It’s safe to say that Gadzooks Enchiladas and Soup is one of the greatest most quality-driven “fast casual” dining experiences in the Valley. You can anticipate a 25-minute outing (or longer depending on how long you want to extend your stay) that resembles a Chipotle–like assembly line where customization is key. Choose between creating your own unique enchiladas or tortilla soup with a variety of homemade sauces, toppings and you can even top it off with an egg, cooked to your liking. The options are plentiful and all perfectly handcrafted by owner and founder, Aaron Pool.
Aaron spent years testing out different recipes and finding the right combinations flavors and ingredients for every item on the menu. The coolest part of it all is that Aaron doesn’t have a culinary background and simply started experimenting in the kitchen, tirelessly to develop a menu that would make up the Gadzooks experience. Aaron tastes the food every morning to ensure the quality of food being served in order to maintain consistency with his product, which is an integral component in a competitive industry.
While chatting with him, he made sure to give credit to his mother for helping him come up with a lot of the recipes, especially the pumpkin cookies which are a must-try when you visit.
Aaron was born and raised in Arizona and he also happens to be an Arizona State University graduate so this place is pretty much as “local” as it gets. He studied Management at ASU and had to make the challenging decision between getting his MBA or following his dreams by opening his own business in the restaurant industry. Gadzooks is successfully celebrating there fourth anniversary in April and plans for another location are underway with a couple of fun changes. Aaron pitched us his concept of “drink a beer, while you order,” which will ultimately make the waiting experience much more enjoyable while you anticipate the consumption of your enchilada. Gadzooks will have an exclusive specially-made beer from Wren House Brewing Company amongst other beers to choose from and available upon arrival to crack open and drink as you go through the line.
This conveniently located hot spot is on 3313 N 7th St in Phoenix and has a neat historical background. The Gadzooks building used to be a gas station in the 50’s and was then sold to a family and transformed into a women’s dress shop. Today, it produces countless amounts of enchiladas resulting in quite a few happy people.
When you go, make sure you fill your enchilada with mouth-watering cornbread and a cracked egg on top! Aaron your food is delectable, your staff is awesome and we dig the environment that you have created. Congratulations to you and we cannot wait for the opening of your next location this summer 2017 on the Southside of Camelback and 40th St.
