Casa Molina Del Norte Restaurant

I went through the drive through. Should have seen the foreshadowing coming when I waited 5 minutes and had to drive around before anyone came to the window to help me. I got the Enchiladas de la Casa and added a side of rice since the meal only came with beans. Getting home and unpacking the meal, I was underwhelmed by my $ 15 meal. I never add salt to my meal but the seasoning was so poor with this meal that it was necessary to make it even remotely palatable. The enchiladas were bland. The beans runny and the rice cold and hard. The hot sauce was too hot for my liking. The chips were the best feature and even they were stale with no seasoning. Overall, not impressed and don’t plan to go back. My first bad Tucson meal…:/.

I just tried this place out for the first time on Cinco de Mayo. The first thing that stood out to me was the enthusiasm in the waitstaff and attentiveness. The décor is beautiful! I was very impressed. The salsa is very good and the margaritas are no joke! Husband ordered the chicken soup for starters. It reminded me of homemade soup from my moms kitchen. Very tasty and authentic. Husband had the #2 combination platter. I had the tacos darados. I very much liked my husbands tacos. My tacos were pan fried, and although this seems to be southwestern style (I’m from Texas) I am still not accustomed to the way it is cooked. The plates were generous. The price for everything that we ordered was under $ 35. All in all, I was very satisfied and we will definitely be coming back! What a find!

We were craving a really good chimichanga and remembered that we used to enjoy them at Casa Molina on Grant Rd., so we went tonight for dinner. We do have other Mexican restaurants that we enjoy, but none of them has a satisfactory chimichanga for some reason. Being a Tuesday early evening it was pretty empty. The servers were very pleasant and helpful. We were quickly served decent corn tortilla chips and 3 kinds of salsa: spicy red, a green tomatillo, and mild tomato sauce with no seasoning. I usually mix some spicy into the tomato sauce and make my own mild sauce. We ordered a chile colorado chimi and a chicken chimi, both with The Works, which is enchilada sauce, cheese, guacamole and sour cream. An extra $ 5 apiece but we were splurging. They came out hot and perfectly crispy. The chimis are very long and not too wide, so you get a good crispy crust to filling ratio. The works make it extra rich and good. The chicken is stewed and shredded and moist with a good flavor that I really enjoy, even though I usually prefer drier shredded chicken at other restaurants. The red chile had nice tender chunks of beef with a mild red sauce; it could have been a little stronger but it was still delicious. We took home plenty of leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. We will definitely be returning more often. They are currently honoring the lunch menu all day Monday through Thursday, though we ordered off the dinner menu.

I’m giving this place two stars because I was not able to do two and a half. Let me start off by saying this place had the saddest chips and salsa I’ve ever had in my life. The red tasted like it came out of a can and the green was so watery and flavorless that I’m at a loss for words to describe it. We ordered cheese enchilada/​taco combo, chicken flautas combo and supreme nachos. I’m guessing the combo plates were ok because my dining companions ate the food. My nachos were just average. They had plenty of cheese, beans, ground beef, jalepenos and black olives but the huge blob of sour cream on top was a bit off putting. These are supposed to be supreme nachos and yet there was no guacamole?! The plate itself was huge and I’m usually ok with that because I take most of it home to enjoy the next day but what was sacrificed in quality was not made up for in quantity. The dining companions ordered fried ice cream and flan for dessert. I’m was not a fan of the fried ice cream here the crunchy part tasted a bit like old grease and the flan looked like it could break a window because it looked solid and not smooth like flan should look. My advice is go elsewhere for great meal… Life is too short for mediocre Mexican food.

Just arrived after driving 1200 miles! I called a g/​f who grew up in Tucson for a place to feed and water my horses. Ha… On my 2^nd margarita and just finished my dinner! Old school in the best way! The food here is amazing. The salsa is the best I’ve had… Ever! I’m too stuffed to continue. Enjoy!!!

Sunday buffet was awesome. The manudo is authentic and the desert rice pudding was just like home. You must try it too see for yourself.

Went for Buffet on Tuesday (lunch). First time. Food choices consisted of eight or so dishes, for $ 8.99.
Appeared appetizing and arranged well.
Food was lukewarm, with very little flavor. Tacos were mediocre, with choice of hamburger or chicken (both bland with very few Mexican flavors). Overall quality of food was sub par, i.e., little effort was put into meat or chicken dishes to be representative of good Mexican food.
Beans (refried)… were best item amongst array of choices.
Service was good. Server was attentive and courteous.
Won’t be back.

I’ve now been to all three Casa Molinas. There will be reviews on the other two in the next coming days. I will have much more positive things to say about those two, but I’d figure to get the negative one out of the way.
There is nothing bad to say about the food at this location. It was the service. The server disappeared on the party, even though there were only two other tables occupied with customers. We noticed the server came out to keep checking on one of the tables ten minutes after we said «just another minute» looking at the menu. After saying out loud that we were ready to leave, the hostess looked at us and I just asked if we could order with her. This is also after the other hostess went to the back to tell the server that we were ready to order. They forget rice on one of the orders and put on cheese on it even though it was made clear that there can’t be any cheese.
On a second visit to this location, I asked for the refried beans to be cooked in oil instead of lard. The first time it was no problem. The second time around the server said they could not do that. I told the server they did it last time, but he still said they couldn’t do it. I also had to wait forever for service.
When it came down to eating the food, it was very good. I’ll leave it to my future reviews of the other Casa Molina’s to discuss just how delicious it is. This location needs an upgrade on the service. For my Casa Molina visits, I will be skipping this location.

Went there for the Sunday buffet. Love it! Will make it my go to stop before heading back to Phoenix on Sundays. The albondigas and menudo are awesome. The chilaquiles and the savory empanadas are delicious and because it is a quick paced buffet, the food is always fresh.
This place is a gem of Tucson, a gem among many great Mexican dining establishments.

I have been here in the past and thought I would try it again since we were driving by. Their salsa isn’t very good and closer to an enchilada style sauce. Their Mexican rice isn’t good at all and was mushy and tasted more Uncle Ben’s rice. In addition, I had the chile con queso which was literally just a blob of melted cheddar cheese with a few chunks of green chili in it. Further, the chips they served as an appetizer were stale and chewy. The only thing that was fairly good we’re the beans, however, I definitely won’t be back to this place!

Just went in for dinner earlier this evening, expecting the same friendly service and delicious food as the last time my husband and I were there several months back. Unfortunately, happy hour had changed (which happens, I know) but when we asked for a drink menu, were told they «didn’t quite have one,» (of course they do, I’ve seen it) and later, when we struggled with what types of liquor they did have, overheard our busser say something akin to, «I didn’t give them the drink menu because we don’t have anything on it,» to our server, a polite and efficient Luz, who went the extra mile to make sure we were satisfied during dinner. However, while she was running around busy, the only other employee, the impolite busser, sat lazily at a table in the back playing on her phone.
When we got our food, we found it to be sub-​par; my tostada came out AFTER my dinner, instead of in the way of an appetizer, as it should’ve, and my tacos were clearly made from store-​bought, pre-​formed, hardened tortillas which fell apart from the greasy ground beef inside of them. My husband ordered chicken fajitas, and received beef laden with fat but was too embarrassed to send it back.
Finally, their billing system was down so Luz had to manually calculate our bill, while still, the other employee sat back watching. All of this while two other families had to be served and have their bills calculated as well.
Overall, the food quality has diminished and the service, while decent, was still poor, as one person can hardly keep a busy restaurant afloat, even on a plain old Tuesday night. I’d say if you’re looking for decent food, and a comfortable, unawkward environment, consider going the extra 4 miles and visit Casa Molina on Campbell.

Came for lunch buffett. Food was just what we were looking for… not too complicated just good ol mexican food. The mini bean burrito things were yummy and the mini Apple Chimps were delicious! Would have given 4 stars but food needed to be warmer and not a fan of R C drinks! Price was good too.

Premixed margarita mix served luke warm. Boiled, unseasoned chicken in the enchilada. Inedible really. Go elsewhere. Anywhere else.

Epic fail. It started bad and just got worse.
Pulled up to the drive thru to order some beans and chips, pretty simple order.
Signage indicates you «Order Here» at the menu board. I pulled up and waited a minute (or 3). Upon closer inspection there is a faded, hand written sign, instructing patrons to «Order at the window».
I pulled around from the back of the building to the pick up window. There was a car already at the pick up window and a truck «double parked», tailgate down, with a man unloading kitchen supplies onto a two-​wheel dolly and wheeling them within inches of the waiting cars rear end.
I decided to park and go inside to place my order. We walked in to find customers waiting at the register to pay with a server and bartender having a conversation 20 feet away (with the ability to see when customers enter the establishment). Only when I started to wander back and forth between the register and bar area, did a server come and ask if she could help us.
The experience was not warm or friendly. It seemed disorganized and not well planned. They did throw in am extra order of salsa, I assume to make up for the shoddy service/​experience. That is the only reason they rate 2 stars instead of 1.
It’s a shame since it is right down the street and we like the food. I’d rather drive to one of the east side locations where they try a little harder to make the customer a priority.
This was my last visit to this location.

I love their salsa. And I love their carne asada tacos. I tried the buffet once for lunch — not good. The service is friendly. Overall pretty typical Mexican place — nothing to really make it stand out.

I’ve dropped by a few times now and I’m sad to say that this isn’t quite as good as the Speedway location I’m accustomed to. That’s not to say it doesn’t have anything going for it of course. The restaurant itself is very nice and the staff seems friendly enough.
As for the food itself, the ground beef chimichanga I tried was pretty good, though the meat was kind of soupy. I tried another chimi with carne asada and it was only as good as what I’d had at Los Betos of all places and it was more expensive to boot. The taco salad made me wish I was at Casa del Rio.
I feel kinda bad, ’cause none of my meals were at all unpleasant; they just seem a step behind the competition. I definitely like having a location that’s so close to my work and I know I’ll be back. If nothing else, this seems to be a much better option for the area than Las Margaritas. I’d definitely say it’s worth going out of your way for the Speedway location though.

If you order off the menu, the food may be fine, but I am basing this review only on the Sunday buffet.
I will start by saying that the best thing I had in a Mexican buffet were barbecue chicken wings. That should speak for itself but I will expound anyway.
I will say that they have a good number of offerings in the buffet: build-​your-​own tacos, beans, rice, chorizo and eggs, plain eggs, chilaquiles, white sauce enchiladas, calabacitas, tamales, sweet and savory mini chimis and the aforementioned chicken wings, which seemed out of place, but were about the only thing I enjoyed.
They also offer different types of soup including the magically medicinal menudo. With all this variety, you would think I would have found something besides the chicken wings that stood out. Nothing really grabbed me by the taste buds and shook me. I have to believe that the flavor of the items in the buffet is indicative of the regular menu items.
We used to go to this place on Sundays a lot but the death knell for this place came when the check arrived. We both remembered something along the lines of $ 7.95 per person — now a steep $ 11. That’s way too high for substandard Mexican food in this town.

Went here for breakfast on a whim here today (I have visited another location on a previous occasion). The food here is okay. We had the Sunday buffet. The flavors here are big (no subtlety or delicacy here) with lots of cheese and grease involved. The have some good tasting breakfast items such as potato– and egg-​based dishes. Their flour tortillas were undercooked, which if done right, could have added a lot to the mentioned b-​fast plates. Their mashed beans were so pale they did not look appetizing at all. They have some random items like chicken wings, which were surprisingly pretty good. The buffet has guacamole and it is delicious. The salsa they put on the table is pretty damn good too. Their décor is cute; rustic and colorful.
An okay place.

I’m surprised others have had less than stellar experiences here. It’s just around the corner from my house and I eat here (and at the Speedway location, if I’m in that part of town) all the time. I think the spicy salsa is tops! Some of my favorite chili rellenos in town. Tamales are also good, same for tostadas, enchiladas. quesedillas, guacamole. I’ve tried their huevos rancheros for breakfast. They’re different than other places, green chilis instead of frijoles, but very tasty if you like a lot of chilis! Chips are fresh and warm. I’ve never had a bad meal here.
I don’t eat meat, but my boyfriend does and also has never had anything to complain about. The sopapillas are practically addictive. It’s true that, when we first started going, the waitress didn’t seem to speak English, but we never got our orders mixed up. Never felt as if I was being hurried by the waitstaff, either, and I’ve often sat chatting long after the meal was over.

I took my friend who is visiting from Portland, OR and we are huge foodies!
Anyways, her nachos were not so great. I had steak fajitas and my steak was mealy. I didn’t know the steak could get mealy.
Unfortunately the salsa wasn’t great either… still on the search for the best Mexican food!