Casa Reynoso — Restaurant in Tempe

I’m on a lifelong quest to find the world’s best chimichanga, and my quest led me here, to Casa Reynoso Tempe.

On my universal 13 point scale of chimichanga deliciousness, this bean and cheese chimi scored an 8 out of 13. Not terrible, but not great. And here’s why.

The tortilla was more dry than crispy, if that makes sense. It was pretty flour dense, which means it had the consistency of dried out cardboard instead of that flaky crunchiness one might expect from a properly deep fried burrito. The beans were pretty good, nice and moist and flavorful, but the presentation was completely two dimensional. Brown and green are not the best complimentary colors, FYI. A little pico de gallo would’ve gone a long way to improve this dish.

It’s safe to say, Casa Reynoso does not serve up the best chimichanga I’ve found. Not even close. The guac was pretty good, fresh and chunky and seasoned nicely, but the $6.75 upcharge for a chimi left me feeling ripped off and wanting a whole lot more.

Additionally, every table gets one ‘free’ bowl of chips, and each one after is $1. Make it one free bowl per person, Reynoso, otherwise you run the risk of looking as cheap as your food.

I’ve been wanting to try this place for ages. And my first visit did extremely little to impress. I won’t be...

Our dinner was ok. We were actually a bit disappointed. We had read many positive reviews, which is why we chose it. We ate at quite a few Mexican restaurants during our trip, and this was our least favorite. The salsa was overpowered by the chilis and was very spicy. Our son normally loves salsa but wouldn’t eat anymore after one taste. My husband and I both ordered the carne asada. The meal comes with a dinner salad. Both of ours had a pool of water at the bottom when we finished. The steak was flavorful, but the tortilla it comes with is huge. Smaller sizes would be more manageable. The beans and rice were very good. That said, we felt the meal was overpriced for what we got. I normally order carne asada, and this was the most expensive of all the restaurants we visited. Our son enjoyed his beef enchilada with red sauce, and we appreciated that the waitress let him try samples of the green and red sauce to see which he preferred. She was great. When we paid at the front, we were told that there was a fee for paying by credit card. The gal asked if we were ok with that, but I don’t think we had a choice. I don’t agree with passing such fees on to the customer without a prior heads up. The restaurant was busy, so obviously it’s popular. Unfortunately, I don’t think we...

My only regret is that I didn’t learn your names!

Casa Reynoso graciously hosted our very large group on Saturday night. We arrived at 7pm, but found that there had been a very unfortunate mix-up with our reservation, and nevertheless, we were accepted and seated and served at one table, as a full group, and none of us were excluded.

Casa Reynoso staff efficiently took out drink orders, divided up many checks, and put food on the table for us to enjoy! All this in a timely manner, even holding the restaurant open long enough for us to finish and freshen up before heading home.

The food and service were exquisite. I ordered a Coke, sin hielo, con lima, and she brought refills as I enjoyed the conversation of my brothers.

I ordered green chile verde pork enchiladas, and the chunks of meat were succulent, with sauce well-integrated and nicely cheesy all around. Rice and beans, and side salad, were added for combination plate.

The recorded Mariachi music was good and the bar patrons were enjoying football and even a full meal there.

Casa Reynoso is historic and a cornerstone of the Tempe community at 85252. I once lived 2 blocks away and I have begun asking myself why I even ate at Jack in the Box, instead of...