. Their creation is one of our favorite Mexican dishes, and there's no better place to get one than at local chain Rito's. Rito's serves up enormous chimis with crispy, flaky exteriors, topped with sour cream, guacamole, shredded cheese, and diced tomatoes. You've got your choice of fillings: The red chile beef is a longtime Valley favorite, but we love the shredded chicken with green chile sauce and pico de gallo as well. Order them enchilada style (with red or green sauce) for even more flavor.

Best Americanized Burrito

Topo

When trying to find Topo, just look for a giant, cowboy hat-wearing gopher with glowing yellow eyes. The landmark in Gilbert's Heritage District is hard to miss. At this outdoor counter-service joint, the menu is small but mighty. Order the Topo Loco Burrito for a tin-foil-wrapped explosion of flavor. This burrito comes stuffed with chicken or pork, beans, sweet corn, hot sauce, cilantro, cheese, tomatillo crema, and crunchy Fritos chips. The textures contrast each other perfectly, making each bite a creamy, crunchy, messy mouthful. We recommend clearing your palate of all that savory goodness by finishing your meal with Topo's prickly pear soft-serve ice cream.

Best Breakfast Burritos

Phoenix Burrito House

Lauren Saria

It's often the little things that make Phoenix Burrito House feel special. Like the fact that it takes up an unassuming, converted old house. Or the old loteria art that decorates the walls. Even the mere availability of those large-sized Mexican Cokes makes a difference. It's that very idea that makes their breakfast burritos equally great, and arguably the star of a stacked menu. It's the quality of the meat, from the extra-crispy bacon and the perfectly spiced chorizo, to the overall size and proportions. And, of course, something has to be said for the pinto beans, which are as close to performing a magic spell on your breakfast as humanly possible. Is it the most imaginative burrito you'll ever eat? Probably not, but these are breakfast burritos that we're talking about, and what these bad boys lack in innovation, they more than make up for in overall quality and a kind of down-home connection that all the truly best foods foster. Food should be about community and connection as much as the way the potatoes are perfectly cooked — that's why PBH feels like the breakfast burrito for this city.

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