Ocho Locos Mexican Restaurant and Cantina
It is nice that in even a smaller town such as Anthem that there is quite a bit of variety when it comes to places to eat. Arizona in particular is a place that you can find some great Mexican food options. This week we visited Ocho Loco and got to experience a small town Mexican restaurant.
There is a festive atmosphere, although not quite Mexican in nature, it was lively and fun. There is plenty of outside sidewalk tables that are fenced in with an ornate wrought-iron fencing. Also they have a large bar seating section as well as indoor tables. The staff was quick to accommodate a larger group we observed by quickly putting two interior tables together in or to have groups not have to wait to long. As soon as you are seated you are given a large bowl of tortilla chips and a cup of salsa. The salsa had nice flavor and was not too spicy. It was also not overwhelming with cilantro, as you tend to find lately.
We started with the Guacamole dip ($8.50) to have another option besides the salsa to enjoy with the warm chips. It is a nice blend of Mexican spices and flavors with fresh avocado. It is then topped with cheese, tomatoes, scallions and black olives. It gives you a different spin on Guacamole, while still delivering the avocado punch that it needs. Also it increases the amount of chips at the table, which is good when you have a larger group.
We then ordered the Spinach con Queso Dip ($8.95) while we continued to decide on the entrée options. This is a special Pepper Jack cheese sauce that has Spinach mixed in to it. It also comes with a puffed tortilla chip for dipping. The Queso dip is reminiscent of a cold fondue in a way as it is loose cheese sauce. A word of caution do not let it sit too long as with any authentic cheese sauce, it starts to firm up as it sits on the table. The puffed chips may remind some of a Chicharron in texture with out the pork flavoring. This was a nice third option for pre-meal snacking.
The first entrée was the Combination plate #1 ($12.25). This is a large combo plate that comes with a Cheese enchilada, green corn tamale, and a beef taco. The plate also comes with a large helping of rice and beans. You have the choice of black beans or refried beans. The taco has a crisp shell, and a good amount of toppings. There is plenty of enchilada sauce, and the corn tamale as a nice sweet flavor to it. It is a large plate so you should be prepared to take some home.
The next entrée was the Combination plate #2 ($12.25). This combo plate is two red or green cheese enchiladas that you can also add on beef or chicken for an additional charge ($2). We decided to choose the green enchilada sauce and to add chicken to them both. It also comes with beans and rice, this time we decided on refried beans, which come with melted cheese on top. This dish is also very filling but felt more manageable than the Combo #1. The enchilada sauce helped round out the dish and even added some extra flavor to the rice and beans.
The final entrée was the Yucatan ($14.75). This dish is a monster. When it is put down on the table, you will be wishing you had not eaten so many tortilla chips prior to the entrée arriving. It is a deep-fried Beef burrito that is then covered in their Spinach con Queso dip. It is also served with rice and beans, but they struggle for space on the plate. When I say this is a monster, I mean it. It also comes with a side of either sour cream or cream cheese in case you dare add any more ingredients to the plate. I tip my cap to anyone that can even get more than halfway through this dish. It certainly leaves you with an option for lunch the next day in my estimation.
So be prepared and go with an empty stomach to this Anthem eatery, because you are going to need it. One word of caution, the online menu seems a little out of date when it comes to pricing, so carefully examine the in restaurant menu before ordering. But you should have plenty of food the next day, if you are even hungry.
Location and Website – 3655 W Anthem Way, Anthem, AZ 85086 https://ocholocos.net