Filiberto's Cuts Out the Middleman, Adds a Bar in Scottsdale

By JK Grence Thu., Dec. 27 2012 at 11:00 AM

Categories: Guilty Pleasures

JK Grence

Filiberto's and copious amounts of alcohol, together at last.

If you've lived in the Phoenix area for any length of time, it's probably happened to you. You've gone out with your friends for an evening of merriment, specifically the liquid kind. After frolicking, you're famished. You want a burrito the size of your head from your local Filiberto's. Even though Filiberto's (and countless spinoff) locations are all over town, they're never close enough to your drinking establishment of choice. You may have even wished that someone would put a Filiberto's in a bar.

Friends, wish no more.

In a space at 7111 East Thomas Road (a hair west of Scottsdale Road) that's been home to a few restaurants in the past several years, someone has opened a full-service Filiberto's, complete with liquor license. If you go have a few drinks, when you're done you don't even have to move! You're already at Filiberto's!

In the interests of journalistic integrity, I tried one of their margaritas. I was a bit surprised to see it was $8 when everything else on the house drink list hovered around $5. Once it came out, I understood the price bump. This margarita comes in a goblet the size of a small goldfish bowl, and they don't skimp on the hooch. Much like Filiberto's food, it's generic almost to the point of being dreary, but they do their best to compensate with an oversized portion.

Speaking of the food, it's exactly what you expect from any other Filiberto's in town (for better or worse), at the same price point, but served with real plates and flatware. It's a little weird getting Filiberto's on a plate when you're used to someone handing it to you in a bag at the drive-thru window. But, it's weird in an amusing way. Or maybe that's just the margarita talking.

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