A sandwich board outside Cocina Madrigal, a popular, award-winning Mexican restaurant in south Phoenix, advertises that the restaurant is open. But its arrow points not into the home-turned-eatery that sits on 16th and Wood streets, but instead further down the block.
Heading east, past an auto shop and neighboring homes where pint-sized dogs playfully yip at passersby, customers will find Cocina Madrigal’s temporary home in a church parking lot – the same one the restaurant has used for years for overflow parking.
A white trailer with the restaurant's logo sign bolted to the side is parked near a covered patio surrounded by planters packed with small palms and cacti. Misting fans oscillate on the perimeter. The family-run restaurant’s patriarch, chef Leo Madrigal, sits at a table between his sons, Edson and Brian.
The trio recounts the fire last spring that led them to this temporary location.
“Business was booming, we were doing great and unfortunately it caught us off guard,” Brian says.
That’s when the kitchen team noticed smoke. He and the staff ushered people out of the building and called the fire department. Some took their margaritas with them, sipping outside as firefighters contained the blaze.
Meanwhile, Edson was downtown at his restaurant, Centrico. A friend and patron who was at the restaurant called him and sent him a video of the building on fire. Edson’s heart sank thinking of the work his parents had put into building a restaurant that fuses the family’s Oaxacan roots with dishes they’ve developed over decades in Arizona.
“It was a very sad day,” Edson says. “They’ve worked hard their entire life to be where they’re at.”
Leo grew up in Oaxaca and made his way to the U.S., first working in Houston before settling with his family in the Valley. He helped build restaurants and menus for Z’tejas, Hopdoddy and Taco Guild, among others, before opening Cocina Madrigal in 2018.
The restaurant quickly took off and became a favorite for its impressive enchiladas, which won the title of Phoenix New Times’ best in 2019 and 2022. In 2022, it was No. 1 on Yelp's Top 100 Places to Eat and stayed on that national list in 2023 and 2024.
Once the fire was put out and the family gained access to the building, they realized the extent of the damage. Their insurer recommended they “gut the restaurant completely,” Brian says. The family announced the restaurant would be indefinitely closed.
The building wasn’t the only thing on the Madgrigals’ minds. Their staff – many of whom have worked with Leo for decades – are like family. Just three chefs in the trailer, Leo says, have clocked about 120 years of experience working with him.
“I’m grateful and blessed that they want to stick with me,” he says.
While the family worked through repair plans and city permits, they also kept staff paid, first offering 60 days of full pay to the entire team.
“We want to make sure that they were taken care of,” Brian says. “We’re in this together.”
After that, they shuffled some staff to Centrico and helped others get new gigs. They’ve kept nearly 20 staff on payroll in anticipation of bringing them back.
“This team is amazing,” Brian says. “When we do reopen… we wanted to have their expertise on day one.”
In the aftermath of the fire, the family received an outpouring of support from customers. One diner, who lives in Las Vegas, sent a check for $500 to the Madrigals for anything the restaurant needs to get back online.
“They really care,” Leo says.
The chef didn’t cash the check. Instead, he intends to frame it and hang it in the restaurant once they reopen.
“The outreach has been tremendous,” Brian says. “We’ve been doing everything on our part to make sure we can get open as quickly as possible.”
As the months have passed since Cocina Madrigal was forced to close, Leo says he’s felt a bit lost. Fans reached out daily to ask about reopening plans, eager to order the restaurant’s award-winning wild mushroom enchiladas, beef tenderloin tacos or signature burger with jalapeno bacon, pepper jack cheese and chipotle aioli. Then the staff suggested they bring the restaurant back, in food truck form.
Pop-up opens down the block
The family secured a trailer with two sets of burners, a flat top, a small fryer and refrigerators. The small space and an off-site commercial prep kitchen allow the team to create about 80-85% of the restaurant’s menu.
The Cocina Madrigal team leased the space from the church, and the restaurant pop-up began on April 8.
“We’ve been getting a lot of demand and request for some of our more popular items that we felt it was time to open something in the meantime to make sure we serve our customers and the community,” Brian says.
Although the food is being cooked from a mobile kitchen, the family has the operation running “the Madrigal way,” Edson says, offering full service to diners.
Fan-favorite tacos on freshly made corn tortillas, burritos, enchiladas and the charred romaine and mango steak salads are back, along with the Madrigals’ made-to-order guacamole and house aguas frescas. One thing they cannot offer guests dining at this temporary home is a margarita or Modelo because there is no liquor license for this location.
Right now, the family says they're excited and grateful to have a place to feed others and connect. When a large group is seated on the patio, Edson points out the smile forming on his father's face as he chats with guests.
“I see my guests over here, they’re very grateful, they say, ‘I’m so glad that you opened, thank you,” Leo says. “I say, ‘No, thank you.’”
The family anticipates the building will be renovated and ready to welcome customers in the next four to five months. While the building’s layout will stay the same, Brian says guests can expect refreshed paint, tiles and art, as well as upgraded areas, such as accessible bathrooms.
“It will look different, but everything else about it will feel the same. It will still have that home, family environment,” he says.
The family is already also thinking about how they’ll celebrate over multiple days to thank their longtime customers, friends and family. Leo is also working on a few new dishes for the menu when the restaurant reopens.
“He’s got some stuff up his sleeve,” Edson teases. “It’s definitely gonna be tied to his deep roots in Oaxaca.”
When the restaurant does reopen, its current parking lot home will return to its former purpose: overflow parking.
1523 E. Wood St.
Heading east, past an auto shop and neighboring homes where pint-sized dogs playfully yip at passersby, customers will find Cocina Madrigal’s temporary home in a church parking lot – the same one the restaurant has used for years for overflow parking.
A white trailer with the restaurant's logo sign bolted to the side is parked near a covered patio surrounded by planters packed with small palms and cacti. Misting fans oscillate on the perimeter. The family-run restaurant’s patriarch, chef Leo Madrigal, sits at a table between his sons, Edson and Brian.
The trio recounts the fire last spring that led them to this temporary location.
The wild mushroom enchiladas from Cocina Madrigal were Phoenix New Times' Best Enchiladas of 2022.
Tirion Boan
‘Business was booming’
Leo remembered there was a good amount of rain over the weekend that started on March 15, 2024. What no one knew was that some of that water had seeped into an electrical panel on the outside of the building. Brian was at Cocina Madrigal that Sunday. It was in the middle of the Valley’s high season and the restaurant was packed at 4 p.m.“Business was booming, we were doing great and unfortunately it caught us off guard,” Brian says.
That’s when the kitchen team noticed smoke. He and the staff ushered people out of the building and called the fire department. Some took their margaritas with them, sipping outside as firefighters contained the blaze.
Meanwhile, Edson was downtown at his restaurant, Centrico. A friend and patron who was at the restaurant called him and sent him a video of the building on fire. Edson’s heart sank thinking of the work his parents had put into building a restaurant that fuses the family’s Oaxacan roots with dishes they’ve developed over decades in Arizona.
“It was a very sad day,” Edson says. “They’ve worked hard their entire life to be where they’re at.”
The Madrigal family are bringing back their celebrated food with a new type of community space until the restaurant returns.
Sara Crocker
The restaurant quickly took off and became a favorite for its impressive enchiladas, which won the title of Phoenix New Times’ best in 2019 and 2022. In 2022, it was No. 1 on Yelp's Top 100 Places to Eat and stayed on that national list in 2023 and 2024.
Once the fire was put out and the family gained access to the building, they realized the extent of the damage. Their insurer recommended they “gut the restaurant completely,” Brian says. The family announced the restaurant would be indefinitely closed.
Cocina Madrigal’s guacamole is made to order and can be customized with jalapeno bacon.
Allison Young
“I’m grateful and blessed that they want to stick with me,” he says.
While the family worked through repair plans and city permits, they also kept staff paid, first offering 60 days of full pay to the entire team.
“We want to make sure that they were taken care of,” Brian says. “We’re in this together.”
After that, they shuffled some staff to Centrico and helped others get new gigs. They’ve kept nearly 20 staff on payroll in anticipation of bringing them back.
“This team is amazing,” Brian says. “When we do reopen… we wanted to have their expertise on day one.”
In the aftermath of the fire, the family received an outpouring of support from customers. One diner, who lives in Las Vegas, sent a check for $500 to the Madrigals for anything the restaurant needs to get back online.
“They really care,” Leo says.
The chef didn’t cash the check. Instead, he intends to frame it and hang it in the restaurant once they reopen.
“The outreach has been tremendous,” Brian says. “We’ve been doing everything on our part to make sure we can get open as quickly as possible.”
As the months have passed since Cocina Madrigal was forced to close, Leo says he’s felt a bit lost. Fans reached out daily to ask about reopening plans, eager to order the restaurant’s award-winning wild mushroom enchiladas, beef tenderloin tacos or signature burger with jalapeno bacon, pepper jack cheese and chipotle aioli. Then the staff suggested they bring the restaurant back, in food truck form.
Cocina Madrigal's team is making the majority of its restaurant menu from a food trailer.
Sara Crocker
Pop-up opens down the block
The family secured a trailer with two sets of burners, a flat top, a small fryer and refrigerators. The small space and an off-site commercial prep kitchen allow the team to create about 80-85% of the restaurant’s menu. The Cocina Madrigal team leased the space from the church, and the restaurant pop-up began on April 8.
“We’ve been getting a lot of demand and request for some of our more popular items that we felt it was time to open something in the meantime to make sure we serve our customers and the community,” Brian says.
Although the food is being cooked from a mobile kitchen, the family has the operation running “the Madrigal way,” Edson says, offering full service to diners.
Fan-favorite tacos on freshly made corn tortillas, burritos, enchiladas and the charred romaine and mango steak salads are back, along with the Madrigals’ made-to-order guacamole and house aguas frescas. One thing they cannot offer guests dining at this temporary home is a margarita or Modelo because there is no liquor license for this location.
Right now, the family says they're excited and grateful to have a place to feed others and connect. When a large group is seated on the patio, Edson points out the smile forming on his father's face as he chats with guests.
“I see my guests over here, they’re very grateful, they say, ‘I’m so glad that you opened, thank you,” Leo says. “I say, ‘No, thank you.’”
The family anticipates the building will be renovated and ready to welcome customers in the next four to five months. While the building’s layout will stay the same, Brian says guests can expect refreshed paint, tiles and art, as well as upgraded areas, such as accessible bathrooms.
“It will look different, but everything else about it will feel the same. It will still have that home, family environment,” he says.
The family is already also thinking about how they’ll celebrate over multiple days to thank their longtime customers, friends and family. Leo is also working on a few new dishes for the menu when the restaurant reopens.
“He’s got some stuff up his sleeve,” Edson teases. “It’s definitely gonna be tied to his deep roots in Oaxaca.”
When the restaurant does reopen, its current parking lot home will return to its former purpose: overflow parking.
Cocina Madrigal Pop-Up
Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily1523 E. Wood St.
