Cocina Madrigal fire may snuff Maricopa plans

An award-winning restaurant with fleeting ties to Maricopa is looking even less likely to serve taco-craving patrons.

A kitchen fire closed Cocina Madrigal on Sunday afternoon. The blaze in the Phoenix restaurant on 16th Street and Broadway forced its doors to close.

According to Phoenix Fire Department, the fire did not “extend into the structure of the building.” No injuries were reported.

The restaurant is temporarily closed, according to its website.

Maricopa location a no-go

Until last year, the South Phoenix restaurant was highly anticipated to open a Maricopa location by this year, with hopes it would “become a culinary cornerstone of Maricopa City Center.”

The city center includes Maricopa City Hall and the library south of White and Parker Road.

But it appears that won’t happen anymore, especially with fire damage to the original location.

City spokesperson Monica Williams said restaurant owners Leo and Brian Madrigal had not “taken any action to move forward” in opening the Maricopa location. She added that the fire may cause Cocina Madrigal to “direct their attention away from Maricopa.”

Even so, the restaurant still had a narrow deadline to fulfill.

In an email to owner Leo Madrigal last year, former city projects manager Chance Love said the restaurant had to be “up and running February/March 2024.” That deadline is almost up and there are still no signs of the restaurant in sight.

“Based on the terms of the agreement, the property will likely revert back to the city,” Williams said.

A representative from Cocina Madrigal did not respond to a request for comment.