Yelp just released its list of the Top 100 Places to Eat in 2022 and topping the list at #1 is Mexican restaurant Cocina Madrigal located in downtown Phoenix.
“We’re super proud to announce that we were just awarded ‘Restaurant of the Year 2022’ by Yelp,” Cocina Madrigal responded online. “We cannot thank everyone enough for your support!”
Co-owned by Chef Leo Madrigal (no relation to the fictional family in Disney’s Encanto, although one could argue his superpower is in the kitchen), Yelp describes Cocina Madrigal as “comfortable and warm but not overly fancy.”
“[Chef Madrigal’s] menu is full of flavors from Oaxaca and his Mexico City birthplace, with favorites that include a grilled-romaine salad and fall-apart beef birria enchiladas,” the writeup reads. “Make sure you leave room for dessert and order the warm Churros with Crème Anglaise and caramel sauce.”
According to Yelp, Cocina Madrigal is best known for “making everything from scratch, from tacos and enchiladas to the fresh-as-can-be salsa.”
To create Yelp’s list, the company reached out to Yelp reviewers to ask for their favorite restaurants. Then, Yelp ranked each one by the total number of submissions, ratings, reviews, and other considerations.
One Yelp reviewer, Mike T., praised Cocina Madrigal for its entrees. “My wife got the Crispy Salmon and it was to die for,” he wrote. “I can’t believe how crispy it was. Amazing! I got the Barbacoa Green Chili Enchiladas, and they were top-notch! Even the rice and beans were delicious.”
Other Latin American restaurants that made the list are: Mexican restaurant Red Iguana in Salt Lake City (No. 35); Venezuelan food truck Caracasville in Nashville (No. 53); Mexican restaurant La Tertulia in Tulsa (No. 91); and Mexican and Honduran restaurant Hondumex Taqueria in Philadelphia, Mississippi (No. 95).
