Sara Crocker
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Fans of architecture and fast Mexican fare, rejoice! After more than a year sitting vacant, the kitchen previously home to a vintage Taco Bell, will soon be alive with cooks preparing tacos, burritos and tostadas.
Filiberto’s will open in the former Scottsdale Taco Bell on McDowell Road near Hayden Road in August, Luis Espinoza, the restaurant chain’s real estate broker, confirmed to Phoenix New Times. He anticipates the restaurant will open in mid-to-late August.
“We’re excited,” he said, noting the Filiberto’s would keep the same “historic” look.
The restaurant has a notable history as Taco Bell’s store No. 31, the last vintage cantina in Arizona and one of fewer than 10 nationwide that served architectural nostalgia with their Crunchwrap Supremes.
As a Taco Bell, the brick building was painted sunset orange and beige. It boasts a Spanish tile roof, and at the top is a curved belfry, though there’s no bell inside. Out front, a patio faces the street, along with a sign featuring the 1980s-era yellow bell logo. Tables inside and out have a 1970s color palette – rich brown with a trio of blue, orange and red stripes cutting through.
The restaurant closed in April 2025, giving way to a new Taco Bell built about 300 feet east. Ahead of the closure, fans young and old flocked to the vintage restaurant for a last meal and to share memories.
Mike Madriaga
What to expect at Filiberto’s
Now, another 24/7 drive-thru Mexican restaurant will take over. The Tenorio family started their restaurant empire with a taco shop in Southern California in 1964. They opened the first Filiberto’s in San Diego in 1988 and expanded to Arizona with its first location in Mesa in 1993.
Pulling up to a restaurant with a yellow sign with Filiberto’s scrawled in red cursive is a classic rite of passage in the Valley, be it to grab a fast meal or in the wee hours to absorb the damage of a night out.
A member of the Tenorio family will operate the forthcoming Scottsdale Filiberto’s, Espinoza said. The family will keep some of the restaurant’s vintage elements intact, including its colorful tables and chairs inside and out. The building has been painted a rich brick red. Filiberto’s classic yellow sign glows from the building’s facade.
How will two 24/7 Mexican restaurants fare on the same block? Espinoza isn’t worried, saying Filiberto’s offerings are different.
“They have their people, we have our people,” he says, “and wish them the best as well.”
Filiberto’s
Opens in August
7847 E. McDowell Road, Scottsdale
