Creators of Hash Kitchen announce new Phoenix restaurant: The Mexicano

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- The creative minds behind popular brunch spot Hash Kitchen, restaurants Sicilian Butcher and Sicilian Baker, have a new endeavor coming to the north Phoenix area: The Mexicano!

Chef Joey Maggiore and his wife Cristina of The Maggiore Group announced on Wednesday their latest concept, The Mexicano, which will be dedicated to a prominent Mexican restaurant experience. The eatery will feature a chef-driven menu with regional flavors, reimagined agave-based cocktails, a curated spirit selection, a social media photo-inducing atmosphere, and a build-your-own Michelada bar!

Food samples at The Mexicano: Carne Asada Tacos (left), Beef Barbacoa Enchiladas (top right),... — Food samples at The Mexicano: Carne Asada Tacos (left), Beef Barbacoa Enchiladas (top right), and Chicken Enchiladas (bottom right).(Source: Knight Agency)

The Maggiores’ plan to open the restaurant, located at the southeast corner of Tatum Boulevard and Cactus Road, is set to open on December 9 from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. To celebrate the grand opening, the first 100 customers dining in at The Mexicano will be entered into a contest to win a $1,000 gift card from the Maggiore Group. The gift card can be used at The Mexicano, Hash Kitchen, The Sicilian Butcher, and The Sicilian Baker. Opening week will be solely dinner service, with lunch service beginning the following week.

Guests can expect a Mexico City-inspired interior design, rotating DJs featuring Latin music, experiential food, cocktail carts, and more. The Mexicano will mirror Hash Kitchen’s energy, but with a fiesta flair. The Maggiore Group has also introduced a mobile churro cart and a donkey cart with a tequila ice luge and shot glasses.

The build-your-own Michelada bar allows guests to mix and match infused tequilas, Mexican draft beers, and over 40 toppings, including oysters, shrimp cocktails, pickled jicama, dry chorizo, tamarindo sticks, and habanero cheese.

Elote at The Mexicano in Phoenix, Arizona.(Source: Knight Agency)

The culinary menu, designed by Chef Joey and Executive Chef de Cuisine Fidencio Alatriste, will focus on honoring the traditions and vibrancy of Mexico. The menu, which ranges from lunch to dinner options, will feature Mexican classics with some contemporary spins. Some menu items include smoking grouper ceviche presented in a coconut shell, lava rock fajitas served on (you guessed it) sizzling lava stones, 36-inch quesadillas (say less), charcoal-grilled prime meats and seafood, and more!

The cocktail program will have selections from tequilas, mezcals, beers, wines, and specialty cocktails like the piñata margaritas, frozen margarita flights, and agave-based cocktails.