By Andrew Edling | Reviews | The Maricopa Meridian
The first thing I asked for was another seat.
I wanted to see the front entrance. If trouble came through the door, I wanted to see it coming.
Vianey, the woman I’m dating, had recommended Los Arbolitos de Cajeme for the ceviche. She speaks Spanish. Mine needs supervision. But she knew a place on West Peoria Avenue where I could eat well, and I had taken her word for it.
With my long beard and my concern for the door, I could imagine the character I made. Chico Malo. A wizard trying to be Heisenberg.
Then I ordered a drink and asked where the bathroom was.
“Donde es la banos?”
I went to wash my hands. On the way back, the kitchen staff were looking at me through the window. I threw up a shaka. They laughed and nodded hello.
It was a good welcome.
A Mexican flag hung above the bar. There were strings of lights and wooden tables, black chairs and lamps with woven shades. The kitchen was visible through an opening in the white tile. From my table I could see people doing the work that would become dinner.
Erika was my waitress. She helped me with the menu and with my Spanish. I was grateful for both. There is pleasure in trying a language when someone will help you through it. The words come slowly, but you get to speak to someone.

I ordered the shrimp ceviche tostada and the camarón mignon.
The tostada was $12.40. Shrimp, tomato and red onion were piled beneath a fan of avocado. Reddish liquid spread around the base, and an orange wedge rested at the edge of the plate. The menu described a marinade of fresh lime juice, with tomato, onion and cilantro. There was enough on the tostada to make the spoon beside it useful.

The camarón mignon cost $29.95. It was a shrimp medallion wrapped in bacon, topped with melted cheese and served with a creamy mushroom sauce. The sauce covered the medallion and spread across the plate. You could see the mushroom slices in it. Yellow rice stood in a neat mound beside broccoli, cauliflower, carrot and zucchini.

Vianey had been right about the ceviche. I was glad I had ordered the mignon, too.
Los Arbolitos traces its beginnings to a small seafood stand in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, in 1988. That is a long way from a single stand to a dining room in Phoenix. I had found my way there because someone I liked had told me about something good.
Now I had eaten it, and I could pass the recommendation along.
Before I left, Erika took a photograph of me wearing a sombrero. In the picture I am grinning under the broad black brim, holding a glass bottle of Coca-Cola. The restaurant’s name is lit behind me. There are bread and chips on the table and the remains of dinner on the plate.
The photograph is a fair account of the evening.

My check came to $55.81 before tip. Later I gave the restaurant five stars on Google and wrote, “Muy delicioso. Muchas gracias Erika!” The restaurant replied and mentioned Erika, too. I was glad she got the credit.

At the door, a cute hostess and I chatted. I had been working on my Spanish all evening. For the farewell, I went with a line I knew.
“Hasta la vista, baby.”
She giggled.
I’ll be back.

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Los Arbolitos de Cajeme
3508 W. Peoria Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85029
(602) 314-6043
Visited September 13, 2026. Prices are from that visit.