Phoenix Filiberto's begin to reopen after abrupt closures

In June, eight Filiberto's locations closed. Now, three are back open. Here's what's going on with the late-night chain.

By Sara Crocker

August 7, 2025

Image: Filiberto's Mexican Food restaurants that abruptly closed are reopening, starting with locations in Peoria (pictured), Phoenix and Apache Junction.

Filiberto's Mexican Food restaurants that abruptly closed are reopening, starting with locations in Peoria (pictured), Phoenix and Apache Junction. Sara Crocker

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The red lights that spell out where diners can find fast, late-night eats are about to be turned back on. Three of the eight Filiberto’s Mexican Food restaurants that abruptly closed in June reopened on Thursday.

Filiberto’s restaurants in Phoenix, at 91st Avenue and Thomas Road, in Apache Junction, near Signal Butte Road and Main Street, and in Peoria, off 83rd Avenue and Thunderbird Road, are again welcoming customers starting Thursday, said Luis Espinoza, a commercial real estate broker who represents the restaurant group.

Those and five other restaurants were owned and operated by a franchisee, Compadres Group. The restaurants were shuttered because Compadres Group CEO John Schwimmer experienced personal "unforeseen medical issues," Cesar Tenorio, a member of the family that founded Filiberto's, told Phoenix New Times in June. Since the restaurants closed, the Tenorio family has been working with Espinoza to take over the leases of those locations.

The Filiberto’s locations set to reopen are:

2955 N. 91st Ave., Phoenix – now open
13972 N. 83rd Ave., Peoria – now open
10749 E. Apache Trail, Apache Junction – now open
17224 N. 19th Ave., Phoenix
1440 N. Dysart Road, Avondale
930 E. Pecos Road, Chandler
1397 E. Williams Field Road, Gilbert
9150 E. Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale

click to enlarge

The Filiberto's on Indian Bend Road in Scottsdale is one of eight that is anticipated to reopen by September.

Sam Eifling

What happened?

The restaurants, known for their 24/7 drive-thrus and carne asada burritos, quietly closed in June. Six of the eight locations, however, were still marked as open online. That left many would-be customers confused and frustrated when they pulled up expecting to order, and were greeted with “closed” signs instead.

Some users took to social media to vent. Once news broke of the closures, readers sounded off with their own theories.

Diners weren’t the only ones surprised by the news. The Tenorio family, which founded Filiberto’s in 1993, was caught off guard, too. "But we all respect (Schwimmer's) wishes," Tenorio told New Times in June.

A week after the closures, Espinoza confirmed that GILE Commercial Real Estate was in the process of securing leases on the locations spanning the Valley from Peoria to Gilbert and Scottsdale to Avondale. Members of the family will run these locations going forward, Espinoza said.

Initially, the real estate broker estimated all of the restaurants would reopen in July. Since then, that timeline has extended, and each restaurant will open as it's ready, Espinoza says. He anticipates that all eight of the Filiberto’s restaurants will be up and running by September.

Sara Crocker is a staff writer for Phoenix New Times where she focuses primarily on food. She began freelancing for New Times in July 2022 and joined the staff in February 2023. Prior to New Times, Sara worked for publications such as The Denver Post, Phoenix Magazine, Phoenix Home & Garden and Colorado Life Magazine. When she’s not reporting on the Valley’s dining scene, Sara brews beer at home and is an avid cook.

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