I walked into Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen for the first time in October 2023.
I had just become #ThisIsTucson’s new food writer and I was working on my first big story: finding all the places in Tucson that had the best birria. Elvia Verdugo, who wrote for #ThisIsTucson at the time, raved about a small Mexican spot on the corner of Grant and Craycroft roads, so I decided to give it a try.
I swung open the door and walked into the colorful-yet-quiet restaurant, complete with a smiling skeleton on the wall wearing a giant sombrero. I sat at the bar and ordered a large horchata and their quesabirria plate.
Soon, a wooden board with two smoking quesabirria tacos was placed in front of me. I sipped on my ice-cold horchata with a cinnamon rim, trying not to drool as my tacos cooled down.
Once the smoke evaporated, I grabbed the taco and dunked it into the consommé, taking a big bite of all the cheesy, juicy goodness. My eyes widened and fireworks went off in my head. I had just — undoubtedly — eaten the best quesabirra taco in my life.
I couldn’t believe there was no one else at the restaurant enjoying the amazingness of Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen. I felt like I had just uncovered a secret, and I couldn’t stop raving about the place to my family.
Now, about a year and a half later, I recently stopped by for lunch, craving a taste of their spicy birria.
This time was a lot different than my first. I had to drive two rounds around the parking lot until a spot finally opened up.
All the tables inside and outside were full of customers happily chowing down on their meals. A line of people waited outside for a table to become available, patiently waiting for their chance to enjoy giant chimichangas.
It seems Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen blew up overnight, and I couldn’t be happier that my favorite place for quesabirria has gotten much-deserved love.
Jose Contreras, chef-owner of Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen, which has two locations in Tucson, has been named a semifinalist for a James Beard Award.
Jose Contreras, the chef and owner of the restaurant, has had quite the year.
Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen, which has two locations at 5553 E. Grant Road and 5851 N. Oracle Road, opened in 2021. Contreras cooks the same food his grandmother, Amelia, made when he was growing up. In fact, most of the dishes are based on his grandmother’s recipes, the Arizona Daily Star previously reported.
Things started to get crazy in November when Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen received a shoutout by The New York Times. Soon after, Contreras was announced as a semifinalist for a James Beard Award, one of the nation's highest culinary accolades.
Since then, it seems Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen has been a packed house, with cars constantly piled in the parking lot.
Though there may be a wait time now, I can confidently say I’d wait an hour for just one bite of their quesabirria.
A quesabirria taco can be tricky to perfect. First, you need to make a pot of birria, making sure it has all the savory and rich flavors we know and love. Once that’s done, you have to dip your corn tortillas into the consommé so it can absorb all the delicious spices.
Now, you can throw your birria-soaked tortillas into the pan to fry, adding in the beef and cheese and, if you’re feeling crazy, chopped cilantro and onions.
The steps may sound simple, but they require skill. You have to make sure your corn tortilla doesn’t break or crack or you'll end up with a birria mess. You have to add the perfect amount of cheese — enough that you can get a good mouthful but not too much that it overwhelms the beef.
And finally, the most obvious: if the birria isn’t good, then the taco won’t be either.
That’s why I’m amazed that Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen gets it right EVERY SINGLE TIME.
The burnt-orange tortillas are filled with juicy, flavorful birria that has the perfect amount of kick. You bite into the gooey melted cheese that combines with the birria in a heavenly way, leaving you wanting more and more. The rich flavors are broken up by the subtly sweet chopped onions, adding another layer of complex flavors to the taco.
The best part is just how juicy it is — it pretty much melts in your mouth while the consommé drips out the side.
And once you’ve scarfed down all your tacos, you get another surprise. You still have a side of beans and rice, which, you guessed it, is also amazing!
While the quesabirria tacos are my favorite, I’ve never had a bad meal at Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen. Their chorizo burrito was there for me after I traveled all over town looking for one and everything was closed. The warm, flour tortilla stuffed with spicy chorizo was the best way to start my Sunday morning.
One cold winter day, I stopped by for a steaming bowl of birria ramen. Their delicious birria mixed with ramen noodles warmed me right up and I saved the other half of the bowl for dinner that very same night.
Whatever you get at Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen will instantly have you hooked. Soon you’ll also be willing to wait long amounts of time just for a taste of Contreras’ cooking.
