Arizona Center beefs up dining options with Mexican steakhouse

A new restaurant will raise the stakes, and the steaks, at the Arizona Center. The recently revitalized dining and shopping hub plans to add Origen, a Mexican steakhouse, to its growing list of new restaurants this spring.

Origen is anticipated to open in late February or early March, according to owner Eduardo Medina.

The steakhouse is poised to join a well-stocked lineup that includes Cleaverman and forthcoming sibling restaurant, Uppercut, a beef-inspired omakase. Medina says he’s excited to join these “amazing” places downtown, but feels Origen will stand out from the herd. 

“I think we have a new proposal. We are a Mexican fine dining steakhouse,” Medina says. 

The owner is from Mérida, the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán. He ran three restaurants in the country before opening Origen stateside in October 2024. The Gilbert restaurant is located within Verde at Cooley Station, near Recker and Williams Field roads.

With this second location, Origen will double down on elements Gilbert customers have grown to love. The restaurant offers an elegant atmosphere, without the dress code that’s required or implied at other steakhouses. The dining room is sophisticated, with modern furniture and views of chefs working the grill in the open kitchen. The scent of charred wood hits your nose as soon as you walk in. Where other places would install stone or crystal, Origen features bespoke chandeliers made from wood slats and walls clad with panels of charred logs from Flagstaff. Medina says it’s the kind of detail people like to reach out and touch. 

“One of the things that I really like is when people come (to the restaurant), they use their five senses,” Medina says.

What to expect at Origen downtown

Downtown, diners will find the same menu and similar decor, Medina says. But, hours will expand to include lunch service for downtown workers.

Origen’s menu is steak-forward, but also includes tacos, enchiladas and the classic Yucatan dish, cochinita pibil. This wider range of options attracts both couples on date nights and families, Medina notes. In Gilbert, it’s become the kind of spot where parents can split a 40-ounce tomahawk and sip mezcalitas while their kids nosh on a quesadilla. Groups often graze on pork belly tacos, a ribeye and ceviche. 

“One of the things that I really like for our restaurant is that it’s shareable food,” he says, “so you can share with your friends and your family.”

The restaurant also offers a daily happy hour and a weekend brunch menu featuring steak and eggs or chilaquiles.

To complement these dishes, Origen’s bar features Mexican beers, mocktails and cocktails. In addition to tequila tipples, cocktail options include a churro carajillo and classic penicillin. The restaurant also offers a deep wine list. Diners who order a bottle can commemorate their experience by adding a personal note on a leather tag. The empty bottles are then immortalized in a private dining space called the Memory Room.

“When you open a bottle, it’s always for a good memory, so what we try is to make memories for life,” Medina says.

With this soon-to-arrive second location, Origen is part of a major expansion of steakhouses around the Valley. Among those that have or will open this year are BOA Steakhouse, Drake’s Hollywood, The Guest House, STK, Harry & Izzy’s and Terra Guacha Brazilian Steakhouse. And, Origen is part of the revitalized dining options at the Arizona Center, which will also include Chula Seafood. 

Medina sees this growth, of steakhouses and restaurants writ large, as a positive.

“That means the area, it’s growing,” he says, “and we’re growing with them.”

Origen

Opens this spring:
455 N. Third St., #1225
Now open:
2472 S. Recker Road, Gilbert