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| - Tucked into a strip mall in Surprise, Daniel's Original Mexican Food Restaurant has a non-descript exterior and generic interior. They opened in 2015, so perhaps more permanent signage will be placed to beckon customers inside. Right now, there is a vinyl banner hanging on one side of the building, which means you might drive by and not notice it if you are coming from Litchfield Road. The front door stencil is bright and colorful, so you will likely see it if you walk.
Once inside, you order your food from the counter. They take all credit cards and even use the EMV chip reader. You can help yourself to the soda station and sit wherever you like. The afternoon sun is intense, so the tables next to the window will likely be empty.
I ordered food for take out. They gave me an approximate time of 20-30 minutes which was spot on. Two large paper bags were presented to me. I was told to keep one standing verticle and the other horizontal to prevent spills.
FYI, the a la carte menu items are LARGE servings. My mom ordered carnitas tacos, which consisted of moist and meaty chunks of slighty salty pork topped with a dollup of guacamole and wrapped in two, 8 inch flour tortillas. The server on the phone suggested she order 2, but my mom who eats like a bird, could only eat half of one. These are not small, dollar tacos you get at most food trucks in the area. She also ordered a side of refried beans from the a la carte menu which ended up being a 9-inch pie tin swimming in beans. Who is this a side order for...a party of 10?
In addition to the carnitas tacos, we both had chile rellanos. Neither had the stem. They had been prepared into a neat, flat, square shape that was packed with melted cheese. My rellano was part of the #4 combo which also included a cheese enchilada with a side of refried beans.
The salsa and the red sauce poured ontop of the chili rellanos and enchilades all had a distinctive smokey, chili powder flavor. It wasn't spicy at all. Neither my mom nor I were very fond of it. It was okay, but somewhat over played since it was a common flavor in all of the dishes.
With so many Mexican restaurants in the area, I probably wouldn't return. However, if you do go, you definitely won't leave hungry considering their portion sizes.
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