The 5 best Phoenix Filiberto's locations, according to readers

With dozens of Valley locations, we wondered, which Filiberto's is the best? Our readers had thoughts.

October 22, 2024

Image: With some locations open late and others open 24 hours, Filiberto's signs shine like beacons in the night.

With some locations open late and others open 24 hours, Filiberto's signs shine like beacons in the night. Charles Barth

Audio By Carbonatix

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Whether you're grabbing a quick bite on the go or ordering in the wee hours of the morning after a little too much to drink, chowing down on some Filiberto's Mexican Food is a classic Phoenix experience.

The chain opened in Arizona in 1993 and there are close to 100 locations spread all over the Valley, plus not a small number of spin-offs. So we wondered, what is the best Filiberto's in Phoenix?

We turned to our readers for answers, and boy, did you show up. Readers submitted a mountain of comments — some positive, some not so much — with 51 legitimate votes for 35 different locations. And while the Valley didn't have an overwhelming consensus, one location did come out on top.

The best Filiberto's in Phoenix is:

With a whopping four votes, the Filiberto's location that our readers crowned the best in Phoenix is the restaurant on McClintock Drive and Guadalupe Road in South Tempe.

The freshness of the carne asada, ratio of meat to beans and the spice level and consistency of the salsa were major players in readers' rankings.

click to enlarge

Filiberto's is a Valley institution.

Lauren Cusimano

A tie for second

For the second place spot, there was a multi-way tie. Four different locations received three votes each.

32nd Street and Indian School Road in the Arcadia area
32nd Street and Baseline Road in South Phoenix
Seventh Avenue and Indian School Road in the Melrose District
Broadway Road and Val Vista Drive in Mesa

One reader was sure of his answer, but less so of the reasoning. Andrew wrote:

"32nd Street and Thomas is the best! Hands down! I'll confess that I'm not completely sure why though..."

Describing the Melrose District location, Jay shared:

"(It) slaps every time."

Hard to argue.

For the location on Broadway and Val Vista, one reader shared a seemingly sound argument. Kayla says it's the best because:

"It's not open 24 hours. Everything is always fresh."

Bryton didn't submit a specific location, opting instead for:

"The one that brings me carne asada nachos at 3 a.m. on a Saturday night."

Heard. Who can you count on at 3 a.m. if not Filiberto's?

Tirion Boan is the Food Editor of Phoenix New Times where she’s worked since May 2022. Tirion keeps a close eye on restaurant openings and closings, offers dining recommendations and reports on metro Phoenix food news and trends. She also publishes major annual lists like Top 100 Bars and Top 100 Restaurants, and contributes to the Best of Phoenix project. Tirion previously worked for publications including The Arizona Republic and The Tucson Weekly. She holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from the University of Arizona.

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