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    Papi Gordo's

    4.1 (175 reviews)
    ModerateMexican, Bars
    Closed 2:00 pm - 10:00 PM

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    PAPI GORDO'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Trendy
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Papi Gordo's

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    Seating
    Jaquay R.

    My new favorite Mexican Restaurant. After too long of planning to check this place out, I finally made it. Boy have I been missing out. Full bar, great atmosphere, and amazing food. I went on a Saturday for the first time and it was such a great experience I doubled back to go the next day. The waitress/bartender Daisy is absolutely delightful. All smiles and great service. There were a few other people dining in so my food came out quickly. Very authentic and reasonably priced. I enjoyed the birria taco and the chicken tostada on Saturday and Sunday the surf and turf burrito which was the best. I have to return for taco Tuesday.

    Margarita
    Emma N.

    I always have the best luck here! Never a wait, great service and awesome food! This time we ordered the house margaritas, guacamole and ceviche. Everything was 10/10. Their margaritas are always so good, probably some of the best in the area! I also love the decor here, lots of neon signs and floral.

    Rolled tacos
    Christa M.

    We ended up having dinner at this place because there was a two hour wait at the restaurant we wanted to eat at. It was a Friday night and it was practically empty when we walked in. There was only two people seated at the bar and the baseball game was on full blast. We sat down and the waitress came over right away. She brought us waters, chips & salsa, and the menus. We looked over the menu and settled on: One queso fundido - to share One order of barbacoa rolled tacos One order of potato rolled tacos One bowl with chicken tinga The queso came out a few minutes later and it was lukewarm. It would've tasted much better had it been hot and it got cold right away. Both the chips and salsa were delicious and the waitress ended up giving us more without us even asking. My barbacoa rolled tacos were decent and they had plenty of meat. I didn't really care for the toppings that were thrown on top as they tasted sweet. My friends potato rolled tacos barely had any potato inside and she said it was as if she was just eating the tortillas with no flavor. My sister had a bowl with chicken tinga and she didn't really care for it. By the time our food arrived, more people had walked in so it started to get busy. Our water cups sat empty for a while and then finally the waitress remembered about us and gave us refills. The décor is pretty unique and we had an ok experience. Not sure we would come back though.

    Fire tacos  crispy fish and lobster tacos
    Abayomi O.

    This is another gem no one knows about. Thank me later. Protein is freshly sourced, fresh and exuberant flavors. Drink menu is solid, would recommend tequilla based drinks but they have options. Cindy and Sara took good care us, highly recommend, if you get one of them consider yourself lucky.

    Aaron S.

    After perusing Century Grand, we stopped here for a bite. It was late afternoon and the place was empty which was surprising, given all of the activity in the shopping center. We sat outback on the patio to enjoy the fresh air, which wasnt necessarily the best thing to do because (in my opinion) we were forgotten about a couple of times. Anyhow, our waittres was nice, and brought chips and salsa. Perhaps is was the bourbon talking, but this salsa was amazingly good. I dont know if it was made with love or crack, but none of us could get enough. I ordered 2 birria tacos and an al pastor taco. Food didnt take terribly long to come out, the pastor with the pineapple was nice, and the birria soup with the twcos was just right. I ended up getting extra salsa to put on the tacos..it was that good.

    Tres Tacos...Korean, El Rey, Al Pastor
    Daniel K.

    Wow! The tacos were AMAZING! You gotta try the El Rey! I am stunned this place doesn't have more walk in traffic than they do...good service, nice selection of cocktails, and AMAZING tacos! Very cool decor too. Will definitely be coming back

    Simone S.

    Food is 8/10 I wasn't a fan of the red sauce but the green sauce was good. Service was good. Cindy She help me with my order and make sure she checked on me continuously which is nice. The Ambiance is everything! The music for sure is definitely a vibe. Somebody hire him in Atlanta! The lights to the decor is very pretty with a pink & red rose wall with their name in the middle is cute. If you haven't been, definitely check them out. Did I mention they have $3 drinks? Happy hour Fri-Sat 9-11p don't sleep on this!

    Janelle N.

    Friday night out with some friends and we were in the mood for Mexican. Papi Gordo's is in a small strip mall in Arcadia on the busy Indian School Road. The parking lot is easy to access and it's a smaller lot so a very short walk to the entrance which is nice. The interior is inviting with purple and blue glowing retro lights along the bar, glossy glass tile backsplash and a fun kitsch bijou waiting area. The restaurant is long and narrow and the blue and purple lights are mesmerizing. We had walked to the restaurant and needed to use the bathrooms. The men's was quite clean but sadly the women's restroom was awful, the floor was wet and it seemed that someone had vomited on the floor. We ordered street tacos, guacamole and chips. Our food choices were ok but the guacamole didn't taste fresh. The decor was nice, the music was fun and zippy but the bathroom experience tainted our dining experience sadly. I might try Papi Gordo's again and I hope that the restrooms will be cleaner.

    Taquitos
    Crystal L.

    I wish my pictures came out a little bit bit better but some of the lighting is a little funky. The bartenders were super nice and we got our drinks really quick. We ordered some taquitos and some street corn and some chicken soup. It was really good. I absolutely love handled taquitos and there were really terrific. I couldn't even eat them all so I brought them home and they were still good the next day. I would definitely go back.

    Raquel H.

    Well some places just disappoint, maybe this place is made more for like their dinner menu or drinks but the brunch was nothing to rave about. We were the only table beside some people at the bar and the service was soooo slow. The pozole tasted can and it was so thick. You can taste the difference on a fresh made pot of pozole to something out of a can. The hash plate was more tomato sauce than chorizo. Again can tomato not even a decent salsa. The chilaquiles were ok but nothing to great. The sodas were flat. Probably won't be back given the flavor and service. I can imagine their dinner menu might be better but for us this place just didn't hit. The staff was friendly but they just lacked skills for the service industry.

    Fastidious Weasel I.

    Ambiance is wonderful. Calm, welcoming and cute. Fun neon lights add a pop of color to the dim, warm lighting. Server was kind, attentive and engaging to talk to! Absolutely will be back, thank you!

    Surf and Turf Burrito with Enchilada Sauce
    Nicole C.

    We came here looking for tacos. Let me start by saying that it is loud as shit in here. They do play sports games but did not have the whole range of options. The music is super loud. They have booths and tables arranged in a long vertical line. There is outside seating in the back and a bar. The drink menu was large but I didn't order anything - they looked good though. The chips and salsa was the best part. The chips were nice and thick and perfectly salted. The salsa was super delicious and unique. It has a sweetness to it with a slight spice and not too chunky or too watery. Super delicious. The prices were super over priced. The cheapest taco was $6, which is ridiculous. I had 3 tacos, the lobster one to try, steak and birria. The birria one was the biggest of the 3. It was also the most delicious and STUFFED with meat. Super good. The lobster one was not gross but it just wasn't good. I wanted to try it since that's an unusual option but the lobster was fried and rubbery, super hard to chew. The flavor was off to me. The steak was cooked perfectly and melted in the mouth but the seasoning was lacking. The flavor and seasoning or what you typically expect a steak carne asada taco was just not there. My boyfriend had the surf and turf burrito. It was HUGE. Steak was flavored and cooked the same as in my taco. The shrimp was actually amazing in the burrito. I didn't like the enchilada sauce as it had a peppery flavor to it. Overall probably wouldn't come again as our meal was $50 with no alcohol and didn't even come with rice and beans...

    Entrance, sitting area.

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    7 months ago

    Papi Gordo's - Fun atmosphere, great service, yummy cocktails. You must try the Pozole!!!!

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    10 months ago

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    11 months ago

    JADYN IS THE BEST!! She made our time so fun. Please go here and ask for her. If not Tanner is AMAZING! If not Tanner don't come.

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    11 months ago

    This is a cute bar! Amazing drinks! Delicious chips and salsa! With great tacos! Worth the trip from Avondale!!

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    Page 1 of 5

    Ask the Community - Papi Gordo's

    Review Highlights - Papi Gordo's

    Every time we come in Valeria takes such great care of us (always goes above and beyond) The birria ramen is FIRE!

    Mentioned in 21 reviews

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    The Starving Artist

    The Starving Artist

    4.5
    (213 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$

    Friends and I were killing time before our flights - I'm actually sad we didn't discover this place…read moreearlier for a full meal! As it was, we grabbed a few drinks and a snack. Really good drinks and there are some really unique ones - the Kyoto in Winter came in a very cute teacup, for example! There's a decent mocktail selection, which I appreciated as the DD. We really loved the Knotty Boyz (Garlic Parmesan) - if we hadn't eaten recently we might've ordered more to share!

    I have been thinking about this place since I dined here for the first time…read more Fast-paced service and great pizza slices are $3 on happy hour. I tried the Korean BBQ pizza which was really good. They had a special pizza...The Baked Potato. So happy they offer slices to try. This was pretty tastey with the seasoned potatoes on it. I particularly appreciated that they did not over potato the slice lol. The best part about the pizza in general is that the crust is light and soft. I usually prefer heavy cheese on my pizza but their was just right. I tried the Son of a B*t@# I'm In cocktail that is on happy hour for $10. The simple yet clean ingredients caught my eye...gin, aperol, elderflower, lime l, and honey made for a very refreshing drink. Also, I've been on a kick to enjoy cocktails with no ice, so this was perfect.

    Photos
    Sandwiches, NY stlye pizzas, salads, and shareables
    Sandwiches, NY stlye pizzas, salads, and shareables
    Champagne of Beers were super cold
    Champagne of Beers were super cold
    Seems like a cool vibe....let's check it out :)

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    Seems like a cool vibe....let's check it out :)

    Papi Gordo's - mexican - Updated June 2026

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