Fans of Taco Chiwas woke up to an unfortunate surprise: The company announced it was closing its Chandler location at 2160 N Alma School Road.
Customers only had 24 hours to get to the restaurant before it closed down on Friday, June 28, after five years. Fortunately, the restaurant, led by husband-and-wife James Beard Award semifinalists Armando Hernandez and Nadia Holguin, still has locations in Phoenix and Mesa. That’s not all, as the owners say they are looking for a bigger space to restore the restaurant to three locations as soon as possible, according to AZ Central. It’s unclear if the company plans to stay in Chandler or find a new home elsewhere.
“Hello everyone, we have decided not to renew our lease at our Tacos Chiwas Chandler location (it will be closing this Friday), with the hope of finding a new bigger home for it,” according to the company’s announcement on Instagram. “This location no longer really makes sense for us as we need a bigger location we can have customer restrooms and add a Bar as well, it was a wonderful five years thank you to everyone who supported us during that time. Keep an eye out as we look forward to a replacement home for it! Mucho Amor”
Despite having to close this location and search for a new home, Hernandez and Holguin are staying busy with their other concepts, most recently hosting a soft opening for their new coffee concept, Aruma, which sits next door to their other wildly successful Mexican restaurant, Cocina Chiwas. The successful duo also owns Bacanora, located on Grand and 13th avenues, alongside chef Rene Andrade, who had worked with Holguin previously. At the beginning of this year, the entrepreneurs, along with Roberto Centeno, opened two concepts, Santo Arcadia and Pecado, within the same building. The team is now focusing on growing its Tacos Chiwas brand again.
