Ever since the summer 2023 release of the movie Barbie, there seems to have been a renewed interest in the color pink, particularly Pantone 219 C, the vivid version associated with the doll and her world. Pinks of all sorts have become a more prominent design element in everything from water bottles to restaurant decor. Long before Barbie made it to the big screen, there was the notorious Pink Taco chain, which briefly operated an outpost in Scottsdale. A newer and far better pink Mexican restaurant of local origin, Huarichis, is now found in downtown Phoenix.
frijoles dip
With a full name of "The Original Huarichis Taqueria," the restaurant opened at the end of 2023, so it's only natural to wonder if the color choice is coincidental or not. Regardless, Huarichis has not jumped mindlessly onto a pop culture bandwagon. Instead, it offers a casual but upgraded approach to Sonoran food in a slightly more accessible format than its renowned sibling, Bacanora. With reservations highly coveted over on Grand Avenue, Huarichis began as walk-in only. It has recently started accepting reservations while still remaining accessible without them.
elote
Huarichis is found at the north end of Downtown on Central Avenue just a block south of the Roosevelt/Central light rail station. Bike racks are situated nearby outside places like Central Records and Snooze. The restaurant, which is open only for dinner during the week with midday service solely on weekends, has a vivid neon sign, bold color, and bright lighting, all of which make the place hard to overlook after sunset. A facade full of windows showcases the busy dining room, which usually fills quickly in the evening, and the open kitchen that lies behind it.
quesadilla
Customers sit at tables scattered throughout the room, at the bar in front of the kitchen, or at counters facing outwards towards Central Avenue. Although the restaurant is full service, paper napkins and metal cups are an indication of the casual feel that dominates here. The walls are covered with posters, paintings, and potted plants that add a bit of green to the pink and pastel aesthetics. The placemat-style menu with food on one side and cocktails on the other arrives soon after a party is seated, and service generally moves at a quick but unhurried pace after.
jicama salad
Defying the stereotype of Arizona-Sonoran restaurants, there is no complimentary basket of chips, but a trio of salsas is delivered to each table: a spicy chili de arbol, a roasted medium one, and a mild green salsa. Starters include a smooth frijoles dip served not with small chips, but instead big tostadas with a texture reminiscent of the papadum lentil wafers served in many Indian restaurants. Another parallel with Indian food is found in the quesadilla. With its rolled format, it could be called a quesadosa, but with stretchy cheese instead of potato masala inside.
papas and carne asada tacos
Elote adheres fairly closely to a classic presentation with segments of corn on the cob slathered in a rich aioli and dusted with cheese and spice. The same spicy mayonnaise is part of what powers the shrimp ceviche. A light vegetable dish is the jicama salad. Despite being named for the Mexican root vegetable, there is as much emphasis on cucumbers and tomatoes as the jicama, resulting in something that comes across as a crisp and refreshing Mexican version of a Greek salad. The simplest starter is simply tortillas and butter, a good complement to the salsas.
fried hongos and pescado tacos
Although Huarichis identifies as a taqueria, tacos are an important part of the menu but not necessarily the primary one. For a table of diners who can agree on a choice of meat, the platters are one way to enjoy a shared experience. Similar to the parrilladas found at many other Mexican restaurants, these are presented raised on a stand with steak ranchero, pollo asado, or carnitas at the center and beans, potatoes, tortillas, elote, and an entire roasted onion around the perimeter. Interestingly, the chicken and carnitas are available only in this format.
carne asada huarache
For those who do want tacos, the steak reappears in a smoky, charred, and chopped version as carne asada. There are also fillings of tripe, tongue, chicharron, and battered fish available, each with appropriate toppings to accessorize it. Vegetarian tacos include fried mushrooms and mashed potatoes in a hard shell. Most of these fillings are also offered in tortas, Mexican sandwiches, and on huaraches, oblong masa patties. Huaraches are named for a Mexican type of sandal due to their shape, and the restaurant's name is also a play on the same word.
ice cream sandwich
The kitchen offers two desserts, both of which take classic items and add inventive touches to them. The arroz con leche, normally a simple rice pudding, is unexpectedly complex with sweet, salty, and spicy pockets due to the presence of cookie crumble, olive oil, and honey. An ice cream sandwich combines the best of two local purveyors. A scoop of strawberry cheesecake ice cream from Novel is inserted into a split multi-colored concha pastry from La Purisma Bakery. With a bit of strawberry compote drizzled on top, it's a colorful treat to end the meal.
Migas cocktail
Strawberry also figures prominently in the beverage menu with a strawberry mezcal margarita being one of the most popular cocktails. Unlike most strawberry margaritas that incorporate a sweet syrup, this drink relies on mezcal that has been infused with strawberries, resulting in an assertive, slightly spicy taste. The Magia has a Caribbean twist due to rum topped with a blue foam from Curaçao. Unlike the strawberry drink, it's not pink per se, but it adds to the pastel palette and the spectrum of flavors that any sophisticated Barbie or Ken should appreciate.
814 N. Central Ave., Phoenix AZ 85004
https://www.huarachis.com
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