5 spots to take out-of-towners who want to taste Tucson's best Mexican food
- Updated
Here are some favorites of Andi Berlin of This Is Tucson:
- Andi Berlin | This Is Tucson
- Updated
Now that Tucson is a designated World City of Gastronomy, a legion of journalists are coming from all over to try out our yummies. My job is to take these people around and feed them Sonoran hot dogs, delicately explaining that the Mission burrito they know is not in fact food, but a feeble reproduction of the real stuff.
I take them to BK, I take them to El Güero Canelo. But some of the visitors want to dig deeper. They want to really understand what makes the food of the Sonoran desert different than, say, hipster tacos they can get in Brooklyn.
For this article, I'm not touting Tucson's old-school margarita joints like Rosa's and Mi Nidito. (Although they are awesome, undeniably.) When I want to really show someone what Sonoran cuisine looks like, I go to a little taqueria on the south side with a simple salsa bar, flour tortillas and a carne asada grill. Here are some of my favorites:
- Andi Berlin | This Is Tucson
- Updated
3501 S. 12th Ave.
While recording a podcast for his show The Feed, Chicago journalist Steve Dolinsky was wowed by the smoky beef offerings at Tacos Apson. (I saw that light in his eye, when he ate them.) The ribs and carne asada come straight off the mesquite grill, with no seasonings but salt, and a distinctive char that varnishes the fatty meat. Apson's owner Francisco J. Durazo is from Agua Prieta, Sonora, and serves some "unique" specialties like the huevo becerro criadillas, or calf's testicles. Steve didn't try that one ...
- Andi Berlin | This Is Tucson
- Updated
849 N. Anita Ave.
I sincerely believe these are the best burritos in town. But the place is so charming, I might have been swayed. Anita Street Market is tucked into the quaint Barrio Anita neighborhood that straddles the I-10 freeway. They sell incredible flour tortillas that they make every day in the back. That's why their burritos are so good. They're small, so each bite has that perfect floury goodness you can only get right here in the Sonoran Desert.
- Andi Berlin | This Is Tucson
- Updated
4415 N. Flowing Wells Road and 65 W. Valencia Road
This west-side food truck won Best Tacos in Tucson during the recent Mero Mero Taquero competition, and if you've ever had the green chile-strewn Taco Yaqui you can see why. Another menu highlight is the baked potato Papancha stuffed with melty cheese, mushrooms and carne asada. These Mexican baked potatoes are a big deal down in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, where owner Salvador Gastelum is from.
- Andi Berlin | This Is Tucson
- Updated
4860 S. 12th Ave and 522 N. Fourth Ave.
These guys recently broke the Internet with their absurdly delicious bacon-wrapped burrito. But really, you can't go wrong when you're at this southside food truck WhataBurro. Sonoran dogs are great, with a bready bolillo bun ... The tacos, are outstanding. Try the Hermosillo specialty the Percheron, a massive carne asada taco with green chile and fresh avocado slices. It's named after the Mexican version of a Clydesdale, if that helps.
- Andi Berlin | This Is Tucson
- Updated
3235 N. Flowing Wells Road
Raspados really are from several parts of Mexico, but I was surprised when my pal Steve told me he'd never seen them before. (I mean, it makes sense. Who wants a shaved ice when they're walking around Chicago in January?) Everyone here has their favorite shop, so I'm not gonna preach to you. But I will say, I'm pretty addicted to the strawberry one at Michoacán Taquería Raspados, 3235 N. Flowing Wells Road. They sell Tostilocos too, but Steve was well familiar with the bulging bags of sticky chips. In Chicago, they call them "Walking Tacos."
- Updated
Six restaurants failed February inspections by the Pima County Health Department. One passed its follow-up inspection, five failed re-inspection and follow-up visits are scheduled.
- Rick Wiley
- Updated
Photos of Mission San Xavier del Bac taken by the National Park Service for the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1940 and taken again from the same vantage points by Arizona Daily Star photographer A.E. Araiza in 2015.
- Updated
Over 54 million U.S. households own at least one dog, according to a 2015-2016 survey by the American Pet Products Association.
- Andi Berlin | This Is Tucson
Now that Tucson is a designated World City of Gastronomy, a legion of journalists are coming from all over to try out our yummies. My job is to take these people around and feed them Sonoran hot dogs, delicately explaining that the Mission burrito they know is not in fact food, but a feeble reproduction of the real stuff.
I take them to BK, I take them to El Güero Canelo. But some of the visitors want to dig deeper. They want to really understand what makes the food of the Sonoran desert different than, say, hipster tacos they can get in Brooklyn.
For this article, I'm not touting Tucson's old-school margarita joints like Rosa's and Mi Nidito. (Although they are awesome, undeniably.) When I want to really show someone what Sonoran cuisine looks like, I go to a little taqueria on the south side with a simple salsa bar, flour tortillas and a carne asada grill. Here are some of my favorites:
- Andi Berlin | This Is Tucson
3501 S. 12th Ave.
While recording a podcast for his show The Feed, Chicago journalist Steve Dolinsky was wowed by the smoky beef offerings at Tacos Apson. (I saw that light in his eye, when he ate them.) The ribs and carne asada come straight off the mesquite grill, with no seasonings but salt, and a distinctive char that varnishes the fatty meat. Apson's owner Francisco J. Durazo is from Agua Prieta, Sonora, and serves some "unique" specialties like the huevo becerro criadillas, or calf's testicles. Steve didn't try that one ...
- Andi Berlin | This Is Tucson
849 N. Anita Ave.
I sincerely believe these are the best burritos in town. But the place is so charming, I might have been swayed. Anita Street Market is tucked into the quaint Barrio Anita neighborhood that straddles the I-10 freeway. They sell incredible flour tortillas that they make every day in the back. That's why their burritos are so good. They're small, so each bite has that perfect floury goodness you can only get right here in the Sonoran Desert.
- Andi Berlin | This Is Tucson
4415 N. Flowing Wells Road and 65 W. Valencia Road
This west-side food truck won Best Tacos in Tucson during the recent Mero Mero Taquero competition, and if you've ever had the green chile-strewn Taco Yaqui you can see why. Another menu highlight is the baked potato Papancha stuffed with melty cheese, mushrooms and carne asada. These Mexican baked potatoes are a big deal down in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, where owner Salvador Gastelum is from.
- Andi Berlin | This Is Tucson
4860 S. 12th Ave and 522 N. Fourth Ave.
These guys recently broke the Internet with their absurdly delicious bacon-wrapped burrito. But really, you can't go wrong when you're at this southside food truck WhataBurro. Sonoran dogs are great, with a bready bolillo bun ... The tacos, are outstanding. Try the Hermosillo specialty the Percheron, a massive carne asada taco with green chile and fresh avocado slices. It's named after the Mexican version of a Clydesdale, if that helps.
- Andi Berlin | This Is Tucson
3235 N. Flowing Wells Road
Raspados really are from several parts of Mexico, but I was surprised when my pal Steve told me he'd never seen them before. (I mean, it makes sense. Who wants a shaved ice when they're walking around Chicago in January?) Everyone here has their favorite shop, so I'm not gonna preach to you. But I will say, I'm pretty addicted to the strawberry one at Michoacán Taquería Raspados, 3235 N. Flowing Wells Road. They sell Tostilocos too, but Steve was well familiar with the bulging bags of sticky chips. In Chicago, they call them "Walking Tacos."
- Rick Wiley
Photos of Mission San Xavier del Bac taken by the National Park Service for the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1940 and taken again from the same vantage points by Arizona Daily Star photographer A.E. Araiza in 2015.
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