Aunt Chilada’s – Tempe, AZ – Solid Taco Review

I visited this awesome space last December (2017) in Tempe, Arizona. A fun name, Aunt Chilada’s has a welcoming space, great decor, and friendly staff. Aunt Chilada’s also boasts a fantastic outdoor space. I came out to Arizona for the Grand Canyon, shoot some machine guns, and to mountain bike in the desert.

Mountain Biking then Tacos — Mountain biking then tacos

After 4-5 hours of mountain biking at Cactus Adventure (highly recommend) near the Grand Arizona Resort I found myself in need of food.

Follow the Path to Mexican Food at Aunt Chilada's - Tempe, AZ — Follow the Path to Mexican Food at Aunt Chilada’s – Tempe, AZ

Follow the literal path from the resort to Aunt Chilada’s. If I remember correctly there is a small creek running nearby so expect a few ducks walking around the patio.

Let’s get down to the tacos. I sat down at the bar and was offered a great lunch special; two tacos, beans, vegetables, chips and salsa, and a choice of a fountain drink or iced tea. The lunch special was offered for….wait for it…..$10.95. So yeah that sounded pretty good.

Lunch Special at Aunt Chilada's -Tempe, AZ — Lunch Special at Aunt Chilada’s -Tempe, AZ

Before really diving in, I want to point that there are two taco options here. The street taco option on the menu comes with (a more authentic style) 3 tacos for $16 served on corn tortillas in traditional styles like al pastor. The second option is the shredded beef or chicken taco special which is what I ordered.

Beside being an awesome spot for Mexican food, Aunt Chilada’s also offers a large selection of tequila, 50+ different styles. I was on my health kick (trying to get back on it) so I didn’t take advantage of the potential alcohol/taco pairings, also post exercise drinking doesn’t help. The taco lunch special I ordered was served on standard flour tortillas, nothing crazy, they were quite filling and hit the spot. Each taco on the special, either shredded beef or shredded chicken, (I went with the chicken) comes topped with shredded cabbage, Cilantro, tomato, pickled sweet onion and Cotija cheese. First bite in these are not hot in flavor, these tacos have sort of a Goldilocks effect, not bad and not amazing, just right. The whole meal was filling and cooked well. The chicken was good, I really regret not getting the street tacos, they are probably worth a trip back to this Mexican restaurant.

Overall I would say this restaurant has a lot to offer, a beautiful space inside and out; a large menu to cater to anyone in your group. If you’re a local its worth checking out for the great patio and drink options.