Cocina Chiwas is a new restaurant that Armando Hernandez and Nadia Holguin, the owners of Tacos Chiwas, opened in Tempe in February 2023. It already made our list of 100 essential restaurants, but this week, it’s also made national news: Along with 46 other restaurants, Cocina Chiwas was included in the 2024 USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year list.
“It’s an amazing feeling. We appreciate all the love. You know, we are trying to really put Arizona on the map as much as we can with our food and showcase the regionality of the Northern part of Mexico,” Hernandez told The Republic. “Mexico is close to here, but may as well be a different world, and to just be successful in creating something that is very near and dear to our heart, we feel very blessed. … It’s amazing to receive validation.”
Read the big list:Check out USA TODAY’s 2024 Restaurants of the Year.
What makes Cocina Chiwas stand out
“We are not here for accolades, but live for the day to day when people come in and it becomes a community hub.”