I had no idea that Tucson was UNESCO’s 1st city in the United States to be recognized as a creative city of gastronomy and cultivation back in 2015. I learned this when I started my research for places to check out while we were in town for a few weeks. Surprisingly, San Antonio, where we just spent a couple of weeks, is the only other city in the USA to earn this title. If you want to know more about Tucson’s role within UNESCO’s world, you might check out Tucson City of Gastronomy’s website: https://tucson.cityofgastronomy.org/.
While we didn’t eat out every meal while in town, we had three weeks to “research.” These are five places that won’t break the bank and that you won’t want to miss when you’re in town.
Barrio Bread is the only place on my list of five that’s not a restaurant you can go and sit down for a meal, but it is my #1 pick for Tucson. I would go so far as to say that this is the best bread I’ve ever eaten. The crust is crisp, and the crumb is perfection. I stopped in to buy a loaf midway through our first week and left with a freezer full of bread because finding good bread is, unfortunately, challenging on the road. The James Beard Foundation awarded Barrio’s owner, Don Guerra, a semifinalist in 2019 and 2020 as Outstanding Baker. And in 2016, Dessert Professionals recognized him as one of the top ten bakers in the country. Included in Barrio’s production are loaves of bread made using heritage grains and wheat. Don’t miss out on a loaf of something from Barrio bread! I recommend checking their hours as they aren’t open seven days per week, nor are they open all day. Plus, it’s best to get there in the morning, so you can be sure to get to pick from all they’ve baked for the day.
Mi Nidito received a James Beard Foundation nomination for Outstanding Hospitality in 2020, but what may have made them even more famous was President Bill Clinton dining in the restaurant in 1999. While we appreciated great hospitality when dining out, food quality and flavor are more important to us. I found the food here to be incredibly flavorful. Each item on the President’s Platter, a selection of Sonoran delights, held its own. From the rich and creamy refried beans on the tostada to the moist pulled chicken in the enchilada, not a step was missed in putting together a selection of foods that on their own would be incredibly tasty and together was a feast to remember. Plan to wait for a table as this place is super busy every night that they are open! An impressive run since they have been around since 1952.
El Güero Canelo started as a hot dog stand in 1993. Today there are three locations around Tucson serving up a variety of Sonoran foods. It’s their Sonoran hotdog that made them famous in the beginning and the reason we visited. Another James Beard Foundation award winner in 2018 for America’s Classics, their Sammy Dog has garnered most food writers’ attention. The Sammy is a classic Sonoran dog. However, instead of one hotdog, you’ll find two slow-roasted, bacon-wrapped hotdogs served in a single bolillo roll topped with beans, grilled and fresh onion, tomato, mayonnaise, mustard, and jalapeno sauce. Personally, I’m not a huge hotdog fan, so Brian got the Sammy. Suffice it to say that I had to go back and get one for myself after my one bite.
Founded in 1922, El Charro Café is the oldest restaurant in Tucson and another James Beard Foundation winner. The original owner lays claim to the creation of the chimichanga. We enjoyed an appetizer of chimichangas and were relieved that they were nothing like the chimichangas we remember from the chain Chi Chis in the late 80s and 90s. Just reading the menu here had my mouth watering. El Charro is a great place to try many Sonoran foods like the cheese crisp – cheese baked on an extra-thin flour tortilla that has been brushed with butter on both sides; Carne Seca – Sonoran sun-dried shredded beef; or green corn tamales, to name a few. We enjoyed the ambiance of the downtown location along with a great meal.
Getting their start in 2010, BOCA Tacos y Tequila is the new kid on the block, especially in comparison to the long histories of El Charro and Mi Nidito. But that hasn’t kept Maria Mazon from being recognized by the James Beard Foundation. You might recognize her as well as a competitor on the current season of Top Chef. As the name implies, you’ll want to eat tacos when you go. We shared several different tacos and found the grilled shrimp and the macho (grilled steak stuffed in an Anaheim chili with cheese) to be our favorites. Don’t miss out on the salsa flight offered on the appetizer menu! Served with homemade tortilla chips, these salsas pack imagination with an incredible balance of flavor. On the night we visited, the salsa flight included: avocado, parsley, and serrano pepper; tomato and guajillo chili; banana and habanero, mustard and chiltepin, and carrot chipotle.
With hundreds of small-ish Latin restaurants in the area, we ate a lot of Latin food during our three weeks in Tucson. I’m not joking when I tell you that there were at least eight within walking distance of Sentinel RV Park, where we stayed. It’s not the only ethnicity of food in town. There are many other cultures represented in Tucson’s restaurants, including Arabic, which I will look forward to trying the next time we are in Tucson.
Want to know when that will be? Stay tuned!
