I can't say enough great things about this taco shop. They have such an extensive selection of meats and toppings, you can choose anything from bowls, burritos, quesadillas, and the tacos! I like to come for taco Tuesday as they have special pricing. You can customize your order with any of the offered toppings. Then mosey on over to the salsa bar. God I love a salsa bar as I am very generous with my salsa to taco ratio. They have a roasted Serrano pepper and onion condiment that is absolutely fire. Everything is fresh, made with care, and it's in the near weekly ration for sure. read more

Some of the best Asada I have ever had and some of the best homemade chips I have ever had. So good!!! We ordered the Asada, Pastor, and Surf and Turf tacos and all of it was delicious. The salsa verde was our favorite of the salsas. So good! We can't wait to come back! read more

Santa Madre Taco Shop - Chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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We have been visiting the Santa Madre Taco Shop regularly, and always find the food and service outstanding. We enjoy the steak and fish burritos, fish tacos, rice and beans and chips. The food is always very fresh, especially the fish, and delicious. The staff is very friendly and welcoming, and the music is wonderful. The quality is consistent. This is the best Mexican restaurant in our metro area. Why? It's authentic, and we always leave satisfied and happy. Thank you! read more

Great Taco Spot!! My wife and I had this place for lunch after leaving Ikea since its close by. It didn't disappoint. I found it on Yelp and will definitely be back again. read more

Santa Madre Taco Shop - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

I stopped here since I had to charge my rental EV vehicle (a mistake in a city like Phoenix, do not recommend, you use a huge percent of your charges just going to/from charging stations). I picked this place because it looked more like a local business and not a chain. The food was excellent and fast: I got 3 tacos (they were on the smaller side but ok for what I needed) and beans/rice (not too much) and refillable soda drink for a moderate price in today's world. The bathroom was clean and the service was polite and efficient. They have a condiment/salsa bar to help yourself which is generous. There were just a couple technical issues that didn't impact the product: half the screen was out for the projected menu, the ice was mostly empty (got one cube out after a minute). Nice place to stop at while doing mega shopping at the stores around, or charging your EV read more

Santa Madre Taco Shop - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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This place was great. Original Mexican tacos with all the dressings. You can't beat the flavor or the price. Plus you can have a cold one while you wait and one with your tacos!!!! read more

Santa Madre Taco Shop - Taco's and burritos - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

My wife and I wanted to try this place for a change. We both ordered the #1 combo, 3 carne asada tacos with rice and beans. The serving size was a little small for the price. They have a salsa bar that has other ingredients to top off your food with. The carne asada was flavorful, tender and cooked just right. They had 7 tables and needed to do a little more to keep it clean, but we only saw 2 people working there. read more

I really wanted to like this place. I placed an online order yesterday for lunch to pick up. It was 10:50 and the first option was in 15 minutes. I scheduled the pick up for 11:15. After I placed the order I received a text message saying it would be ready at 11:30. At 11:17 I received a text my order was ready for pick up. I didn't love that. I ordered the chicken burrito, no rice, add cheese, avocado sauce, pico & added sour cream. I appreciated the sour cream did not cost extra. I also ordered a side of chips. I appreciate I could get a side of chips & the cost was great. When I walked up & into the restaurant it seemed dingy. I was greeted & handed my bag. If you want salsa you need to get it yourself. If you want silverware you need to get it. No napkins were in the bag. I didn't see any to grab. My burrito was super cold. The chicken was dry & tough to eat. The burrito tasted like sour cream & pico only. The shredded cheese was not melted. I ended up scooping the inside of the burrito out & eating the parts of the tortilla that wasn't soggy. The chips were like none other I have had. Those that were not overly greasy were good. I couldn't eat more than half of them because they were soaked with grease. Unfortunately, I will not be back. My hunt for a good taco place by work continues. read more

Santa Madre Taco Shop - Greasy chips - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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My wife and I were in Tempe and we're looking for some seafood tacos. Google AI showed we should go to Santa Madre Taco Shop so we drove 20 minutes to get there. It is tucked in a little strip mall, my wife was a little hesitant after we had driven thru downtown Tempe and saw some cool looking taco shops. It is nothing fancy but the dude cooking was super cool from the time we talked outside the shop through ordering. The shrimp and the fish tacos are great especially with a cold Negro Modelo. read more

Excellent food. Excellent service. The shrimp and fish taco is epic. The fries are surprisingly great too.

I'm a big burrito person over tacos. I enjoyed both and all the sauces that was available. The rice and beans are flavorful with services being quick. read more

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Clean taco place. Fresh side bar. friendly staff. Yummy food!! I order 3x but was stuffed after 2x. read more

Santa Madre Taco Shop - All Battered fried meat. all are pretty good!!! Bare meat on Tortillas and help yourself on the salsa bar. Yummy!! - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

My fiance and I have been coming here every Friday for their amazing fish tacos. They never disappoint! The breading is perfect on the fish, nice and crispy with a great flavor! They have a taco garnish bar as well with multiple salsa selections, cucumbers, etc. The staff is also Friendly, overall great food, and a chill environment. I would recommend this restaurant if you are looking for a quick delicious meal at a decent price. read more

Santa Madre Taco Shop - Fish taco combo with fries - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Humble establishment. Ordering is easy and straightforward. Prices are reasonable. Stopped in after seeing reviews as I was driving from Tucson to Phx. Inside is midsize with plenty of seating. I got 1 fish taco, 1carne Asada and 1 al pastor. $3.99 Fish taco was AMAZING!!!! Would come back for it 100%. On the way back to Tucson I stopped by again. Wow. The chipotle sauce at the salsa bar was to die for!!!! $3.19 carne asada was good. It has that grilled flavor and the tacos was FULL of meat. This place doesn't skimp. $2.69 al pastor was my least favorite. The meat was tough, dry and didn't have that signature saucy sweet flavor I'm used to. Overall I would definitely come back. When you check-in you get a free drink. Great place and I will be thinking of that fish taco for years to come!!!! read more

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This was a great find! The service was nice, and the food came out quickly. The man who took our order and made the food explained what the salsa bar options were, which was helpful because they weren't labeled. The Al pastor taco alone was ok, but with all the options available in the salsa bar, it turned out pretty good. The chipotle crema, cilantro and onions, lime, and pico made great additions. Now that fish taco, that was GOOD. It was huge and just made fresh to perfection. The salsa bar had tartar sauce that went nicely with it. I'd come back just for another one of these fish tacos honestly. And checking in on Yelp earned me a free soft drink! read more

Santa Madre Taco Shop - Inside - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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Well the team members from one of our locations always go here and I've been a few times. We had an event where we were doing a production for our customers and the day of that event (Saturday) I hit these guys up and said I wanted to feed our employees and I would need about 80 tacos in about 4 hours. They didn't even hesitate and said, "yeah, we can handle that" and so the order was placed. I'm telling you what, we grabbed up the food and went to our site and the team made SHORT WORK of all of those tacos. About 20 of us and they didn't last but about 15 to 20 minutes, they didn't even give me time to take any pics!!! Most places would just send tortillas and trays of meats with fixings, but not these guys, they actually made 80 tacos!!! They were so good, and when I checked in when I went to pick them up, yelp automatically sent me a free drink that I could use then or save for later! The service was amazing, the food was amazing, and the fact that they hooked us up in only about 4 hours was amazing! 5 STARS for Santa Madre Taco Shop! read more

Santa Madre Taco Shop - Ordering buffet for an event tonight! - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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Looking at other reviews and I ask myself "say whaaat?!" I had shrimp tacos; hubby had fish. Shrimp was tasteless; tortillas were cold. Breading on fish was too thick, tasted old. Cold beer in the refi, but couldn't sell it "till we get our liquor license." Best thing to eat- tres leche cake. But there are a ton of much better places to eat. Very unimpressive. read more

Unsuspecting taco shop across from Walmart. Fun fact - it's next to a Gamestop, which is a nice relic from the past lol. When you walk in, the shop is small; there's a salsa bar in the corner, and tables that lead up to the register. The nice thing about their set up is that they have some TVs to show a giant version of their menu, but also a small monitor at the register to look at as well. Their Taco Tuesday deal is buy two tacos, and get one free. It's a bit unclear if you can mix and match your tacos though. There was a bit of a language barrier when I ordered, so they ended up giving me three full tacos and one pastor taco (when I wanted two pastor and a full taco). Either way, the ordering experience was still good! I ordered my tacos to go, and ate them about 15min. later. The full tacos were still crispy, which was very nice. They were okay--the fish and shrimp just didn't taste seasoned at all, it was just deep fried. It was better with toppings on it, but was still just an okay taco. It can also be super messy to eat, so make sure to have napkins and/or gloves on hand! The pastor taco wasn't much better; it kind of had the same issues as the full tacos where it didn't seem seasoned enough, especially for what pastor should be. It was more on the charred side, where pieces did taste somewhat burnt, but I think that was the style of cooking they were aiming for, rather than chef's negligence. Would I come back here again? No, probably not. But it was a good experience to try out as their tacos had somewhat of a discount on Tuesday. read more

Went on Cinco de Mayo. At about 5 PM. I beat the rush, but I kind of brought them in, because it started to get full after I placed my order. I can say the orders were completed promptly(with an open kitchen concept) more to love. Also appreciate an open salsa bar always, and the staff was polite. The food was great and I would definitely return again ! read more

The corona gave it 3 stars not Mexican at all beans taste like can beans and the rice taste like minute rice the meat was dry and tasted like it was sitting all day not happy at all I paid 32 for me and my cousin would of rather made something at hm that taste better read more

Santa Madre Taco Shop - Can rice and minute rice with tomato sauce in it - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Was expecting more based on reviews. Food: 3/5 - ordered 2 fish tacos and 1 shrimp taco. These were both deep fried. On the plus side the batter that is used is very flavorful, however, the grease from the fried fish and shrimp quickly soaks through the corn tortilla making this difficult to eat as a taco. The tacos are served w/o any toppings and you can dress them yourself at the nearby salsa/sauce/topping bar. Unfortunately none of the salsas or sauces are labeled so u are kinda left to guess what they are, how spicy, which are best for the fish or other taco fillings they have. I guess the best thing to do would be to get a stack of the little condiment containers they have and take a little of each and test them out before putting them on your taco. But seems like a lot of waste. A little labeling with descriptions would go a long way. Ambiance 3/5 - place is very basic. Electronic screens over service area with menu. Menu also located at register on screen for closer view. Overall clean establishment. Service 3/5 - wasn't friendly or unfriendly. Just transactional. No smiles or thank you's. Or "buh byes"... read more

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I was recommended to visit this place on a Tuesday for the taco Tuesday specials where you can buy two tacos and get one free. The tacos are about three dollars each with some of them going up to four dollars. I bought two surf and turf tacos, one fish taco, one full taco (fish, shrimp, cheese, and peppers) and was given two free carne asada tacos as it was a Tuesday. The Carne Asada tacos were pretty average and nothing special compared to other ones I've had other places. Not the greatest, but not the worst. The fish taco was not so bad, and had just the right amount of fish to the tortilla. It was not the greatest fish I've had as it had a little bit more salt then I'm used to, but you can take care of that with some of the sauces they provide. The full taco also was a bit saltier than I expected and not my favorite. The surf and turf tacos we're a bit much and not to my liking, and I would not get those again. Overall, the food wasn't so bad, but they had a lot of salt and not the right balance in flavor. They have a pretty amazing looking salsa bar, but honestly, it was not my favorite salsa bar either and seem to have more quantity over quality. The staff was incredibly friendly, and the restaurant was pretty clean; the prices seem to reflect what I would normally pay in the average taco places. Good place to get tacos especially if you are on a tight budget, which could even help your wallet more if you come on Tuesday. It may seem expensive at first, but the fish/full//surf and turf tacos are pretty massive. However, I will not be returning most likely. Food = 1/2.5 Price = 1/1 Service = 1/1 Decor/Cleanliness = 0.5/0.5 Total = 3.5/5 read more

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Great tacos, reasonable price, very authentic to border town street style tacos. Will definitely eat here again. Have recommended to others and they have been equally impressed. read more

I love the shrimp tacos here. They are battered and they put alot in a small shrimp taco. They are pretty pricey at $4 a taco but they have been well worth it in the past. This visit, I walk in and I see all new faces. I go to the register to order and the cashier tells me to wait a minute. It seems as though she was trying to figure something out in the register. She thens looks up with a smiling face as she takes my order. After I pay, I have to wait a while for my order which is rare here. I look over at the preparing station and I see what looks like already cooked fish against the wall. It was dirty looking. I then see the young man grab the fish and re-fry it. Maybe they like it twice fried so I decide to mind my business. I then carefully watch as he prepares the food going forward and mine appeared to be fresh but the process and cleanest doesn't appear the same as before. I receive my food and it hot and fresh.., I could barely eat the French fries which is just how I like it. read more

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Let me start by saying the Fish Tacos are 5 star! ALOT of very crunchy fish that wasn't soggy and greasy on a very nice, hot tortilla - delicious. I also had to try the carne asada, but it's barely a 4 star. Plenty of chopped up steak (also on a nice warm tortilla, but the carne lacked seasoning and flavor. Although the tacos cone bare (just protein on a tortilla), the topping bar has quite a few choice how to dress up your tacos and how much "extra" you want on em - I like this option. I'll return for more of the fish Tavis, but this time I might try the al pastor vs the carne asada. 3 carne asada tacos loaded with plenty of meat fir less than $8 is a great deal though. read more

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This place never disappoints! They consistently put out great food. The fish tacos are the best anywhere and they are stuffed with fish. It always tastes the same with every visit. They're thinly breaded and yes, the fish is definitely the star! You get a lot of fish with every bite. There is a nice selection of condiments and salsas to dress up your tacos anyway you like. I also ordered an Al Pastor taco after I saw a ton of it grilling in front of me with all the juices falling on the fire and permeating the air with its smoky goodness. It had the place smelling good. The taco tasted as good as it smelled. I imagine with the amount of Al Pastor they were cooking, they must place the finished product in a warmer. That's where they begin to lose flavor over time. I'm guessing of course. But I'm glad I got there after they opened at 10am and got freshly cooked Al pastor. It is really good! Mmmuh! Everyone I brought here loves this place! So far they are batting a thousand in my book! It's all about consistency! Keep it up Santa Madre! read more

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They have really good deals and the tacos are fire never have a bad taco from this place they also have a good salsa bar and the salsas are pretty spicy so yeah over all I'd say 10/10 read more

This place has some of the most tastiest tacos ever. I always get the 2 full tacos. I would give them 5 stars but they stopped adding the scallops on the tacos, which was one of my favorite parts of the dish. Regardless, it's a hidden gem. Food is great, service is great, and it's always fulfilling with nice sized portions. read more

Santa Madre Taco Shop - 2 full tacos - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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Best fish tacos ever. I love this place so much. The fish tacos are out of this world, there is a homemade salsa bar, and the staff is great. read more

Came here for a quick lunch. I ordered the Al Pastor burrito with no beans. Coming from California which has an abundance of authentic Hispanic food, I thought their al pastor tasted good. It was very flavorful. I have tried many and sometimes was very sweet, but this place does it good. I really liked their red salsa as well that I got with it. By the way, there is a small condiments section that is self served. Red salsa had a food amount of heat and the right saltiness to it that wasn't overly salty or too spicy. Would come back again to try their other menu items. read more

Nice small locally owned business. Pretty good food. Reasonably priced. Nice guys work here. I had their carne asada tacos with rice and beans and they were very good. Their fixings station offers many varieties of goodies to fill your tacos and burritos with. My favorite is their chipotle sauce. Mmmmm mmmmm good! The drawbacks? The floor was really dirty when I was there and the mop was out in plain sight, right where the soda machine is. That was rather disturbing to see, but at the same time there were only TWO people working that day and they have a HELP WANTED sign on the window in front of the place. So these were the only faults I could see, hence my 4 stars instead of 5. read more

Santa Madre Taco Shop - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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Just came back to Santa Madre Taco Shop after a hiatus of a few years. I used to go to their 44th Street and Thomas location. They fresh batter their fish as each batch is made. The fish tacos or fish and fries are out of this world! The wife and I were itching for some fish and this place came to mind. I am so glad we rediscovered this gem! I promise myself I will not let so much time go by before I come back and have some of the other items I enjoyed back in the day. What I enjoy may not touch the same pleasure zones in your brain as they do for me. Just start with the fish tacos! They have an impressive salsa bar with all the fixing one would ever need. The fish tacos with cabbage, plenty of fresh lime and their green avocado salsa does it for me! They also have a spicy thousand island like sauce that is super tasty too. If you're reading some reviews to motivate you to visit or not. There is a reason why this place has 500+ reviews with a 4.5 star average rating. The food is just plan good. You will thank me later or say this guy knows nothing of what he is commenting on! Either way, we did our part to keep a Mom and Pop going. I am a fan of non-corporate restaurants and will share them as they make an impression on me. I 100% hope you enjoy Santa Madre Taco Shop as I do!!! read more

Santa Madre Taco Shop - Fish and Fries Baskets - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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So three stars is not bad, but there's a lot to be desired with the cost. So be aware this establishment only cooks the tortilla and protein, after that you're on your own. So assembly is required, which wouldn't be an issue if the toppings area was properly labeled. The ketchup is dangerously close to the salsa roja. The tacos dined on were Carne Asada and the Full Fish Taco. They were meh,.....nothing to hate on but at the same time not standing out for prices they're asking. So this place has tacos, just not amazing mouthfeel orgasmic awesome tacos. So another taco joint near the suburbs that's playing it safe. They do practice the large "Tip" option when paying with a credit/debit on the POS. You pick up the tray, you apply your toppings and bus your tray. So don't feel bad if you choose not to tip for self-service tacos. Overall you can do get better tacos elsewhere, but these are okay. You'll just dine knowing the grass is greener on the other side at Original Burrito Co. read more

Santa Madre Taco Shop - Carne Asada Combo and three Full Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Food wasn't that good. I really dislike throwing food away and my whole order went to the trash. I tried to eat as much as I could but couldn't stomach it. read more

Updated review: I really wanted to like this place so I gave them a another chance. Came on a weekday evening. I've eaten at some hole in the wall places but man this shop was a dump. Not even busy so there is no excuse. 2 other customers. No soap or paper towels in the mens room. Guarantee that staff is not washing their hands. Chunks of food on the floor in the customer area. Spilled and dried food all over the salsa bar. Dining area trash is full to the point that you touch other trash when trying to throw something away. Step outside and look at Panda Express next door - bright, super clean and full of customers. Food was forgettable. It's cheap but that isn't enough. read more

I think I've found my fish taco spot!! I had an order of 3 fish tacos and the tacos were LOADED with fish! Fish can get dry when you fry them but not at Santa Madre! The big fish pieces were moist! The tacos come bare, just the fish and the tortilla. Help yourself to the salsa bar and top your taco with your toppings; cilantro, onion, pico, salsa, chipotle mayo, etc. I definitely recommend the chipotle mayo; so good! The creamy smoky flavor really accentuates the fish! Bf had a 3 taco combo and chose 2 carne asada and 1 pastor. The sides of rice and beans were average. The carne asada had a good flavor but there were bits of grisly fat. The pastor was less tender and on the sweeter side of pastors that I've had. Definitely not my favorite. I would get the carne asada over the pastor but I would get the fish over them both! read more

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Passed by this place lots of times (it's across from Costco) but first time in. Lots of local workers there for lunch so that tells you something. We had carne asada tacos (3 for $9), a fish taco combo ($10) and a free Yelp check in drink. All the food was good. Highlights were tacos. Tacos come plain and you garnish yourself at the taco bar. The slight problem is...nothing is labeled there. So there's squirt bottles but not sure what's in them. Lots of general fresh looking cut up choices, including cabbage, red onions and limes. Just 2-3 types of salsa. We just wished to know what was what, especially in those squirt bottles. Rice and beans were decent but we didn't eat them all. Service was good and friendly. Tables were fairly clean despite the place being full and busy. Definitely recommended if you're in the area. Both tacos very filling but fish tacos were jumbo sized. read more

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Amazing find. We were driving from the airport to Scottsdale and found this place on Yelp. They are operating out of a temporary location given that a fire destroyed their permanent location (it is being rebuilt). The food and service was wonderful. Highly recommend. read more

I will be back! Great tasting Carne asada. 5 out of 5, wish the would have included salsas. read more

Santa Madre Taco Shop - carne asada tacos and a Carne Asada Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

We finally tried this place after commenting virtually every time we left Costco that we needed to try it. Hubby and I both ordered a the Al pastor taco plate and really enjoyed the flavor of the meat. I wasn't a huge fan of the beans, as they were very thick and had a pasty consistency. We shared a quesadilla which had the beans on it, and the beans enhanced it. I just didn't love them on their own. I am always a huge fan of a condiment bar, and theirs did not disappoint. The tacos are only topped with meat and you use the condiments to enhance the tacos. I was missing a chunky red salsa, as I thought that could pair well with the food and there was nothing like that on the condiment bar. During happy hour you can switch your soda from a combo to a domestic beer, which is a great idea I've never before seen at a restaurant. We were thanked as we walked out the door, which is a true mark of hospitality. read more

Santa Madre Taco Shop - All the accoutrements!!! - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona