Torchy's Tacos — Restaurant in Phoenix

As an Arizonan, us foodies can have our own little sense of superiority complex when it comes to Mexican food, and it is never so acute as when you talk about tacos. I know, I'm an Arizonan, and yes, I think I know where all the good taco places are. And I know the good places for a given style of tacos. So ya, I get it. We are picky.

But Arizona, it's time to take off your "taco expert" hats and try something. And that something is Torchy's Tacos. Torchy's hails from Austin, TX. They started in 2006, locally, but have since grown to 90 locations across 13 states. But this last week, they opened their first establishment in Arizona on Camelback.

And? It. Is. Awesome!

I heard about Torchy's from coworkers in Austin who couldn't stop raving about it. So, when I heard one opened here, I had to try it. My first visit was today at around 5pm. There was a line up, but not too long. From that point on, the line only grew longer, till it began wrapping through the building.

To get a good sampling of the menu, I tried 5 items. Don't judge :) . First, was their top selling Trailer Park taco. And yes, "get it trashy" is good advice. Wow. Phenomenal flavors, super combination of crispy, crunchy, gooey and spicy but smooth. You must try the Trailer Park on your first visit. Second, I ordered the Brushfire, which is a jamaican jerk chicken-filled creation featuring a diablo sauce that has all the bite, but still retains flavor as the main goal. Seriously, this is my fave! Third, I wanted to try thier barbacoa, which goes by the title Democrat (yes, they have a Republican too!). Politics aside, the barbacoa is excellent. Flavorful and juicy without being watery. And the salsa it comes with excellent.

Fourth, I had the street corn, which as my good friend said, is the absolute big surprise on the menu. It is stellar! Perfectly cooked, this isn't the elote style exactly, but does feature an amazingly rich cotija cheese cover that knocks it out of the park! Wow!

Lastly, I ordered the fresh made churros as well. They were good, but on the whole weren't a standout like the rest of the items.

Let me just say this- tacos come in a wide and varied styles and tastes. If you want amazing taste, you will find it at Torchy's. You may need to let go of your AZ bias to give Torchy's a try. But do it. You will thank me later for...

TLDR: Food is great, Prices are good, you will not be sorry. Food: Not a traditional take on Mexican food, Torchy’s offers ‘tacos with eye catching appeals and names you may not soon forget. I personally recommend the “Tipsy chick”a. The “Burbon bacon marmalade” that comes on the side is pretty amazing. East the first half of the taco by itself, you can actually pick out each layer of flavor, then add the marmalade and experience a completely different taco. If I lament anything about the whole good experience, it is the fact that I didn’t have a tall, cold, glass of milk to go with the Churros(I recommend them).

Service: Friendly, may be an insufficient word to describe the employees. All faces were friendly, smiling and working well with each other as well as customers. Definitely 5 out of 5 stars.

Atmosphere: Simply put, the lights are bright enough to read a menu but not over power, the music is loud enough to enjoy and carry on a conversation at the same time. Smiles and comments were easily had as I chatted with friend about this unexpected neighborhood find. Torchy’s is a fantastic destination for any meal, over all just a touch to much red for me, but I want to make sure that you all know this is a personal preference. D

Value When all was said and done the 4 items I sampled had an average cost of just over 6.25 each. This was well worth the taste and experience.

Questions: ? Why aren’t there any pictures?… I was a little over zealous and the good was fantastic… I didn’t even think about it until after the fact.

How are the breakfast Tacos?: Easily the best breakfast taco’s I have had in a...

It's top tier white people tacos. If that's you this is your place. They didn't have street tacos. I ordered a green Chile pork and a trailer trash... whatever that means it's a chicken taco. There was salsa already on the tacos they said. I got some on the pork one, didn't notice on the chicken one. They aren't trying to be a Mexican food place It's more like fusion in my mind. The pork was a bit dry but tasty. The ambience is like a sports bar, if you like sports bars then that's a good thing. They do have a patio although the immediate proximity to Camelback isn't so kind I'd feel like I'm just breathing car exhaust.

Nothing to rip them apart for. Nothing to be like yea greatest around. Just have some extra hot sauce on the table or condiment area is my recommendation. The tacos are bigger than normal and priced accordingly. I know it's a local chain place. I get why there are more than one of these it's the people that live here. If you are looking for top tier Mexican food I wouldn't go here but I did rate them high for being well run, clean high traffic kind of restaurant... good job but I won't be back. **Edit after management replied: turn your heart and soul and love into a hot sauce bottle and have it available on every table for some one who actually likes spicy Mexican food otherwise you just seem cheap and lazy...