Community Highlights: Meet Arturo Jimenez of Tacos Chilango

Today we’d like to introduce you to Arturo Jimenez.

Arturo, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have been in the food service and hospitality industry for over 25 years – 10 years in operations and management and 15 years in distribution. My business partner also has over 25 years of food service and hospitality industry experience and has owned various restaurants over the years.

In the Fall of 2020, we launched Tacos Chilango in Avondale, Arizona, a quick-service taqueria offering traditional street food from our hometown of Mexico City. By the grace of God and with the support of the West Valley community, we will be opening the second location of Tacos Chilango in Buckeye, Arizona in the Fall of 2022. We are humbled by and grateful for the support of our customers!

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
With Tacos Chilango, we have faced various challenges along the way. We opened our first location in October 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic. We faced the same challenges that so many of our restaurant/hospitality brethren faced: food supply chain issues, staff shortages, economic uncertainty, etc.

With our second location being a new build-out, we have also faced construction supply chain issues, administrative challenges, etc. Above all, my business partner and I are men of faith who put our trust in God and know that everything will work out according to his will.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Tacos Chilango?
Chilango (noun): from The Royal Spanish Academy and The Mexican Academy Of Language – “Something belonging to Mexico City”.

We are a family-owned taqueria that strives to serve the authentic and emotive food of Mexico City while delivering outstanding quality and hospitality. We serve Mexico City specialties such as campechano, suadero, and al pastor, as well as classics like carnitas and carne asada. We add a touch of Arizona by grilling our meats over mesquite wood daily. The artisanal nixtamal corn and Sonoran flour tortillas we serve are made daily and locally. We make our Mexico City-style chorizo, called longaniza, in-house.

We look forward to serving you!

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.tacoschilango.com
• Instagram: @tacoschilango