Macayo's Mexican Food

My friend invited me out to lunch at this spot and I really enjoyed it. Super cute decor and the food was good. I don’t drink anymore, but my friend mentioned they have an affordable margarita flight if that’s your thing. They also offer a rewards program you can join, which is a nice perk. Chips and salsa come out complimentary, and the chips were freshly made 👌 Service was great and overall a really good experience. Would definitely come back.

The food was excellent and the service was even better! Our waitress was super plesant and our food came out within 10 minutes after ordering! I would highly recommend the fried Ice cream - it was so good I forgot to take picture before digging in.

As always the food was really good. The service was great. We came in for a pickup order and 2 different staff members asked what we were there for. As soon as we told them the went to the kitchen to see if it was complete. 10 mins of waiting and the food was hot and fresh. Everything was exactly as ordered. I have been coming to this Macayo's for 20 years If I can remember correctly. I dont think I have ever had a true bad experience. If you have never been here you need to give it a chance.

By far the worst Mexican food I've ever eaten. 0 exaggeration. We both ordered the Chimichanga with shredded beef. "Where's the beef??" When I pressed my fork to cut into it.. it deflated. Just like a popped balloon it was now flat. I would say approximately 3 tablespoons of beef. Same for hers. Taste wise, everything was bad...really bad.Rice was ridiculously dry. Refried beans looked like dry mud and the little beef it had tasted like cheap hot sauce. We both decided to give this place a try because it looks nice from the outside. Well.. it's the biggest front you'll experience. If it weren't for my girlfriend, you wouldn't of gotten a dime out of me. That's cafeteria Mexican food. I can go to my Filobertos drive thru and their chimichanga is 3x the size of yours packed with beef and it tastes great. To whomever reads this, do yourself a favor and go anywhere else. This place is horrible! At no point did our server ask if we liked our food or anything. She most already know. If I could a negative 4 stars, you'd be that place that earned it very well.

Got it delivered. Over $3 for a 3 oz container of guacamole that has 1 ounce one it. Tacos are miserable tasting and looking. Where are the toppings to go in my $17 tacos? Why are the tortillas missing? I don't recommend this place in any capacity. Update. YUCK!

I thought the smell of urine was coming from the bathroom but when we sat down it stayed the same. Maybe they are using the mop in the restroom and dinning area is my guess but it was hard to sit here and enjoy my food. The longer you sit the more unbearable it is to breath in deep like poor workers i know they smell it too. No one should be working in the smell. The restroom was worse. You felt more dirty after walking out. Please deep clean and sanitize this place!!!!

A Saturday night, and I thought maybe the place was closed because the parking lot was empty. They were open, but the place was practically empty. We’ve been to Macayos many times and I have always enjoyed the food. Our hostess seated us in the bar area which was fine. It took forever to get our food. There was no bartender for much of the time we were in there. They got my wife’s order wrong- which meant more waiting. It definitely seemed like they were understaffed. This seems to be not uncommon for many restaurants and it’s a shame if this lack of management dooms a historic place like Macayo’s.

I am actually surprised by the recent negative reviews - I have been going to Macayo's for years and have always loved it. The food is a great price for the portions you get. They accidentally messed up my take out order but make it right by making me another. I always recommend it, hopefully if there is something going on that has made the service more poor recently then they can address it because they really do deserve their 2024 Best in the Valley award. Thank you guys for always being amazing:)

The food was great and flavorful, service was great if we needed anything the server was very responsive. Clean place and authentic Mexican

Saul was amazing. There were 30 of us and he did an amazing job working the tables. Drinks were perfect as well as the meals being ordered and delivered to the table with no errors. Our glasses were never close to empty. He always had a smile on his face even when the 12 children were giving him their orders and changing them when they realized that they wanted what one of the other children ordered. Great skills and attitude displayed for the 2 hours that we were there. He made our experience absolutely amazing from start to finish.

Wait time with lots of empty tables Server only made eye contact/conversation once besides taking our order No offer of another beverage, dessert or even bill and they are not busy... We are just waiting for Jose, I believe that's who she said our server would be, just currently sitting....just currently waiting.... We won't be back! If we ever get our check to pay and leave...

oh my .. biggest by far complaint is the bathrooms! I can get passed the food but to feel disgusted walking out of that bathroom and wonder how the poor staff deals with it and even more how to even want to eat your food!!! On to the food. : I got the Chile Relleno plate -- rice was chewy , refried beans had an old sour taste - maybe reheated one to many times . The Rellenos batter running along the plate was not great and tasted like old oil -- very sad other plate was and Enchilada Trio-- baja sauce was dried onto the tortilla -- like it sat for a while -- all the tortillas were dry and broke apart -- chicken was good , beef was dried out Sorry but I will not be running back here-- if the establishment reads this.. PLEASE ... clean the bathrooms!$ Our server was great !

We love Macayo! The food is consistently excellent, and and they have added a very affordable lunch menu (drinks included!) that has something for everyone. Many of the servers have been there a long time, and it's nice to always be treated like family there. The ambiance is colorful and welcoming, and the traditional music is nice in the background, but never too loud. This is one of our favorite places. Please check it out!

Aten was a great server. Always there when we needed anything. Great food and great atmosphere.

"Yes, I'll have 2 shredded beef tacos, hold the roaches" Well, this may do it for me at eating at Macayo's (59th & Bell). I went with a friend yesterday because it was taco Tuesday and everything started off good. Our food was brought out quickly and I had finished 1st taco, grabbing 2nd taco and I see something that looks like an olive in the lettuce, pull it out and it was a ROACH. There goes my appetite. Told waiter who told Manager and she came out embarrassed, I'm sure, but probably not the first time and apologized and tried to smooth things over with more free food (sorry I just don't trust it anymore) Mentioned that had been having a little problem with them and had exterminator out that morning before opening. That made me wonder how many exactly they had in the kitchen and how did it make it into my taco. Of course didn't charge me or friend for lunch and we left. I realize that probably ALL restaurants have at one time or other had roaches or bugs in the kitchen, but I was hoping they find them before they make it into my food. Probably will not go out to eat for awhile, because I will be taking apart every piece of food given to me and even then wonder if they removed the bugs before giving to me.

Food: 2 stars - We ordered the 1 and 1 mix and match: 1 enchilada with shredded beef and 1 side of beans for the wifey. I ordered the burro bowl with skirt steak. Wifey's order came out wrong. They gave us an enchilada with ground beef and a side of rice. So we had to wait for the waiter to come around to advise of the mixup. My burro bowl was decent but portion size was a little underwhelming for $18. The enchilada with shredded beef was okay but they were out of their famous Baja sauce. So that was disappointing. Apparently their Baja sauce is on a lot of their dishes but they ran out that day. Would have been nice to see some sort of discount seeing as their menu was not complete but we still had to pay their complete prices. Free chips and salsa which is standard at these Mexican/Tex-Mex restaurants. Salsa was very watery which makes it hard to dip the chips. Chips were well seasoned and salsa was decent, but just not a fan of runny salsa. Service: 2 stars - Docking stars for service because they were out of their Baja sauce. It's their "famous" sauce and they run out? I haven't eaten at Macayo's in probably a decade as a Phoenix native. How can you run out of your famous sauce that is used in a large portion of your menu?! Unacceptable for an established restaurant such as Macayo's. The waiter didn't even offer any substitutions or anything complimentary for the inconvenience. It was a Monday at 5pm, not like we were at the tail end of a huge dinner rush; the restaurant was not busy at all. Management should have been able to do something for their oversight in not having enough Baja sauce for their dinner service. Overall poor experience from their service. Ambiance: 3 stars - Nothing stood out as spectacular. It's a casual vibe with clean bathrooms but not going to save it from my poor experience with their food/service. Overall: 2 stars - Needs improvement. This restaurant has been here for so long, it feels like it's just on cruise control. Is being out of their famous Baja sauce going to tank the place? No. Is one bad review going to make a change? Probably not. However, I'm sharing my experience on a place that I used to have pleasant experiences at through my high school years. I might come back to try their Baja sauce (hopefully it's available) but might wait for the next decade. If you do give Macayo's a shot, hopefully they have their famous Baja sauce and you have a better experience than me.

Service is always great. The restaurant is clean and it's a nice atmosphere. The margaritas are good. I think the menu items are good but my husband loves it!

The food was very tasty and the Manager Armando stopped by our table to say hello and see how the service was and he was so hospitable and welcoming. I will definitely be coming back and the lunch specials are so awesome. This was an awesome experience.

Happy hour is always Fun! Love their Fajitas Platter....... Such a family atmosphere with Great Staff & Service.

The food was pretty terrible. And they forgot that we were celebrating a birthday. Go to taco bell instead.

Our server was alone for a large party; it seems like this location is chronically understaffed, based on the few times I've been here. That being said, she did a fantastic job, kept the wait short, and made sure everyone got the correct order. She was a true professional and I am impressed, as a food service worker myself! The food was really terrible. Our server did amazing given the circumstances but man, that was the worst plate of food I've had in a while. Meat was dry and tasted a little off. The salsa also tasted rotten to me. Drinks are a good deal--go for the drinks and skip dinner!

The food was not that good at all. It felt cold, and the taste was dull. The service The first time was fine, but the second time was a whole other story. The next time we went, we didn't have any food. And the reason why? We were discriminated, we didn't get a table but others got to sit instead of us, that server was very rude. Overall, I wouldn't recommend, the food isn't that enjoyable and the server was incredibly rude to me and my family.

I love this place, but in recent years it has achieved "gross" status. Imagine a Denny's along Grand Avenue in an abandoned strip mall that corporate has forgotten existed for a decade. I just stood at the hostess counter for ten minutes, ignored by every server. The hostess finally came out and asked where I'd like to sit, and said she would have to make sure a table was clean. She disappeared completely, only to emerge with a card reader meant for another table. There were already plenty of clean tables open at 2 PM on a Tuesday, and at the time I was the only person in line to be seated. There may have been 12 tables of customers at the most, so it wasn't at all bustling with a lunch crowd. For the next several minutes, nobody made an effort to seat me or another customer who arrived towards the end of my wait despite my efforts to gain someone's attention. I walked out and I won't be back. This isn't the first issue I've had there.

Obviously checking in and saw a nice surprise of a free cheese crisp! My favorite. It was yum. Got a mix and match with a shredded beef taco and rice. Also yum. Chips were great, water stayed refilled. Our server was attentive and nice. It was Christmas Eve and there were quite a few people in the restaurant for lunch. So happy to be back to eat all the Mexican food I can.

They repainted the front which looks brings a refreshed look. At 5:00 it was quiet but took 10 mins to be seated. Our server was great. She was friendly and fast with orders and bringing food. The cheese enchiladas were good, but the shredded beef enchiladas a little dry. The fajitas were tasty. I also enjoyed my skinny margarita.

I love it here. Always. And Sergio is by far one of the best around!! Thank you Sergio and Macayos. Our go to place!!

José was a very amazing waiter. He gave us our food within a good amount of time. He got us our drinks very fast. He was very calm, was nice, and he made us laugh.

Food was good seasoned well, fresh ingredients, and portion sizes were nice. The cheese crisp had the perfect amount of cheese and cooked nicely. The house margarita was a bit too mix heavy. Service at the bar wasn't great, but wasn't bad. My dining partner was pretty much ignored. Overall though, we enjoyed our visit and will come back.

The food was delicious, so fresh and tasty. The service was also great. Will definitely come back,

Saul was a great bartender/server and made sure we had plenty of refills on chips and margaritas. His manager, Armando, was also very accommodating. Will definitely be back again!

I really want to like Macayo's. They have great salsa and hot sauce to go with the chips but that is where the great ends. I have been disappointed more often than pleased. Yesterday I ordered beef fajitas for lunch, the beef was so tough that I could not cut it with a knife. They offered to get me something else so i asked for the chicken, much better. (The beef was sliced with the grain which made it even worse than just tough) Service is hit or miss too, if you get Sergio you are in luck! Last year I bought a gift card and still have a few $$ left to burn, after that I will be going to other places for Mexican food.

Checked in and saw the free cheese crisp. Server said this wasn't from corporate. She had to check with the manager. No big deal either way for us. But I couldn't understand how it was on yelp. Manager agreed to accept the coupon. We ordered margaritas, I had pricky pear.yumm. Cheese crisp was quickly served and was good. Had the chimi with shredded rice and a side of rice. Service was very quick. Food was tasty and extremely filling. Our server Lawnie was awesome and made the meal that much better. We'll happily return here again.

I'd contacted Macayo's to host my sister's baby shower. We originally anticipated 30 guests and needed a larger area to accommodate everyone and wanted a relaxed but beautiful atmosphere. Macayo's allowed us to book the patio at 11am when they opened as they had another party for the patio that evening. I called the week of to confirm and ask if we could arrive 15-20 minutes early to decorate and they graciously offered to open the gate when we arrived. The day of, we arrived and the entire patio was setup beautifully!!! I could have cried. Black linens adorned the tables, tables were set for appetizers, spacious table settings and the banquet style buffet was gorgeous. We ordered mini chimis and queso for appetizers. Chips and salsa arrived first. The appetizers were served fresh and were absolutely delicious. For the main course we chose chicken fajitas. Everything was set out from corn and flour tortillas to sour cream, cheese and guacamole. The chicken was tender as were the grilled onions and bell peppers. Our guests were blown away and complimented everything from the decor to food! Thank you Sylvester (manager) for my accommodating our last minute changes and all of your help to ensure a seamless event! Wishing I would have gotten photos of the setup, I was busy tending to guests.

Justin the bartender is amazing! We came in for the cowboys vs eagles game. He is very attentive, very knowledgeable, and very kind. My drinks were never empty! Thank you Justin!

Keegan was a great server! She made the experience that much better, my mom will never forget this birthday.

Good food and good service our waiter was very friendly. Came back in touch on this many times.

I decided to take my kids out for taco Tuesday to Macayo since they had three dollar tacos deals. We got there and the ambience was beautiful nice, clean, and well-maintained. We got sat in the bar area so we could watch some sports on TV. The waiter/bartender was absolutely phenomenal. He took very good care of us and was absolutely attentive. They brought us the small saucer plates and our utensils. This is where things started to change. I look at my butter knife, and there is food on it. Dried food. My son had the same on his utensils. We didn't use any utensils!!!!! This is was BAD! The next thing is they brought us chips and salsa and this is where things went from bad to worse. I've been going to Macayos since I was a teenager so for over 2o years. One of my favorite things about Macayos was & is their hot sauce. I picked up a chip and as always dipped it in the hot sauce.......... when I took a bite it was so disgusting. It smelled like and tasted like nothing but cumin. I like cumin but I can only handle cumin in moderation. So -1 point for the hot sauce being disgusting. The salsa however, was decent. It's just, I like spice in my salsa & hot sauce and this one had no spice at all. Moving onto the tacos. One of my sons had the ground beef taco. The other one had chicken and I had shredded beef. Found out from the server that the ground beef and the chicken come pre-packaged so they're not freshly made. However, the shredded beef is freshly made. My boys rated the ground beef and chicken tacos a 6 out of 10 and I rated the shredded beef taco at 5 out of 10. As much as I used to enjoy going to Macayos with my late mom .....it's just not the same anymore. There are other restaurants that have better quality food, authentic quality food and for a better price!

The food is good and the portions are good for the price. The bathrooms are absolutely filthy and need to be cleaned. Kind of makes you wonder what the kitchen looks like.

The prices at this restaurant have gotten absolutely insane. In 2019 a pint of their Baja sauce was $6.99. It then went up to $9.99 in 2021 and now it's $15.99 for that pint. $16 for a side of sauce?!?!?!?! Nope. I'm done. I can't wait to see this place close just like all the other locations.

We had Gabriel as our server and he was fantastic! Just the right amount of service and made our visit special. The food and atmosphere are what I was craving and my non alcoholic margarita was perfect. I'm so glad to come here and I have leftovers for tomorrow! Lucky me!

I returned to Macayo's to use the remaining balance of my gift card. This time I was pleasantly surprised. I ordered off the senior menu and liked the chili relleno and enchilada combo very much. The waiter I had this time was better as well.

Today was special $ .79 margarita day, we've been going there over 20yrs. This was by far the worst service ever. The food was good, but we waited about 15 minutes for drink order, mind you the parking lot was pretty much empty. When guy server finally came, he was rude. I had my souvenir mug, and I said I have margarita, he said "ya I know ". It took a while for it to come, with only one other table seated. All tables in bar except 3 were full with dirty drinks and plates almost the whole time we were there, I timed it was 57minutes before the normal bartender/waitress came in and she cleaned all tables in less than 10 minutes. It doesn't take long to clean up a table, she did it in no time. We will still go back because this was probably some piss poor bartender/ waiter, but manager needs to watch closer.

The food is always great at this Macayos's. What needs improvement is the smell and the ventilation system. The bathroom smells horrible and it always does. I come here all the time for years and years and it has a stench. The ventilation in the restaurant is not good because you leave smelling like Macayos's, which is not a plus. I also feel that the bathroomspecifically the women's bathroom needs to be remodeled and whatever stench is coming from there needs to be handled. I can't imagine that this is OK from a county health perspective.

I really enjoy coming here. The food is always solid and tasty. They have an outdoor patio that is dog friendly and a nice place to sit. And the rewards program is amazing!

Saw this place when driving by and didn't know they were still open. We decided to swing back around and we weren't disappointed. We were seated promptly as it didn't seem too busy. Our server was nice and very attentive with our drinks and food. The food was good and filling for the price! I would recommend if you're craving some good Mexican food!

My heart is broken. Their tacos are not made the same way anymore. I'm just devastated actually. My favorite food in the world for as long as I could remember was Macayo's Crispy Shredded Chicken Tacos. I sadly learned that my once beloved Macayo's has been bought out by a big corporate restaurant conglomerate. They have lost that I don't know what they used to have. I have been going to Macayo's since I was born. My grandpa was friends with the original owners. We used to go to the kitchen and hang out with the cooks and staff. It had been a few years since I had Macayo's. I immediately ordered 4 tacos. The tacos used to have a very unique spice to them that I have only tasted at one other location and that was a gas station in Brentwood, CA. Weird, I know. The new version of the taco's were nothing like I remember. Other than the crispy shell. The chicken wasn't even shredded the same way. It was basic bland chicken. No flavor could be found at all. We did have a Cheese Crisp. Thankfully that was the same. Go look up Macayo's YouTube page and you can learn how to cook one yourself. This is a staple dish in our home. The other things that were ordered by others at the table were good. My man got this crazy good beef dish that I dont remember what it was called. If I had known that my dreams would be dashed I would have ordered what he had. Our server was excellent and really made the visit. Everyone working was great. How do you tell Macayo's to keep the same recipe for their shredded chicken tacos?

Super yummy margarita flights (I've tried every flavor by now) and the food is always spot on, there is 50/50 chance your server will be too busy and won't be as attentive as I'd like but overall nice place.

Good Mexican food at a descent price. Service is a little slow and my wait staff did not bother to check on me during my meal. Cheese crisp is free with a check in kinda taste like American cheese on a tortilla. The enchiladas I got, one chicken and one spinach, I got with Baja sauce which is creamy with Jalapenos diced in. It was weird that while it was good, it didn't have any heat or kick to it. Had some churros on the way out and they were crunchy and good. I have had better Mexican food but it was ok for finding a place while hungry and not wanting fast food.

Went to Macayo's a couple weeks back with the wife. She had the Chx Chimi and I had the basic bean tosada and shredded beef taco. Service was quick, the beer was cold, salsa was very good. Always pretty solid here; and this time was no exception. As an aside, I always like the boatload of shredded lettuce on the bean tostada. That's minor, I know, but I like it. 4 times out of 5 the cheese crisp is excellent. Every once in a while it's a bit dry but, eh. Pour on more salsa !!! Prices are pretty much mid-range, and the food is always fairly solid. I cannot say this place is 5 Stars in that I don't think Macayo's is exceptional. However.... They are very good across the board, and that in/of itself is almost 5 Stars. Can I rate it 4-Stars with a + sign afterward ? Ha ha. Manga !

Armando the Manager is fabulous! Always so kind and efficient! Ate our amazing server is the very BEST! Customers for over 35 years. My new favorite is the green corn tamale with Baja Sauce...absolutely delish!

Food was good service was good would recommend to local little areas for people to come and eat in a little local scene there great Little Gem hidden away

My boyfriend and I came here for lunch and had a great time! Manuel was our server, and he did a wonderful job!! He hit all the points....he talked us into some yummy margaritas to start with, and was patient with us when we needed time to order food, which was delicious by the way! The atmosphere was very comfortable.

Our server Keegan was incredible! Very attentive, nice, accommodating and personable. Great service, great food, and nice environment. We will be back!

The food was great and served hot. Keegan our server was very attentive. She check our drink and chips level several times. Very happy with the visit to the Glendale Macayo's.

I wanted to get my Yelp on last night so we got takeout from Macayo's. I know. I've never been here. Crazy. I know. So it's located right on Bell in Glendale. Super convenient location. Plenty of ample parking. Huge sign out front. See the parrot? ...yeah, you're in the right spot. Parking lot and entry way are both clean. We walked in and were greeted right away. We explained we wanted to place a takeout order and were pointed to the right spot. None of the employees were masked (if that sort of thing is important to you). But anyhoodles, we placed our to-go order and minutes later (literally just minutes) our food was bagged up in containers and handed to us. Prices were reasonable and on par with most any other Mexican restaurant with table fare in the area. Got home and unpacked our meal. Very well packed and piping hot and fresh. I went with the nachos supreme (no sour cream 'cuz gross) and my wife went with enchilada. Nachos were extremely tasty & very flavorful. The chips were crunchy and not at all stale. And you know how sometimes you get nachos from a place and you got a few chips in the corners and on the sides with nothing on them? Just plain tortilla chips chillin all by their lonesome? ...well, it wasn't like that. Every chip had toppings. Guacamole, tomatoes, ground beef and more cheese than your cholesterol even knows what to do with. Most excellent. Excellent friendly service, super quick, very tasty, fresh and reasonably priced. I'm not quite sure how my experience at this Macayos was the polar opposite of some of the other reviews, but to be fair - we did not dine in. Again, it was take out so I cannot comment on the dining service. We shall return!

The waitress was very nice. The little plates that are on the table for chips and salsa had food stuck to them, we asked for new plates, one was wet the other was dirty. The restaurant on 59th and Bell Road is old and very dirty. I didn't want to touch the chair to pull it out to sit down. My tortilla soup was ok but not served hot. The steak fajitas were fatty and tough. The lettuce was wilted. The guacamole was good, the cheese enchilada was ok. We used to love this Macayo's, will not be returning.

We have only ordered delivery from here twice, so I haven't been to the restaurant. But I was happy with the food! The portions you get are pretty generous. Their enchiladas were super decadent and flavorful. However their tamales, nachos, and tacos were all decent, but I felt they could use a little more zing and flavor. But maybe that's just because I like more aromatic and spicy Mexican food? A little habanero/jalapeño sauce made them all taste great. Still, I'd definitely order again especially for a big meal or a lot of people - the portions are huge! One thing I really appreciated was that they have gluten free cheese-crisps. You never see that anywhere! It's almost always done on flour tortillas but Macayo's delivered. I don't recommend getting one for delivery though - cheese-crisps are only good fresh off the stove/oven.