El Charro Cafe
Chimichanga

Established in 1922 by Tia Monica Flin, El Charro Café in Tucson, Arizona, is the nation’s oldest Mexican Restaurant in continuous operation by the same family. Monica, a 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 St. Augustine Cathedral. Jules, whose work can be seen throughout Tucson’s Historic District, also built the family’s residence in 1896, now home to the Original Downtown El Charro Café location on Court Avenue. At first, the café was a one-woman operation, with Monica acting as hostess, waitress and chef. The café creator is also well-known as “The Inventor of The Chimichanga.” While frying her now-famous El Charro ground beef tacos, Monica accidentally dropped a burro into the frying pan and when the oil splashed up, she started to utter a common Spanish cuss word starting with “Chi.” But, because she was among her young nieces and nephews, she changed it to “Chimichanga,” the equivalent of “thingamajig.” A Tex-Mex classic was born. Today, El Charro is among the most critically acclaimed restaurant brands in the U.S. Featuring Sonoran and innovative Tucson-style Mexican food, in 2010 El Charro was named one of America’s Top 50 Restaurant Icons by Nation’s Restaurant News.

Location
311 N Court Ave, Tucson, AZ 85701, USA
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Opening times
Fri: 10:00 am - 9:00 pm
Open
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