When I first moved here it was a Mic-Nics which is no more. A few years back Federico's acquired the property and cleaned it up and painted it a bit brighter. This location is open 24 hours but the dining room closes from 1-5AM. It's a chain that started in New Mexico and expanded to Arizona at some point in time. They already had a presence here in 93 and was my first introduction to 24 hour taco shops. I haven't been to one in a while for no particular reason, except maybe they were not in my path when I wanted Mexican.
Having expanded here from New Mexico instead of the San Diego area like Filberto's and their many copy cats there are some differences in how identical menu items are prepared. I had my standard plate of shredded beef taco and a cheese enchilada with beans and rice ($5.79) and a med fountain drink ($1.49). First thing I noticed was there was no grease in the taco. That may have been part of the slight flavor difference. Also the cheese enchilada was made with a corn tortilla instead of the more common flour. I thought they were a bit stingy with the cheese on both items, but I like lots of cheese on almost anything.
In general everything was clean and while I was there the tables were cleaned off and the salsa station was checked and neatened up. This was a Wednesday lunch and three tables were in use and a few take out orders handled. Only one person spoke English, and then only just enough to get his job done.