El Charro $$

311 N. Court Ave., Tucson
520/622-1922
www.elcharrocafe.com [1]

HOURS: Mon.–Sun. 11 a.m.–9 p.m.

COST: Most entrées between $10–20

El Charro serves what is probably the city’s most beloved Mexican food, or at least it’s always a contender. The food is excellent, especially the huge, filling chimichangas, a dish El Charro is often credited with inventing. The margaritas here may be the city’s best.

At least half the attraction here is the little house the restaurant is squeezed into—spilling out onto a cool, verdant patio—which was once lived in by Jules Flin, a French stonemason who came to Tucson [2] to work on the cathedral.

The restaurant has a bar, ¡Toma! [3], with half-price drinks and appetizers (delicious Mexican favorites like cheese crisps and quesadillas) daily 3–6 p.m.