New Premium Priced Taco Restaurant Opens in Scottsdale

A new taco restaurant has opened up shop.Photo byFidel FernandoonUnsplash

It is challenging to stay on top of all the Mexican taco restaurants spread around the Valley. It’s often difficult to stay on top of all the comings and goings of taco restaurants in your hometown. For everyone that closes another one opens. Typically, these restaurants are opened by individuals with a passion for the food and who have perfected recipes over generations. From there, it’s about connecting with locals to try and stand out from the crowded pack. However, the latest Mexican taco spot to open in Scottsdale is a bit different. It is run by a restaurateur, who simply likes to dabble in various styles of cuisine. 

Recently, the seafood restaurant Rockefeller closed shop. While the seafood restaurant, in reality, isn’t all that far from the ocean (relatively speaking, when compared to non-coastal major cities in the United States), it isn’t a good time for seafood restaurants, due to the expensive overhead and continuing rising costs of operating such an establishment. While the owners ultimately decided to close the restaurant, they pivoted instead to focus their efforts on a more manageable taco restaurant, opening El Carbon Mexican Eatery at 7704 East Doubletree Ranch Road (Suite 115).

This is the latest venture from F+F Concepts, a locally owned and operated restaurant group that also runs Pubblico Italian Eatery (and the aforementioned Rockefeller). The restaurant has a very basic menu, though it charges a premium for some of its sides and main dishes. Chips and guac cost $10, as does Mexican street corn (elote). Three carne asada tacos cost $16, while pastor, chicken, and carnitas cost $14. A carne asada burrito costs $16, with an additional $2 if you want mojado included. 

Full menu items include half an achiote chicken (marinated and grilled, served with roasted herb potatoes, beans, and homemade tortillas) for $24, chulettas (green chili pork chop served with rice, mixed vegetables, tortillas) for $24, and the grilled branzino, which is a whole fish served with rice, beans, and tortillas is charged at market price, so it will fluctuate.

The dessert menu (referred to as postres, the Spanish word for dessert, though it might be seen as odd that the restaurant did not use the Spanish term for “Mexican street corn”) includes churros for $8 a pop and arroz con leche, which is also eight dollars. 

The new restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 10 AM until 9 PM and on Friday and Saturday from 10 AM until 10 PM. Happy hour is every day from 4 until 6 PM.