Flavors of the Sonoran Desert Served Up in Tucson

For years, friends and social media followers begged Tucson, Arizona, chef Mateo Otero to open a restaurant. At the time, Otero ran a catering business and routinely shared his creations on Facebook—including a trio of rolled tacos topped with queso or his own enchilada sauce-like rojo broth.

In most Mexican taquerias, rolled tacos are adorned with some combination of lettuce, tomato, avocado and sour cream. So Otero’s innovative twist on the classic dish drew the attention of fans around town.

“No one in Tucson had ever seen that before,” Otero says. “Growing up, we never had it the way I dressed them—with queso or the rojo broth—so I know that it caught people’s eyes.”

Otero eventually opened Rollies Mexican Patio on Tucson’s bustling South 12th Avenue corridor in 2017—and has since launched a second outpost in a converted shipping container on the city’s west side. Today, his “rollies”, as they’re known around town, come stuffed with chicken, potato or birria and are adorned with Orteo’s signature sauces.

Whatever you call them, Otero’s rolled tacos are among the city’s signature dishes and part of a culinary tradition that dates back, in one form or another, 5,000 years. That history, one that draws on a globetrotting lineup of influences to celebrate the many flavors of the Sonoran Desert, is a key reason why Tucson was named a UNESCO City of Gastronomy in 2015.

It was the first such city in the United States and is one of only 56 cities in the world to receive the honor, so there’s never been a better time to eat your way through the city’s culinary offerings. Here’s what makes Tucson’s cuisine so special and what to expect on your next visit.

Tucson’s UNESCO Designation, Explained

The UNESCO City of Gastronomy program was launched by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to pay tribute to communities around the world with rich culinary traditions.

In Tucson’s case, the distinction reflected the city’s melting pot of cultures and influences. It’s a vibrant scene that encompasses roughly 5,000 years of Native American and Mexican culinary traditions along the nearby Santa Cruz River and in the Sonoran Desert, modern-day farms and ranches that grow key ingredients, and ground-breaking chefs who use it all to push the food scene forward.

Where to Find Sonoran Flavors Around Tucson

You’ll find chefs crafting cuisines from around the world across Tucson—but Sonoran-style Mexican food is a key ingredient in the community’s culinary scene.

In addition to Otero’s rolled tacos, those influences show up in a variety of creative ways. The Sonoran hot dog, for instance, is synonymous with Tucson; the delicacy comprises a bacon-wrapped hot dog that’s served on a puffy bolillo bun and topped with (among other ingredients) pinto beans and jalapeño salsa. The family-owned El Güero Canelo is perhaps Tucson’s most famous purveyor of the Sonoran hot dog—and received a James Beard Foundation award in 2018 for its efforts.

El Charro Café, meanwhile, is Tucson’s oldest Mexican restaurant and the purported birthplace of the chimichanga. Beef is a staple of Sonoran-style Mexican food, so get your chimichanga filled with carne seca, a marinated meat that’s dried outdoors in a mesh cage.

For other appetizing ideas, the Tucson City of Gastronomy website (tucson.cityofgastronomy.org/) lists restaurants that have been certified by the nonprofit for wide-ranging contributions to the city’s culinary landscape.

No matter the dish or the restaurant, Chef Janos Wilder, board president of Tucson City of Gastronomy, says the common denominator among the city’s best bites is a sense of place.

“You can play golf anywhere. You can hike anywhere. You can bicycle anywhere,” Wilder says. “But you can’t have these ingredients elsewhere.”

Plan your visit to Tucson, Arizona, at visittucson.org.