Manuel's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina | Tempe Introduce
As a cherished Arizona institution, **Manuel's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina | Tempe** offers far more than just a meal—it provides a true taste of Sonoran-style Mexican heritage steeped in family tradition since 1964. This Tempe location is a beloved spot for local users seeking authentic, scratch-made Mexican food served with genuine warmth and exceptional hospitality. The moment you are seated, you are welcomed with what many consider to be one of the best parts of the experience: the fresh, hot **Chips and Salsa**, with the salsa often lauded as "perfect" once seasoned to taste.
The menu is a robust celebration of Mexican cuisine, encompassing everything from a classic **Breakfast** to late-night bites. It features long-time favorites prepared using recipes passed down through the Salazar family, who still own and operate the individual restaurants collectively. Signature dishes are a major draw, including the famous **Pollo Especial** (a delicious deep-fried burrito filled with chicken and chilies, topped with jalapeno cream cheese sauce), the always popular **Sizzling Fajitas** with choice of steak, chicken, or shrimp, and the hearty **Chimichanga Dinner**. The generous **Portion sizes** ensure that every guest leaves fully satisfied.
A notable highlight that exemplifies the quality of the food is the incredible enchilada selection. Customers rave about plates like the **3 Amigos Enchiladas**, which provides a delicious sampler of a green chicken, a white chili-spinach, and a red beef enchilada. Specifically, the spinach enchilada is frequently praised for having the perfect amount of fresh spinach. To cap off the dining experience, the dessert menu features favorites like the classic **Flan** and the highly-rated **Fried Ice Cream**, which diners often describe as some of the best in town. The entire experience is backed by **Fast service** and a genuinely top-tier staff, making every visitor feel like family, as highlighted by numerous reviews where managers and waiters are mentioned by name.
Manuel's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina is conveniently located in the heart of Tempe, Arizona, making it an easy and accessible destination for locals and travelers across the Valley. The restaurant’s strategic placement on a main thoroughfare simplifies travel, ensuring a quick and hassle-free visit for lunch, dinner, or grabbing a catering order.
The specific address for the Tempe location is:
2350 E Southern Ave #1, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA
The establishment is particularly well-equipped to serve all members of the community, prioritizing comfort and ease of access for everyone. The accessibility features are comprehensive and thoughtful:
- **Wheelchair accessible entrance** for easy entry and exit.
- **Wheelchair accessible parking lot** for stress-free parking adjacent to the building.
- **Wheelchair accessible restroom** facilities designed for comfort and ease of use.
- **Wheelchair accessible seating** options within the dining areas.
Furthermore, parking is straightforward and convenient, featuring both a **Free parking lot** and the option of **Free street parking** nearby, which eliminates the common worry of finding a spot in a busy area. The friendly and casual **Atmosphere** also makes it an ideal gathering place for **Family-friendly** meals and **Groups**.
Manuel's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina provides a full spectrum of dining and catering services tailored to meet the varied needs of the Arizona community, ensuring a great meal is always possible, regardless of the occasion or time of day.
- **Full Dining Service:** Available for **Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, and Dessert**, with comfortable **Seating** and dedicated **Table service**.
- **Flexible To-Go Options:** Offers **Takeout** and multiple convenient delivery methods, including **Curbside pickup** and **No-contact delivery**.
- **Extensive Beverage Service:** Features a fully-equipped **Bar onsite** with an extensive list of **Alcohol, Beer, Cocktails, Hard liquor, and Wine**, including local specialty drinks.
- **Happy Hour:** Includes both **Happy hour drinks** and **Happy hour food**, making it a perfect spot for unwinding after a long Arizona workday.
- **Catering Services:** Professional **Caterer** services are available for any event size, offering packages like the **Manuel's Favorite Party Package** and various party platters such as the **Fajita Taco Party Platter** and **Chimichanga Party Platter**.
- **Private Dining:** The availability of a **Private dining room** allows for intimate gatherings, business meetings, or small celebrations.
- **Family Accommodations:** A dedicated **Kids' menu** and available **High chairs** make it excellent for families with young children (**Good for kids**).
- **Accepts Reservations:** Customers can call ahead to secure their table, a helpful option for busy times or larger groups.
- **Payment Versatility:** Accepts all major **Credit cards** and **Debit cards**, as well as convenient **NFC mobile payments**.
Manuel's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina stands out in the competitive Arizona dining scene due to a distinctive blend of tradition, quality, and guest-focused amenities.
- **Legacy and Consistency:** As a respected, family-run Arizona institution operating since 1964, Manuel’s provides a reliable experience, often praised for its consistency in both food quality and service over the decades.
- **Signature Culinary Hits:** Beyond the classics, the restaurant is celebrated for its specific menu items, including the unique **Pollo Especial** and the layered perfection of the **3 Amigos Enchiladas**. Their legendary **Chips and Salsa** also fall under this highlight, often being named the best in the area.
- **Cantina Excellence:** The full **Bar onsite** is a major feature, offering a **Great beer selection** and **Great cocktails**, making it a top choice for a lively social experience or a relaxing evening drink. The bar often **Serves local specialty** beverages.
- **Comfortable and Engaging Atmosphere:** The dining space is described as both **Casual** and **Cozy**, enhanced by the presence of a **Fireplace** that adds a charming and inviting touch, especially during cooler months.
- **Exceptional Hospitality:** The service is consistently rated as **Top-tier** and **Fast service**, with the management and staff taking a personal approach, often resulting in guests feeling "like family," a hallmark of true Arizona hospitality.
- **Catering Specialization:** The dedicated catering menu, featuring comprehensive packages like the **Fiesta Feast** and popular platters, makes Manuel's the go-to choice for turning any Arizona party into an easy and authentic fiesta.
- **Dessert Quality:** The reputation for serving one of the **Great dessert** selections in town, particularly the **Fried Ice Cream**, provides a perfect conclusion to any meal.
For Arizonans looking to make a reservation, place a takeout order, or inquire about catering services for their next event, contacting the Tempe location of Manuel's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina is easy and direct.
- **Address:** 2350 E Southern Ave #1, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA
- **Phone (Main Number):** (480) 897-0025
- **Mobile Phone (Direct Contact):** +1 480-897-0025
The availability of multiple phone contacts and a dedicated address ensures that guests can easily locate and communicate with the restaurant, whether they are planning a large group dinner or just a quick solo meal.
Manuel's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina is truly worth choosing for anyone in the Arizona region seeking a reliable, authentic, and high-quality Mexican dining experience. It stands out because it combines the rich, consistent flavor of a decades-old family recipe with a genuinely welcoming, modern-day restaurant experience. You are choosing the reassurance of an Arizona institution known for making all its food from scratch, from the slow-simmered sauces to the perfectly prepared **Rice and Beans**, which are often highlighted as the best a customer has ever tasted.
Choosing Manuel’s means selecting a place where **Fast service** doesn't compromise on quality, where a personal touch from the staff is standard, and where the ambiance is **Cozy** and perfect for **Family-friendly** gatherings, groups, or even **Solo dining**. From the famous **Pollo Especial** to the incredible **3 Amigos Enchiladas** and the comprehensive **Happy hour food** and drink options, there is a consistent level of excellence across the board. For the perfect blend of a lively cantina, a comfortable family restaurant, and the finest Sonoran-style Mexican food in Tempe, Manuel’s Mexican Restaurant & Cantina is the clear choice.
Manuel's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina | Tempe Menu
Most Popular Menu Items
- Pollo Especial
Delicious chunks of chicken and mild chilies wrapped in a flour tortilla, deep fried and coveredwith green Norteno sauce, melted cheese and a delicious jalapeno cream cheese sauce. Servedwith rice and beans.
- Sizzling Fajitas
Grilled steak, achiote shrimp or chicken sautéed with green chilies,tender white onions and our special seasoning. Served with beans,sour cream, guacamole, tomatillo sauce and choice of corn or flourtortillas.
- Chimichanga Dinner
One of our wonderful chimichangas with your choice of regular fillings, covered with green norteno sauce, guacamole, sour cream and served with rice and beans.
Catering
- Manuel's Favorite Party Package
Includes: Layered Enchilada Pan • Rice • Beans • Trio Party Platter• Chips • Salsa • Plates & Rolled Cutlery - Serves 10
- Manuel's Favorites Party Package Large
Includes:Layered Enchilada Pan • Rice • Beans • 2 Trio Party Platters • Chips • Salsa • Plates & Rolled Cutlery - Serves 20
- Fiesta Feast Small
Choice of:Chicken Fajita, Steak Fajita or Pork Carnitas Includes:• Rice • Beans • Tortillas • Corn Chips • Salsa • Guacamole• Sour Cream • Tomatillo Sauce • Plates & Rolled Cutlery
- Fiesta Feast Large
Choice of:Chicken Fajita, Steak Fajita or Pork Carnitas Includes:• Rice • Beans • Tortillas • Corn Chips • Salsa • Guacamole• Sour Cream • Tomatillo Sauce • Plates & Rolled Cutlery
- Trio Party Platter
48 assorted mini chimis, flautas & taquitos. Choice of salsa, hot sauce or spicy bean dip center.
- Chimichanga Party Platter
24 beef chimis & 24 chicken chimis. Choice of salsa, hot sauce or spicy bean dip center.
- Fajita Taco Party Platter
1 pound of steak fajita,1 pound of chicken fajita,1 pound of pork carnitas & grilled chilies and onions. Includes pico de gallo salsa and your choice of flour or corn tortillas. No Substitutions.
Manuel's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina | Tempe Details
Service options
- Curbside pickup
- No-contact delivery
- Delivery
- Takeout
- Dine-in
Highlights
- Fast service
- Fireplace
- Great beer selection
- Great cocktails
- Great dessert
- Serves local specialty
Popular for
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Solo dining
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible entrance
- Wheelchair accessible parking lot
- Wheelchair accessible restroom
- Wheelchair accessible seating
Offerings
- Alcohol
- Beer
- Cocktails
- Coffee
- Comfort food
- Happy hour drinks
- Happy hour food
- Hard liquor
- Late-night food
- Private dining room
- Quick bite
- Salad bar
- Small plates
- Vegetarian options
- Wine
Dining options
- Breakfast
- Brunch
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Catering
- Dessert
- Seating
- Table service
Amenities
- Bar onsite
- Restroom
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi
Atmosphere
- Casual
- Cozy
Crowd
- Family-friendly
- Groups
- LGBTQ+ friendly
- Tourists
Planning
- Accepts reservations
Payments
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- NFC mobile payments
Children
- Good for kids
- High chairs
- Kids' menu
Parking
- Free parking lot
- Free street parking
- Parking
Manuel's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina | Tempe Photos










Manuel's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina | Tempe Location
Manuel's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina | Tempe
2350 E Southern Ave #1, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA
Manuel's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina | Tempe Reviews
margaritashappy hourchips and salsavalleybartenderfried ice creamcheese crispspinachmexican pizzaplatter
★ 5★ 4★ 3★ 2★ 15 STARS! Manuel's is our new obsession! The food is excellent, but the service is truly top-tier. Our waiter, Carlos, was fantastic, and Manager Margarita checked on us personally. They even gave me (Manuel!) a shirt on the house—incredible hospitality and a stellar, personal touch. We felt like family.
October 18 · manuel evansSo we were driving by the other day and I was like hey wife! We have never been to that Mexican restaurant!! Let's go sometime? So just a couple days later we came here!! Oh my goodness!! This place is awesome!! The chips and salsa were sooo good!! The chips were hot and the salsa was perfect once you add just a little salt! We ordered the 3 amigo enchiladas plate with rice and beans. Everything on that plate was soo good! This plate comes with a green chicken, a white chillies spinach and a red beef enchiladas! All were great but I loved the spinach one! Most of the time when you get a spinach enchiladas at a restaurant it doesn't have enough spinach. This one was perfect!! The rice was some of the best rice I've had!! Oh my goodness!! Sooo good. To end the night wa had fried ice-cream!! Some of the best in town!! Go check it out for your self! You won't regret it!!
October 03 · Eric SolheimThe food was really good as were the Margaritas. We had great service the warm Chips with the hot sause is a winner. The salsa is good, but the hot sauce is better. The Taco Salad Shell was nice and fresh. I was very happy. It is not often I am served fresh bowls with my taco salads.
April 08 · Jerry RitaI always forget to take the picture before I start eating- and then it’s so good I end up eating it all up! The food is phenomenal! I’m glad we decided to come here instead of The Outback!!! And our server Sylvia was a joy! She hooked us up with the service A+, Food A+ Chicken Fajita & Chile Rellenos
July 31 · Stephanie Henderson-ClicheGabbie our server gave us excellent customer service. We had a great first time and we will definitely be back . We got the fiesta platter and the sizzlin fajitas. Great place.
September 23 · Gabriella Ashe
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