Mexico’s only Michelin star taco stand hosted a pop-up in Arizona. Here’s how it went

A line wrapped around the southeast block of Mill Avenue and Sixth Street in Tempe isn’t an unusual sight to passersby on a warm weekend night. But a line at 3:30 p.m. on a Friday? The line is full of foodies and taco enthusiasts, and they’re not waiting for just any taco. 

El Califa de Leon, a taquería coming all the way from Mexico’s capital city, hosted a pop-up event next to popular college bar C.A.S.A. Tempe.

In 2024, the Michelin Guide awarded the taco stand a coveted Michelin star, projecting the family business to new heights. In its announcement, the guide calls the gaonera (beef filet) taco “exceptional.” Paired with a corn tortilla, it’s “elemental and pure.”

After receiving its award, the stand collaborated with restaurants and hosted pop-ups across the country. Mario Hernandez Alonso operates the stand. He took the reins from his parents, who started the business in the 60s.

For roughly 12 days, chef Alonso offered the classic gaonera taco, as well as the chuleta and costilla taco from C.A.S.A.’s kitchen. Drink options included Mexican Coca-Cola, Topo Chico mineral water and an assortment of aguas frescas.

The event was made possible through a collaboration with C.A.S.A. and GrinGO, a mobile app that offers resources to make travel to Mexico easier for tourists. 

In an interview with CALÓ News, GrinGO app CEO Brian Krupski said he waited in the two-hour line at the Mexico City location to try the tacos for himself. There, he saw chef Alonso in the kitchen and was able to speak with him. Fast forward, and the two are working together to bring a piece of Mexico City to Tempe.

Living the dream

Alonso never thought he’d receive something as high-caliber as a Michelin star. 

The Michelin Guide had never awarded stars to restaurants in Mexico until 2024. Sixteen restaurants and eateries were given one star, and two were awarded two stars. So when he saw that the taco stand he operated was on that list, he couldn’t believe it. 

In 2024, El Califa de Leon became the first taco stand awarded a Michelin star.

“Today, I’m living in a dream,” he said in an interview with CALÓ News. 

El Califa de Leon was opened in 1968 by Alonso’s father, Juan Hernandez Gonzalez, a butcher.

The single-cut beef filet is a change from the typical chopped carne asada that Arizonans are accustomed to. There’s a reason for it, Alonso said. Having that experience as a butcher, Alonso’s father knew what cut would work best in a taco. He called it the “gaonera” cut, named after Rodolfo Gaona, a Mexican bullfighter from the 19th and 20th centuries, and a close friend of his. The taco stand’s name also comes from the bullfighter’s nickname, the “king of Leon.”

The filet cut, perfected by Hernandez, produces a soft taco bite, but paired with red or green salsa and a squeeze of lime, it allows for a more savory experience.

These tacos have taken Alonso across the country, sharing the joys that come with operating a taco stand. He said that travel has always been something he enjoys, but working in different kitchens, meeting people face-to-face who travel from everywhere, and serving up his specialties brings him great pleasure. 

“I give thanks to God, because I am just a vehicle that delivers the gift that God gave me,” he said.

Alonso says he’s up for the challenge of being awarded two stars. He sees many top restaurants winning two or three, now he’s willing to put in the work.

“I want to be a top taquería, that’s my goal,” he said.

Worth the wait

The first day of June brought record-setting rain to metro Phoenix, but that didn’t stop people from getting a taste of the coveted Michelin-star taco.

“It was incredible! Rain or shine, they were here,” said Krupski.

Prior to Tempe’s pop-up event, the taco stand had made stops in New York City, Miami and Chicago, offering taco lovers everywhere a chance to try the gaonera or chuleta tacos, paired with an agua fresca, something that Arizonans will appreciate after waiting hours in the sun. 

Monday’s operating hours drew in people from Yuma and Flagstaff, said Krupski. 

The hype is real, one could say. 

Folks who arrived just minutes after C.A.S.A. opened waited about an hour and a half under a partly cloudy sky and rare, humid 90-degree temperatures. The misters kept people in line cool, offering a nice reprieve from the heat. 

Several people sat in line in foldable chairs, one of them wearing an “I Love Tacos” hat. 

That day wasn’t the first time Monica Hernandez visited the pop-up. She’d already had all three tacos on Friday. She waited two and a half hours for her tacos, but said it was worth it because the tacos reminded her of her home country.

“It brings me back to Mexico. At the first bite, I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m back home,’” she said.

On Monday, Alonso was already headed back to Mexico City for an awards ceremony with the Michelin Guide. Chef Chilo Chacon was in charge of the kitchen that night.

Around 10:15 p.m., the line was significantly shorter, but the last man in line, who’d heard about the pop-up through popular, local food influencer Señor Foodie, reported waiting about 30 to 45 minutes. 

Krupski said he plans to host more pop-ups highlighting Mexican restaurants awarded Michelin stars this year.

“More folks are gonna get one (a Michelin award) in Mexico. We’d like to bring them here, we’d like to bring chef Mario to other cities,” he said. “We’ve proven to him, and to Mexico City and to Mexico, that we can do this right.”