Pat Dains came to Arizona after military service, worked in the food industry for several years, then started his own place – a story that resonates with many other restaurant families in the Valley over the decades.
That was 40 years ago, and Dains’ original idea – serving Sonoran-style Mexican food with icy margaritas and beer – caught on with Valley diners. His family business, Ajo Al’s, has grown from its original location on 90th Street and Via Linda in Scottsdale to include another in Scottsdale, and others in North Central Phoenix at 16th Street and Camelback Road, in Peoria, in Terminal 3 at Sky Harbor Airport and the newest location, just opened in Mesa.
The menu is “good old Arizona Mexican food,” said Pat’s son Daniel “Danny” Dains, who with his brother Patrick manages the restaurants now that their dad has stepped back from full-time participation. Their three siblings took other career paths, but for the brothers, it was a calling.
“My brother and I grew up in the business,” said Dains, who talked about the family enterprise at a table in the North Central Phoenix location while Patrick was in Mesa, putting the finishing touches on the newest site. “We both started work when we were 15 and we’ve done every single job there is to do here, from cleaning the bathrooms and washing dishes to bartending and making food – you name it, we’ve done it.”
That experience helps them understand how difficult each job can be, he said. “Washing dishes in a Mexican restaurant has to be one of the hardest jobs out there.”
Today, they divide up the duties. “I do the invoices and boring stuff, and Patrick does the marketing,” Dains said. That includes setting up special monthly events. The next, a dinner that pairs wines from Mexico with Ajo Al’s fare, is April 27. For information and tickets, visit www.ajoals.com/event.
“This is what I’ve always wanted to do,” Dains said. “I enjoy being around people and I love how you never know who’s going to walk through the front door.
The folks who walk in know what they’re getting: the Sonoran-style dishes many of them grew up with – bubbling plates of enchiladas, beans, rice and shredded lettuce, fat chimichangas, rellenos – along with relative newcomers including Mexican pizza topped with chicken or beef, green chiles, tomatoes, guacamole and cheese.
Smoked street tacos are another menu mainstay, though a relative newcomer, Dains said. “We had our first carne asada street taco on the menu over 20 years ago, and about 10 years ago, we made a full section on the menu for street tacos. We’ve had a lot of demand for them.”
“I consider Mexican food comfort food and think that in Arizona, things slowly change with food over time. I feel like people still come here for that consistent great Mexican food. Diet fads come and go, but people still want those enchiladas, chimichangas and tamales. That really never changes.”
While Ajo Al’s tries to be consistent, “we will tweak the recipes to always make them better,” Dains said.
The quesabirra tacos are an example – spicy shredded meat folded into a corn tortilla and fried shut, then topped with roasted salsa, queso fresco, onions, corn and cilantro. The tacos are a customer favorite, along with the cheese enchiladas and frozen margaritas.
“Speaking of consistency, people also like coming in and getting to know the staff, seeing the same people,” Dains said. “We have a cook who’s been with us 40 years. He’s semi-retired now. Others have been here 20 and 30 years. The busser, Oscar, has worked here longer than me, and his sons work for us now.
All this is served up in a setting that vibrates with colorful art. Vivid paintings and whimsical glass lampshades in the shapes of cactus and cowboy hats made by Newt Glass, a local company, line the colorful walls. More original works by local artists lines the walls inside and on the large patio. Seating is broken up into smaller areas, so diners can chat without having to shout over loud voices and music.
One thing that has changed for the North Central Ajo Al’s is the neighborhood surrounding it, with a spate of large new apartment complexes swelling the population.
“It’s been great for us to have the growth in this neighborhood, with a couple hundred new neighbors,” Dains said. “A lot of our regulars can walk over here, have a couple of margaritas, and stroll right home.”
Family-owned eateries like Ajo Al’s “build uniqueness into a neighborhood,” he said. “With big chains, big corporations, everything has to be the same, but when you’re a local you can do things that others can’t. You can be as crazy as you want or as tame as you want.
Ajo Al’s, 5101 N. 16th St., is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday. For information, call 602-222-9902 or visit www.ajoals.com.
