As recently as a decade ago, it was hard to find a good taco, or any taco at all, in the core downtown business district of Phoenix. Business travelers and convention attendees expected the Southwest’s largest city to offer Mexican food within walking distance of their hotels. Instead, they were directed to options that might be near downtown but not within the walkable core of the city. Now, there are a multitude of choices within a block or two of one another, including Centrico, now nearly a decade old and recently relocated to a bigger and better space.
Centrico originated in a tiny space at the nearby San Carlos hotel. With that historic property slated for an extensive renovation whenever financing is finally arranged, tenants have to find new quarters, and Centrico did just that by relocating to the ground floor of the 101 North building, formerly the U.S Bank Center, a block to the west. Like its new neighbor Hiromi Sushi, Centrico has experienced a considerable upgrade upon arrival in this office tower, which is conveniently situated two blocks north of the Downtown Phoenix Hub on both the A and B lines.
Bike racks are embedded in parking meters along both Monroe and First Avenue, and the restaurant’s patio addresses both streets. Like the dining room behind it, the patio is considerably larger than at the prior location, and customers have generally kept it busy since the relocation. The upgraded dining room decor includes wooden booths and a bar, swooping lanterns, and abundant plants. It’s a look that seems true to the simplicity of the original Centrico but with enough of an upgrade to suggest the restaurant has both grown up and gussied a bit.
In its old location, Centrico was constrained by a small kitchen.That prevented an expansive menu, but it was also an opportunity to define a focused mission of doing a few things and doing them really well. Even in its current expanded space, Centrico has maintained a relatively narrow niche of tacos and a few other Mexican and American favorites, executing them generally quite well, but not trying to offer an endless parade of large format combination platters. Fortunately, all the favorites from classic Centrico remain available at the new site.
Centrico’s menu starts with a section of antojitos, or appetizers, generally designed to be shared. The Guacamole al Momento is mixed tableside and is as much about the pockets of flavor and heat from the added serrano chiles, onion, tomato, and cilantro as it is about the avocado and accompanying basket of chips. The chile verde, which can easily function as an entree, is a stew of tender meat enlivened with Oaxaca cheese and salsa verde. Soft, warm tortillas provided on the side are ideal for scooping, dipping, or something in between the two.
Shrimp empanadas begin with an outer layer that is light and flaky, and the interior is dominated as much by mashed potatoes as it is by crustaceans. The accompanying sauce, described as “habanero aioli” is unexpectedly mild and even a little sweet. A starter of flautas de papas goes all the way with mashed potatoes, this time stuffed inside crisp, rolled tortillas artfully adorned with cotija cheese, crema, and pickled onions. The Centrico Chop Salad has a base of greens topped with avocado, pinto beans, dried corn, tortilla strips, crumbled chorizo, and pepitas.
At Centrico, the distinction between appetizers and entrees seems somewhat arbitrary since nearly everything is easily shared and of about the same portion size. The tacos are four to an order, but they are far from overwhelming in their size and well-suited to being paired with other dishes. Among the choices of fillings, the Gobernador tacos feature shrimp in a spicy sauce, tamed by Oaxacan cheese, crema, and shredded cabbage. The tinga tacos contain tender shredded chicken, pickled onions, queso fresco, and avocado crema inside flour tortillas.
The same tinga is served inside rolled flour tortillas as enchiladas, topped with a choice of fiery red or tangy green salsa. Enchiladas are also available with a filling of birria, tender beef in a gently spiced entomada sauce. A carne asada burrito contains tender and slightly charred meat inside with rice and whole pinto beans. Chilaquiles, a breakfast favorite also available during lunch hours, offers the option of chips covered with salsa, radishes, onions, crema, beans, and cotija cheese and an optional protein, the best choice being chorizo. Pozole is mild but flavorful.
Throughout the menu, Centrico adds little touches such as sliced radishes that are sometimes left off the plate in tamer, more Americanized presentations found elsewhere. The kitchen is unafraid to put plenty of spice into its Mexican cooking, but there are also some well-crafted but less threatening options such as a bacon double cheeseburger, a chicken club sandwich, and hot cakes and French toast available for hotel guests and downtown workers who might prefer less heat. The sole dessert offering is churros, a quintet of crisp treats with chocolate sauce.
Centrio has a full bar with an emphasis on tequila and mezcal, Mexico’s two spirits derived from the agave plant. As expected, there is a list of margaritas — not syrupy concoctions in oversized glasses, but carefully crafted cocktails such as a sandia (watermelon) margarita accented with a bit of lime. In just a few years, Downtown Phoenix has gone from nearly no Mexican restaurants to a handful of appealing Mexican food options. Now that Mexican cuisine is firmly established in the city’s central business district, Centrico’s approach remains a success in its new location.
101 N. 1st Ave., Phoenix AZ 85004
https://www.centricophx.com
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