Happy 1 Year Macayo’s Mexican Grill & Cantina!

MACAYO’S R&D TEST-KITCHEN, MACAYO’S MEXICAN GRILL & CANTINA 
Has it already been a year?! This day, 365 days ago, was a big day for us as we quietly reopened our Scottsdale & Shea location as our R&D test-kitchen with a soft-opening on May 19th, 2015. Looks like it has indeed been a full year, and what a year it has been! 
As you all may know, over the last few years we have been on a journey, a Culinary Evolution. This strategy has truly been in the spirit of Woody Johnson, our original founder, who without a doubt was one of the most innovative men of his time. When it came to Mexican food, outstanding hospitality and restaurant operations, no one set groundbreaking standards like him. 70 years later as Woody’s children carry on his legacy, they enjoy doing so buy continuing that innovative spirit. 

THE LAST 12 MONTHS
Let’s take a look back! Culinary Additions: 

  • Chile Trio Cheese Crisp . Pulled Chicken Cheese Crisp 
  • Queso Fundido . Deconstructed Nachos 
  • Jicama Shrimp Tacos . Fire-Roasted Albondigas 
  • Fried Avocado . Mexican Corn 
  • Latin Chopped Salad . Grilled Chicken Taco Salad 
  • Short Rib Enchiladas . Tinga Quesadilla 
  • Chicken Tinga Street Tacos . Short Rib Street Tacos 
  • Green Chile Pork Stew . Rolled Tacos 
  • Verde y Roja . Bosio’s Shrimp 
  • Homemade Churros . Dulce de Leche 

Being able to use our Scottsdale & Shea location as a test-kitchen for the entire company has been extremely beneficial, and a lot of fun too! Just recently we featured a special menu at all locations, our Oldies from Woody & Chef Inspired menu. The Chef Inspired side featured several of the most popular new items from the test-kitchen. We were very proud to see you all enjoy them! 

We want to thank our entire team at our test-kitchen for all their hard work, energy and commitment to this journey. We could not do any of this without them! 

Thank You!

Thank You for Making Us Your Arizona Tradition for the Last 70 Years! 
As we celebrate this milestone, and look forward to our next 70 years, we want to thank our amazing team, loyal guests and the communities that have helped us thrive. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

With Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day in the same week, this last week has been one for the record books! Taking a look back at these last seven days and 70 years truly brings a smile to our faces. And that is because of all of you! We would not be where we are today without each and every one of you; our Macayo team and family, the best guests on earth and the most welcoming communities across Arizona.

We are so honored and thankful to everyone who joined us to celebrate these two holidays.
Looking forward to spending many, many more with you all! 

Cheese Crisp

 Spinach con Queso

Cinco de Macayo!

    • Cinco FB Post JPEGIt’ the most wonderful time of the year! Well besides the November, December Holiday season…Cinco de Mayo is almost here and as we celebrate our 70th year, we could not be more excited!
    • Our 5 Days of Cinco de Macayo will be back in full affect from
    • May 1st to 5th with some awesome beverage specials!
    • We will also be inviting everyone to try a brand new enchilada plate, the Enchiladas Bandido! This delicious dish is the perfect opportunity to sample our homemade red chile, green chile pork stew and Baja spinach! Is your mouth watering yet?
    • Join us at one of our 12 Arizona locations!
    • Sunday, May 1st through Thursday, May 5th!

Oldies from Woody, Celebrating Our Original Founder’s Legacy!

OLDIES FROM WOODY
1946: It all started with Woody & Victoria, two high school sweethearts who shared a passion and commitment to using fresh, quality ingredients in their signature, family recipes.
2016: Decades later, the commitment remains the same. Woody’s original recipes are still used to prepare our delicious, handcrafted Mexican food daily.
Celebrate Woody’s legacy and enjoy one of his original creations, still loved and requested by guests to this day!

CHEF INSPIRED, FROM OUR TEST-KITCHEN 
Culinary Evolution: Woody Johnson was an incredible innovator, who loved to work with different chefs and was always searching for new items. The journey we have started at our Scottsdale location is truly in the honor of his dream and innovation. A modern take on traditional, Mexican dishes from our work with world-traveled chefs.

Check out the full menu here! Oldies and Chef Inspired Menu

Mexican Chocolate Dessert Recipes

When a chocolate craving hits, it’s not something you can easily ignore. Your appetite simply won’t be satisfied until you’ve eaten some kind of chocolate dessert. But if a candy bar or a simple chocolate cake recipe just won’t hit the spot, the good news is that we’ve got some yummy and surprisingly simple Mexican chocolate dessert recipes for you to try!

Mexican Hot Chocolate

What’s better than a mug of hot chocolate, especially on a chilly night? This Mexican hot chocolate recipe will leave you wondering why you ever bought pre-packaged hot cocoa. With some simple ingredients, such as milk, cocoa powder, and chile powder, you can create a delicious and creamy mug of hot cocoa in no time. It’s as easy as combining the ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat until simmering. You can even add cornstarch for added thickness, if desired.

Churros With Chocolate Peppermint Syrup

Think the only way to get churros is to head out to your local Macayo’s location or wait for a fair to roll into town? Think again! With a little bit of sugar, flour, vegetable oil, and cinnamon, you can make your very own crispy and delicious churros at home. This particular recipe features churros paired with a delectable chocolate peppermint syrup that’s made with a little sugar, cocoa powder, corn syrup, chocolate chips, and peppermint extract. Perfect for dipping or drizzling!

Mexican Chocolate Guinness Cake

Love chocolate cake? Love Guinness beer? This recipe allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds with a sampling of both flavors! This bundt chocolate Guinness cake is perfect for serving up at your next gathering and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. A small amount of Mexican chocolate and a cup of Guinness go a long way in developing the unique and delicious flavors of this recipe. With a bit of whipping cream, cream cheese, and powdered sugar, you can even create a homemade frosting to top this cake off and really wow your guests.

Salted Mexican Chocolate Chile Caramels

Even if you’ve had salted caramels in the past, you simply haven’t lived until you’ve enjoyed Mexican chocolate salted caramels. Trust us on this one! But wait; there’s no reason to rush out to your local Mexican grocery store to grab some of these for yourself. You might already have the basic ingredients on-hand to make these in the comfort of your own home. With a mixture of bittersweet and Mexican chocolate, dried red chiles, sugar, and heavy cream, you’ll be well on your way to creating these little squares of deliciousness. Just be sure to make these for a crowd; otherwise, you might find yourself finishing off an entire dish in one night. They’re that good.

These are just a few ideas for Mexican chocolate desserts to try out for yourself the next time you’re in the mood for something sweet with a little bit of a kick! From simple hot chocolate to salted Mexican chocolate chile caramels and everything in between, you really can’t go wrong with any of these unique and easy recipes.