Chikiliquis Taco Stand — Restaurant in Mesa

Impressed. Preferring New Mexican style over Sonoran Mexican style food, we are not surprised when another hole in the wall or grand stand eatery provides food too far from our preference. We were surprised. My wife got her standard chile rellano which combo'd with an enchilada, rice and beans. The rellano was cooked correctly, the beans tasted like beans instead of salt and pork grease and I'll get to the rice later. I chose dangerously and went for a chicken chimichanga with rice and beans. My chimi was fried expertly with molten yellow cheese oozing out with every bite. To show my wife, I stabbed a morsel with my fork and raised it high to show the melted stringing cheese similar to a fine pizza slice that you see only in the commercials. The chicken was seasoned and took me back a few years to the last time I tasted a chimichanga that good that did not come out of my wife's kitchen. (There was plenty of meat mixed with a bean sauce keeping the chimi center from being dry tasteless chicken.) Now for rice. I decided to try the hot salsa "bomb" as one reviewer named it. It is inconsistently hot. 3 drops and I almost had to refill my drink. After a few bites of rice I chose to put a little of the bomb, VERY little on the rice in hopes of a save. After 10 drops and three squirts I quit. The rice tasted like something then and had a few hot spots. Cooked rice is like opinions, everyone has one and all prefer their own. Be prepared to doctor the rice, I don't recommend the japoeno sauce to do it. As I could only eat half of my chimi and had ordered our meals to go making leftovers easy to take home, I closed the lid on the take out container. A few moments later I remembered the two different cheeses on the beans and popped the lid for a last over eating bite. I almost forgot the bite for the wondrous odor of fresh cheese mingled with melted cheese, beans and chicken, mmmmmm. Oh yes, the beans. Not a big difference with the fine granule white cheese, but a nice touch. As mentioned in other reviews, the young man taking and delivering orders needs training in the social aspects of his job but he is a hard continuous worker. My thanks to the cook, our meal was what we needed tonight and we appreciate her preparing our meal instead of "just another order" as we get at fast food vendors and most grand stand eateries. To top of the night our daughter met us as we got home. After hearing of Chikiliquis, wish I knew how to say it, she handed over our youngest grandson to store the name and location for her family to go to soon. It has a Broadway address yet faces Linsdsay south of Broadway. The very last business outlet on the southeast side of the strip mall. This is a $12+- plate establishment that beats Arriba's $15 plate same entrée without the chips and salsa or 4 tv screens showing The Village People talking about a college basketball game with no caption or sound. Slightly changing the word's of General MacArthur, "I will return" for...

If heaven had a corner taqueria, it would look a lot like Chikiliquis Taco Stand in East Mesa. Nestled in a strip mall that hasn’t seen a remodel since the '90s, it’s a reminder that greatness often hides in the most unassuming places. Last night, I discovered what might be the best burrito not just in the Phoenix metropolitan area, but in all of Arizona.

The SD Burrito — oh, where do I begin? It’s a symphony of Angus beef, succulent shrimp, fresh pico de gallo, crispy French fries, melted cheddar cheese, savory Mexican rice, and a whisper of chipotle. This isn’t just a burrito; it’s a manifesto of flavor. The shrimp adds a delightful crunch that plays against the buttery softness of the homemade tortilla. These tortillas, by the way, are works of art — light, tender, and impossibly buttery, almost crepe-like in their perfection.

We also tried the Cali Burrito, a close cousin to the SD, with the shrimp and chipotle swapped out. Equally delicious, though it lacked the electric crunch of the shrimp and the zest of the chipotle. Still, its balance of carne asada, fries, and guac left nothing to be desired.

Chikiliquis isn’t just about the food; it’s a love letter to culinary authenticity, where each bite feels like a warm embrace. This isn’t the sanitized, assembly-line fare you’d find elsewhere. It’s tidy, soulful, and unapologetically good — the kind of food that makes you glad to be alive.

If you haven’t been, go. Trust me, you’ll...

This is a hidden little place, I used to work in the area. Throughout the years I’ve seen many restaurants go belly up in this specific location, giant burger a couple of doors over has been very successful for many years. with that said, as a new patron The first thing I ate one day was a side of beans with a buttered tortilla both of them were absolutely delicious a week later I went back for the same thing and added two of their potato tacos and one Cabeza taco, the potato tacos were very bland and not delicious at all, the cabeza taco was really good. My biggest complaint here is the prices and the salsas; what in the world??? 😡 salsas are ridiculously tasteless, no flavor and no spice, sometimes I wonder how can you go to a Mexican restaurant and their salsas have no spice? 🤦‍♂️ I can go on and on about how bad they were. next thing are the prices, they are absolutely and ridiculously expensive 4.95 for my cabeza taco 😡 no way never again, perhaps that explains why I was the only customer eating in. To the owner: hidden place, bland food, tasteless salsa and very expensive. The inevitable is near, as a family member and restaurant owner on Alma School and Broadway once said “when you food is good, you DON’T need...