I'm a self proclaimed Mexican food junkie. I like it all. From fancy, overpriced designer tacos to IDK if I should be eating here type of places. El Norteno if my very favorite place to get a really great AFFORDABLE meal. When I say affordable, I mean Filiberto's affordable but the food is like you'd expect from a old school restaurant. The girl that works the counter is very friendly and helpful with suggestions.
I'd eat their Steak Picado plate every day of the week. Seriously. Their beans and rice are perfection. So are the tortillas. Green chile is super hot but can't be beat. The red sauce is great too. Order a side of chips and sauce!
Downsides:
The tiny ordering area indoors. No big deal but everyone seems to want to loiter inside making it hard to squeeze in there to place an order. I get it, it's hot out but c'mon y'all, be considerate and let others in to order. There is a small window on the outside you can use but it's usually used to pass out the orders.
The sketchy outdoor eating area. It just doesn't look clean. We always take our food to go and head over to a park to enjoy our food.
Other than that... BEST MEXICAN FOOD IN PHOENIX. Period.