The Corn Flower

If this place is actually closed, I’m so disappointed! I’m going to be in AZ next month, and was looking forward to visiting. I’ve only been once, about 18 months ago, but every empanada my friend and I ordered was so delicious!

This is by far the best Mexican Food restaurant in the Phoenix area. I have a gluten intolerance and chef Carlos ALWAYS takes wonderful care of me and my family when we’re in. This is more than a restaurant, it’s a dining experience! I suggest ordering the Chavez Enchilada next time! It’s a gluten free, extra spicy green enchilada. Also, the corn tamales are to die for!

i’ve only had take out from here, and we did come at the close of business. on a saturday night… but essentially our choices were limited for the menu, and they were out of a lot of items. i also wasn’t a fan of how once we made our choices, they took the empanadas out of the cooler in the front and then took them to the back to heat them up — which i assume was done in either a toaster oven type thing or microwave.
i ended up trying 3 empanadas (chicken mole, spinach, and mushrooms), and the chipotle corn chowder. the corn chowder was a bit too soupy to be considered chowder, IMHO. it had a great taste and really great kick — just wish it was a weeeee bit thicker. the empanadas are small! they are tasty, but wish there was just more of them. husband had a burrito, and it looked pretty satisfying.
the service is amazing — the staff is super friendly. i would definitely give them another shot, as i’d like to try other things on their menu — and again, always love to support the small local businesses!

I would love to give them the five stars, but experience speaking it wasn’t that great.
Service was good, the people there were so friendly and totally willing to help. I definitely did not take their five star away because of that.
The reason why the fifth is missing is because… THEY WERE OUT OF EVERYTHING!!! it was a super sad day when we got there. They had nothing left. Good for them and business, but not good for me. I have been wanting to go to CF for a long time now and finally made it out.
They were out of tamales! Out of all these different meats… I had no choice what to pick and was relegated to choosing empanadas that i really didn’t care for (the filling wasn’t the ones i wanted). They were okay, but only snack sized… that might be good in the case of my gut.
Me and my group had the corn chowder… so many improvements could have been made in this. I felt like this dish was a little half… you know what i mean… Contemplating it over I have to take another star out because the chowder was wiggidy wack… it was more of a soup than a chowder…
All in all, I want to go back so they can reclaim some stars from me, but i want to go back when they actually have stuff and aren’t closing in an hour
Recommendation get there early or call in and see what they still have before showing up. If they are out of stuff it isn’t worth your time.

Tried this place while visiting Phoenix for work.
Great spot for lunch. I got the chorizo burrito enchilada style. It was huge, but ingredients were so flavorful I had to clean my plate.
Price was a bargain and the owner even gave me one of their famous empanadas to go since it was my first time visiting.
I highly recommend.

I feel like I just went on a culinary experience. I can’t believe this place has been open for a year and a half right down the street and I never knew about it until now! Delicious, organic, made from scratch food. And when they say something is spicy they mean it (thank goodness!) I am sick of mexican food places claiming spicyness only to deliver mediocre mild flavor. Horchata is amazing!!! And Carlos without us even asking let us sample his Jamaica as well. Felt very well taken care of. Very very friendly and clean.

This place is AMAZING! It a tiny little gourmet mexican restaurant right on Greenway and Tatum in the Safeway Plaza.
Carlos was incredibly friendly and made the experience that much better. I got to try the Green Enchiladas, Tamales, Beef Empanada and a Pumpkin Empanada. They were all delicious!
Highly recommend this place both for the quality in food, service, and ambiance. I will definitely be going again!

Great place! Carlos is very friendly and has a passion for his craft. You have to try the Empanadas! Most Empanadas are fried and these are baked so they’re not oily. The Enchilada was so tasty and different. It was very authentic. The ambience is great and the prices are right.

Empanadas! I can’t remember the last time I saw empanadas on a menu in AZ so I’m thrilled to have them in my ‘hood now. In fact, the last time I had an empanada was in LA. I would say these are the star of the menu and they have over a dozen sweet and savory to choose from.
I also had the green chili chicken enchiladas which was really good but they forgot to put the side of rice with my order and since I ordered to go I didn’t notice until I was home.
This place is new and still working out the kinks. I agree with the other reviews that its not really designed to be a dine in experience unless you’re solo or maybe a party of two. The girl running the counter seemed a bit overwhelmed with 3 people in the place.
But the concept is great and there’s nothing like it around. I will probably call in my order in the future. But I’m so happy to have empanadas!!!

We really liked this place! It’s decorated very cute, and although it’s small, it’s quaint and light, and the food was delicious. I had the tostada salad, hubby had chile relleno, both were very fresh and tasty. This is def. more of a To-​Go place because seating is so limited, which is fine because the prices are great and the food is, too.
We’ll definitely be back!

One of these great little gems hiding in our nondescript Arizona strip malls. They do some great interpretations of some beloved Mexican standards like empanadas and enchiladas. A very attentive and anxious staff awaits to serve you a memorable lunch.

I am sad I didn’t notice this place before. Tiny but very cute inside.
Had a bbq pork empanada — super flaky and good — and a corn tamale, also great.
Very reasonable price.
My new go to for last minute dinner! This is the best thing to happen to my corner!

I really wanted to love this place but I ended up just sort of liking it.
I read the reviews and gathered that it is best to order to go and reheat at home. So I ordered 2 dozen. I don’t really care for the set up. It is a little awkward to reach into their fridge and pick your empandadas. They had a nice presentation but I wish they had long, waist high coolers instead, similar to a salad bar.
The man behind the counter was a bit cold at first. He seemed to warm up and become friendlier by the end of our transaction but I was uncomfortable at first. Also he charged me per empanada instead of by the dozen price listed on the menu. Not that big of a price difference but still kinda ticked me off. I didn’t say anything because I had a Groupon and was already getting a good deal but you can bet that if I return I will rectify that situation.
When it came to heating the empanadas we were clueless. There weren’t any directions that came with them, or on the menu, or on their website. So we heated them in the oven until they seemed warmed through. I think it was a mistake because pastry was a bit tough, dry and not as flaky as I expected it to be.
The Hawaiian pork was the favorite with my husband and son. My husband wished there was filling in the empanandas. I had vegetarian ones. I wasn’t crazy about the spinach one but I did like the potato one.
A little later we heated up our dessert ones. This time we microwaved them. The texture of the pastry was much better this way. We will keep it in mind if we return.
The chocolate and lemon ones were delicious and melted in our mouth.
My general feeling is that the empanadas are a bit overpriced for what they are. I think they would make great party food. But to feed my starving family? I’m not convinced.

I walked in to check this place out after seeing the sign driving by. The chef was the sweetest person and very kind. It was lunchtime on a saturday and we were the only ones there which was confusing because it looks like a great place.
The chef asked my daughter what she wanted and made something just for her. I ordered tortilla soup and he made it fresh on the spot (my order was to go) and gave me a free cup since he made too much.
We got home and my daughters enchilada was delicious. I envied her lunch. The empanadas were good. My favorite was the BBQ pork. You have to cook them for 4 minutes or so in the oven. So good!
The chef told me they make everything fresh. A very nice change from fast and greasy Mexican places.
The tortilla soup had a really excellent flavor. But it was very brothy. Maybe some beans or something? And a takeout menu would be nice.
I try to find local businesses to eat at and really hope this place sticks around. With a few minor tweaks (judging from other reviews) it could be a popular place to eat. I will for sure be back!

Very friendly staff. The freshest burrito I have ever had. The cook even made me special hot sauce!

Came here for the Empanadas. Nice cozy little restaurant with an area to sit outside if you wish. When you walk inside you see display coolers on one wall full of 15 types of prepackaged Gourmet Empanadas and other goodies. Several flavors to choose from that range from sweet, savory, and veggie.
We used are Unilocal check in coupon for a free Empanada and got a total of 7 different kinds to try out. Also ordered some of the Carnitas and Carne Asada Tacos on the side. Love the presentation when they came to the table. The Empanada are packed full of delicious flavors and were very good. The chunky fire roasted Salsa was yummy and had just the right amount of heat. The tacos were also tasty although I have had better. Tried a Tamale also just to see if I was missing anything.
Ordering is confusing. They seem to be a little disorganized in general. Sounded like they got slammed the night before and were out of some choices. Maybe they could have showed up a little earlier than usual to get the place back to normal and tidy up a bit. Also did not enjoy hearing the microwave buzzer going off while they were preparing the meal. I get the impression that they are just reheating stuff out of the cooler which I can do at home of course. Then finally once we were are done they expected us to remember what we ate in order to pay the bill. A little pricey by the time you are finished and I was still a bit hungry.
I would have to recommend just buying the Empandas and bringing them home and reheating them yourself while enjoying a cold beverage. A-​OK

Well I’m going to make this short because I have mixed feelings on demoting this place… But truth must be told.
We were met by 2 friendly chefs (because they are ‘out of servers’… not the best sign either I guess). The service was very genuine and kind though it really was.
The food on the other hand, while it was fresh it was very pedestrian. We had the salad, a veggie burrito and 6 empanadas. Everything basically tasted like it could be made at home.
The food is fine, just don’t expect much or anything special.
That is all. =)

I read empanadas and knew I had to try this place out. Corn Flower is a quaint little spot with inside and outside seating. Very clean, well lit and inviting. A cold case holds numerous tasty morsels that come in the forms of burritos and empanadas. We were greeted by the chef this evening with a gigantic smile, 3 frosted shot glasses and a pitcher full of beautifully creamy and smooth Horchata. Ohhhhh, it was good! We ordered a myriad of food so that we could share and experience all the Corn Flower has to offer. The tamales were fresh and flavorful but the spotlight of the table was definitely the green chile enchilada. It’s not the typical shaped log of boring shredded dry meat with mounds of melted plastic cheese and lackluster sauce. This was terrific! It was slightly spicy, moist, fork tender… we will definitely be back for more of that dish! The chips and salsa were pretty typical, a bit more crunchy and ‘corny’ than most. The sweet empanadas were a highlight as well, a great ending to our meal. We ordered the pineapple with French vanilla sauce, Nutella and lemon. The pineapple one was my favorite, with the lemon a very close second. No disrespect to the Nutella but it lacked a but of zip. maybe adding a little chile would liven it up! We bought the $ 10 for $ 15 deal, even with that our meal was relatively inexpensive, $ 32 total for 3 adults. The soups sounded amazing, that is definitely on my to order list next go round. I believe it was the owner, or manager that came and talked with us, very friendly and asked if we ‘Yelped’ very often. Of course we do! Good job Corn Flower, we will be back to try out some more of your tasty offerings, you did not disappoint!,

I picked up a half dozen empanadas on my way home from work, and I have to say that this was a great way to wind down the day. When I got home, I opened up a bottle of wine, turned my oven to 350, and after like 4 – 5 mins the crusty hot meat pockets were good to go. To be truthful, this was really my first experience with empenadas. Being from Hawaii, I’m more used to manapua (pork bao bun), but to my surprise, they actually had a Kalua Pig empenada!
I also got the bbq shredded beef and the beef with red wine sauce and olives. All of them were amazing, and I definitely will be back soon. My bill for a half dozen was about $ 10.50, and they were the perfect appetizers for my wife and I.
Next time I come I’m going to try an order of their tacos. From the pics they look really good. End of the day, these guys care about their food, and in turn it makes me feel like they care about my experience when I go there. With that I say Salud to The Corn Flower and welcome to the neighborhood!

Went to this cozy little restaurant today for lunch not knowing exactly what to expect.
The owner was amazingly sweet as she guided me through what I could and couldn’t have with my tomato allergy. I ended up having a corn tamale with chicken, cheese and creama. It was FANTASTIC!!!
My two friends had burritos and they enjoyed them very much.
They had an amazing choice of empanadas– from savory to sweet, and a great menu of burritos, taquitos, quesadillas, enchiladas, and tamales.
This place is NOT, I repeat, NOT ideal for a sit down lunch/​dinner. It is delightfully decorated, however, the 5 tables fit two people each and there is not a lot of elbow room with more than a few people inside. They do have tables & chairs set up outside, which will be very nice when the weather is cooler.
It’s unfortunate that we had a pack of screaming, running pre-​schoolers coming in and out and in and out and squeezing between tables of people trying to enjoy their meals… complete sensory overload for me, but this wasn’t the owners fault… just don’t bring your kids if they can’t sit– it’s not Chucky Cheese, Peter Piper or a McDonald’s people!
I would definitely, definitely, DEFINITELY recommend this food for take out, catering, and a really cozy quick lunch, but it’s not a place for a leisurely relaxing meal.