Dining

The Mexicano reopens with food, festivities and fun

Lynette Carrington February 19, 2025

Traditional Ballet Folklorico dancers entertained the crowd during the grand reopening of The Mexicano. (Photo courtesy of Lynette Carrington)

In the fall of 2024, the foodie community and much of the public was shocked to learn that a vibrant restaurant in North Phoenix, The Mexicano, was heavily damaged due to a kitchen fire. Instead of closing permanently, a pop-up experience of The Mexicano took place at its sister restaurant, The Rosticceria, just across the street. Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, The Mexicano has emerged as a beautiful new version of itself, in its original location.

The Mexicano musts:

Don’t miss the frozen margaritas with treasured toppings from “The Candy Bar”
Get the Guacamole and Salsa Wheel, featuring three guacamoles and three salsas
Order the Chorizo Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

The Mexicano showcases upgrades

In a gloriously exciting grand reopening, The Mexicano welcomed back a group of VIPs to celebrate the food, a beloved local family and a unique hospitality experience for which The Maggiore Family is known. While undergoing repairs and renovations from the kitchen fire, The Mexicano also underwent a design makeover. Joey Maggiore proudly showed off the upgraded restaurant while thanking guests for their patience and support.

What’s new?

Cristina Maggiore did a phenomenal job reimagining the decor and vibe that is now equal parts traditional Mexican heritage, innovative use of art and lighting and a beautiful blend of colors and textures highlighting every space of The Mexicano.

Guests of The Mexicano can grab a margarita and enhance it with a visit to “The Candy Bar.” (Photo courtesy of Lynette Carrington)

One of the most fun highlights of The Mexicano is the margarita bar, stocked with every kind of fun and tasty candy that you can imagine, aka, “The Candy Bar.” Start with a margarita frozen or on the rocks, then dive into a selection of 15 tempting candy items to add a little something special to your cocktail. Need some suggestions? The friendly staff will lead the way in helping you utilize your creativity to build a unique cocktail.

Same great restaurant, even more fun

Always expect fun when a party is thrown at any of The Maggiore Group’s restaurants. A new fresh tortilla machine was in full production at the front of the restaurant during the party, providing an extra measure of culinary authenticity. Entertainment for the grand reopening event included a mariachi band, traditional Mexican dancers and huge walking robots, complete with banks of lights that danced through the crowds and then playfully sprayed guests with cold steam.

Traditional Mexican entertainment took place during the grand reopening of The Mexicano. (Photo courtesy of Lynette Carrington)

Samples of many of The Mexicano menu items were being circulated through the restaurant during the party, including chorizo stuffed zucchini blossoms — which were outstanding — and mini shrimp cocktails.

A variety of street-sized tacos were sampled throughout the evening, along with mini burritos and mini churros for dessert.

Family and friendship

But more than the food or cocktails, this grand reopening was a celebration of resilience and appreciation for friendship. The Maggiore Family worked the crowd all night, while a smiling photo of late family patriarch, Tomaso Maggiore, seemed to reflect his eternal approval over the proceedings of the night. Tomaso is never far from anyone’s memory, and he was a fixture on the Valley’s culinary scene for decades, having founded and run Tomaso’s Restaurant in the Camelback corridor for decades.

Get to The Mexicano! The reimagined version of The Mexicano is located at 4801 E. Cactus Rd., Phoenix, 85254. For a full menu and additional details, visit The Mexicano.