Macayo's Mexican Kitchen

My Buckeye travbuddy Robyn (long known to be part of the Phoenix travbuddy crew) decided we should meet up for lunch by her work place since she could not be away from work for a prolonged lunch break. I had called her from Tucson the day before to let her know I would be spending the weekend in Scottsdale and it would be great to meet for lunch since I was in the area, well it was almost an hour away but nothing I could not handle. I drove down to Phoenix as she looked for a place to dine/ have lunch. It was a Friday and she could not come up with any formal place to take me she confessed, she finally asked her colleague for help and Macayo's was recommended.

I made it to Central Avenue with Robyn's patient directing, the restaurant was busy as you can imagine - it was 1:00 o'clock. We were seated at the back in a less noisy place and the surrounding looked like a kindergarten class with chairs colored in red, pink, yellow and violet. The art on the wall was colorful too creating such a festive theme. It was HOT outside and even though I did not park far from the restaurant, by the time we sat down I was burning hot. I ordered a large coca cola with ice while Robyn ordered an Iced tea. The menu was colorful and filled with choices that left one speechless, no doubt I love Mexican food, but the one in Macayo’s is more American than Mexican, lol! For fear of being too full and feeling lazy on the road on the return journey, I ordered something light: The chili enchilada sounded good, Robyn ordered something similar, can't remember. My enchilada was absolutely delicious, the cheese melting and beans mashed to taste hmmm, a side of guacamole and sour cream was included all for the price of $7.50, you can’t beat this

This was the first time I had eaten at Macayo's, apparently it is a chain restaurant like Pei Wei I found out from Robyn, so you probably have one near you if you live in the United States. The one on Central Avenue looked like a children's dinning room with chairs colored with the bright rainbow colors. The art of the wall reflective of Mexican heritage and the great ambiance the management wants to bring out. What surprised me was how clean the place was, for a chain restaurant I must admit the level of cleanliness and service exceeded my expectations. Nothing against Mexican restaurants, but many times you find they are dirty and a little disorganized and loud. Macayo's was clean and the service was fast. I had coffee after my lunch - coffee was great too. Once I returned to Tucson, I found out there is a Macayo’s right across the street from my apartment complex, I could not believe it, all the while I drove past this bright yellow building thinking it was a dance or theatrical place, turns out it is a restaurant. On a serious note I absolutely enjoyed my experience at Macayos and recommend you try one near you, great prices, great food, and great service.