Dining in Arizona: 101 Great Places to Eat

From western roadhouses to fine dining, Tucson boasts an extraordinary lineup of diverse restaurants. Though some of its greatest no longer exist, their stories conjure the sights, smells and sounds of the city's history. Longtime locals still buzz about Gordo's famous chimichangas, an accidental dish originating in Tucson. The legendary Tack Room was a beacon of fine dining. Places like Café Terra Cotta and Fuego pioneered a new southwestern cuisine, serving regional dishes like prickly pear pork and stuffed poblanos. University of Arizona alumni miss old spots like the Varsity, while long-gone haunts like Gus & Andy's attracted a unique crowd of businessmen, movie stars and the occasional mobster. Join local food writer Rita Connelly as she serves up savory stories of good food and good company from the gone but never forgotten favorites of the Old Pueblo.

The restaurants found in this guide are the most positively reviewed and recommended by locals and travelers. "TOP 500 RESTAURANTS" (64 Cuisine Types). Afghan, African, American, Asian Fusion, Bagels, Barbeque, Brazilian, Breakfast & Brunch, British, Buffets, Cajun, Cambodian, Cantonese, Caribbean, Chinese, Creole, Crêperies, Cuban, Delis, Dim Sum, Diners, Dominican, Ethiopian, European, Filipino, Fondue, French, Gluten-Free, Greek, Halal, Hawaiian, Indian, Iranian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin American, Mediterranean, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Mongolian, Pakistani, Persian, Peruvian, Polish, Russian, Salvadoran, Sushi, Szechuan, Tapas, Thai, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies, Vietnamese and many more options to visit and enjoy your stay.

From the racial defamation and mocking tone of “Mexican” restaurants geared toward the Anglo customer to the high-end Latin-inspired eateries with Anglo chefs who give the impression that the food was something unattended or poorly handled that they “discovered” or “rescued” from actual Latinos, the dilemma of how to make ethical choices in food production and consumption is always as close as the kitchen recipe, coffee pot, or table grape. In Food Fight! author Paloma Martinez-Cruz takes us on a Chicanx gastronomic journey that is powerful and humorous. Martinez-Cruz tackles head on the real-world politics of food production from the exploitation of farmworkers to the appropriation of Latinx bodies and culture, and takes us right into transformative eateries that offer a homegrown, mestiza consciousness. The hard-hitting essays in Food Fight! bring a mestiza critique to today’s pressing discussions of labeling, identity, and imaging in marketing and dining. Not just about food, restaurants, and coffee, this volume employs a decolonial approach and engaging voice to interrogate ways that mestizo, Indigenous, and Latinx peoples are objectified in mainstream ideology and imaginary.