2 visits in 1 week and we had 2 very different experiences. 1st visit was a Saturday afternoon. Very quiet not busy at all. But for some reason it literally took 15 minutes for our waitress to acknowledge us. No drinks. No chips. No hello. Once we did order our drinks and they were delivered we didn't see her again for 10 minutes. We ordered a cheese crisp appetizer and asked for hotter salsa. We wait and wait and wait. Can't even find her to ask for our appetizer. Our food comes. Delivered by the manager. We complain and he says he will make sure to remove the charge for the mix up. Well since the appetizer was never brought out we'd hope so. He brings our hot salsa and we get refills. So we eat our food and after the waiting and the lack of service, our food was surprisingly DELICIOUS! I ordered the shredded beef chimichanga with green sauce over it. OMG it was worth it. I did order the guacamole for $1 and it was literally a teaspoon serving. Seriously macayos? we ate and left. That was a 3 star visit due to the horrible service. 2nd visit was a Friday afternoon. Great service. Ordered the same dish. NOT the same flavor. Not sure why or what happened but I didn't even finish it. It was way off on flavor. I will say we did order the appetizer of "green tamale bites" holy mother of God those were DELICIOUS! I told my sis next time that's all I'm getting. I was amazed at how scrumptious those little suckers were. Worth any wait, screw up, or service. 4 stars for the tamale bites and service. We will be back. It's worth it just speak up when we get a bad server.
(4)
Jane O.
We have been to this location quite a few times, and we love it. We've never had any problems, but this time my husband found a hair in his food. At first he thought it might have been his hair, but he literally had to dig it out of his burrito. He was pretty upset because he was really enjoying it. We called the waiter over, and explained what happened. He offered to take it off the bill, or just make a whole other one. We got a second one to go. The waiter also got the manager to come over and talk to us. The manager was very friendly and apologized over and over. When they brought us the second burrito, it was already bagged and ready to go, and they included chips and salsa also!!!
(5)
Kevin K.
I am not much of a Mexican food eater so I will go by what my kids and wife ate. I will address the service part of it though myself. The kids said that their cheese tortilla and carne asada chimichanga were ok. Not the best though and I asked them why and they said not much taste to it. The beans and rice were overcooked was another comment. The wife was not impressed with her meal as well. I had a regular burger and it was ok. The service though was awful. The server was slow, served us the wrong drinks, spilled sauces on me and didn't even say sorry. He did bring me 1 napkin to clean up. We paid 55 bucks for the 4 of us and with service and food it was awful and this place deserved a 1 star rating.
(1)
Carolyn L.
Sat at a table yesterday 6:30 pm to have dinner out with my son. Sat there for 25 minutes being completely ignored ! No chips/salsa, no drinks, just ignored us. Tried to get attention of server but they all ignored us so we walked out BAD
(1)
Chris G.
RUDE RUDE RUDE. I asked a question about an item on the menu on one occasion, and the condescending waitress treated me like a deaf child who couldn't read. Another time, the waitress we had was obviously having a bad day because she kept cursing in Spanish under her breath, and practically threw our food at us when it came, and then never returned the rest of the time we were there. The glasses, silverware, and tables have been dirty EVERYTIME, and they always take FOREVER. Not returning to this location.
(1)
Tamara W.
You can't go wrong with this place. We often order the Chimichanga Grande dinner to go. It is a large portion with rice and beans. Quick service !!!!
(4)
Joyce H.
Never experienced such slow service in my life and it wasn't crowded. They messed up my friends order twice. Overpriced fajitas which were burnt. Meeiocre food at best. Booth was dirty. Overall bad experience. We won't be back
(2)
L B.
It was ok. They had this option for a three course, which saves you a bunch of money. I got a visit with a friend. The waiter wasn't the friendliest. He was efficient. We were there quite some time and no one asked us to get out. It's a huge space though. I did have a hard time finding it. It was rather hidden.
(4)
Krysten P.
Fantastic service large portions. The Baja sauce and margaritas were excellent, this will be a regular place for me now
(4)
Connie K.
... I've been to this particular Macayo's multiple times without any issue. I'm basing this review off our last visit on Saturday. The waitress was so amazing that she drained my wallet of any and all remaining dollars! Haha! I ordered the chicken California burro which is a staple whenever I visit and my husband had the variety sampler of the enchiladas! He never finishes his food (ever) and he gobbled it all up! I love my CA burro because it tastes fresh and it's big enough to take half home.. But I normally push myself a little too hard to finish it all in one sitting! Ha! Last visit was 5 stars, but giving a 4 because we normally visit in a larger group and it can be difficult for staff to accommodate 10 or more.
(4)
Mindy P.
Was convinced by the awesome bartender John to try the Watermelon Jalapeno Margarita and to my surprise is was delicious however a little overpriced for the size. Atmosphere was fun even had live music in the bar on a Tuesday night. Had a bowl of red chili with a side of tortillas and it was excellent. Would definitely visit again.
(4)
Jim T.
I am very sorry to have to write this review as this WAS one of favorite restaurant's to go to. My wife and I both ordered a Chili Relleno from the Mix and Match menu. It was terrible. I learned from the waiter that they have changed their sauce and the rice had no taste. It seems that they are now making the sauce in house not rather than purchasing it from their commissary. I've been a long time customer since 1995. Sorry to say, I will not be coming back. With crappy sauce like that they've pretty much have destroyed the entire menu. There are too many other restaurants to go to throw away my hard earned money. Adios Macayo's.
(1)
Chad R.
Excellent gluten free and vegan menus. Food was outstanding as well as the service. Nothing bad out this resturant.
(5)
Mike W.
07/20/2014 My waitress "Severa" was polite and prompt. They offered mild & spicy salsa. The only difference between the two was the "spicy" one was more watery. Not chunky like a poco de gallo. They did have a nice flavor. The chips were just chips nothing special. I ordered the Prickly Pear Margarita. It had a great flavor. I ordered the Achiote Pork Street Tacos. They tasted great bit were very small. They tasted great. They were served on what looks like a "wonton" stand. That tasted good as well. The quantity of meat is half what is pictured in the photos. I'll include both. The black beans were just normal black beans. There was a pile of cabbage larger than the tacos. I ate some, as I was still hungry after eating everything else. It looks like i would be leaving hungry, so I decided to order a flan. The flan was ok. It was not a five dollar flan to match its price, but it was ok.
(4)
Leslee S.
I always enjoy their food. If you love hot salsa ask be sure to ask for it! The regular salsa is always so fresh and yummy! They had a new cook that misread several of the entrees. The waiter brought me the wrong kind of beans on my plate and my friend had a chicken enchilada when she wanted a cheese. I will definitely be back! I'm sure the new guy will have it perfected by then.
(4)
Jamie A.
Seems like a typical chain restaurant but not the authentic or tex-mex I was hoping for and the chips were so stale we left it untouched. The food was just as expected, and tasted like everything was just heated in a microwave or something you'd get from the frozen food section. Our waitor was amazing and even offered info on where we can find what we're looking for since we're new in town.
(3)
Kelly V.
Is Macayo's a foodie's dream? Not even close. But it's always quality food. I've been to Macayo's all over the valley and have never had a bad meal. Sometimes the service can be hit or miss (this past visit, it was great) but that seems to be the only variable.
(4)
Frank R.
Went for lunch but they have no lunch menu . Dinner prices for lunch is way too expensive . When we walked in it smelled like a restroom . Ordered a beef burrito and had no beef in it . All beans , lunch came to seventeen dollars including tip . Alot of money for a bean burrito . Never going again ever .
(1)
Jon N.
High quality service is the first thing I noticed, a place that the staff remember the drinks you order. Chips and salsa come standard with your meal, which almost serve as an appetizer. Carne asada tacos were OK, doesn't come close to more authentic restaurants in terms of flavor. Baja sauce definitely makes it enjoyable, but it's par for the course compared to the competition.
(4)
Stacey H.
It's pretty standard chain. Service leaves A LOT to be desired and you'll definitely find better. Turnaround is quick though and I don't spend a ton of time in the area so it's a quick go to that's right there.
(2)
Lisa M.
Great food! Consistent, nice staff, great catering, and did I mention great food! Love their chips and salsa!!!
Not sure why there are so many bad reviews for Macayo's. I stop in at least once a month. They serve the best Mexican food that I have had in Phoenix. The service is always excellent, the food is consistently delicious and is served quickly. I love Macayo's and this location in particular is my favorite!
(5)
Christopher P.
I love this place. It is one of our regular stops. We LOVE the Baja Sauce. I would put that stuff on everything. Baja Chimi is amazing. I also love the Fajitas. They put green chills with the onions. Salsa is also good.
(5)
Michele M.
The worst food ever! It was embarrassing how bad the food was. It was nothing more than microwaved, canned, pre packaged junk. I had their sample plate small size, not sure what it was called.It took them 3 minutes after taking our order to food on the table. Should have been a red flag. It was microwaved so hot it was ridiculous.Rubbery shell, dry burnt meat in the taco, oh my It was not edible at all. On a Monday night at 7 pm, also dirty tables all around I will never eat here again! The salsa was bottled junk again. Chips were ok that's about it. Dont waste your time or money on this place.
(1)
A H.
Can't come to Arizona without hitting up a Macayo's. Growing up, we usually ate at the Central location. Back in the 80's I was enrolled in their Birthday program. So special, they'd send me a Birthday Card, guaranteeing me a free meal and special toy. So personal! We frequent this location now because my parents are Sun City Snowbirds. Food is fantastic, consistent through the years! Go to meal: start with chips and HOT salsa (if they don't initially bring it, just ask,) a cheese crisp; then for the beef chimi (soo delicious, crispy outside, juicy inside, and lovely red sauce topping--can't go wrong!!) Husband's fav right now is the chicken poblano, side of sour cream. And they always have fresh iced tea. This place can get packed nights and weekends. We love middle of the afternoon visits, in between lunch and dinner rush. It's quiet, service is very relaxed, and we can hear each other. This last visit "Ate 0710" waited on us. Very pleasant and attentive. Our meals are always so big, there's plenty for a second meal. "Ate" was considerate enough to box and bag our to-go's. We bought some extra chips and salsa for our trip back to The Bay Area. Another successful meal and service!! See you guys in a few months!!
(5)
Kurt S.
Food was... OK, Drinks were... OK. Happy hour was... OK. Outside patio was PACKED at HH and servers were having a hard time keeping up. Drinks and food were definitely WAY too slow to arrive. Management should look into upping the staff for the "after 5pm" crowd that blasted this place on a Friday night. If the service could have kept up, it could have easily been a 4 or 5 star night. Maybe next time. Oh, and don't forget to purchase your souvenir mug, so you too can enjoy $4 refills on (24 oz.???) Marg's, but be careful, they love to pack those things full of ICE over and over again so make sure to request "no more ICE" after your first one or just go frozen.
(3)
Gray L.
Decent service, but as a vegetarian, I expect the vegetarian menu do be just that. The rice isn't vegetarian nor is the sour cream.
(3)
Beth H.
I visited Macayo's with my family on a visit in early December. Since I don't live in town anymore, I cannot chalk up my visit to just a bad night, but I can share my experience. We were hoping to get in for happy hour, but it was packed. Bummer, but not a strike against the restaurant. We still wanted to stay for some drinks and dinner. We requested a table for 7. Mind you, our party was standing in front of the host stand. Most of us are about 6' or more with the crowning jewel of height is my step father, clocking in at 7'1". They stuck us at two tiny, pushed together tables, 7 of us, in the main walk way from the kitchen. Even if we all were at a more comfortable table, or we were smaller people, you don't put people in the walkways from the kitchen. My sister and I were constantly getting shoved in the back, but chose to sit there so our parents weren't the ones assaulted. I had to sit with my purse on my lap since I couldn't hang on the chair with the traffic going by and there was no floor space to spare with our tangle of legs. I grabbed the margarita menu hoping that ordering a couple would help save the quickly falling mood. DAMN DRINKS WERE $10+. At a bloody restaurant, during happy hour. Oh but happy hour doesn't apply to the dining side. A few of us ordered a drink, still. My mom's came with just a piece of lime rind, my upgraded margarita looked like a regular and came in a smaller glass and I just got excuses from the waiter that they are the same ounces. (Bullshit and we pointed it out with the empties after the fact but he didn't care.) I was still charged the $12.50 for the shorted drink. The food was ok but not much of a selection. I shared a meal with my sister to off set the cost of our drinks. It was very disappointing and my mom was crushed that the only evening we had to visit a Mexican restaurant, during my visit to Arizona, was such crap.
(1)
Alex S.
I only go to Macayo's for one thing- the green chile tamales. It's like a girl on her period's dream come true. The salty and sweet is amazing. I am always satisfied when I leave. My husband always orders the beef chimichanga which is always stuffed full of moist shredded beef. It's huge! Macayo's is your typical Americanized Mexican food; heavy on the cheese and enchilada sauce. On the downside, I've never had a superior server. They've always seemed kind of distracted. I always blame it on the place being so busy.
(4)
Ron P.
Very good food and drinks. I went for happy hour at the bar and had a good time. Service was great and not rushed.
(4)
Rand H.
Had the pleasure of getting together with Scott W. for lunch here today. It was my first visit to this Macayo's & I ordered a "Mex 'n' Match" Lunch Special, with a bowl of Tortilla Soup, a (Pablano) Chile Relleno, shredded beef taco, steamed mixed vegetables, & of course their great chips & salsa. The atmosphere here was just right, as was the service from Rene, every bite of the food, & the price, so it's a big 5 Stars for Macayo's Glendale! Mex 'n' Match Weekday Lunch Special with two main items & two sides: $9.99 ¡Yumamundo! :-))
(5)
Scott W.
Had lunch here with Rand H this past Wednesday. Arriving before the lunch rush about 11:30 they worked with us old folks to find seating we would both be comfortable with. The service stayed great throughout the meal. Our server knew the answer to our questions. Macayo's is not the only Arizona chain to have done well with Americanized Mexican food. It is prepared well, tasty and presented well. I would suggest if you order steamed veggies as one of your sides you ask for it in a separate dish as the water will drift in to your other items.
(4)
Steve T.
We have been eating at this Macayo's for a very long time. It used to be my favorite place to eat. I have since moved on to Caramba, because it is a much better value. Don't get me wrong. The food here is good, but not as good as it used to be. The prices are really high, as well. We ate here a few nights ago and it was almost $14 for my carnitas plate, and around $12 for my wife's chimichanga. The carnitas were good, but not $14 good. The chimichangas used to be what this place was renowned for. They were huge and relatively inexpensive (around $8). They seem to be more compact now and almost look like they're prepared off-site and then heated up when you order. The chips and salsa that they bring when you sit down are alright (although nothing can compare to Caramba's salsa). There are some good reasons to eat here. The service is usually really good. The waiter was really attentive when we were there and kept my drink filled the whole time. They are one of the few places that still take reservations. They have a cool room with stars that the kids like sitting in. We'll definitely eat here again, but I wish that it was a place I could rave about like I used to.
(3)
Trever M.
We've been to many Macayo's locations and are rarely disappointed, this was no different. It's always good food but not great food. We shared a cheese crisp and a shredded beef chimichanga. The cheese crisp was good but a bit overpriced (almost $7) for a toasted tortilla with a THIN layer of cheese. The chimicanga was good but was quite a bit smaller than I remember and was $12. I don't mind paying for good food, and I don't have to be stuffed when I leave to be happy, but it does seem like the value could be adjusted a bit. On a high note, I'm always happy when a Mexican restaurant carries a variety of Mexican beers. Yay, Dos Equis lager on draught!!!!
(3)
Kelly R.
I have been a customer of this location for over 10 years. I can honestly say I've never had a complaint that's yelp worthy of writing about. The food has always come out piping hot and fresh. My order is always correct. The place is always busy and imo they handle it well. The staff hustles. My service is always just fine or better, sometimes fantastic! Another thing I love is there is always a friendly hostess to greet you. My favorite menu items are: Green corn tamales with baja sauce! (worth every calorie, but don't eat this daily!) Fajita quesadilla Baja chicken quesadilla Mixed mini chimis, no sour cream and guac, with baja sauce Red corn chicken taquitos Chicken poblano (stuffed poblano pepper of chicken goodness! like chile rellenos but with meat!) Baja pizza (but Ajo Al's is even better) Steak Cortez Grilled chicken caesar salad (the chicken is so good!) Tortilla soup Cheeseburger (at least if you have picky kids!) Baja burro (if you haven't noticed by now, you can not go wrong with baja sauce. this is not a place for diets!) Grilled chicken tacos (which I think used to be called the beach tacos) Baja Chimi Sopapillas I like the rice and beans but never have room for them! Also, the margaritas are awesome! I don't know if they always have it, but especially prickly pear!! Or original on the rocks, strawberry blended. I haven't experienced any of the negative things people wrote in other reviews.
(5)
Candice G.
We usually call in to go ordrs as we did today. Speaker for pickup doesnt work, u just have to hope they see u on camera or youll be waiting.. hannah had wrong price so i couldnt contact on speaker- had to run in cause i forgot my cell. They gave me correct price, and my order. I get back to my van n check my bags. Hannah had forgotten half my ordr. No cheese crisp, xtra chips n salsa, and my entire carne asada chimi meal with rice and beans were no where to be found. So now, im making my second trip in cause again, speaker doesnt work. Mind u, hannah has only been out to my vehicle once and that was to get my name for my order and my credit card. I had already given her a $10 tip for my $37 order when i paid. AND ive gone in and out twice cause she didnt properly check my bags. I shoulda asked her for change since i paid her tip cash. By the time i got back to my vehicle, my initial food brought out first was cold. Hub and I, as much as we like the food, have now sworn off this place for good. Customr service on to go is zero stars the only reason for two stars is the cooks know what theyre doing. Let me make a point of saying I always tip good rght away and normally this gets me good srvice. I pay cash tip even if i use cc just so i know they get it right away, and recognize it...like i said, they appreciate the consideration normally and i get good service. I'll know better next time i guess. I checked my bags, i made sure ordr and pricng on receipt was correct, i did all the legwork...shoulda tipped myself!
(2)
Lacey E.
Service was great. Very attentive and kind. My husband absolutely loves his burrito. I only got cheese enchiladas. They were a'ight. I would probably go back.
(3)
Rubin U.
First time here. Saturday night... Terrible. Extremely understaffed. After 20 min I went to the bar to get my drinks.. Then another 20 min ordered my food.... Salsa isn't very good either. Would not recommend, will not come back... Ever... Ever ever ever...
(2)
Curt B.
Visited here on Valentine's day for dinner. I got the pork carnitas meal. The meat was steaming but the rice and beans were on the cold side. My date got the shredded beef chimi de macayo. She said it was delicious abd everything on her plate was warm or hot. Although our margaritas were awesome!!!
(3)
Jacob N.
This is one of my favorite mexican places. Baja pork chimi? Oh yes. Lots of baja cheese sauce. Chips and spinach queso? Ohhh yeah.
(4)
C C.
We have been there twice now. The food was very good. Atmosphere and service was very good. The prices are rather high and they suggest a 20% tip. Otherwise I would give it a 5. This is the Macayo's on Bell Road.
(4)
Wes D.
Excellent restaurant. Been looking for a good Mexican restaurant since moving from California. Service was excellent and food was unique and very tasty. My new favorite Mexican restaurant
(5)
Diana M.
We decided to stop for a bite to eat my husband and my 17 year old son, it happened to be Happy hour, we don't drink, but we sat out on the patio, really nice outside. We ordered appetizers as they were $3 off. All the food we order was just as good as always, the waitress was really nice and helpful. We will be going back again.
(5)
Grace G.
This place can get seriously loud but I still love the food. Baja sauce is soooo good. Mini chimi's and tamales are to die for. The drinks are excellent and the Sunset is highly recommended. The meals are a good size and healthy servings. My only complaints are the noise level can get out of hand here and the staff can sometimes go missing, especially in the bar area.
(3)
Amy D.
Meh.
(2)
HEATHER S.
Not happy with our service, food ok. Took forever to get seated. Finally seated (2 adults, 1 2.5 yr old and 11 mth old twins--all well behaved and happy). Once seated, we were given chips, no waters. Took awhile for server to come. Once he came, he got our drink order wrong (brought a beer we did not order and iced tea, still no waters). Sent beer back. When we ordered, our server kept changing our order so we "could save money". ? He said appetizer was free for first time customers. We ordered the cheese crisp. Came back 3 times asking if we really wanted it with guac and beef. Appetizer finally came. It was good. Luckily I brought snacks to keep the kids happy. Meal finally came. We had to eat fast and asked for the check because we had now been there for 1.5 hrs. The server up charged for the so called "free appetizer" and dips and charged us for a beer that we didn't order. We had to leave by then so I did not leave a good tip. Not happy and not coming back. **I usually give pretty good reviews and places a break, but not happy with service here.
(1)
jon c.
Went for dinner - ordered deep fried burro - dripping in sour cream and totally tasteless. I thought it came with rice and beans but nothing but a spoonful of lettuce and tomatoes. My son had the combination plate of tamale, taco rice and beans and he said it was very good. I just won't order the burro next time. I think a little overpriced - $10 for a burro! Nice atmosphere and friendly staff; quick service. Don't know abut the tv - we didn't go in the bar. Good parking. ther review said mild and spicy salsa? We only got mild.
(3)
Rachel R.
Oh Macayo.... You are a part of my youth, and I am destine to return to you .... The food is predictably decent, drinks are reasonable, service is good.
(3)
Joan K.
When we went in, we asked to go in to the bar area so we could watch the football game, but were informed that they were't seating anyone there as they had just seated a large party in there and they only had one wait person. REALLY on the last Sunday of regular football they only had one person working in the area where the tv's were? Poor planning on management's part. Every year we are given a gift card to Macayo's and we always look forward to going and having a good meal, unfortunately tonight we had a really poor meal, I do think part of it was a language barrier, our waitress was very sweet but she obviously did not understand what we were saying, no salt on a margarita didn't seem to be that hard. When I asked what Relleno Sauce was she could really only tell me it had tomatoes in it, when I told her I didn't like tomatoes could I get green chile with baja sauce she said so you just want Baja sauce, I had to explain three times that I wanted the baja as well as the green chile. When our food came out, a man brought the food and said he would tell someone we needed a refill on our drinks. My meal was totally garnished with tomatoes, as if I had told her I LOVED tomatoes. I scraped them off and cut into my chimi, which is when I realized that I hadn't specified what kind of meat I wanted (chicken), out rolled some of the largest chunks of onion and chiles I have ever seen, and little tiny chunks of beef, not even shredded. So my meal consisted of some pretty sticky rice, which I mixed the baja sauce into for some flavor, and about 10 chunks of beef about the size of dice...I left hungry. We had to actually stand up and flag down someone for a refill when our meal was almost done. The salsa was not up to its normal standard either, our thought was that perhaps the kitchen had run low and someone was just chunking up tomatoes and onion as fast as they could because when my husband dug in (see above...I don't do tomatoes) he literally had tomatoes the size of his chips...he said it tasted fine but the salsa didn't go far as the bowls were full of big chunks instead of lots of small flavorful items. We will go again, as we have been here and had good meals, but this one tonight was just so disappointing. Also, when the waitress took our plates, which had almost as much food on them as when they were set out, she should have asked if there was a problem, my husband tried to tell her that the meal was not up to the normal standards, but she just gathered the plates and rushed off to get our bill. Tip was not our usual generous +20%.
(3)
Nicole D.
I normally really enjoy eating here but this last experience bothered me. I went for lunch with my sister and son. My sister and I got an app to share and were going to split a lunch entree. My son only wanted a cheese crisp and the kids combo (which isn't much of a combo only one side and no drink included) was 4.75 and when I asked the price for just a Kids cheese crisp the waiter said it was going to 5.95. He said that there is no option to have the kids crisp by itself, they give you the adult size app crisp instead and charge full price. It's only a dollar difference but still, less food for more money.
(2)
Melissa H.
I'm disappointed by the low rating this Macayo's has! It's the closest one to where we live, and we've had nothing but great service and delicious, quickly served food. The last time we went (around 2 pm on a Friday-- admittedly not rush time, but still), we were seated promptly, greeted, asked about our drink order, and served. Our server was attentive and answered all our questions without any snark or exasperation. Our food came out hot and was delicious-- I forgot exactly what my boyfriend had, but it was something with garlic cream sauce, which was out of this world. I had the California Burrito (or at least that's what I call it... it's the veggie burrito) and it was so good I couldn't wait to take it home for leftovers! (I was the tool who left it there though... booo!) The meal was reasonably priced, our check came out correctly, and we were given excellent service. No complaints, and we'll be going again!
(5)
Jaime S.
It's Macayo's. Not terrible but not really Mexican food either.
(3)
Donna B.
Finally got to this place tonight, after it being recommended to us from a number of people, and we have to say it was a fun night. Nice looking place, very roomy, and the waiter John made a positive impression from the beginning, when we asked him what was popular on the menu and what was his favorite. We ended up getting their deal --- two of their entrees for $20 - me, the tacos, and my hubby the Carnitas. The Carnitas was the biggest hit at our table. We both had enough leftover for lunch tomorrow. Then, John surprised us with a sopapillo on the house for being at this restaurant for our very first time. The bill was cheaper than our breakfast the other day, and we were more full (with another meal to boot). So we recommend the place, and we hope john is your waiter, too.
(4)
Sal M.
food was good but the service needs to be more polish. I know its a good restaurant but the servers need training. Food is good and always ask for fresh salsa..
(3)
Yewon H.
I love mexican food and I would want mexican food for lunch everyday if I can. Now you can guess how excited I was when I found out that I had mexican restaurant right next where I work. But sadly enough this Macayo's mexican kitchen was not a real mexican restaurant. They make McDonald version of Mexican food. I can tell that they use low quality meat, chiken etc. I am so sad that have to drive at least 5 minutes to get real mexican food.
(2)
Conrad F.
Excellent service throughout meal with great tacos and house margaritas. Free chips and salsa ( although the salsa is more liquid than most) and our meals were served hot and quick. Great flan for dessert.
(4)
Nikki F.
I cannot lie. I am in love with their pork enchiladas, but that's pretty much where I draw the line. I think their decor is obnoxious, and the salsa sucks, even though for some godawful reason it was voted best in Phx for 2008... I do not agree, I also think their uniforms are possibly the ugliest I have ever seen. I'm not sure you could pay me enough to wear those bright ass parrot themed button ups. Although the food is decent this place has never been my first choice for Mexican cuisine.. I only came here because the Garcia's across the street was closed down, which upset me to no end because their bean dip is fucking amazing, well was... stupid economy. I had a margarita, and an hour later still have a decent buzz so cheers to the bartender.. The portions are big enough for two dudes, so I always have leftovers.. their service is suffice, but about as boring as this review is. I am now in a food coma, from the food baby they served me. Time for a nap.
(3)
Sarah H.
I am a fan. Aside from the tacky decor. Me and my mom can come here for a casual lunch. Spend $6.99 for an order of mini chimichangas, split it!, and then leave full. (Always get a side of the delicious Baja sauce... mmm.... clogged arteries....) Their portions are GIGANTIC, but it seems like they're working on that and may have improved. I do love you Macayos. You're easy, consistent, cheap, and tasty.
(4)
Tam F.
Working my way through my Phoenix trip, my next dinner out was to meet yet another "old" friend from high school. This one, I hadn't seen in almost 21 years and thanks to FB we got reconnected. MacAyo's is another local Mexican chain restaurant. This location is the newest probably open about 8 or 9 years now. Long ago, the location on Central Avenue was all the rage, but like any chain, sometimes growth does not necessarily equate to great. My friend and I shared a cheese crisp. I like the one here better than the one at Garcia's. I also had a shredded beef taco and black beans and rice. The taco had much better flavor than Garcia's and the beans were good. We each had a house margarita and I only drank half. Not because I was getting sauced, but because it was kind of nasty. All in all decent, but not blow me away good. Might come back but there are several other great Mexican food restaurants in the Valley that I will have to visit next time. Sadly with mom living in Sun City West, the schlep to get to some of these places is a bit too great. The waiter again was nice and accommodating. My friend and I had such a great time getting reconnected we also closed down this restaurant and then sat in front chatting till around midnight. This became the second night I did the tip toe walk through my mom's house hoping not to wake anyone up...
(3)
Nick V.
Great salsa and I love the tortilla soup.
(4)
Robert H.
I went to Macayo's with my brother in law and nephew. The restaurant was selected by my bother-in-law. We arrived at about 2:00, after the lunch rush, and the restaurant was mostly empty. But that didn't mean we got our choice of tables. All the booths were empty and un-bussed, so we ended up sitting at a table. The waitress came by quickly to get our drink orders, but it took longer than expected to get the drinks to our table. Chips and salsa was delivered. Two salsas; one somewhat chunky, but rather mild, and the second one spicier, but very runny. The chips were good though. I ordered the red chili burro, enchilada style. The burrito was one of the worst burritos I've had. It was salty, and without any sense of seasoning. I guess this is what I should expect when I allow my brother-in-law select a restaurant. He dislikes any sense of spice. Service was a bit slow for drinks, but the food did arrive quickly. Overall, I would never recommend this Macayo's. Too bland and tasteless like too many chain restaurants.
(2)
jocelyn s.
Food was pretty good but service was horrid. Came in a big group and they lost one of our orders, didn't tell us for 45 minutes, when they finally brought our food an hour and a half after we got there, they forgot another persons order. All without a single apology. Then the waitress spilled a pitcher of water on my purse and just said "sorry" and walked away. No napkins or anything. It was one of the worst service experiences I've ever received.
(1)
JA R.
$2.00 for a side of sour cream, on a cold burrito. Kept pushing alcohol even though we said we didn't drink. Too bad this place has beautiful interior decorations.
(2)
Heather W.
My husband and I went in yesterday for some mexican food we both got the chimichunga with rice lunch special. it was alright. we got home and got instantly sick. we go food poisoning from this place i recommend going to aho al's or a different resturant. worst experience ever. Macayos is not as good as i remembered.
(1)
Thomas I.
Just say no to Macayo. You may want to drive out of Glendale for food Mexican food
(1)
Christina L.
Let me preface this by saying that I've never been a big fan of chain Mexican restaurants. My sister loves Macayo's for some mysterious reason, and I decided to play along since we had relatives visiting from out of state. The decor is nauseating. It feels like they took the most obnoxious colors they could find and ratcheted it up on the scale of tacky. However, we came to eat, so who cares what color the walls are? The salsa is thin, but tolerable. Nothing special, but I'm always a fan of bottomless chips, so I'll take it. Everyone else seemed to like their food. I ordered tamales with green sauce. Unfortunately, the first time it came with their "Baja sauce," which our waitress informed us is cream cheese, heavy whipping cream and jalapeño juice. She quickly took it back and brought out my correct order. Much to my surprise, green sauce is just red sauce with green chiles in it. At this point, I had fallen behind enough that I scraped most of the sauce to the side and ate my lunch. The tamales had a nice fluffy texture, but the sauce was not what I had in mind. Our waitress did handle my sending back the order without any fuss. She was gracious and attentive, so for that I'm adding in an extra star.
(2)
Ameerah A.
Seriously dude, its Macayo's! How can you not like Macayo's?! I normally won't eat much of "Mexican" food any place else. Its always just so delicious here, nachos, tacos, chimis, enchiladas, tamales, you name it its great and filled with all the grease that your little heart cant take...the lunch menu prices are out of this world for the amount of food that you get! And if you have little ones, they have a special going on where they can eat free, and its A LOT of food, that the tyke can take home and eat later. Plus the Margaritas are to die for! A bit pricey, yes, but they make you feel magical. Like magical enough to be able to break all traffic laws by cutting across the road from one parking lot to another on the other side to go sober up at a T-mobile store...That was just an example, I'm not saying I actually did that. (I just have a vivid imagination!) Service is great and just the right amount of friendly. Yea, the decor is kind of on the loud side, the wonderful old Vegas casino carpet is spectacular if you ask me, but it just wouldn't be a Macayo's without it. I've been dying for them to sit me in the 'Night Jungle' section, but every time I go I end up outside of it. I know it sounds 5 year old-ish, but dammit I want to sit in the nighttime area next time! I will demand it. Please feel free to visit this location on that day as I'm sure the hissy fit I'll put up if they don't sit me there will be a riot.
(4)
K Z.
A friend of mine recently insisted on going to Macayo's for dinner. She's in love with the Baja burrito. I'll give her that the Baja sauce is pretty good, but everything else wasn't. I tried both the beef burrito and the chicken burrito and they were both awful. Plus, they didn't sit well in my stomach later either. The others in our group said their meals were okay, but there was nothing to write home about. The service was terrible. Our waitress was a nice woman, but everything took so long. We waited a long time to be helped, long for the food, and then a few things were forgotten, and then we waited almost an hour to get the bill and then pay it. It was excruiciatingly painful. I'd say my last visit to Macayo's was one of the worst restaurant experiences I have ever had, and it will be the last.
(1)
Stacey A.
I didn't come here for authentic mexican food, so I was pretty satisfied with my meal. I like hitting up Macayo's everyone once in a while because they have a decent lunch special. It's nice to be able to spend under $10 and have a sit down lunch with friends or coworkers. I really liked the lunch burro and cisco wrap - I had them at two different times, not all in one sitting...but it's enough to keep me coming back. Ugh, this review is making hungry. I'm done.
(4)
Chris Y.
Food was good, waiter was a n00b though, messed up our checks and didn't really check on us. I'd put a two star, but the food was good.
(3)
Eli H.
Yep, I'm going 5 stars....mostly because all of the Mexican food in the NW valley is average. I came here yesterday and was blown away by their green corn tamale with baja sauce, I want to go straight back today just to have another. Damn was it good! I had the 2 item lunch special and also got the beef enchilada with beans, total cost came to about $8 and another $2 for the drink so with tax and tip it didn't cost much at all for a good meal in a restaurant. I always think of this place since I have to drive for more authentic Mexican but Macayos has pretty darn good chips and salsa (which is how you know your food will be good) and I also get another dish here but I can't seem to remember right now....guess I will have to re-review later. Not sure I will ever get anything else but that tamale anyway, just get it done.
(5)
Alicia W.
The salsa was okay. The fajitas, nothing to write home about. Overall, for a place that always has a long line....the food was not very good.
(3)
Elizabeth S.
I hate for my first official review to be a one star review but Macayo's really disappointed me last night. When I first pulled into the parking lot last night I was surprised to see how many empty parking spaces there were. I immediately got excited because normally any restaurant on Bell road any night of the week has a wait. However, when I walked inside I saw a slew of people waiting to be seated. I walked up to the hostess stand and put my name on the list and the hostess did not give me a time quote and when I asked how long it would be she quoted me, "not too long." We waited about 15 minutes before being shown to our table which is where the trouble really began. Once we were at our table we were quickly greeted by our server (yay) however, she told us she had another table's drink order to get and then she would be back for ours (boo). So we waited for her to take the other two tables drink orders before coming back to take ours. After about 10 minutes we got our fountain drinks and then 5 minutes later she came back to take our food order. Then it took about 50 minutes for our food to come out. Seriously, 50 minutes.... that's about how long I planned to spend at Macayo's not how long I planned on waiting for my appetizer of taquitos to take to come out. And to top it off we were missing a side of rice and a side of baja sauce. We decided not to mention it as we did not want to wait another hour for the two items to come out. So, after eating and waiting for our drinks to be refilled 3 times we finally got the check to which the server apologized for our wait. Apparently, she couldn't have apologized at all during our 50 minute minute wait she needed to wait until tip time. I don't recommend going to Macayos. You might have better luck at any of the other 10 Mexican restaurants on Bell Road.
(1)
Chris N.
Was visiting the area....my friend chose this place. I was going to order the fish tacos, until I asked the waiter what they put on the fish tacos and he was like: "Uhhhhhhh...." me: "Do you put anything on the fish? White sauce? Red sauce? Salsa?" waiter: "Oh yeah. Salsa." Uhhhhhh....nevermind. (I guess you can only get good fish tacos in Cali.) So I ordered the carne asada tacos. You can't mess that up, right? WRONG. It was the driest meat I have ever tasted. And then they loaded that dry ass meat with tons of cilantro. ugh. It was sort of like I was eating a cilantro salad with tiny pieces of meat mixed in. The only reason I am giving this place two stars is because everyone I was with seemed to like their food. If I was basing the stars just on my food it would definitely be a ONE star joint.
(2)
Joe B.
This place has become a real joke over the past couple years. Worse service anywhere. They just can't handle it anymore with the immigration crack down.. The food is hit and miss anyway...Never again.
(1)
Rebecca V.
We love, love, love Macayo's. The margaritas are fantastic! I prefer the strawberry ones but the regular mags are smooth too! Bring your Senor Bob or Cha Cha mugg and they are even cheaper. Yum! Try their mini chimichangas. Stay away from the free food during happy hour...looks a little sketchy.
(4)
Stephanie B.
I went this afternoon and had a great time. Our waiter was very friendly and helpful, the atmosphere was nice, and my lunch (the Baja pizza) was very good. The only downside were the chips, which tasted bland and even a bit stale. The accompanying salsa mostly masked that, but not entirely.
(4)
Erin H.
As other reviewers have stated, this is not true, authentic Mexican food. Macayo's, along with Top Shelf, serves the white people's version of Mexican food. Nothing too scary or spicy to freak us out, right? That being said...it's Macayo's! Native Arizonans at least know about the chain, if not having been raised on their food. Yes, the decor is loud and obnoxious with bright colors and enormous parrot statues, but it's awesomely bad. Appreciate the eccentricity, people! The food is decent. It's a bit on the greasy side, but if you came in here expecting something healthy and easy on your stomach, that's your problem. I will say that the wait staff is unpredictable; they have a high turnover rate of employees except for the tiny woman who brings the chips and salsa who has been there for years. You could end up waiting a long time; my personal experience is that our food usually comes so damn fast that it startles me. One last thing: if you like your margaritas sweet, you won't like theirs. Always very tart. They're drinkable, but sour. They say they put triple sec in there but I'm calling shenanigans on that.
(4)
Nadia K.
Late night dining with friends and on a budget, Macayo's sure hits the spot. I have to say, I do not eat Mexican food often, unless it is homemade by my friends, so I tend to rank places lower. I will say that the atmosphere, prices, and general service of Macayo's, coupled with their good food, qualifies it for a decent rating. We had a huge group and were seated pretty quickly. They organized our check splits from the beginning, which saved us a ton of hassle at the end. Chips & Salsa rating is decent: chips are good and not too salty, and the salsa is a good balance of chunky and not too thick, which has you eating probably way more than you should. I had a shredded beef enchilada with albondigas soup...I think the total was about $7 before taxes & tip, which wasn't bad, considering the giant enchilada that I got. there was a good level of cheesy, which balanced out the slightly dry quality of the beef. However, I did like the albondigas soup...well flavored! Customer service was fantastic. With the good crowd & timely delivery of the food, it was an overall good experience!
(3)
Benjamin L.
Good place for Mexican comparatively speaking. They have a unique variety of out of the ordinary dishes. I most recently had the spinach mahi tacos. Very good. Portion size for the price left a little to be desired and service wasn't very prompt. If you're looking for a good Mexican place and a meal price of around $30, Macayo's is it. I will certainly eat their again, but I think I will try to make it during their lunch hour when they have specials for $5.99.
(3)
maggie r.
I love Macayo's food, and have to admit it is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. I especially love this location. They serve the best Margarita's, nice and strong! They have their own sweet & sour mix, which I believe is the secret. The sunset margarita is a must try. Favorite foods: mini chimis, red corn taquitos and green corn tamale w/baja sauce. Oh and lots of chips & salsa! They also have a very large patio with live music on Thursday's until 9pm. The service is good and the bartenders are especially friendly.
(4)
Olivia R.
If you're looking for authentic Mexican food in Arizona, do NOT go to Macayo's. It's a standard chain restaurant which has decent food - but not representative of the true pizzazz that Mexican food has to offer. If you MUST go to Macayo's, go for some margaritas during happy hour - and then kick it over to a better, local place like Valle Luna.
(2)
Joseph I.
This is a review of Macayo's in general. This is a typical Mexican chain restaurant. These are way worse than authentic Mexican food which can be found all over the valley at a family owned restaurant. Prices are typical of any restaurant 8-15$ range. The margaritas are terrible. I had one with my girlfriend recently, and I did everything in my power just to choke it down. I think they poured sweet and sour mix in a cup and gave it to me. She couldn't even finish hers, and I noticed another table ordered margaritas that were left 3/4 full when they left. The food is pretty bad. Last time I went with my girlfriend, she threw up an hour later and I had heartburn the entire night (probably because I finished my margarita). I would never go back to a Macayo's again.
(2)
Kelly T.
I like the food here. One of the better Mexican restaurants that we've been to off of Bell. Can't say it's the best Mexican food but it's pretty good. The interior is very eye catching. I like the atmosphere here.
(4)
Liz L.
Went here for dinner over the weekend with husband. I kinda know what to expect from this place but felt like a sit down Mexican restaurant and was in the neighborhood. Vibe is kinda like on the boarder, minus the tex mex part....Right away we were seated to our booth, booth for two people was a little awkward. It's a half moon shape but our view was looking out onto a huge party of over 20 people, not very chill feeling. I ordered a large house margarita on the rocks and a Mexican pizza. Food took awhile to get to the table, we were already on our second basket of chips before our food arrived. Pizza was ok, seemed like they skimped out on a lot of the toppings. Margarita was weak also. I usually get a little buzz going on when I order a large one, but I didn't get anything from that one. As always the food at Macayo's seems to all drop to the bottom of your stomach like a rock....I think it's time to try something else even if I'm in the neighborhood.
(2)
Sam K.
I don't know where all those people who have given them 4-5 stars rating, We went in there for the 1st time, from San Diego where they know how to make Mexican Food. We waited 43 mins. before being waited on and served. The food was less then mediocre at best, and the service is below average. 1st and last time there.
(1)
Happy G.
Usually decent mexican food here, but ate there recently and had the green corn tamale with green sauce and baja chicken enchiladas. Only ate half of meal. When I got home I had the worst stomach pains and ending up throwing this all up. Got food poisioning!!! Won't be going here again.
(1)
Michelle L.
i've been raised on macayo's so i maaaayyyy be a little biased, but i really enjoy their chips and salsa and anything they put the baja sauce on. the enchiladas are also really good and the cheese crisp is (usually) perfect. i've never had an issue with service at this location that was noticeable one way or another. my favorite macayos is still the one on 19th ave and thunderbird, but this one is a close second.
(4)
Quadwilly G.
I must be hungry... I keep writing reviews for Restaurants! I love this place for their Taquitos with baja sauce and a good old fashion Margarita. But I do think their prices are a little high....
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.
Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.
Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.
Lisa C.
2 visits in 1 week and we had 2 very different experiences. 1st visit was a Saturday afternoon. Very quiet not busy at all. But for some reason it literally took 15 minutes for our waitress to acknowledge us. No drinks. No chips. No hello. Once we did order our drinks and they were delivered we didn't see her again for 10 minutes. We ordered a cheese crisp appetizer and asked for hotter salsa. We wait and wait and wait. Can't even find her to ask for our appetizer. Our food comes. Delivered by the manager. We complain and he says he will make sure to remove the charge for the mix up. Well since the appetizer was never brought out we'd hope so. He brings our hot salsa and we get refills. So we eat our food and after the waiting and the lack of service, our food was surprisingly DELICIOUS! I ordered the shredded beef chimichanga with green sauce over it. OMG it was worth it. I did order the guacamole for $1 and it was literally a teaspoon serving. Seriously macayos? we ate and left. That was a 3 star visit due to the horrible service. 2nd visit was a Friday afternoon. Great service. Ordered the same dish. NOT the same flavor. Not sure why or what happened but I didn't even finish it. It was way off on flavor. I will say we did order the appetizer of "green tamale bites" holy mother of God those were DELICIOUS! I told my sis next time that's all I'm getting. I was amazed at how scrumptious those little suckers were. Worth any wait, screw up, or service. 4 stars for the tamale bites and service. We will be back. It's worth it just speak up when we get a bad server.
(4)Jane O.
We have been to this location quite a few times, and we love it. We've never had any problems, but this time my husband found a hair in his food. At first he thought it might have been his hair, but he literally had to dig it out of his burrito. He was pretty upset because he was really enjoying it. We called the waiter over, and explained what happened. He offered to take it off the bill, or just make a whole other one. We got a second one to go. The waiter also got the manager to come over and talk to us. The manager was very friendly and apologized over and over. When they brought us the second burrito, it was already bagged and ready to go, and they included chips and salsa also!!!
(5)Kevin K.
I am not much of a Mexican food eater so I will go by what my kids and wife ate. I will address the service part of it though myself. The kids said that their cheese tortilla and carne asada chimichanga were ok. Not the best though and I asked them why and they said not much taste to it. The beans and rice were overcooked was another comment. The wife was not impressed with her meal as well. I had a regular burger and it was ok. The service though was awful. The server was slow, served us the wrong drinks, spilled sauces on me and didn't even say sorry. He did bring me 1 napkin to clean up. We paid 55 bucks for the 4 of us and with service and food it was awful and this place deserved a 1 star rating.
(1)Carolyn L.
Sat at a table yesterday 6:30 pm to have dinner out with my son. Sat there for 25 minutes being completely ignored ! No chips/salsa, no drinks, just ignored us. Tried to get attention of server but they all ignored us so we walked out BAD
(1)Chris G.
RUDE RUDE RUDE. I asked a question about an item on the menu on one occasion, and the condescending waitress treated me like a deaf child who couldn't read. Another time, the waitress we had was obviously having a bad day because she kept cursing in Spanish under her breath, and practically threw our food at us when it came, and then never returned the rest of the time we were there. The glasses, silverware, and tables have been dirty EVERYTIME, and they always take FOREVER. Not returning to this location.
(1)Tamara W.
You can't go wrong with this place. We often order the Chimichanga Grande dinner to go. It is a large portion with rice and beans. Quick service !!!!
(4)Joyce H.
Never experienced such slow service in my life and it wasn't crowded. They messed up my friends order twice. Overpriced fajitas which were burnt. Meeiocre food at best. Booth was dirty. Overall bad experience. We won't be back
(2)L B.
It was ok. They had this option for a three course, which saves you a bunch of money. I got a visit with a friend. The waiter wasn't the friendliest. He was efficient. We were there quite some time and no one asked us to get out. It's a huge space though. I did have a hard time finding it. It was rather hidden.
(4)Krysten P.
Fantastic service large portions. The Baja sauce and margaritas were excellent, this will be a regular place for me now
(4)Connie K.
... I've been to this particular Macayo's multiple times without any issue. I'm basing this review off our last visit on Saturday. The waitress was so amazing that she drained my wallet of any and all remaining dollars! Haha! I ordered the chicken California burro which is a staple whenever I visit and my husband had the variety sampler of the enchiladas! He never finishes his food (ever) and he gobbled it all up! I love my CA burro because it tastes fresh and it's big enough to take half home.. But I normally push myself a little too hard to finish it all in one sitting! Ha! Last visit was 5 stars, but giving a 4 because we normally visit in a larger group and it can be difficult for staff to accommodate 10 or more.
(4)Mindy P.
Was convinced by the awesome bartender John to try the Watermelon Jalapeno Margarita and to my surprise is was delicious however a little overpriced for the size. Atmosphere was fun even had live music in the bar on a Tuesday night. Had a bowl of red chili with a side of tortillas and it was excellent. Would definitely visit again.
(4)Jim T.
I am very sorry to have to write this review as this WAS one of favorite restaurant's to go to. My wife and I both ordered a Chili Relleno from the Mix and Match menu. It was terrible. I learned from the waiter that they have changed their sauce and the rice had no taste. It seems that they are now making the sauce in house not rather than purchasing it from their commissary. I've been a long time customer since 1995. Sorry to say, I will not be coming back. With crappy sauce like that they've pretty much have destroyed the entire menu. There are too many other restaurants to go to throw away my hard earned money. Adios Macayo's.
(1)Chad R.
Excellent gluten free and vegan menus. Food was outstanding as well as the service. Nothing bad out this resturant.
(5)Mike W.
07/20/2014 My waitress "Severa" was polite and prompt. They offered mild & spicy salsa. The only difference between the two was the "spicy" one was more watery. Not chunky like a poco de gallo. They did have a nice flavor. The chips were just chips nothing special. I ordered the Prickly Pear Margarita. It had a great flavor. I ordered the Achiote Pork Street Tacos. They tasted great bit were very small. They tasted great. They were served on what looks like a "wonton" stand. That tasted good as well. The quantity of meat is half what is pictured in the photos. I'll include both. The black beans were just normal black beans. There was a pile of cabbage larger than the tacos. I ate some, as I was still hungry after eating everything else. It looks like i would be leaving hungry, so I decided to order a flan. The flan was ok. It was not a five dollar flan to match its price, but it was ok.
(4)Leslee S.
I always enjoy their food. If you love hot salsa ask be sure to ask for it! The regular salsa is always so fresh and yummy! They had a new cook that misread several of the entrees. The waiter brought me the wrong kind of beans on my plate and my friend had a chicken enchilada when she wanted a cheese. I will definitely be back! I'm sure the new guy will have it perfected by then.
(4)Jamie A.
Seems like a typical chain restaurant but not the authentic or tex-mex I was hoping for and the chips were so stale we left it untouched. The food was just as expected, and tasted like everything was just heated in a microwave or something you'd get from the frozen food section. Our waitor was amazing and even offered info on where we can find what we're looking for since we're new in town.
(3)Kelly V.
Is Macayo's a foodie's dream? Not even close. But it's always quality food. I've been to Macayo's all over the valley and have never had a bad meal. Sometimes the service can be hit or miss (this past visit, it was great) but that seems to be the only variable.
(4)Frank R.
Went for lunch but they have no lunch menu . Dinner prices for lunch is way too expensive . When we walked in it smelled like a restroom . Ordered a beef burrito and had no beef in it . All beans , lunch came to seventeen dollars including tip . Alot of money for a bean burrito . Never going again ever .
(1)Jon N.
High quality service is the first thing I noticed, a place that the staff remember the drinks you order. Chips and salsa come standard with your meal, which almost serve as an appetizer. Carne asada tacos were OK, doesn't come close to more authentic restaurants in terms of flavor. Baja sauce definitely makes it enjoyable, but it's par for the course compared to the competition.
(4)Stacey H.
It's pretty standard chain. Service leaves A LOT to be desired and you'll definitely find better. Turnaround is quick though and I don't spend a ton of time in the area so it's a quick go to that's right there.
(2)Lisa M.
Great food! Consistent, nice staff, great catering, and did I mention great food! Love their chips and salsa!!!
(5)Morris K.
There was 9 of us in our group. We went here after our weekly Thursday meeting, Normally we go (when we go) for Mexican food to another restaurant but we all wanted a different Mexican food establishment this time around. If you have read my reviews about Mexican food restaurants I always start with how the salsa tasted to me and then go from there. The salsa was a combo of other places hot and mild chunky salsa so it was OK but the chips were served hot and added that "little" extra that marked their salsa & chips right there with some of the best. Now to the food: My dish was the Fajitas de Macayo. A flavorful treat of steak Fajitas grilled to perfection on top of a bed of grilled onions and green chiles. Served with sour cream, guacamole, shredded cheese, Pico de Gallo, and refried beans. I asked our server (waitress who's name I didn't get) if I could get a side of grilled vegetables instead of the refried beans. She said no problem so I substituted the refried beans for a side if grilled vegetables. I expected I would be getting grilled onions, and the other grilled vegetable that came with the meal but instead got grilled zucchini, squash, broccoli and some other grilled veggies. But it was all good just not what I expected. My wife got a como plate of Shredded Beef Enchilada & a Shredded Beef Taco served with refried beans she really liked the Taco and next time wouldn't get the Shredded Beef Enchilada. all in all she liked what she picked out. FOOD: Everyone in our party liked what they ordered. AMBIANCE/ DECORE: typical modern Mexican restaurant décor .clean interior. SERVICE: Outstanding. Especially considering every had something different . they provided excellent customer service. CONCLUSION: Very filling meals. This restaurant is spotless. The prices are excellent. What else do you want from a Mexican food restaurant. I'm sure we will be back RETURN FACTOR: 100% ******************* What does my OVERALL rating mean? ******************** 5 stars -Highly recommended. I would be willing to drive out of my way to this business. It is that good. This place represents their industry or cuisine very well! 4 stars - Highly Recommended. I would frequent this business. 3 stars - Not that good but not that bad. Just average. I wouldn't mind going again. 2 stars - I would not recommend this establishment to friends or family. 1 stars - DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND DO NOT patronize this business. I would RUN AWAY from this place and you should too! DON'T WAST YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY AT THIS ESTABLISH .
(4)Kitship L.
Not sure why there are so many bad reviews for Macayo's. I stop in at least once a month. They serve the best Mexican food that I have had in Phoenix. The service is always excellent, the food is consistently delicious and is served quickly. I love Macayo's and this location in particular is my favorite!
(5)Christopher P.
I love this place. It is one of our regular stops. We LOVE the Baja Sauce. I would put that stuff on everything. Baja Chimi is amazing. I also love the Fajitas. They put green chills with the onions. Salsa is also good.
(5)Michele M.
The worst food ever! It was embarrassing how bad the food was. It was nothing more than microwaved, canned, pre packaged junk. I had their sample plate small size, not sure what it was called.It took them 3 minutes after taking our order to food on the table. Should have been a red flag. It was microwaved so hot it was ridiculous.Rubbery shell, dry burnt meat in the taco, oh my It was not edible at all. On a Monday night at 7 pm, also dirty tables all around I will never eat here again! The salsa was bottled junk again. Chips were ok that's about it. Dont waste your time or money on this place.
(1)A H.
Can't come to Arizona without hitting up a Macayo's. Growing up, we usually ate at the Central location. Back in the 80's I was enrolled in their Birthday program. So special, they'd send me a Birthday Card, guaranteeing me a free meal and special toy. So personal! We frequent this location now because my parents are Sun City Snowbirds. Food is fantastic, consistent through the years! Go to meal: start with chips and HOT salsa (if they don't initially bring it, just ask,) a cheese crisp; then for the beef chimi (soo delicious, crispy outside, juicy inside, and lovely red sauce topping--can't go wrong!!) Husband's fav right now is the chicken poblano, side of sour cream. And they always have fresh iced tea. This place can get packed nights and weekends. We love middle of the afternoon visits, in between lunch and dinner rush. It's quiet, service is very relaxed, and we can hear each other. This last visit "Ate 0710" waited on us. Very pleasant and attentive. Our meals are always so big, there's plenty for a second meal. "Ate" was considerate enough to box and bag our to-go's. We bought some extra chips and salsa for our trip back to The Bay Area. Another successful meal and service!! See you guys in a few months!!
(5)Kurt S.
Food was... OK, Drinks were... OK. Happy hour was... OK. Outside patio was PACKED at HH and servers were having a hard time keeping up. Drinks and food were definitely WAY too slow to arrive. Management should look into upping the staff for the "after 5pm" crowd that blasted this place on a Friday night. If the service could have kept up, it could have easily been a 4 or 5 star night. Maybe next time. Oh, and don't forget to purchase your souvenir mug, so you too can enjoy $4 refills on (24 oz.???) Marg's, but be careful, they love to pack those things full of ICE over and over again so make sure to request "no more ICE" after your first one or just go frozen.
(3)Gray L.
Decent service, but as a vegetarian, I expect the vegetarian menu do be just that. The rice isn't vegetarian nor is the sour cream.
(3)Beth H.
I visited Macayo's with my family on a visit in early December. Since I don't live in town anymore, I cannot chalk up my visit to just a bad night, but I can share my experience. We were hoping to get in for happy hour, but it was packed. Bummer, but not a strike against the restaurant. We still wanted to stay for some drinks and dinner. We requested a table for 7. Mind you, our party was standing in front of the host stand. Most of us are about 6' or more with the crowning jewel of height is my step father, clocking in at 7'1". They stuck us at two tiny, pushed together tables, 7 of us, in the main walk way from the kitchen. Even if we all were at a more comfortable table, or we were smaller people, you don't put people in the walkways from the kitchen. My sister and I were constantly getting shoved in the back, but chose to sit there so our parents weren't the ones assaulted. I had to sit with my purse on my lap since I couldn't hang on the chair with the traffic going by and there was no floor space to spare with our tangle of legs. I grabbed the margarita menu hoping that ordering a couple would help save the quickly falling mood. DAMN DRINKS WERE $10+. At a bloody restaurant, during happy hour. Oh but happy hour doesn't apply to the dining side. A few of us ordered a drink, still. My mom's came with just a piece of lime rind, my upgraded margarita looked like a regular and came in a smaller glass and I just got excuses from the waiter that they are the same ounces. (Bullshit and we pointed it out with the empties after the fact but he didn't care.) I was still charged the $12.50 for the shorted drink. The food was ok but not much of a selection. I shared a meal with my sister to off set the cost of our drinks. It was very disappointing and my mom was crushed that the only evening we had to visit a Mexican restaurant, during my visit to Arizona, was such crap.
(1)Alex S.
I only go to Macayo's for one thing- the green chile tamales. It's like a girl on her period's dream come true. The salty and sweet is amazing. I am always satisfied when I leave. My husband always orders the beef chimichanga which is always stuffed full of moist shredded beef. It's huge! Macayo's is your typical Americanized Mexican food; heavy on the cheese and enchilada sauce. On the downside, I've never had a superior server. They've always seemed kind of distracted. I always blame it on the place being so busy.
(4)Ron P.
Very good food and drinks. I went for happy hour at the bar and had a good time. Service was great and not rushed.
(4)Rand H.
Had the pleasure of getting together with Scott W. for lunch here today. It was my first visit to this Macayo's & I ordered a "Mex 'n' Match" Lunch Special, with a bowl of Tortilla Soup, a (Pablano) Chile Relleno, shredded beef taco, steamed mixed vegetables, & of course their great chips & salsa. The atmosphere here was just right, as was the service from Rene, every bite of the food, & the price, so it's a big 5 Stars for Macayo's Glendale! Mex 'n' Match Weekday Lunch Special with two main items & two sides: $9.99 ¡Yumamundo! :-))
(5)Scott W.
Had lunch here with Rand H this past Wednesday. Arriving before the lunch rush about 11:30 they worked with us old folks to find seating we would both be comfortable with. The service stayed great throughout the meal. Our server knew the answer to our questions. Macayo's is not the only Arizona chain to have done well with Americanized Mexican food. It is prepared well, tasty and presented well. I would suggest if you order steamed veggies as one of your sides you ask for it in a separate dish as the water will drift in to your other items.
(4)Steve T.
We have been eating at this Macayo's for a very long time. It used to be my favorite place to eat. I have since moved on to Caramba, because it is a much better value. Don't get me wrong. The food here is good, but not as good as it used to be. The prices are really high, as well. We ate here a few nights ago and it was almost $14 for my carnitas plate, and around $12 for my wife's chimichanga. The carnitas were good, but not $14 good. The chimichangas used to be what this place was renowned for. They were huge and relatively inexpensive (around $8). They seem to be more compact now and almost look like they're prepared off-site and then heated up when you order. The chips and salsa that they bring when you sit down are alright (although nothing can compare to Caramba's salsa). There are some good reasons to eat here. The service is usually really good. The waiter was really attentive when we were there and kept my drink filled the whole time. They are one of the few places that still take reservations. They have a cool room with stars that the kids like sitting in. We'll definitely eat here again, but I wish that it was a place I could rave about like I used to.
(3)Trever M.
We've been to many Macayo's locations and are rarely disappointed, this was no different. It's always good food but not great food. We shared a cheese crisp and a shredded beef chimichanga. The cheese crisp was good but a bit overpriced (almost $7) for a toasted tortilla with a THIN layer of cheese. The chimicanga was good but was quite a bit smaller than I remember and was $12. I don't mind paying for good food, and I don't have to be stuffed when I leave to be happy, but it does seem like the value could be adjusted a bit. On a high note, I'm always happy when a Mexican restaurant carries a variety of Mexican beers. Yay, Dos Equis lager on draught!!!!
(3)Kelly R.
I have been a customer of this location for over 10 years. I can honestly say I've never had a complaint that's yelp worthy of writing about. The food has always come out piping hot and fresh. My order is always correct. The place is always busy and imo they handle it well. The staff hustles. My service is always just fine or better, sometimes fantastic! Another thing I love is there is always a friendly hostess to greet you. My favorite menu items are: Green corn tamales with baja sauce! (worth every calorie, but don't eat this daily!) Fajita quesadilla Baja chicken quesadilla Mixed mini chimis, no sour cream and guac, with baja sauce Red corn chicken taquitos Chicken poblano (stuffed poblano pepper of chicken goodness! like chile rellenos but with meat!) Baja pizza (but Ajo Al's is even better) Steak Cortez Grilled chicken caesar salad (the chicken is so good!) Tortilla soup Cheeseburger (at least if you have picky kids!) Baja burro (if you haven't noticed by now, you can not go wrong with baja sauce. this is not a place for diets!) Grilled chicken tacos (which I think used to be called the beach tacos) Baja Chimi Sopapillas I like the rice and beans but never have room for them! Also, the margaritas are awesome! I don't know if they always have it, but especially prickly pear!! Or original on the rocks, strawberry blended. I haven't experienced any of the negative things people wrote in other reviews.
(5)Candice G.
We usually call in to go ordrs as we did today. Speaker for pickup doesnt work, u just have to hope they see u on camera or youll be waiting.. hannah had wrong price so i couldnt contact on speaker- had to run in cause i forgot my cell. They gave me correct price, and my order. I get back to my van n check my bags. Hannah had forgotten half my ordr. No cheese crisp, xtra chips n salsa, and my entire carne asada chimi meal with rice and beans were no where to be found. So now, im making my second trip in cause again, speaker doesnt work. Mind u, hannah has only been out to my vehicle once and that was to get my name for my order and my credit card. I had already given her a $10 tip for my $37 order when i paid. AND ive gone in and out twice cause she didnt properly check my bags. I shoulda asked her for change since i paid her tip cash. By the time i got back to my vehicle, my initial food brought out first was cold. Hub and I, as much as we like the food, have now sworn off this place for good. Customr service on to go is zero stars the only reason for two stars is the cooks know what theyre doing. Let me make a point of saying I always tip good rght away and normally this gets me good srvice. I pay cash tip even if i use cc just so i know they get it right away, and recognize it...like i said, they appreciate the consideration normally and i get good service. I'll know better next time i guess. I checked my bags, i made sure ordr and pricng on receipt was correct, i did all the legwork...shoulda tipped myself!
(2)Lacey E.
Service was great. Very attentive and kind. My husband absolutely loves his burrito. I only got cheese enchiladas. They were a'ight. I would probably go back.
(3)Rubin U.
First time here. Saturday night... Terrible. Extremely understaffed. After 20 min I went to the bar to get my drinks.. Then another 20 min ordered my food.... Salsa isn't very good either. Would not recommend, will not come back... Ever... Ever ever ever...
(2)Curt B.
Visited here on Valentine's day for dinner. I got the pork carnitas meal. The meat was steaming but the rice and beans were on the cold side. My date got the shredded beef chimi de macayo. She said it was delicious abd everything on her plate was warm or hot. Although our margaritas were awesome!!!
(3)Jacob N.
This is one of my favorite mexican places. Baja pork chimi? Oh yes. Lots of baja cheese sauce. Chips and spinach queso? Ohhh yeah.
(4)C C.
We have been there twice now. The food was very good. Atmosphere and service was very good. The prices are rather high and they suggest a 20% tip. Otherwise I would give it a 5. This is the Macayo's on Bell Road.
(4)Wes D.
Excellent restaurant. Been looking for a good Mexican restaurant since moving from California. Service was excellent and food was unique and very tasty. My new favorite Mexican restaurant
(5)Diana M.
We decided to stop for a bite to eat my husband and my 17 year old son, it happened to be Happy hour, we don't drink, but we sat out on the patio, really nice outside. We ordered appetizers as they were $3 off. All the food we order was just as good as always, the waitress was really nice and helpful. We will be going back again.
(5)Grace G.
This place can get seriously loud but I still love the food. Baja sauce is soooo good. Mini chimi's and tamales are to die for. The drinks are excellent and the Sunset is highly recommended. The meals are a good size and healthy servings. My only complaints are the noise level can get out of hand here and the staff can sometimes go missing, especially in the bar area.
(3)Amy D.
Meh.
(2)HEATHER S.
Not happy with our service, food ok. Took forever to get seated. Finally seated (2 adults, 1 2.5 yr old and 11 mth old twins--all well behaved and happy). Once seated, we were given chips, no waters. Took awhile for server to come. Once he came, he got our drink order wrong (brought a beer we did not order and iced tea, still no waters). Sent beer back. When we ordered, our server kept changing our order so we "could save money". ? He said appetizer was free for first time customers. We ordered the cheese crisp. Came back 3 times asking if we really wanted it with guac and beef. Appetizer finally came. It was good. Luckily I brought snacks to keep the kids happy. Meal finally came. We had to eat fast and asked for the check because we had now been there for 1.5 hrs. The server up charged for the so called "free appetizer" and dips and charged us for a beer that we didn't order. We had to leave by then so I did not leave a good tip. Not happy and not coming back. **I usually give pretty good reviews and places a break, but not happy with service here.
(1)jon c.
Went for dinner - ordered deep fried burro - dripping in sour cream and totally tasteless. I thought it came with rice and beans but nothing but a spoonful of lettuce and tomatoes. My son had the combination plate of tamale, taco rice and beans and he said it was very good. I just won't order the burro next time. I think a little overpriced - $10 for a burro! Nice atmosphere and friendly staff; quick service. Don't know abut the tv - we didn't go in the bar. Good parking. ther review said mild and spicy salsa? We only got mild.
(3)Rachel R.
Oh Macayo.... You are a part of my youth, and I am destine to return to you .... The food is predictably decent, drinks are reasonable, service is good.
(3)Joan K.
When we went in, we asked to go in to the bar area so we could watch the football game, but were informed that they were't seating anyone there as they had just seated a large party in there and they only had one wait person. REALLY on the last Sunday of regular football they only had one person working in the area where the tv's were? Poor planning on management's part. Every year we are given a gift card to Macayo's and we always look forward to going and having a good meal, unfortunately tonight we had a really poor meal, I do think part of it was a language barrier, our waitress was very sweet but she obviously did not understand what we were saying, no salt on a margarita didn't seem to be that hard. When I asked what Relleno Sauce was she could really only tell me it had tomatoes in it, when I told her I didn't like tomatoes could I get green chile with baja sauce she said so you just want Baja sauce, I had to explain three times that I wanted the baja as well as the green chile. When our food came out, a man brought the food and said he would tell someone we needed a refill on our drinks. My meal was totally garnished with tomatoes, as if I had told her I LOVED tomatoes. I scraped them off and cut into my chimi, which is when I realized that I hadn't specified what kind of meat I wanted (chicken), out rolled some of the largest chunks of onion and chiles I have ever seen, and little tiny chunks of beef, not even shredded. So my meal consisted of some pretty sticky rice, which I mixed the baja sauce into for some flavor, and about 10 chunks of beef about the size of dice...I left hungry. We had to actually stand up and flag down someone for a refill when our meal was almost done. The salsa was not up to its normal standard either, our thought was that perhaps the kitchen had run low and someone was just chunking up tomatoes and onion as fast as they could because when my husband dug in (see above...I don't do tomatoes) he literally had tomatoes the size of his chips...he said it tasted fine but the salsa didn't go far as the bowls were full of big chunks instead of lots of small flavorful items. We will go again, as we have been here and had good meals, but this one tonight was just so disappointing. Also, when the waitress took our plates, which had almost as much food on them as when they were set out, she should have asked if there was a problem, my husband tried to tell her that the meal was not up to the normal standards, but she just gathered the plates and rushed off to get our bill. Tip was not our usual generous +20%.
(3)Nicole D.
I normally really enjoy eating here but this last experience bothered me. I went for lunch with my sister and son. My sister and I got an app to share and were going to split a lunch entree. My son only wanted a cheese crisp and the kids combo (which isn't much of a combo only one side and no drink included) was 4.75 and when I asked the price for just a Kids cheese crisp the waiter said it was going to 5.95. He said that there is no option to have the kids crisp by itself, they give you the adult size app crisp instead and charge full price. It's only a dollar difference but still, less food for more money.
(2)Melissa H.
I'm disappointed by the low rating this Macayo's has! It's the closest one to where we live, and we've had nothing but great service and delicious, quickly served food. The last time we went (around 2 pm on a Friday-- admittedly not rush time, but still), we were seated promptly, greeted, asked about our drink order, and served. Our server was attentive and answered all our questions without any snark or exasperation. Our food came out hot and was delicious-- I forgot exactly what my boyfriend had, but it was something with garlic cream sauce, which was out of this world. I had the California Burrito (or at least that's what I call it... it's the veggie burrito) and it was so good I couldn't wait to take it home for leftovers! (I was the tool who left it there though... booo!) The meal was reasonably priced, our check came out correctly, and we were given excellent service. No complaints, and we'll be going again!
(5)Jaime S.
It's Macayo's. Not terrible but not really Mexican food either.
(3)Donna B.
Finally got to this place tonight, after it being recommended to us from a number of people, and we have to say it was a fun night. Nice looking place, very roomy, and the waiter John made a positive impression from the beginning, when we asked him what was popular on the menu and what was his favorite. We ended up getting their deal --- two of their entrees for $20 - me, the tacos, and my hubby the Carnitas. The Carnitas was the biggest hit at our table. We both had enough leftover for lunch tomorrow. Then, John surprised us with a sopapillo on the house for being at this restaurant for our very first time. The bill was cheaper than our breakfast the other day, and we were more full (with another meal to boot). So we recommend the place, and we hope john is your waiter, too.
(4)Sal M.
food was good but the service needs to be more polish. I know its a good restaurant but the servers need training. Food is good and always ask for fresh salsa..
(3)Yewon H.
I love mexican food and I would want mexican food for lunch everyday if I can. Now you can guess how excited I was when I found out that I had mexican restaurant right next where I work. But sadly enough this Macayo's mexican kitchen was not a real mexican restaurant. They make McDonald version of Mexican food. I can tell that they use low quality meat, chiken etc. I am so sad that have to drive at least 5 minutes to get real mexican food.
(2)Conrad F.
Excellent service throughout meal with great tacos and house margaritas. Free chips and salsa ( although the salsa is more liquid than most) and our meals were served hot and quick. Great flan for dessert.
(4)Nikki F.
I cannot lie. I am in love with their pork enchiladas, but that's pretty much where I draw the line. I think their decor is obnoxious, and the salsa sucks, even though for some godawful reason it was voted best in Phx for 2008... I do not agree, I also think their uniforms are possibly the ugliest I have ever seen. I'm not sure you could pay me enough to wear those bright ass parrot themed button ups. Although the food is decent this place has never been my first choice for Mexican cuisine.. I only came here because the Garcia's across the street was closed down, which upset me to no end because their bean dip is fucking amazing, well was... stupid economy. I had a margarita, and an hour later still have a decent buzz so cheers to the bartender.. The portions are big enough for two dudes, so I always have leftovers.. their service is suffice, but about as boring as this review is. I am now in a food coma, from the food baby they served me. Time for a nap.
(3)Sarah H.
I am a fan. Aside from the tacky decor. Me and my mom can come here for a casual lunch. Spend $6.99 for an order of mini chimichangas, split it!, and then leave full. (Always get a side of the delicious Baja sauce... mmm.... clogged arteries....) Their portions are GIGANTIC, but it seems like they're working on that and may have improved. I do love you Macayos. You're easy, consistent, cheap, and tasty.
(4)Tam F.
Working my way through my Phoenix trip, my next dinner out was to meet yet another "old" friend from high school. This one, I hadn't seen in almost 21 years and thanks to FB we got reconnected. MacAyo's is another local Mexican chain restaurant. This location is the newest probably open about 8 or 9 years now. Long ago, the location on Central Avenue was all the rage, but like any chain, sometimes growth does not necessarily equate to great. My friend and I shared a cheese crisp. I like the one here better than the one at Garcia's. I also had a shredded beef taco and black beans and rice. The taco had much better flavor than Garcia's and the beans were good. We each had a house margarita and I only drank half. Not because I was getting sauced, but because it was kind of nasty. All in all decent, but not blow me away good. Might come back but there are several other great Mexican food restaurants in the Valley that I will have to visit next time. Sadly with mom living in Sun City West, the schlep to get to some of these places is a bit too great. The waiter again was nice and accommodating. My friend and I had such a great time getting reconnected we also closed down this restaurant and then sat in front chatting till around midnight. This became the second night I did the tip toe walk through my mom's house hoping not to wake anyone up...
(3)Nick V.
Great salsa and I love the tortilla soup.
(4)Robert H.
I went to Macayo's with my brother in law and nephew. The restaurant was selected by my bother-in-law. We arrived at about 2:00, after the lunch rush, and the restaurant was mostly empty. But that didn't mean we got our choice of tables. All the booths were empty and un-bussed, so we ended up sitting at a table. The waitress came by quickly to get our drink orders, but it took longer than expected to get the drinks to our table. Chips and salsa was delivered. Two salsas; one somewhat chunky, but rather mild, and the second one spicier, but very runny. The chips were good though. I ordered the red chili burro, enchilada style. The burrito was one of the worst burritos I've had. It was salty, and without any sense of seasoning. I guess this is what I should expect when I allow my brother-in-law select a restaurant. He dislikes any sense of spice. Service was a bit slow for drinks, but the food did arrive quickly. Overall, I would never recommend this Macayo's. Too bland and tasteless like too many chain restaurants.
(2)jocelyn s.
Food was pretty good but service was horrid. Came in a big group and they lost one of our orders, didn't tell us for 45 minutes, when they finally brought our food an hour and a half after we got there, they forgot another persons order. All without a single apology. Then the waitress spilled a pitcher of water on my purse and just said "sorry" and walked away. No napkins or anything. It was one of the worst service experiences I've ever received.
(1)JA R.
$2.00 for a side of sour cream, on a cold burrito. Kept pushing alcohol even though we said we didn't drink. Too bad this place has beautiful interior decorations.
(2)Heather W.
My husband and I went in yesterday for some mexican food we both got the chimichunga with rice lunch special. it was alright. we got home and got instantly sick. we go food poisoning from this place i recommend going to aho al's or a different resturant. worst experience ever. Macayos is not as good as i remembered.
(1)Thomas I.
Just say no to Macayo. You may want to drive out of Glendale for food Mexican food
(1)Christina L.
Let me preface this by saying that I've never been a big fan of chain Mexican restaurants. My sister loves Macayo's for some mysterious reason, and I decided to play along since we had relatives visiting from out of state. The decor is nauseating. It feels like they took the most obnoxious colors they could find and ratcheted it up on the scale of tacky. However, we came to eat, so who cares what color the walls are? The salsa is thin, but tolerable. Nothing special, but I'm always a fan of bottomless chips, so I'll take it. Everyone else seemed to like their food. I ordered tamales with green sauce. Unfortunately, the first time it came with their "Baja sauce," which our waitress informed us is cream cheese, heavy whipping cream and jalapeño juice. She quickly took it back and brought out my correct order. Much to my surprise, green sauce is just red sauce with green chiles in it. At this point, I had fallen behind enough that I scraped most of the sauce to the side and ate my lunch. The tamales had a nice fluffy texture, but the sauce was not what I had in mind. Our waitress did handle my sending back the order without any fuss. She was gracious and attentive, so for that I'm adding in an extra star.
(2)Ameerah A.
Seriously dude, its Macayo's! How can you not like Macayo's?! I normally won't eat much of "Mexican" food any place else. Its always just so delicious here, nachos, tacos, chimis, enchiladas, tamales, you name it its great and filled with all the grease that your little heart cant take...the lunch menu prices are out of this world for the amount of food that you get! And if you have little ones, they have a special going on where they can eat free, and its A LOT of food, that the tyke can take home and eat later. Plus the Margaritas are to die for! A bit pricey, yes, but they make you feel magical. Like magical enough to be able to break all traffic laws by cutting across the road from one parking lot to another on the other side to go sober up at a T-mobile store...That was just an example, I'm not saying I actually did that. (I just have a vivid imagination!) Service is great and just the right amount of friendly. Yea, the decor is kind of on the loud side, the wonderful old Vegas casino carpet is spectacular if you ask me, but it just wouldn't be a Macayo's without it. I've been dying for them to sit me in the 'Night Jungle' section, but every time I go I end up outside of it. I know it sounds 5 year old-ish, but dammit I want to sit in the nighttime area next time! I will demand it. Please feel free to visit this location on that day as I'm sure the hissy fit I'll put up if they don't sit me there will be a riot.
(4)K Z.
A friend of mine recently insisted on going to Macayo's for dinner. She's in love with the Baja burrito. I'll give her that the Baja sauce is pretty good, but everything else wasn't. I tried both the beef burrito and the chicken burrito and they were both awful. Plus, they didn't sit well in my stomach later either. The others in our group said their meals were okay, but there was nothing to write home about. The service was terrible. Our waitress was a nice woman, but everything took so long. We waited a long time to be helped, long for the food, and then a few things were forgotten, and then we waited almost an hour to get the bill and then pay it. It was excruiciatingly painful. I'd say my last visit to Macayo's was one of the worst restaurant experiences I have ever had, and it will be the last.
(1)Stacey A.
I didn't come here for authentic mexican food, so I was pretty satisfied with my meal. I like hitting up Macayo's everyone once in a while because they have a decent lunch special. It's nice to be able to spend under $10 and have a sit down lunch with friends or coworkers. I really liked the lunch burro and cisco wrap - I had them at two different times, not all in one sitting...but it's enough to keep me coming back. Ugh, this review is making hungry. I'm done.
(4)Chris Y.
Food was good, waiter was a n00b though, messed up our checks and didn't really check on us. I'd put a two star, but the food was good.
(3)Eli H.
Yep, I'm going 5 stars....mostly because all of the Mexican food in the NW valley is average. I came here yesterday and was blown away by their green corn tamale with baja sauce, I want to go straight back today just to have another. Damn was it good! I had the 2 item lunch special and also got the beef enchilada with beans, total cost came to about $8 and another $2 for the drink so with tax and tip it didn't cost much at all for a good meal in a restaurant. I always think of this place since I have to drive for more authentic Mexican but Macayos has pretty darn good chips and salsa (which is how you know your food will be good) and I also get another dish here but I can't seem to remember right now....guess I will have to re-review later. Not sure I will ever get anything else but that tamale anyway, just get it done.
(5)Alicia W.
The salsa was okay. The fajitas, nothing to write home about. Overall, for a place that always has a long line....the food was not very good.
(3)Elizabeth S.
I hate for my first official review to be a one star review but Macayo's really disappointed me last night. When I first pulled into the parking lot last night I was surprised to see how many empty parking spaces there were. I immediately got excited because normally any restaurant on Bell road any night of the week has a wait. However, when I walked inside I saw a slew of people waiting to be seated. I walked up to the hostess stand and put my name on the list and the hostess did not give me a time quote and when I asked how long it would be she quoted me, "not too long." We waited about 15 minutes before being shown to our table which is where the trouble really began. Once we were at our table we were quickly greeted by our server (yay) however, she told us she had another table's drink order to get and then she would be back for ours (boo). So we waited for her to take the other two tables drink orders before coming back to take ours. After about 10 minutes we got our fountain drinks and then 5 minutes later she came back to take our food order. Then it took about 50 minutes for our food to come out. Seriously, 50 minutes.... that's about how long I planned to spend at Macayo's not how long I planned on waiting for my appetizer of taquitos to take to come out. And to top it off we were missing a side of rice and a side of baja sauce. We decided not to mention it as we did not want to wait another hour for the two items to come out. So, after eating and waiting for our drinks to be refilled 3 times we finally got the check to which the server apologized for our wait. Apparently, she couldn't have apologized at all during our 50 minute minute wait she needed to wait until tip time. I don't recommend going to Macayos. You might have better luck at any of the other 10 Mexican restaurants on Bell Road.
(1)Chris N.
Was visiting the area....my friend chose this place. I was going to order the fish tacos, until I asked the waiter what they put on the fish tacos and he was like: "Uhhhhhhh...." me: "Do you put anything on the fish? White sauce? Red sauce? Salsa?" waiter: "Oh yeah. Salsa." Uhhhhhh....nevermind. (I guess you can only get good fish tacos in Cali.) So I ordered the carne asada tacos. You can't mess that up, right? WRONG. It was the driest meat I have ever tasted. And then they loaded that dry ass meat with tons of cilantro. ugh. It was sort of like I was eating a cilantro salad with tiny pieces of meat mixed in. The only reason I am giving this place two stars is because everyone I was with seemed to like their food. If I was basing the stars just on my food it would definitely be a ONE star joint.
(2)Joe B.
This place has become a real joke over the past couple years. Worse service anywhere. They just can't handle it anymore with the immigration crack down.. The food is hit and miss anyway...Never again.
(1)Rebecca V.
We love, love, love Macayo's. The margaritas are fantastic! I prefer the strawberry ones but the regular mags are smooth too! Bring your Senor Bob or Cha Cha mugg and they are even cheaper. Yum! Try their mini chimichangas. Stay away from the free food during happy hour...looks a little sketchy.
(4)Stephanie B.
I went this afternoon and had a great time. Our waiter was very friendly and helpful, the atmosphere was nice, and my lunch (the Baja pizza) was very good. The only downside were the chips, which tasted bland and even a bit stale. The accompanying salsa mostly masked that, but not entirely.
(4)Erin H.
As other reviewers have stated, this is not true, authentic Mexican food. Macayo's, along with Top Shelf, serves the white people's version of Mexican food. Nothing too scary or spicy to freak us out, right? That being said...it's Macayo's! Native Arizonans at least know about the chain, if not having been raised on their food. Yes, the decor is loud and obnoxious with bright colors and enormous parrot statues, but it's awesomely bad. Appreciate the eccentricity, people! The food is decent. It's a bit on the greasy side, but if you came in here expecting something healthy and easy on your stomach, that's your problem. I will say that the wait staff is unpredictable; they have a high turnover rate of employees except for the tiny woman who brings the chips and salsa who has been there for years. You could end up waiting a long time; my personal experience is that our food usually comes so damn fast that it startles me. One last thing: if you like your margaritas sweet, you won't like theirs. Always very tart. They're drinkable, but sour. They say they put triple sec in there but I'm calling shenanigans on that.
(4)Nadia K.
Late night dining with friends and on a budget, Macayo's sure hits the spot. I have to say, I do not eat Mexican food often, unless it is homemade by my friends, so I tend to rank places lower. I will say that the atmosphere, prices, and general service of Macayo's, coupled with their good food, qualifies it for a decent rating. We had a huge group and were seated pretty quickly. They organized our check splits from the beginning, which saved us a ton of hassle at the end. Chips & Salsa rating is decent: chips are good and not too salty, and the salsa is a good balance of chunky and not too thick, which has you eating probably way more than you should. I had a shredded beef enchilada with albondigas soup...I think the total was about $7 before taxes & tip, which wasn't bad, considering the giant enchilada that I got. there was a good level of cheesy, which balanced out the slightly dry quality of the beef. However, I did like the albondigas soup...well flavored! Customer service was fantastic. With the good crowd & timely delivery of the food, it was an overall good experience!
(3)Benjamin L.
Good place for Mexican comparatively speaking. They have a unique variety of out of the ordinary dishes. I most recently had the spinach mahi tacos. Very good. Portion size for the price left a little to be desired and service wasn't very prompt. If you're looking for a good Mexican place and a meal price of around $30, Macayo's is it. I will certainly eat their again, but I think I will try to make it during their lunch hour when they have specials for $5.99.
(3)maggie r.
I love Macayo's food, and have to admit it is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. I especially love this location. They serve the best Margarita's, nice and strong! They have their own sweet & sour mix, which I believe is the secret. The sunset margarita is a must try. Favorite foods: mini chimis, red corn taquitos and green corn tamale w/baja sauce. Oh and lots of chips & salsa! They also have a very large patio with live music on Thursday's until 9pm. The service is good and the bartenders are especially friendly.
(4)Olivia R.
If you're looking for authentic Mexican food in Arizona, do NOT go to Macayo's. It's a standard chain restaurant which has decent food - but not representative of the true pizzazz that Mexican food has to offer. If you MUST go to Macayo's, go for some margaritas during happy hour - and then kick it over to a better, local place like Valle Luna.
(2)Joseph I.
This is a review of Macayo's in general. This is a typical Mexican chain restaurant. These are way worse than authentic Mexican food which can be found all over the valley at a family owned restaurant. Prices are typical of any restaurant 8-15$ range. The margaritas are terrible. I had one with my girlfriend recently, and I did everything in my power just to choke it down. I think they poured sweet and sour mix in a cup and gave it to me. She couldn't even finish hers, and I noticed another table ordered margaritas that were left 3/4 full when they left. The food is pretty bad. Last time I went with my girlfriend, she threw up an hour later and I had heartburn the entire night (probably because I finished my margarita). I would never go back to a Macayo's again.
(2)Kelly T.
I like the food here. One of the better Mexican restaurants that we've been to off of Bell. Can't say it's the best Mexican food but it's pretty good. The interior is very eye catching. I like the atmosphere here.
(4)Liz L.
Went here for dinner over the weekend with husband. I kinda know what to expect from this place but felt like a sit down Mexican restaurant and was in the neighborhood. Vibe is kinda like on the boarder, minus the tex mex part....Right away we were seated to our booth, booth for two people was a little awkward. It's a half moon shape but our view was looking out onto a huge party of over 20 people, not very chill feeling. I ordered a large house margarita on the rocks and a Mexican pizza. Food took awhile to get to the table, we were already on our second basket of chips before our food arrived. Pizza was ok, seemed like they skimped out on a lot of the toppings. Margarita was weak also. I usually get a little buzz going on when I order a large one, but I didn't get anything from that one. As always the food at Macayo's seems to all drop to the bottom of your stomach like a rock....I think it's time to try something else even if I'm in the neighborhood.
(2)Sam K.
I don't know where all those people who have given them 4-5 stars rating, We went in there for the 1st time, from San Diego where they know how to make Mexican Food. We waited 43 mins. before being waited on and served. The food was less then mediocre at best, and the service is below average. 1st and last time there.
(1)Happy G.
Usually decent mexican food here, but ate there recently and had the green corn tamale with green sauce and baja chicken enchiladas. Only ate half of meal. When I got home I had the worst stomach pains and ending up throwing this all up. Got food poisioning!!! Won't be going here again.
(1)Michelle L.
i've been raised on macayo's so i maaaayyyy be a little biased, but i really enjoy their chips and salsa and anything they put the baja sauce on. the enchiladas are also really good and the cheese crisp is (usually) perfect. i've never had an issue with service at this location that was noticeable one way or another. my favorite macayos is still the one on 19th ave and thunderbird, but this one is a close second.
(4)Quadwilly G.
I must be hungry... I keep writing reviews for Restaurants! I love this place for their Taquitos with baja sauce and a good old fashion Margarita. But I do think their prices are a little high....
(5)