Wickenburg’s Icon For Mexican Cuisine

Established over 30 years ago, Anita’s Cocina is a quintessential icon for Mexican cuisine. Conveniently located in charming Wickenburg, Arizona just off US Highway 60 in the heart of our historic town.

Anita’s Cocina first opened its doors for business in 1986. It was a small, one-room Mexican restaurant that could seat 10 people and had a walk up window for ordering your food. On opening day Sherry Hunt and her 2- month old son Darren met friends for lunch there. Immediately upon seeing her, the owner promptly informed her that he needed her to be there at 9 A.M. the next day, as she was working there now.

Four years later, in March of 1990, the owner asked Sherry and her husband Tom if they would be interested in buying Anita’s from him. He explained that he had 4 separate offers already from out of town folks, but he wanted to give Sherry and her family the opportunity to buy it because she had been there from the very start and helped grow Anita’s into the place it had become. There was one condition, a large down payment was required within two weeks. Tom and Sherry had been scraping by as it was, so this was a massive challenge for them. A challenge they were able to meet because of their deep roots in Wickenburg and the support of friends and family who rallied behind them.

Opening day presented another challenge, as they had forgot to fund the cash register, prompting Sherry to run across the street and borrow the cash with a promise to pay it back by days’ end. At the end of that first day Anita’s sales were the most the restaurant had had since its start. Encouraging yes, but a new problem emerged when Tom and Sherry realized there wasn’t enough food left for the next day, forcing them to have to borrow more money to restock the restaurant! In its first two weeks under Tom and Sherry’s ownership Anita’s sales were more in one week than the entire previous month! They decided to close Easter Sunday, not to relax, but to paint the restaurant and repair some wiring issues. In only two months’ time Tom and Sherry had repaid all of their family and friends.

Tom and Sherry are committed to quality food and excellent service at Anita’s Cocina. Tom and Sherry are very hands-on, as they are in Anita’s cooking, repairing, cleaning, and greeting their patrons side by side with the staff every single day. This is reflected in the success of Anita’s. Under their guidance Anita’s quickly expanded from one room to four dining rooms in order to accommodate the amount of customers. Anita’s is easily Wickenburg’s most popular restaurant, as well as a must-stop for travelers.

Sherry credits their success of owning the title of Wickenburg’s most popular restaurant for over 23 years to a few key factors:

▪ Consistently good food, fresh and homemade, plenty of it

▪ Loyal customers, family and friends, community support

▪ An amazing and loyal staff

The food at Anita’s has always been the heart of its success. Simply put, it is good. Everything is made fresh daily, with fresh ingredients, using the same recipes for the last 23 years. Occasionally Sherry will try out new thing as the daily special. Sometimes they make their way onto the menu permanently. This, combined with very reasonable prices is a recipe for success. Anita’s gives their customers an excellent value for their dollar.

The community of Wickenburg and surrounding areas is a family in and of itself. From those trying first weeks to present day the community has had a large role in the success of Anita’s. Friends, family and even acquaintances have all shown support. Tom and Sherry have never forgotten this and give back to the community constantly.

The staff at Anita’s is very special. Most of them have been there over a decade! Many have been there 5 or more years, and several of them come back on school breaks etc. and work. Tom and Sherry treat their staff like family, and in turn their staff loves and cares for Anita’s as if it was their own. Customers recognize the loyalty of the crew and enjoy seeing a familiar and friendly face when they come in. Many great friendships have developed in this restaurant!

Whether you are local, or just passing through our beautiful town of Wickenburg, AZ, make it a point to stop in and say hi to Tom and Sherry and crew. You are sure to get a great meal, a friendly conversation, and hopefully a new favorite go-to destination!