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Tacos Apson
Location: 3501 S. 12th Ave.
Tacos Apson is Tucson’s taco. Their mesquite-grilled carne asada, on flour tortillas, is a love letter to Sonora. But you don’t have to stop there: I love the taco Lorenza, which glues the carne together with cheese. Their Taco Chino — just beans — is proof that the best food can be incredibly simple.
Barrio Bread
Location: 18 S. Eastbourne Ave.
Tucson has a few James Beard Award winners: Janos Wilder, El Güero Canelo, and Don Guerra.
Guerra's outstanding artisan bread and commitment to Sonoran heritage grains make Barrio Bread a true bucket list item for longtime residents and visitors alike.
El Charro
Locations: 311 N. Court Ave.; 7725 N. Oracle Road; 6910 E. Sunrise Dr.
Monica Flin founded El Charro in 1922, and it rose to fame in the part of downtown razed for redevelopment in the 1960s. Her legacy lives on to this day, and in a variety of restaurants from the Si Charro family.
Hotel Congress
Location: 311 E. Congress St.
Hotel Congress is the anchor of our downtown. It’s living wild west history, where John Dillinger was caught and Dillinger Days are celebrated to this day. Hotel Congress is a venue, a brunch destination and a nightclub. Oh, and a hotel.
Mi Nidito
Location: 1813 S. Fourth Ave.
If you see a line out the door at Mi Nidito, don't be surprised. The menu features classic Mexican dishes and might be most famous for the President's Plate: a bean tostada, a birria taco, a chile relleño, a chicken enchilada and a beer tamale. It's what Bill Clinton ordered when he visited in 1999.
