Master Taco Tempe — Restaurant in Tempe

(Update) From 3 Star to 5 Star. So, I gave this place one last try. It appears 3rd time is a charm. This time I got (1) Shredded Chicken Taco, (1) Shredded Beef Taco, (1) Arizona Surfing Burrito. Yes I know it was a Iot of food but I am happy to take home the left overs. Everything was delicious this time around. The Taco's had a nice crunch and the meat for both were seasoned well. The toppings on both tacos were fresh and crisp. The cheese was also very tasty. I could have eaten that on its own.

Now, the Arizona Surfing Burrito was packed end to end with, sauce, shrimp, carne asada, fries, and guacamole. This is what I expecting with the regular carne asada burrito minus the fries and shrimp. I couldn't stop eating the burrito. I actually had to force myself to put it down in fear that I would explode... ok, break my belt. There was a lot of flavor in this burrito. The shrimp was nicely cooked, wasn't chewy or fishy like you would get if it was over cooked. It even had mild heat which was perfect.

Looks like I will be coming here again after the holidays.

I must be getting the wrong item when I gone here in the past. The first time I tried Master Taco was about 3 weeks ago and the second time about 1 week ago. I ordered the Carne Asada burrito and the beef tostada.

Let's start with the beef tostada. It looked good it was well made, and looked like any other tostada out there. I was quickly disappointed when I took my first bite. The beef didn't have any seasoning, IMO. It needed something, like salt and pepper at a minimum. I ate the rest of it, because I don't like to waste money.

The carne asada burrito looked tasty, and again I was disappointed upon my first bite. The burrito was very dry, and stuffed with just meat. I was expecting the pico & guacamole to be on the inside of the burrito since they didn't give me any with my meal; it wasn't. I should clarify that this was a to go order. I didn't eat in the restaurant. Sadly this was one meal that I was ok with letting go to waste.

The second time I ate here I got the same exact meal, I wanted to see if it was a fluke or if the food really wasn't that good. I was disappointed a second time. This time the beef was very oily and tasted as if the beef had been marinating in its own fat for a few hours. It didn't have any flavor. The beef really needed to have some salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, chipotle powered. Something to make it more palatable. The carne asada burrito was just as dry as before and again no pico or guacamole on the side or in the burrito. I had to resort to using Taco Bell sauce packets that were the office drawers.

With all the 5 star reviews I must be getting the wrong items. I will try this place one more time and get something different. Until thin I can't get this place more...

The only good thing about this place was the homemade chips and the salsa.

Contrary to other reviews I make, I would not suggest this restaurant and let me tell you why.

My friend and I went in last night on a whim; we were the only ones there customer wise. The only stuff seemed to be the female cashier and the male chef.

I ordered a carne asada quesadilla- just the quesadilla, plain. No sides, no pico/guac ect. My friend ordered 2 tacos with everything EXCEPT the guac. She asked if they had cheese on then and the cashier said yes, they( the tacos) do have cheese. I last minute ordered 2 bags of chips and 2 jarritos. Things are fine until we get the food.

Both came with everything we asked NOT be included. My friend brought her tacos back to me remade which the cashier took back with attitude after my friend explained what she did and did not want on the food order again. I tried to eat the only part of quesadilla that WASNT soggy with everything that I asked not be included. My friend gets her tacos again only this time they were given to her how I originally ordered my food- plain.

She got a plate of just the tortillas and meat. She had to go back up to the cashier and ask for the toppings she wanted. Since none of them were included this time as if the cashier couldnt be bothered. My friend complained that she hadnt been given her cheese either so i went up to ask for a plate (to seperately eat the salvageable part of my meal on) and the cheese.

So tell me why I got charged $2.69 with tax over a small salsa container of cojita cheese for my friends tacos, that the cashier said was included in the tacos?

This is all small and petty stuff, I can see that point of view but I truly feel let down as a customer by the cashier messing up our order and then proceeding to give attitude and mess up further. As a person I hate to be writing this review but I feel that sharing my honest experience is best for...

I’m on a quest to find the best chimichanga in Arizona, if not the world, and my quest led me to Master Taco in Tempe on Cinco de Mayo 2023.

I was pleased to find that my bean and cheese chimi was cheaper than their meat-filled options. Sometimes places charge the same price regardless of the filling. I did ask if they could do a birria chimichanga (the menu said it comes with your choice of meat) but the cashier lady denied me that option. Bust.

Regardless, I was quite tickled with my chimi when I opened up the to-go box. Inside was a very large chimichanga covered with cheese, with a plentiful amount of lettuce and diced tomato and fresh sour cream and guacamole.

On my universal 13 point scale of chimichanga deliciousness, this chimi scored a very strong 11 out of 13. The tortilla was nicely fried, not super crispy, but not soggy, neither. The freshness of the veggies was great, although the lack of a traditional pico de gallo was a little bit of a bummer. I was definitely missing the crunch and bite of the white onion, and the absence of onion and cilantro meant there was a depth of flavor that was obviously lacking.

If a tried and true pico was available, this chimi could easily be a 12 out of 13, and one of the best chimichangas in Arizona. I’ll definitely be back for another try, and I’ll post updates when I do. I’ll ask again about the birria option, and see if they have pico de gallo to complete this...