Phoenix's Cocina Madrigal is one of the nation's best restaurants

Cocina Madrigal made headlines earlier this year when the south Phoenix Mexican restaurant claimed the top spot in Yelp's list of the best 100 restaurants in the country for 2022.

• A few of our out-of-state Axios colleagues came for a visit last week, so we decided to try it out.

Where: 4044 S. 16th St. in Phoenix.

Jeremy's order: I had my eye on the beef birria enchiladas but ultimately followed a recommendation to have the tacos. I'm more than happy with the decision.

• I went with the mix-and-match, ordering one with beef tenderloin steak, which has pomegranate marinade; al pastor, which they make with roasted pineapple; and one with achiote braised chicken.
• The guacamole is topped with chopped jalapeños, which is delicious.
• The habanero salsa has a nice kick, but the spiciness isn't overpowering.

Jessica's order: Do not skip the appetizers! I was especially pleased with the Oaxaca Fundido, which had sausage, jalapeños, mushrooms and caramelized onions swimming in cheese.

• I chose the barbacoa green chile enchiladas for my main course, which had a sweet spice and fall-apart beef wrapped in homemade corn tortillas.
• There wasn't a scrap left on my plate.

1 funny thing: Our out-of-state guests were particularly thrilled with the impressive tequila menu, something we just take for granted as Arizonans.

The bottom line: We're already planning our next visit.