355 N Arizona Ave, Chandler, AZ 85225
Review Highlights
Elmer’s Tacos Restaurant Review
If you are ever on the east side of town, searching for Mexican food, consider visiting Elmer’s Tacos in Chandler. The restaurant has been around since 1974, and they have some of the best food around.
Elmer’s Tacos is located just north of Chandler Blvd and Arizona Ave, directly across from Chandler High School.
The dining room is spacious. I would describe the interior as having limited table seating. Although, more seating is available outdoors.
The menu is very large and might seem overwhelming at first. So, consider going over the menu online before you arrive.
For my Elmer’s Tacos review, I ordered the following:
Dinner Plate No. 12 – includes one cheese enchilada, one beef or chicken taco, bean tostada, rice, beans
Chili Cone – with green chili beef (other options available)
Tamale de Elote
Churro Fry Bread
Honey & Powered Sugar Fry Bread
Dinner Plate No. 12 Review
The first thing I noticed about this plate was the chips artistically shoved into the beans. I don’t see this often, but whenever I saw this trend in the past, the food was always top notch.
Even if you are dining in, everything will be prepared to go.
The cheese enchilada was great. They have really good enchilada sauce.
The bean tostada was also great.
The rice was great. You will notice the strong garlic flavor and other spices.
The beans were excellent. The flavor was about as good as beans can get.
Also, the beans have not only a great taste but also a great appearance, with roughly 70% refried beans and 30% whole beans.
I ordered the beef taco and it was good. What really took everything from good to great was the red salsa.
The salsa was not hot. I don’t think it had any heat. It was full of flavor, especially garlic.
This type of salsa tastes good on everything. It was good enough to drink straight!
It was one of the best-tasting salsas [served in a mustard bottle] that you’ll ever try.
Chili Cone Review
This is a simple dish that was available with many filling options. I went with the green chili beef cone.
Good and simple. I would suggest the red chili beef or the bean cone as potentially better options.
To me, the cone itself was thicker than a standard tortilla and maybe not as crispy as a taco shell. So, something in between.
Tamale de Elote Review
At Elmer’s Tacos, you can get either red chili tamales or elote tamales. I decided to try the tamale de elote because it sounded interesting.
Good, classic flavor.
But this is traditionally known as either a corn tamale or maybe green chili tamale, depending on which side of the map you are from. I was hoping it would be more interesting.
I believe they offer an option to top the tamale de elote with green salsa and crema. But the option was not presented to me at the time of ordering.
Next time, I will try the “done up” version. But this was just a standard corn tamale. Again, good, but probably not nearly as good as the red chili version (especially prepared enchilada style).
Churro Fry Bread Review
A play on words here and there can make a business successful. The churro fry bread was a variation of sopapillas.
The dough may have differed slightly from traditional sopapillas. But it was similar in taste and consistency.
The fry bread was rolled in cinnamon and sugar, churro style. And if the sweetness level was not enough, they included a side of miel (honey).
An excellent, satiating dessert, no doubt.
Honey & Powered Sugar Fry Bread
The honey and powdered sugar fry bread was probably a bit more in line with a traditional sopapilla. A simple dish that pretty much tastes like a donut.
Yes, indeed, another dessert you must try.
Overall Review of Elmer’s Tacos
There is a reason I put Elmer’s Tacos on my G.O.A.T. list. Their flavors are undeniable.
I enjoy how they do small things to set themselves apart: like putting a few chips in the beans, calling their chips “strips,” and using word play to make things sound better.
These are very minor things restaurants can do to stand out. But it gives the food character and distinction. And it usually makes everything taste better.
It is no wonder that Elmer’s Tacos has been around since 1974. Without question, they are easily one of the best Mexican restaurants in Arizona.
Justin Leonard Approved
