asi es la vida

one word - mole sooo deli.... one word - mole

sooo delicious, rich and flavorful. loved everything.

fresh, authentic cuisine served with pride.. we tried this restaurant based on urban spoon recommendations and were very, very happy with our dining experience. the owners are super vested in making authentic mexican food as if they were serving family. the guacamole was delicious, the chips fresh. we ordered soft tacos with pork and guajillo peppers, and the accompaniments. just delicious. the building is a stand-out pink stucco on a busy road, but when you go inside, they have taken care to create a cozy ambiance, that is cool, colorful and cultural. on thurs-saturday nights they have a guitar player for dinner, but sadly we missed that. prices are good.

great high-end mexican spot

i was so surprised by the inside of the restaurant, after seeing the shockingly pink (but cool), outside. the inside is so beautiful and cozy. there is a bar with seating at it, and tables inside the room. there is another separate dining area as well. it was not busy when we went, the bartender came over to wait out table. he was fantastic, informative and i can tell that he has a real passion for the food being served. my table ordered the guacamole and then we all ordered a shrimp special. they were five very large prawns, i was only able to eat 4 of them. they had a nice blend of cheese and peppers over them, and were served with rice, corn and salad. i really enjoyed my meal and would visit again. just know that this is a high end mexican experience.

hole mole. i'm sorry...
but i'm not sorry i tried this beautiful place. i'm no expert on mexican cuisine for sure have only had the cheap mexican food of the midwestern cities and being a sucker for a great california fish taco when ever there. that said, this place was very exciting and well done in every way. a family owned and managed bar and restaurant that was one of the highlights of our trip to phoenix recently. i'm only disappointed that we didn't have a second chance to come back but it will be on the top of our list on the next visit.
great job!

great restaurant that we found by chance while looking for dinner on a sunday night (2 other places were closed). good atmosphere & friendly staff. the food was good, tasty and good blend of flavors without feeling the "dragon breath afterwards" i had 1/2 mole and 1/2 ropa vieja --great dishes. partner had rolled streak with cheese & spinach on a great sauce with oregano--just enough to make things tasty. will recommend it to others!!

very pretty restaurant, wonderful experience. go for the cadillac margarita vs. house, well worth it!
chicken tinga was delectable, mildly spicy with lovely flavor.
looking forward to returning the next time we are in phoenix

excellent traditional mexican regional dinner.

truly fantastic dish! get the chicken mole, you'll thank me...

the best mexican food!!!. the outside of the building or the sign will not draw you in so don't judge a book by its cover....this is a must!!! my inlaws are mexican and i have been to many mexican restaurants across the country but this tops them all! the service, the food quality, live guitarist and menu options are absolutely the best!!! don't go here if you are looking for beans and cheese burritos! this is authentic mexican cuisine!! lemonade. tortillas, mole...everything made from scratch.

amazing. was a really nice experience to try with real authentic mexican food strongly recommend it for a great dinner


-----18 sep, 2010-----

masterpiece. such a great restaurant to dine in. had such a great experience with the whole romantic atmosphere. what really impressed me the most was the fine flavorful food and the excellent service the wonderful staff has to offer. oh i almost forgot its byob and live music thursdays/saturdays. strongly recommend it if you want to have one of a kind night.

absolutely a must try place for great authentic mexican food. a new favorite of mine. the service is stellar and the ambiance is extremely friendly with a feeling of being in someone's home

visiting phoenix, we wanted to have "authentic" mexican. we drove to rosita's place but it was rather scary at night! we thought we'd try a place closer to our hotel and asi es la vida had a high enough rating to try. the place is rather small but colorful. there was live music on the saturday evening we were there. don't go in expecting your typical mexican restaurant with chips, salsa, tacos, etc. the food was excellent but the portions were a little small. if we ever eat here again, i'm getting two appetizers. the appetizer (queso fundido with roasted poblano peppers) was very tasty albeit a little small. 4 corn tortillas were almost too many for the serving size.

my husband had a steak and i had a shrimp entree. both meats were excellent. the cream corn and peppers was also tasty. the served rice tasted like minute rice with frozen mixed vegetables. just about the best tasting sauce i've had (and unfortunately too spicy for me) item was their smoked red sauce. it was smokily wondrous. almost worth all the tears i shed over my sore tongue.

the service was very good. .

original mexican cuisine. fresh ingredients and well prepared meals should satisfy diners who appreciate mexican cooking. small and cozy atmosphere; relaxing. approximately 50 patrons is the max capacity. there is a room available for private parties. a small bar is located in the main dining area. service is extremely friendly, professional, and attentive. on the midweek night i was there, only five other diners were present. went here based on previous reviews on urbanspoon and being in the mood for mexican food. had the crema de cilantro soup which is a blend of cilantro, garlic, potatoes, avocado, and chicken stock. very thick and comforting. main course was a combination of mole poblano and cochinita pibil (slow roasted pork with a orange sauce). excellent. my only complaint is that the portion could have been larger! soup is $4.75. combo entree is $17.95. small parking lot in the back.

exquisite in every respect: atmosphere, service and food. undoubtedly, one of best restaurants in phoenix!

what a great find. authentic a delicious food. delightful cozy yet tastefully decorated setting. don't let the purple exterior scare you off. shrimp appetizer with cheese on tortilla with peppers was awesome. tortilla soup and guacamole wonderful. entrees were delicious. this is high quality food. - don't expect on the border prices. would go back.