Chilaquiles Modern Kitchen — Restaurant in Mesa

I went here with some of my coworkers after work. We had all been excited to come here because the pictures looked amazing. We are all Hispanic/Latino so we've had our fair share of good Mexican food. We ended up leaving unsatisfied and feeling tricked by the pictures/presentation. Also, they use what I believe to be deceptive practices with their tip calculation on your receipt not accounting for the mandatory 18% gratuity (picture attached).

When we first got there, the chips were brought to us. They were overcooked (dark brown and nearly burnt, several of them had a burnt taste to them) and the salsa was extremely watery. They also did not seem to season the chips in any way. Not even salt. We debated leaving because of this, but we decided to stay to try it out. The pictures looked good and sometimes chips get a little burnt.

I ordered the Chilaquiles trio with avocado. When I asked for the avocado, I knew that there would likely be an extra charge. Still, this was never mentioned to me when I asked for it and it is also not listed on their menu. It ended up being an extra $2 when I got the check. The Chilaquiles were very lacking. The chips felt a little stale. The food was also not as hot as it should be. The entire thing was warm at most with the outer edges being cold. The sauces were lacking in flavor. The meat almost looked reheated/precooked but it still tasted pretty good. I'd be curious to know how fresh their ingredients are and how much is prepped and cooked at least a day in advance. Overall, it was just okay. However, given the fact that this restaurant is named after the dish, it was not what I was expecting. Especially at that price point ($20). I ended up eating about half of the plate before deciding I was done eating it and I wouldn't even consider taking it home.

My coworkers stated that their food was cold, they were also unsatisfied with their food (tacos were okay but would have been better if they were heated properly), and the tostadas for the ceviche were stale.

In the middle of our meal, on older woman working there comes around and asks us how everything is. My coworker asked her if there was any way that we could get chips that weren't burnt and salsa with some actual heat/flavor to it. She was shocked and said "No me diga" as we asked her this. She said she'd bring us back some better chips and salsa. When they were brought to us, they had simply put a layer of properly cooked chips on top of some burnt ones. I personally did not like the salsa that they brought, but my coworkers did. The only reason why I didn't like the salsa was because they seemed to have put a lot of Tajin in it and it felt overpowering. Once I pointed this out to my coworkers, they stated that they liked it because of the Tajin so this salsa might be for you if you like Tajin.

When I received the check at the end, they put an automatic gratuity on there of 18%. This may have been because we had a party of 7 but I don't recall any mention of auto-gratuity on the menu (I could be wrong). I did not argue with them because it wasn't worth my energy. However, I was extremely frustrated to see that they have suggested tip amounts that are based off of the total including the already added gratuity! In my opinion, this is completely deceptive and immoral.

Overall, I don't know if I'd go back. I think for the price that you're paying, you'd be better off going somewhere else. You can likely just go in the drive-thru at any Mexican restaurant ending in "berto" for a better tasting experience and better value. Maybe if they made some changes to their menu/rewrote the recipes and had some more quality control I'd go back. Until then, I'll be on the hunt for a...

Don't believe the hype on social media. I've seen this place blowing up on social media so decided to try it. All social reviews rave over the food and drinks claiming its authenticity and great atmosphere, but my experience was underwhelming. I will start from the beginning with the parking. It is located in a small strip mall with very limited parking. If you're lucky enough to get parking up front near the entrance it's not so bad, but if you decide to go anytime after 10am on weekends, you'll end up parking somewhere behind the building in a dirt lot and hope to outrun the inconsiderate drivers trying to find parking also and beat others to the door. At first glance the establishment has bright and inviting decor with lots of greenery on the walls, mirrors and neon signs. It has split seating with one side having a bar and the other with booths, tables and a small patio seating area. After checking in with the host, there are a few benches to sit and wait, but it's somewhat small so of its crowded, you'll find yourself once again outside with the traffic coming in trying to find parking. We were seated in a half booth since we had our toddler and needed a highchair. Our server was good, it didnt take long for her to take our drink order and promptly return with them to then take our food order. The menu seemed to have a good selection of mexican breakfast items on one side of the menu, and seafood and other lunch and dinner items on the other side, of course, build your own chilaquiles served all day, being the highlight of the entire menu. The food was not bad but also not this amazing "can't miss" experience some have been claiming. The food was decent at best. We tried the chilaquiles trio, breakfast skillet, molletes, and cafe de olla. We started with the cafe de olla and molletes. The cafe de olla came topped with a fresh pan dulce, concha. I have to say that was actually my favorite thing about the entire experience. The cafe had a very smooth sweet cinnamon flavor and the concha was fluffy and airy as it should. If I ever go back, I'd probably only go for a cup of cafe de olla, but not sure the parking situation is even worth the trouble despite how good it is. The mollete was also good overall topped with some sort of sauce and pico. It was better than the actual entrees. The chilaquiles trio is a good option if you can't decide between red, green or tomatillo sauce. I liked that the chilaquiles were actually made with fried corn tortillas and not tortilla chips like many other places do to cut corners. The sauces are pretty mild so if you like spicy chilaquiles, this is definitely NOT the place for you or you'll have to add cholula which defeats the purpose of having chilaquiles. The sauces even though not spicy were still ok, but seemed somewhat bland, we ended up adding salt. The chilaquiles trio is topped with carne asada and 2 eggs any style and cheese. The supreme breakfast skillet came with a corn or flour tortilla option. We chose flour and were highly disappointed at the fact that for a place that claims to be authentic, served the same old plasticy, store bought, cheap flour tortillas I can get at Fry's or Safeway. I bet the corn tortilla would probably have been better. The supreme skillet comes with ham and sausage, bell peppers, onions and a few other ingredients. The disappointment in that dish came in that the sausage was a cut up sausage patty instead of real ground cooked breakfast sausage. Again, the food was ok at best, the service was good and the atmosphere was cool, but definitely not what social media is blowing...

First time here. We are welcome to comeback. We kept it simple this first time around. Go for the restaurant theme dish: Chilaquiles. They do have a large menu!

The Chilaquiles, they didn’t disappoint. Are these the best Chilaquiles ever tried? Not necessarily, but they did satisfy the craving. Am I a Chilaquiles connoisseur? No, but let’s say I have had my share across the border for, yes, many years ☺️. And truly across Mexico.

Ordered the Chilaquiles Trio to sample the sauces. I did enjoy the sampling. The dark red sauce can be hot! Both other sauces were tasty 😋. I could have used a bit more of the green. These are served on a flat rectangular plate. I was hesitant about adding eggs, for this first time experience not to take away from the crunch, sauce and cheeses (yes, plural). I am glad I didn’t skip. The eggs did complement the dish, a +1 here! I went for the Birria, a good probe for how good their kitchen may be ☺️

We also ordered a BYO. Green sauce one these. Topped with Carnitas. The presentation was much better. Served on a bowl, it just suited better for a well assembled dish! It felt more authentic.

Chilaquiles is about the mix of the tortilla chips, sauce and cheeses! The bowl 🥣 experience was most definitely better! The rectangular dish was not bad and it is understandable due to the Trio.

The options for proteins were great! Quite a variety. Another +1. We sampled the Birria and Carnitas. Both great. Well seasoned and tasty! Several options for cheeses, of course we stayed with the classics: Cotija and Fresco. They got all cheeses covered, if you want to remain with the ‘American’ taste 👅

The chips… I want to think these are ‘home made’, fried on site. But, I am not 💯. They didn’t seem to me. Thus the 4 vs 5. But I am ok if I stand corrected on this one. Again just my gut feel in these. I didn’t want to ask.

What we really like? The Service. The order can be greatly customized, most definitely a plus!

The server was kind and provided great recommendations! Just that service would make...