Carniceria Sonora — Attraction in Maricopa

On 10/22/25 at approximately 4:50pm I was extremely exhausted after work and did not want to hassle with dinner so I stopped here at the local Carniceria. My purchase included tortillas, salsa, crema, a drink, some pan Dulce & 1lb of carne asada. My plan was to Have tacos for my family. I have about a 30 minute drive to get home so once more I was exhausted and wanted something quick when I arrived home, my husband took everything out of the bag and we realized that the meat was not packaged. I immediately called and asked to speak to a supervisor, and I explained to her that the meat was left behind, and that I lived too far out to just come right back and pick it up so she suggested that I give her my name. She told me she would not be in during the afternoon on Friday however, she would leave my name and I could come in and she would provide me a full refund on Friday at 4:50 PM. I went back to the establishment and spoke with a male manager who was extremely rude and I explained to him that all he needed to do was look for my name that was left with instructions to provide me a refund or he could allow me to just get another pound of meat and that would be just fine since we had all the condiments purchased from yesterday. He asked me for a receipt. A young lady standing directly behind him, was the cashier at the time of my purchase, so I looked at her and I said you were actually the one that took care of my purchase yesterday and you did not give me a receipt. She immediately declined and said she did not remember me and does not recall me even purchasing Anything from the day before I immediately pulled up my phone and my bank account which I'm including a photo shot of to show them both that I was in fact in their store and I did make a purchase. He asked me who the manager was that I spoke to an unfortunately, because I did not get her name. He said "well now you're just talking to people in the wind." I was very taken back by his persona and his unprofessionalism . First and foremost, I did the right thing by calling the store immediately when I realized that the item I purchased was not packaged I have a feeling it is because the young lady was having trouble with her machine and I was more focused on my ATM card going through for her then I was watching her put the items in the bag. I became frustrated with the lack of professionalism on both of their parts and decided to leave the establishment and file a Better Business Bureau complaint. I also feel compelled to take the time to post my experience so that others are aware.

I have spent hundreds of dollars at this establishment, but for future, I will definitely make the drive to Casa Grande to purchase my meat and Mexican favorites. This establishment will not get a dime from me...

I’m giving this place one star because the experience was completely unacceptable, both in terms of food quality and how customers are treated.

We were served cold chicken that was clearly expired—it smelled and tasted off, and was not in a condition that should be served to anyone. We informed the lady at the counter, but instead of addressing the issue, she brushed it off and said she couldn’t do anything about it. They didn’t even bother throwing out the food, which makes me question how many other people are being served spoiled meals.

When I asked for a refund, she made me dig through the trash to find the receipt—even after I showed her a screenshot of my bank transaction proving I had paid. That was unnecessary, humiliating, and completely disrespectful.

The food safety violations were even worse. I saw opened food containers stacked directly on the floor, which is a huge red flag for sanitation. None of the staff wore gloves—they handled food with their bare hands. One of the cooks was using his phone to change the music, then immediately went back to handling raw food without washing his hands. That’s a clear violation of health and safety regulations.

I tried to escalate the issue to customer service or a manager, but the only response I got was, “Here’s your refund, and don’t come back.” No apology, no explanation, and no concern about the health risks or how I was treated.

This kind of service and food handling is unacceptable. I do not recommend this place to anyone. One star is more than...

Way too pricey, and the carne asada tastes like old cow. They probably use cheap chuck steak and don't marinate the meat, totally tough, chewy, and nervy. I'm very surprised this place is rated past 2 stars, it's the worst carneceria I've ever experienced. If you want a quality a carneceria experience for half the price, go to the one on the SW corner of 19th Ave / Broadway Rd in South Phoenix. Night and day difference. I'm very disappointed in this very low quality carneceria that has opened here in town as a Maricopa resident. Hopefully they will read this and improve their terrible meats and lower their prices. I would recommend for their ownership to visit other quality carneceria stores around metro Phoenix and see how theirs measures up....