PHOENIX — The Cornejo and Sodhi family who founded Taco Boy’s have cooked up another concept. Say hello to ‘Marisco Boys Seafood Restaurant!’
“We're just basically trying to give you guys great quality sustainable seafood, but with that authentic Mexican taste that we grew up [with] in northern Mexico,” said Juan Francisco Cornejo, business partner of the concepts, to ABC15.
The restaurant will pay a nostalgic nod to the roots of the Cornejo family from the city of Obregón, in Sonora, México.
“We used to go to the beaches and stuff like that when we were little kids, and we used to just get oysters chucked at us from the boats. And you can just eat fish right there that were being gutted as they were being pulled out of the ocean. And it's just stuff like that. It's very fresh. And the quality of seafood is very elevated,” reminisced Cornejo, who then added that guests at the restaurant will be seeing Chiltepín [small berry-like chiles] and Clamato on the menu.
A FULL-SERVICE RESTAURANT
The new full-service restaurant is located on the corner of 7 Street and Monte Vista Road in downtown Phoenix.
“Taco Boy’s is kind of crazy and chaotic, and that's kind of one of the reasons why people love it, in a way, too. But you kind of just play your own tune over there, where you can just go up, you order, you go to the salad bar,” expressed Cornejo. “Here it's more you come in, there's a host, you sit down, there's a waiter, there's a food runner, there's a kitchen, there's an expo, there's bartenders.”
According to Cornejo, Marisco Boys will have a focused menu that highlights cooking on live fire.
“So, the menu, we didn't overdo it […] even though it's a nice restaurant, we want everyday [people] in here. Like, if you're a construction worker and you just go. You can come to lunch here. If you want to celebrate your birthday, you can come,” said Cornejo. “We'll have cucarachas, which are like gutted shrimp that are marinated, and then you cook them over charcoal or live fire. We’ll have your regulars, like ceviche mixto. It's [a] very straightforward [menu].”
IF YOU GO
“It's not going to be like your typical Marisco spot where there's loud music playing and no, it's just going to be very chill, very family-friendly, [with] very good food,” added Cornejo, who added the restaurant is in a soft opening phase.
- Address: 2026 N 7th St in Phoenix
- Current hours of operation: Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Visit instagram.com/mariscoboys for the latest restaurant happenings.
