Phoenix Mexican restaurant named 1 of the best new restaurants in the US: 'Order every dish'

Bahar Anooshahr, Arizona Republic
·2 min read

Bon Appetit just released its list of 24 Best New Restaurants of 2023 and one Arizona restaurant, Chilte, made the cut.

"The restaurant world is packed with creativity right now, and these 24 spots represent the very best of dining," wrote Bon Appetit restaurant editor Elazar Sontag.

Chilte opened at the Egyptian Motor Hotel in February and Bon Appetit named it one of the hottest new restaurants that month. And Mashed named the restaurant one of the "11 Best New US Restaurants To Try In 2023" a month later.

Co-owner Aseret Arroyo was beyond excited when she shared the news about being called out as one of the best new places in America. "Truly humbled and grateful to everyone!" she wrote on Instagram. "Thank you for allowing us to continue carrying this little dream! To our team, thank you for your dedication and for the work you put in to make Chilte the best place it can be."

Chilte started as a food truck

Owners Chef Lawrence (L.T.) Smith and his now-wife Arroyo started Chilte as a food stand in 2020, serving tacos, tortas, quesadillas and horchatas. They soon amassed a large following for dishes like tacos de carnitas, which reflect Arroyo's Mexican heritage.

In early 2023, the couple opened their first brick-and-mortar after doing a lot of the work themselves, from plumbing to decoration.

A pasta dish at Chilte, a Mexican restaurant inside the Egyptian Motor Hotel in Phoenix's Grand Avenue Arts District.
A pasta dish at Chilte, a Mexican restaurant inside the Egyptian Motor Hotel in Phoenix's Grand Avenue Arts District.

Why Bon Appetit loves Chilte

In the most recent Bon Appetit article, writer Serena Dai raves about the menu at Chilte, calling it "an impressive, constantly changing roster of ambitious Mexican dishes." She was taken in by the "hefty tacos" and "thick slab of beef tongue on a lacy, crisp layer of cheese." But her favorite dish is the Amarillo mole finished with crickets from Oaxaca.

"The menu’s brevity means you could — and should — bring a few friends and order every dish," wrote Serena Dai.

Details: 765 Grand Ave., Phoenix. 602-807-5225, chiltephx.com.

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Reach the reporter at BAnooshahr@azcentral.com. Follow @banooshahr on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Downtown Phoenix Mexican restaurant named 1 of best new spots in US