Cocina Chiwas

Cocina Chiwa is an absolute gem and dare I say, I enjoyed more than sister restaurant, Bacanora. Every bite here is bursting with flavor and creativity. We started with the elote corn, and wow — it was smoky, creamy, and perfectly charred. One of the best I’ve had. The burrata salad was a surprising standout — the combo of velvety burrata with roasted squash and sweet potatoes was both comforting and refreshing. The carnitas tacos were Juicy, tender pork with bold seasoning, nestled in warm blue corn tortillas...3 of them.. So simple, so perfect. They hit all the right notes. Vibe? Chill, stylish, and full of good energy. Service? Friendly and fast. Cocina Chiwa has that magic mix of great food, great people, and great atmosphere. Can’t wait to go back.

Cocina Chiwas is the spot for authentic Mexican food. The vibes are unmatched—the whole place is gorgeous, and it’s so worth the wait, whether you snag a reservation or just show up. The menu is seriously on point. You can get elevated takes on classic Mexican dishes or try upscale options you won’t find anywhere else. Everything we’ve had here has been incredible. Heads up: parking is tight, but it’s right on a light rail stop. Honestly, just grab a Lyft so you can fully enjoy the cocktails—they’re too good to pass up. We tell everyone to go here. Five stars all the way!

Newer restaurant with truly excellent elevated Mexican dishes. The food was delicious and inventive, taking everyday food a few steps up. The four of us got all different meals and tried a little bit of everything, it was so fun! Our server was funny and attentive, making us feel like VIPs even though this was our first time there. The manager Juan came around just enhanced our night. The ambiance was so, so comfortable and inviting. We really enjoyed our experience overall and were talking about what we would try when we come back!! Prices were perfect for the the quality and portions you are getting, also we didn't feel overly stuffed when we were done. Give this place a try, you won't regret it!!

Absolutely loved it! The food was delicious and I pretty much danced and sang to every song in my seat. The valentine's day menu was exceptional. Arriba Chihuahua! Cheers to Armando who came over to chat with us before we left. We will be back!

Absolutely blown away by Cocina Chiwas—this place is a must-visit for anyone who loves bold, authentic, beautifully executed Mexican cuisine with Sonoran and Chihuahuan roots. From the moment we walked in, the service was flawless—attentive, warm, and perfectly paced. Every dish was a standout. The oysters were fresh and briny, the burrata was creamy perfection, and the Caesar salad—wow. I’ve never seen one so massive or so flavorful, with the perfect crunch and just the right kick. The steak was melt-in-your-mouth tender, the carnitas tacos were rich and deeply satisfying, and the chile relleno had that ideal balance of spice, smoke, and softness. And then there was the chicken mole—an absolute knockout. Deep, complex, and unforgettable. Everything was cooked to perfection and beautifully balanced. We couldn’t stop talking about the food all night. Cocina Chiwas nails it—top-tier flavors, stunning presentation, and heart in every bite. Can’t wait to come back!

Cocina Chiwas is an absolute gem in Phoenix, and it’s no surprise given the talent and experience behind it. My friend has always been the local foodie, and his expertise shines through in every detail—from the inviting atmosphere to the truly divine food. I ordered the Chicharron, a perfectly roasted pork belly served on a bed of salsa verde, escabeche, white rice, and crema. Every bite was a balance of rich, bold flavors with just the right amount of heat. The Wood Fire Elote was equally incredible—roasted corn on the cob with lime and chile mayo, topped with cilantro and queso cotija. It’s the kind of dish you savor and immediately want to order again, but in my kindness I shared with friends 😉 Their drink menu was also stellar, though I am a classic G&T guy, so I got a refreshing twist in their Mexican Gin & Tonic 🇲🇽 Whether you’re a foodie or just someone who loves good food and great vibes, Cocina Chiwas is a must-visit. I can’t wait to come back and explore more of the menu!

°°°°NEW MENU UPDATE! 9/16/24°°°° Food is awesome with great and unique flavors. The restaurant was very busy, we highly recomend making reservations prior to coming. Servers are always moving and food is always passing by with fantastic smells. Please make sure you read the reservation policy, it DOES state that there is a 90 minute service limit. Strongly suggest looking at the menu prior to arriving to be better prepared to order.

This is a very cute, modern restaurant. All staff was animated and a pleasure to interact with! The food was absolutely delicious. I ordered the chicharron, and it might be my new favorite! One meal can definitely feed two people. There is disability parking close by, and the restaurant is accessible. There is free street parking. The place was booked (and I understand why!), so definitely get a reservation! I will definitely be coming back! Thank you for the awesome experience!

We had the best experience New Years Eve dinner at Cocina Chiwas! We reserved our table online and when we arrived they had the table all set up with the heater doing! The server was amazing and we had our dinner brought out by the chef!

This place is awesome! I love their atmosphere, it's cozy and romantic, and their food is yummy! My friends and I got to try grilled elote, fried pork belly, quesadilla and everything was so good. I especially loved elote so much, perfectly grilled and the sauce was the bomb. Fried pork was super crunchy and grains came with it was satisfying. And quesadilla, it was cheesy and the meat was soft and flavorful. Can't wait to come back and try their other food!

The birria quesadilla is a must! I tried the pork shoulder with beans and corn tortillas, my husband ordered the chile relleno - both dishes were flavorful and seasoned perfectly. I tried the piña colada - disclaimer it's not blended, but it was tasty. Very nice flavors going on with that drink. The atmosphere is modern and picturesque- I love all the desert touches throughout the establishment. Server Edgar was great, attentive yet chill. Looking forward to returning.

New favorite date night place. You can tell the people here enjoy food and curate a really lovely experience. We had incredible service and every dish we tried was fantastic, especially the Wood Fired Quesadilla. So happy to have Cocina Chiwas in Tempe!

Ive been going to Cocina Chiwas since it opened. It is simply delicious. Last night was stunning rub eye steak (bone in), crunchy papas discos, super tasty beans, and a perfectly grilled quesadilla, with a made in pistachio cheesecake. That food was so good that I bought the chefs a shot of tequila for their end of shift. As usual, the service was good and seamless. I really the overall ambiance. They have an inside/outside bar, a big patio with heaters, booths for large groups and a smaller intimate dining room.

We made a reservation and got there a bit early so we got to walk about this nice car-free community. When we got the table and hear about their special, we ordered it right away. The shrimps are perfectly cooked and seasoned, the green paste that comes with them is super complement the tasty shrimps. Oysters are so fresh and delicious. Chile con queso is the best! I love all kind of chiles and veggies in the creamy (not too creamy) sauce. I could not stop dipping chips into this queso. The sweet corn panna coat is so delicious and looks loving in pink plate.

I've been wanting to try the much hyped Cocina Chiwas since it opened. We somehow managed a last minute reservation on a weekend. FYI, indoor seating is reservation only. There's a small patio for walk ins. The building is sleek modern angled glass. We ordered the elote and oysters for apps. I got a chili relleno for an entree. Partner got the emmoladas. He had sangria and raved about it. I was appreciative for an NA beer option. The elote was amazing. They grill it over mesquite and it was really truly perfect. By far the best thing we got. The oysters were on the briney side, which I tend to like and on the small side, which I also tend to like. The salmon roe was interesting texture wise but I felt like with the brine from the oysters, it ended making a salty bite. I got shell in one of the oysters which is never pleasant. The relleno was just okay. The batter was too heavy. The tomato sauce was a bit bland. Twice I got crunchy bits that I convinced myself were pepitas but I think were really just seeds. I will say the globs of crema/requeson on top were incredible. My partner's mole was really good. I think it was too spicy for him but I thought it was great. We got a chunk of carrot cake for dinner that was solid. The service was good. Lots of check ins. Let me preface this--we went on a day with a heat advisory--but the A/C was not keeping up. The high ceiling and the wood fire grill made for an uncomfortably hot room. So on whole, I'm glad we tried Cocina Chiwas. It was a fun date night. Probably not a regular stop for us, but I do feel like it would be fun to come back for a drink and to work our way through some of the appetizers.

Great atmosphere as this is located in Culdesac. Parking can be iffy depending on the day so there's some street parking. The interior of this place is really open and very colorful. Love the outdoor seating too. Reservations are encouraged unless you come at 5pm when they open. I just went for a light meal and orders the elote and birria quesadilla. Great flavor on both dishes and would order them again. Even ate both together with mixing them.

Didn't realize they did a menu change last week, where my fav dishes listed prior were no longer there. Pork Belly- Chicharron was dry and hard to cut. Burrata was good. Beef Birria Quesadilla was okay, wasn't as good as I remembered. One of the host kept coming to our table at the very end, every 5 min, telling us she's not rushing us, but other reservations were due soon and we had 15 min. Even though the next reservation came and got stated elsewhere, the host kept coming to our table telling us that there's another reservation an hour late and that she wasn't rushing us. However , we felt rushed and unwelcome and decided to leave. Probably won't be coming back here for a while. Missed the other menu.

We scored a weekend dinner table to try out Cocina Chiwas. Inside there's only a handful of tables but a decent number of seats at the bar. There's also a patio space but it's already far too hot out for that. I got a red sangria and it was really tasty! There was some mystery flavor there that worked really well. Not sure if it was the rosemary or maybe some almond in there but it was a very smooth sangria. For the appetizer, I got the elote and any elote I ever eat again will be compared to this one. The sweet corn and mesquite from the grill are an awesome combination. The sauce on top is some kinda mayo and lime. So you get great sweetness from the corn, mesquite flavors, creaminess and citrus acidity all in each bite and it's the best thing I have eaten in a while. Main course: enmoladas. From my pedestrian perspective, these are chicken enchiladas with molé. I must have missed it on the menu but this molé is packing some heat. It's flavorful but more heat than I am usually looking for. Otherwise it was good. Dessert was tres leches carrot cake. Very good and heavy, but the carrot cake part of it just didn't seem to combine with the other flavors very well. It's good but disjointed. Overall the food and service was great. Would go again. Might go again just for elote.

This place has always been an absolute hit for me!! If you are looking for elevated authentic mexican cuisine in phoenix then this is your spot. Cocina chiwas is now a James Beard finalist and it's absolutely deserved! Everything i have tried here has been plated beautifully, has a delicious flavor profile, and has been unforgettable! I have tried Cocina Chiwas multiple times for both brunch and dinner and both menus are worth checking out. The restaurant itself is very inviting and airy. Service has always been great whether you sit at a table either inside or on their large patio or at the bar!! Plus, they have an open concept kitchen, so if you get a table by there, it's awesome to watch!! High ranking spot overall for me in Phoenix, love it here!

For the starter we got the beet salad and the roasted street corn. We tried the 20oz ribeye plate, talk about getting to try so many different foods, and the cicharron, that salsa verde. Then we kinda did all of the desserts. We will be back to try more. The service was amazing from waiting at the bar, a margarita, Chardonnay and the espresso martini that is not called that and is more coffee forward, to the waitress getting excited with us about what we order and making recommendations. The volume isn't too loud so we were able to talk. Great time. Jess and Bella are amazing waitresses and Brennan at the bar.

USA Today said this was one of the best restaurants and wowzah! I can see why. A group of six of us came for a Saturday dinner and it was great. Hats off to Diane M. (go add her!) for gathering us up for such a lovely meal. We shared the Guacamole ($16 - Aguacate, EVOO, Red Onion, Lime Juice, Tomato, Cilantro, Queso Cotija & Totopos) to start. You can't go wrong with a classic guacamole. The chips were the thin cantina style which buckled under the weight of the good green stuff but these are the kind of chips I like with guacamole. For my dish, I ordered the Special of the Week, Farrotto ($24 - Batter fried Soft-Shell Crab, Farrotto [Farro based risotto] kale & mushroom cream base, Salsa Macha XO, roasted lemon, parmigiano reggiano). Seriously, it's one of my top two bites of 2024 so far. The soft shell crab was excellent and crispy and the farrotto is something I will be singing from the rooftops about. Even while typing this and eating the leftovers, my tastebuds are still happy eating this reheated version of the Farrotto. No notes! I also tried the Chicharron ($22 - Roasted Pork Belly served on Salsa Verde, White Rice & Crema). This dish is really something. While I can admit the rice isn't anything to write home about, it's all about the pork belly on salsa verde. The bite of the pickled onions helped cut through the richness of the dish. Excellent flavor combination on an eye-catching plate. I had two cocktails as well: Pina Colada ($14 - Charanda, velvet falernum, creme de coconut, fresh lime juice, fresh pineapple juice) and Un Cafecito ($16 - Espresso infused bacanora, coffee liqueur, Cafe de olla simple, coffee bitters topped with star anise zest). While my pina colada was a delightful drink, I must admit that I passed my un cafecito off to Mike D. because the smokiness of the drink wasn't to my liking. Beware, a lot of their drinks are smoky. So why not five-stars? As much as I enjoyed our charming waiter, Jordan, his manager didn't allow us to split the bill three ways. There was also a weird persistence in splitting the bill four ways that didn't make sense given that we were three couples. Note: 90-minute tables and reservations are highly recommended.

I went to Cocina Chiwas a few weeks ago for a friend's birthday and was very excited to try it based on some recommendations from friends. Unfortunately, the service our table received was very bad and put a damper on the experience. We waited almost 15 minutes for water, and drinks from the bar (beer and/or mixed drinks) took almost 30 minutes. The restaurant was close to empty inside and I could see the bartender talking with our server while our table was out of water & drinks. Hopefully this was just an off day for the server and not a typical experience for customers. The food was good, I especially liked the Chicharron which was cooked perfectly and paired with a delicious crema that I could eat with anything! The wood fired quesadilla wasn't my favorite with the birria meat on top, styled like a pizza. Could be for others but this dish wasn't for me. The empanadas were delicious, I wish I had gotten a picture of this dish because it was fantastic as well!

My friend and I hadn't been to this part of Tempe in years. OMG it's changed all for the better and this neighborhood gem: Cocina Chiwas was excellent in all aspects, atmosphere, food and service. I had made 6:00 Saturday evening dinner reservation in advance. Upon arrival, we were greeted and seated. The restaurant is small. The atmosphere is fresh modern, good vibe and along with a nice patio seating area. We ordered a Chiwarita while looking over the menu. All the dishes are served family style which I love. We ordered the Ceviche Misto to start. Entrees were the Chicharron and the Asada De Puerco. All the dishes looked and tasted fantastic. The flavors all blended so nicely together. The previous week we had dined at Espiritu in Mesa, similar food, though Cocina may have more menu items to choose from. I would definitely make a reservation and dine here again. Loved it! Atmosphere: fresh modern, open. Service: very good. Food: excellent

Went here before an ASU basketball game. Sat at the bar. Bartenders were super friendly and talked about cocktails and the business. Trip to Chile cocktail was our favorite. Got apps of burrata and taco de are. Burrata was big portion sweet potato with it was delicious. Tacos were super crispy and good amount of spice. Will be going back

Had an absolutely outstanding dining experience at Cocina Chiwas! What sets Cocina Chiwas apart is the communal dining experience they offer. All dishes are served perfectly for sharing, making it an enjoyable feast for groups. I went with my family and we got the oysters, exquisite Barrio Quesadilla, Chicharron, Pulpo Pipian, Costilla de Res, Asado de Puerco, and Tres Leches Carrot Cake & Sweet Corn Panna Cota. Each dish had impeccable flavor profiles and were beautifully plated. Their horchata also ranks among the best I've ever had - and it's a fun pink color! While the price point may lean towards the higher side for the location, the experience is worth it. The service was attentive and kind. Beyond the culinary delights, it's heartening to know that Cocina Chiwas is part of the Tempe Composting Program. Supporting this initiative contributes to a circular economy, where waste materials are repurposed to create new ones. Feels good to support a restaurant that actively participates in such positive environmental efforts within the area. The ample parking in the spacious lot at the back of the restaurant made our visit hassle-free. The ambiance is truly delightful, adorned with tasteful decorations. I will be back soon. Highly recommended!

I tried this place for a brunch hangout with friends a few months ago. The ambiance and vibe of this place were modern and cute. The service was pretty fast and friendly. I am not sure about their regular menus but their brunch menu was not huge, though there were many interesting options to choose from. My partner and I ordered two different brunch items, although they look sort of similar in the photos that I took. The food was delicious and the portion was quite generous as well. I definitely needed a to-go box and enjoyed the leftovers the next day. I also had their special spritz cocktail, which was tasty and had a beautiful presentation. To me, this place feels like an elevated Mexican dining experience, especially if you are looking for a cozy place to chat with friends or have a date night. I am very curious about their other cocktails and I see they have a nice patio seating area. I think it'd be really fun to come back here at night when the weather is nicer and have a cocktail or two on the patio. I am not sure if it is dog friendly. But this place is sort of inside the Culdsec community which is super dog friendly. They constantly have community and public events that I love to attend with my puppy. It would be really special to end the night at this restaurant with some drinks!

I love this place! Cocina Chiwas is known for their upscale Mexican food. The food here is really pretty looking. I frequent their Tacos Chiwas locations quite often and have been wanting to check this place out. The restaurant itself is in a building in a car-free neighborhood with glass walls, an open patio section, open kitchen and a large cactus mural on the side of the building. They are open for dinner only. I came in for some light bites one early evening with some friends. Even though the owners are known for their tacos, the menu has other items like quesadillas, salads, short ribs, chiles rellenos and empanadas. I'm a huge elote fan. The Wood Fire Roasted Elote here is covered in lime-sparked chile mayo and dusted with cotija and was very tasty. The Birria Quesadilla resembles a Mexican pizza and is topped with juicy shredded beef birria. I ordered a horchata for my beverage. Cocina Chiwas has a brunch menu on the weekend. Reservations are strongly suggested and can be made on their website. Parking is free for the first two hours.

I'd give this more of a 3.5/5. The restaurant itself was cute and I liked sitting by the open kitchen but I thought the food was just OK. The guacamole was good, but the queso was "difficult" to eat. I think most of our group had been expecting a queso sauce to dip our chips in, but this was just melted cheese that we had to break apart and position atop the chip. The roasted veggies in the queso had good flavor though. I ordered the bone marrow/carne asada tacos for my entree, and the plate was good but not worth the price point. The bone marrow was either cooked through and hard in some areas or just non/existent; I really only had about a spoonful of edible bone marrow from the whole bone on the plate. The carne asada tacos were good but nothing special--I could probably get similar tacos for a lower price point somewhere else. The service was fine. Overall the staff were very nice but our specific waiter seemed to forget what he was going to ask every time he came over. He also offered to split the bill at the end (5 ways) but then split it improperly and said he forgot who had what drinks, etc. I know places aren't obligated to split the check, it was just a little odd that he knew they were a little off and still gave them to us.

Had a great dinner at Cocina Chiwas with some girlfriends! The parking is easy with a large lot towards the back and the restaurant itself is a cute trendy spot. It's the perfect location to grab a nice dinner and they also accept reservations. Overall the food/drinks were a tasty with some favorites and certain items we would've skipped. Our group started with some drinks and I thought my Paloma was perfect. The Chiwarita was a bit strong and earthy and the Pina Colada was surprisingly not blended. For appetizers, we ordered the guacamole and chile con queso. The guacamole was excellent but the chile con queso was a bit different than expected --the cheese is simply melted over onions and peppers. We probably would skip this one next time. For my entree, the shrimp and polenta was done well and tasty. However, we sat next to the open kitchen and could smell some other meats roasting over the open fire so I would definitely order one of those proteins instead next time--the smell was amazing! Overall, our group enjoyed their food. The price point is a bit on the higher side for the location but it didn't seem unreasonable. Service was also good throughout the meal. Conveniently located off the 101 in Tempe and in a cute new area, I would definitely recommend Cocina Chiwas and will be back!

What's up everyone!! Happy Holidays So. Went to hit up a spot in Tempe the other day, glad I did. The menu was fire and vibe was dope, music on point and the food. Smack-yo-mama delicious haha. FR. Check it out. Wood Fire Birria Quesadilla - Yoooo, must try for sure. Loaded up with Queso Menonita and Asadero, Cilantro, Onion and Red Salsa. Wood Fire Elote - Not esquite like some of these other places confuse, legit cuts of Fire Roasted Elote with Lime & Chile Mayo, Cilantro and Queso Cotija. Legit Oysters - Ummmm. Don't know where to start haha. Hibiscus & Habanero Mignonette, Roasted Lemons and Salmon Caviar. Stooooop Must try for me. Pulpo Pipián - As you know, if it's on the menu, always a must order for me. Wood Roasted Arizona Desert Shrimp, Octopus, Pipián Rojo, Potatoes and an XO Salsa Macha. Mad flavor, some explosive shit. So good. Tacos de Papa - Honesrky, some of the better Potato Tacos I've had, and I've eaten a lot!! A Potato Purée, Butter, Cabbage loaded up in a Fried Tortilla. Yooooooo haha. Smackalicious. If you're in the area and looking for a switch up, give em a go. I promise you'll enjoy. Service was great. Neat spot. Happy Holidays all!! And please. Follow me on IG @the_gifted_gazstro

Not a shocker that a Chiwas spot is delicious. Their OG taco spot has been a long time go-to, and I can def see this becoming a regular date-night or girls night spot. Not just because the food was amazing, the cocktails that we had were delicious, but also because of the experience. We (my fiancé and I) sat at the bar and the bartender (our server) was amazing! Not only was it just really good and friendly service, but he has nailed the skill of knowing when to engage tell stories and have fun and when to gracefully pull away and allow us to be deep into our own conversation. MAJOR bonus points for the fact that when we ended up in a conversation about how I love Jen and my partner hates it... He immediately was like " give me a chance to change your mind" and picked out two amazing flavorful gins for him to try. I'm blinking on the name of the other cocktail we got, but it was essentially their version of a Mezcal Manhattan and it was DELICIOUS Food wise, everything was amazing. The one thing that I will say is that we didn't even put two and two together with the pork belly dish being called Chicharrons meaning it would be fried... in hindsight this seems obvious, but neither one of us really eat fried food and it crossed our mind when we ordered it. If you like fried food, this would probably be your favorite thing on the menu. Because even with our dislike Fried, we still thoroughly enjoyed the flavors! We just both said that we would have highly preferred pan seared pork belly, but that is totally a preference that I know not everyone shares The other dish we got to split was the blue corn empanadas, and I will have dreams about those things We were definitely tempted by dessert, and everything sounded amazing, but they're also really wasn't much that was dairy free, which is a requirement for me (and this is a note for all restaurants... A lot of dairy free people don't like sorbet) We will absolutely be back sooner rather than later! Definitely put this on your list to go to!

Had a great date night here at this cute restaurant. It's in a community that has 2 hrs of free parking which is nice. There's indoor and outdoor seating - it seems like if you are in a party of 2 they put you in the patio as I only saw tables for 4 or more inside. They do take reservations which is really helpful. We ordered a sangria, the chicharrón, and beef tacos with bone marrow under their specials (forgot the exact name). Really enjoyed the chicharron dish which came with rice. Crispy pork belly on the outside and juicy on the inside. The tacos were stuffed with meat and quite filling. Good flavor there too but borderline too salty for me. Husband enjoyed the bone marrow which was very beefy. Our drink was good and as expected. The string lights and rest of the decor really sold it for me, would return since its pretty close to where I live too!

Cute place! We were sat in the back next to the kitchen. The service was good.... Everything brought out at a reasonable pace, water was self refill via water pitcher, cocktails were good. Now... The food... The ceviche was delicious. It has a nice kick to it and had plenty of shrimp and octopus. I wish there were more "chips" (fried tortilla) to go with it as there was a lot. The quesadilla was mouthwatering good. I would definitely recommend it and would get it again. The enmoladas were SPICY. It had some good flavors but the spice was definitely what was left in your mouth. I wouldn't get it again... But it was our server's favorite dish... The Costillas de Res aka Korean style short ribs were amazing. I would definitely get them again. They were the star of the night. The tacos were also delicious and the carnitas was cooked perfectly. We did get a dessert to share... But it wasn't amazing. We were celebrating my friend's 40th and maybe I've become accustomed to it.. but usually nicer places will give the birthday person a free dessert. This location does not do that. Overall 4 out of 5 stars. It was good but I wouldn't say "you HAVE to try this place!" If I were to go again, I'd get the quesadilla and the Korean short ribs again.

Super cute restaurant with good food and drinks. Ordered Elote, the beef empanadas, and the emolada plate. The emoladas were a little too spicy for my liking. Definitely recommend it if you like spicy. Had the chiwarita drink and it was delicious and well presented. Server was very attentive and gave drink recommendations.

Incredible food, bartender was a little stuffy but made great cocktails and the ambiance we pleasant.

Great food but snotty attitude! Made a reservation for my husband and I and our foodie friends visiting from out of town, four of us. When we showed up (on time) for our reservation we were told we had been allotted 90 minutes for our evening; another group had the seating after us. No problem we thought. 85 minutes later (sincerely!) the server had taken our bill to the cashier for payment and the host came out to our table telling us we had to leave the table for the next seating. We told him politely that our server had taken our credit card and we'd leave as soon as she returned. He got very belligerent, surprising all of us, as we felt we were being very accommodating. Out server was great, but that host really soured us on an otherwise enjoyable evening. Delicious "Chiwas" food but for a casual restaurant (not fancy), disappointing service attitude. Visit was April 2024.

BIG brunch'd at @cocinachiwas in Tempe NEW BRUNCH MENU did not disappoint, like look at this breakfast sandwich and patatas bravas I, also, thoroughly enjoyed their Bloody Mary

Amazing food and great service! I made a reservation online and the process was simple. Parking was a breeze too. There's a parking lot near the restaurant but I parked on the street. The papas tacos were my favorite. I could have eaten 50 of them. My least favorite was the chile rellenos. It could have been crispier, but the flavors were good. The ambiance was busy but not so loud that you couldn't hear yourself talk. Overall I'd definitely come back to try other options they have!

Food was excellent! Service was poor. Idk if they didn't know any better or they were understaffed but you don't spend $300+ and be rushed out. Small table, not clearing plates, asking for dessert order before dinner was done, told we had to go in twenty minutes because another reservation was coming in. ??? Wtf??? Ambiance was good except for chairs a little uncomfortable and flies from the open doors.

So glad we found this place! The vibes and ambiance were perfect for a warm spring night. Stylish decor, even at the bar where we sat. Bartenders/servers were attentive and friendly. Service was quick and the food was delicious. I got the tostada and my friend got empanadas. You can really tell they take time to marinate and grill the steak. It was just the right amount of food too!

Overall the food was good. We had an array of the menu between 7 of us so we all were able to try a little bit of everything. The standouts for me was the pork shank and the chicken mole! So much flavor in both of those dishes and sizable portions for what you pay. The mussels are also worth a try. The vibe of the restaurant was very nice, I'd describe it as classy/casual. I ordered a pina colada and didn't particularly enjoy it so I did send it back. The waitress didn't take it off the bill, & I did have to pay for it. Service was lacking unfortunately. I was definitely expecting our server to be more attentive considering the size of our party. We ordered a round of drinks that didn't hit our table until everyone had finished their dinner. Definitely come for the food just be weary of the service you may receive.

If you're familiar with Bacanora and/or Espiritu then please add Cocina Chiwas to your places to dine. This place did not disappoint. The interior is welcoming with a fresh modern vibe and you can smell the mesquite & pecan wood-fired grill as you walk up to the restaurant. Fabulous thing is that they accept reservations at the bar! The kitchen is open and you can see the food being prepared and grilled. The flour and corn tortillas are phenomenal. Be sure to ask for the specials. We missed out as our bartender server didn't mention them to us. This is a great place to bring a date or a group of family/friends. The cocktails and food are not only delicious but also beautiful!

Waitress said it's a Chihuahua Mex inspired menu. My wife and family are from Chihuahua mex. I am so getting screwed. The family are good cooks I must say, but this place is amazing. Where the heck are the real family recipes. Not even sure where to begin with the review. My Words won't do this place justice. The food is so dam flavorful. Everything was fresh. From menu (Costilla de Res* Korean Style Beef Short Ribs served w / Rice, Whole Beans, Sweet Salsa Macha, Cebollitas & a Flour Tortilla). Short rubs had a touch of sweetness and were very tender. It took everything in me to not pick up the bones and tear the meat off of them. if I was eating this at home, I promise you I would've done it.. the beans and rice had absorbed some of the flavor from the meat. My wife kept eating off my plate. My wife is from Mexico and I've been eating family beans for 20 years. I hope my wife doesn't see this, but this place is got them beat. From the menu: (Chicharron* Roasted Pork Belly served on Salsa Verde, White Rice & Crema ). The pork belly was so tender Smokey and the fat had rendered down. The salsa Verde was smoky and just so good.. the Birria quesadilla was on point too. The cheese reminded my wife of whacshe grew up on in Chihuahua. The birria was tender not mushy and so flavorful. We sat at the bar, and the bartender was so friendly. She was nice to talk to She explained the menu and gave us some great recommendations.. as you see from the pictures, we ordered two entrées and an appetizer and dessert. We were close to ordering three entrées just to try more. I had a late lunch and my wife wanted a date night and picked this place. I could not stop eating. I was beyond gluttonous as the food was just so damn good. The tres leches carrot cake. This thing almost brought a tear to my eye. The first bite releases those endorphins that just make your eyes roll to the back of your head and that calm that comes over your body. It's like an orgasm in your mouth. I know that sounds bad but damn this thing was good. the place is not large and had an open floor plan. It wasn't too loud which allowed for great conversation. We are already planning our next two visits with friends and family.

If you're looking for an upscale Mexican dining experience, look no further. The atmosphere was refreshing and the dining staff were very patient with first time customers. Having the elote as the appetizer was a good decision, there was an abundance of flavor and spices which set the stage for our entrees. The quesadilla was cheesy, with a light topping of beef which was elevated by the onion and salsa. Lastly, the pulpo pipian was exactly what I expected it to be, a seafood plate with an abundance of flavor. The octopus was the star of the plate with a great texture that paired perfectly with the salsa. The fire roasted flavor of the shrimp was a good addition though I wish there were more than two. Finally, the crispy potatoes ended the dish and filled my stomach to max capacity. It was a fantastic dish.

Everything was fine, but that was part of the problem - I was expecting better than fine from a Beard nominated restauranteurs concept. We had an indoor reservation and arrived extremely early; no big deal. We were pointed towards the outdoor standing room only bar which was cute (and also confirmed that indoor is the place to sit - the patio tables are coffee table height and extremely awkward looking to eat at). The bartenders pretty much ignored us after our first drink and we were standing there about an hour. The drinks themselves were cute in concept but only OK in execution (the Cafecito and the milk punch). Honestly, the bartenders kind of gave off an off-putting vibe and I'm not sure I can even articulate it other than they felt bro-y and loud and like they were doing us a favor by giving us menus. Again, not something I would expect in terms of service at an upscale place. We went back to the host stand at our reservation time and were told to wait an additional 10 minutes. Fine, but annoying. We were seated and informed of the drink specials (which we were not told at the bar and both us and the staff member were surprised that the bartenders didn't let us know there were specials). Our server was great and it was clear she was working really hard and it was a busy night. The food was good but nothing to write home about. We had: -beet salad -elote -costillas de res The beet salad was totally fine (and a massive portion). The elote had too much mayo on it. The costillas were good. The thing that shined was, oddly, the rice and beans. It's a cute place for sure, but I wouldn't be clamoring to go back anytime soon.

Been wanting to take my GF out to this place for a while. Food is 5/5. Started with appetizer matcha fundido . Basically melted cheese with crunchy tortillas but I give it 5/5. I got the carne asada plate , comes with beans and rice with a seasoned nopal pad and cheese. All the cocktails we got were great! My gf got the chile nogada plate. It's was really good! Service was awesome ! We had originally ordered the carne Apache appetizer but they came back and apologized because they were out and offered a secondary choice on the house. All the waiters and management were attentive checking up on us. Ambiance was relaxing with great music. Nice artsy paintings on the walls and super clean and organized place. We went there in a Saturday night around 8pm and we didn't need a reservation. Plenty of seating. I highly recommend.

I want to LOVE this place but my two visits have left things to be desired. While the food is quite good, the menu lacks some essentials I expect at any Mexican food spot: a variety of tacos and high-quality salsa offerings. The potato tacos don't do it for me, but perhaps that's just my palate... they're almost like a mashed potato consistency in a deep fried taco. I think crispy taters would be better suited here! And chips and salsa are not offered on the menu, nor can you order just a side of salsa. For appetizers, I liked the birria quesadilla and elote. The guac was good but the chile con queso was lacking in cheese. I guess I was expecting more of a traditional queso dip and this was a dish of chilis and veggies covered in a thin layer of cheese. Perhaps the offerings here are *too* modern and inventive for me. For entrees, we ordered the parillada to share and that seems to be the way to go if your group is happy to do family-style dining. Lots of good flavors and a big enough portion to feed multiple adults. All in all, not a bad meal, but not my favorite Mexican spot. I had high hopes given the association with Tacos Chiwas and Bacanora, but I don't think the menu here is quite the same caliber as the other restaurants within the family.

Really delicious food, great to catch up with some friends. Service was awesome. Outside seating was nice although along a busyish road. There was some foliage to block but Just be aware!

We had the Cafecita and Mask of Zorro for drinks to start. Followed up with the Chicharrones and Empanadas. Ended with the peach cheesecake and tres leches carrot cake. The drinks were good, but the food was fantastic. We had to stop ourselves from finishing our entrees because we wanted leftovers. The tres leches carrot cake was probably my favorite part of the meal. Maybe try getting the berry crumble on the side because it almost overcomplicated it. But still great! Service was great and was surprisingly slow for a Saturday night.

May's International Supper Club was held here, and I'm glad I came and joined the fun! The restaurant is pretty new and spacious. It's a really nice dining spot as the main dining area is spacious and airy. There is also outdoor seating available. If you're wanting to impress a date, this is a good choice. We sat in a sliding booth where the 6 of us all fit in easily. When we asked for chips and salsa, that request was honored and I got to try their red and green salsa. The green salsa definitely more spicy than the red and both were good! I chose the veggie quesadilla for dinner and ordered a chiwarita but with mezcal instead of sotol. Chiwarita was delicious and wanted more! When the quesadilla came, it wasn't exactly what I expected really. It was open faced and more like a pizza. However, will say it was tasty and got in my green veggies! Fun night out and enjoyed the ambiance, drink, and food! Was a bit more pricey than I would have liked, but I guess you're paying for the location, ambience, and keeping a new business afloat. Also note that the parking lot requires paying and first two hours is free.

This place was a bust. Queso was good. Chicharron and the empanadas were dry af. I don't leave bad reviews but the food was not worth the price. Service was great, but I would not recommend going here. The whole restaurant was extremely warm. It's summer in az, so you would expect a cooler environment but this too warm and uncomfortable.

food was good and it was very pretty but our server Jess was terrible. she never came up and checked up on us. the manager checked on us more than she did. she brought us the wrong food and gave us attitude and it wasn't even busy. i definitely recommend the food but if you get Jess REQUEST A NEW SERVER. i ordered "wet pussy" shots which is vodka, schnapps, lime and cranberry juice and she brought us pins colada shots. i asked her if she could ask the bartenders to remake them because we didn't order those but she gave me attitude and said no she didn't want to and that we get what we get. VERY rude and disrespectful. she is not made for the customer service industry. my whole party works in the industry and are all leaving reviewed for her because that was unacceptable.

Well, where to begin? There were 3 of us celebrating a birthday. We had a dinner reservation for 6pm, but our plans changed & we wanted to get in earlier. Restaurant opened at 5pm, we arrived at 5:08pm. We explained we already had a reservation, but wanted to know if we could be seated. The restaurant was empty. No other patrons. We were shown to a table right by the door. I asked if we could be seated at another table. We were told no, because they were all reserved. We had a reservation! (though early) Wasn't going to argue. We had a lovely young man explain the drink & dinner menu. We asked about specials & his recommendations. We ordered the Chile con Queso. Usually, queso is nice & smoorh. The cheese was "gloopy" huge chunks pf peppers & onions. Friend #1 asked for sour cream for her quesadilla, waiter didn't know if they has any, was brought crema. She asked for salsa, was brought hot sauce. She said it was "bland." Friend #2 ordered the Relleno, she said it was very "bready." I ordered the tacos. The mashed potatoes were bland & gluey. The taco shell itself was very thin & greasy. The cabbage slaw was okay. We had to ask several times for them to clear our plates & refill our beverages. The only thing we all enjoyed was the cake. In my opinion, overpriced, not so good food.

They deserve 5 stars. If your looking to celebrate anything, I recommend reserving a table and celebrating here. Let me just start by saying I've never been to restaurant with more comfortable chairs than what they have at this restaurant. They have perfected every little detail down the the chairs! The worst is eating and a restaurant and your uncomfortable. Anyhow, this place is chic, open, and airy. Most cosy patio I've been to in a while. The food is saucy. It's not what I expected as far as Mexican food. Not quite sure what region of Mexico this food is from, but I'll find out on my next visit. Also while you may think the plates are on the pricier side, the portions are LARGE. Well worth the price for the amount of food you're getting. Anywho whatever you order you'll probably like. ENJOY!

Food is awesome with great and unique flavors. The restaurant was very busy, we highly recomend making reservations prior to coming. Servers are always moving and food is always passing by with fantastic smells. Please make sure you read the reservation policy, it DOES state that there is a 90 minute service limit. Strongly suggest looking at the menu prior to arriving to be better prepared to order.

Make sure you dont fill up on appetizers before getting your food! The elote was delicious! I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the area. I was visiting from out of town and heard great reviews about this place. The service was great and our waiter was very knowledgeable.

Fantastic food at a great price and generous portions. Very unique upscale Mexican experience. Service was attentive and excellent. We will definitely be coming back!