Hey everybody, I hope this post finds you and yours in good spirits and healthy. By now I’m sure you’ve seen on the news how a resurgence of the virus that shall not be named, is happening in many states. I know in a lot of those states dining in is now allowed, however I’ve noticed that for the most part people are still opting for take-out. It seems that every restaurant I pass that has a drive-thru window is busy . I’ve seen places with as many as 20 cars waiting in line, granted that was In And Out Burger, and my car was one of the 20! If you live in a place like Tucson you’re lucky enough to have a slew of amazing Mexican restaurants that have drive in windows. I’m going to give you a quick run down of the ones I have tried over the years.
One of the things I like about eating the Mexican food in Tucson, is that while it’s food that comes out fast it isn’t “fast food”. There are small local chains but they do not have the same practices as that place with the golden arches. When you order a burrito, someone in the kitchen is making it to your liking and the ingredients are fresh, local and tasty. Being in close proximity to California and Mexico, Tucson has amazing produce all year around. During this time of Covid, I have noticed a trend where little hand written signs are placed at the drive-thru window saying that due to a shortage of beef some prices may be higher. I can understand this but, an even more disturbing trend has been happening, many places are also putting rice and beans inside the burritos. I know to some of you, that’s how burritos are usually made, but not so in Tucson. One of the best burritos you’ll ever eat is the green chili burrito. It’s simmered chuck roast in green chilis , garlic and spices then finished in a rue. The result is nothing short of culinary amazement. In Tucson it has become and old school tradition. However many places have stopped serving the dish and I’m thinking it’s because of how time consuming it is to make it. I wrote about it here. This burrito should never have rice and beans inside of it, so make it yourself and get back to me.
In Tucson you’ll notice there are a few drive-thru Mexican restaurants that seem to be all over town. These popped up years ago around the same time as each other, yet each has withstood the test of time so they must be doing something right. Just off the top of my head here are a few, Los Betos, Nico’s, Filiberto’s, El Guero Canelo and El Postino. Then there are a dozen other restaurants that’s aren’t local chains but have drive-thru windows, of these I’d recommend you try, BK Tacos, El Molinito and Salsa Verde. Yes the list is very incomplete but I can only eat so much!
The one thing I’ve noticed is that each place has a “speciality” by that I mean they have a dish that they make that is better than the other places. For instance, if you’re looking to try the unique Sonoran Hot Dog then you’d go to El Guero Canelo. Nico’s has amazing breakfast burritos, which should be called breakfast and lunch burritos because you can only eat half of one at a time, so I save the second half for lunch! I also had really good cheese enchiladas at Filiberto’s and Los Betos served up a mean shredded beef taco. El Postino didn’t do it for me. I found their food to be lacking the burst of flavor you get from the others, however they are open 24 hours just incase you have a craving for tacos at 3am.
From what I’ve seen, the drive in window may become a staple in some restaurants. People feel safer picking their food up in this way and the restaurants that have a drive-thru are very busy. El Molinto is a dine-in restaurant but has always had a drive-thru as long as I can remember and when you’re eating inside you aren’t aware of the drive-thru traffic. Bk Tacos is the same way, however I will tell you there’s usually a long wait for the drive-thru at BK because they make your food when you order it. They even have a sign outside that says, “Quality takes time so be patient.” It is worth the wait but don’t go there starving or you’ll be “Hangry” before your food arrives!
If you’ve been or live in Tucson, please help me add to this list. I know I didn’t touch on the places in South Tucson and there’s amazing food there. If you have a favorite restaurant please also share what you like to eat there. I urge you go out and eat local, if they don’t have a drive-in window call ahead and do take-out. It’ll help your local business and it’s always a nice change from cooking at home. As always if you have any questions or comments place them in the box and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Until next time Boone Appétit!
