This Is The Oldest Taco In America!
And it’s located in Tucson, Arizona – I not only ate it but decided to make my own!
It all began when my son Jeff and I were driving across the lower part of the US from Los Angeles to Atlanta in 2018 – and as we drove e across Arizona we were greeted by one of their iconic “dust devils”:
They start in the dusty arid brush and the wind takes over from there: take a look!
After that, we arrived in Tucson, and since we wanted to taste the food that was unique to each area, this iconic restaurant certainly fit the bill!
Meet Chef Tia Monica – Making America’s Oldest Mexican Food!
The El Charro cafe is a classic, for good reason! Here is how the restaurant’s website describes their history:
“Established in 1922 by our beloved Tia Monica Flin, El Charro Café of Tucson, Arizona is The Nation’s Oldest Mexican Restaurant in continuous operation by the same family. Our Tia Monica, a true entrepreneur and burgeoning chef, came to Tucson via France in the 1800’s when her father Jules, a famous stone-mason, was commissioned to build the city’s pristine St. Augustine Cathedral. Jules, whose signature work can be seen throughout Tucson’s Historic District, also built the families residence in 1896.”
It holds the record as the oldest family-run Mexican restaurant in the United States!
This is their menu:
The original “Charro Style” Beef Taco, created in 1922, used a hamburger patty, NOT the ground beef we routinely see used today…note that it was garnished with peas, radishes and Mexican cheese as well!
You can see the peace and radish in the crispy tortilla…so when I bought a bag of soft tortillas on a whim, I decided to make the dish at home!
It’s a simple recipe to make: you need ground beef formed into a patty, some cooked peas, raw onion, fresh radishes, a bit of lettuce and some Mexican cheese blend!
As I cooked the hamburger patty, I took a soft taco tortilla, placed it on a plate and added sliced radish, fresh peas, some spinach and sliced onion, then sprinkled cheese on the burger after turning it over. Then it was time to put it all together – here’s a video of the process:
I loved the dish – raw onions are a perfect counterpoint to the melted cheese, and radish and peas are certainly unique! But guess what? When I ate at El Charro, my son had the dish – I had something else!
Click here to see what I ordered!
The El Charro Cafe was great: delicious food, a great staff, and music too! Yes, the tradition of strolling guitarists continues – have a listen:
I’m so glad they are still going strong, and I love the food from this region, especially thanks to the legendary Singer Linda Ronstadt!
This restaurant is located north of the Sonoran area of Mexico – and Linda Ronstadt wrote a book about her childhood nearby…so I made this tradition Sonoran cheese soup!
You can get that recipe here:
This was, by the way, just the beginning of my cross country drive that resulted in a hilarious food mishap involving this:
Yes, I ordered a “filet-o-fish” but what was I served?
Click here to see the hilarious answer!
Thanks for reading my food website “Bite! Eat! Repeat!” – it’s your site for all things food – if you like what you see, please click on my link and follow this blog as well!
Thanks as well to El Charro restaurant in Tucson Arizona – if you like this story, please share on social media!
Categories: Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Chef memoirs, Cookbooks, Eat This!, Fine Dining, Food, Food Travel, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel, Wacky Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
It sounds like you had a great time on that trip with your son! Good memories.
It’s interesting the taco is made using a burger. That’s new to me.
An absolutely lovely ‘read’ I shall repost to a few I know in Arizona – Tucson, as a matter of fact 🙂 !
sounds like a fun trip and I’ve always wanted to visit el charro, I’ve read so much about it. this taco sounds. pretty hearty and so good!
They look delicious, John. Sign me up to try one!
Best wishes, Pete.
Looks really good and sounds like a grat trip