2 very different Phoenix eateries make NYT list of best Mexican restaurants

Two distinctly different Phoenix eateries made the New York Times’ list of the best Mexican restaurants in the United States.

Bacanora, located near Grand Avenue and Roosevelt Street in Phoenix, ranked No. 8 on the list, and Mariscos El Profe, located near Buckeye Road and Interstate 17, ranked No. 25 on the list.

The New York Times’ list ranked the top 41 Mexican restaurants nationwide.

Bacanora earned its spot on the list thanks to its mesquite flavor and tasty New York strip and rib-eye steaks.

The enticing waft of burning mesquite will coax you in the door at this small-but-mighty Sonoran steakhouse. If you’re lucky, you can follow it all the way to the seat at the end of the bar closest to the grill, where you can watch the chef René Andrade commune with the coals. Not surprisingly, the bone-in New York strip and rib-eye are the stars of the short menu, but the skill and smoke make their way into every dish, so don’t neglect the grilled chicken or especially the embered elote with spicy lime crema.

Mariscos El Profe‘s “lime-and-chile-kissed” seafood earned its spot on the New York Times’ list.

The competition for “best Mexican restaurant under a shade structure in a parking lot” can be a stiff one in the Southwest. But Mariscos el Profe must be a contender. Seafood isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “Arizona,” but the state is just across the border from Sonora and its lime-and-chile-kissed mariscos traditions. At this food truck, the mixed seafood Ceviche Es Lo Que Hay! is a fitting introduction to the piquant maritime flavors of marinated marlin, salt-cured sea bass and tender octopus. But don’t neglect the terrestrial pleasures of the rib-eye aguachile.

The two Phoenix restaurants weren’t the only Arizona eateries recognized on the list.

Tucson Mexican restaurant ranks in NYT list’s top 15

Tucson’s BK Carne Asada & Hot Dogs, which has one location near Glenn Street and First Avenue and another near Irvington Road and 12th Avenue, ranked No. 11 in the country.

BK Carne Asada & Hot Dogs found itself on the list because of its unique combination of Sonoran carne asada and Sonoran hot dogs.

In Arizona, the separate specialties of Sonora carne asada and Sonoran hot dogs are both under the same roof. Opened in 1994 by Benjamin and Karel Galaz from Nacozari, Sonora, the festive pub-style restaurant complete with wood furnishings offers mesquite-grilled carne asada, and caramelos (carne asada with melted cheese), both served in flour tortillas. The loaded Sonoran hot dog comes in a sweet bun that’s topped with beans, grilled onions, diced tomatoes and fresh onions, and mustard, mayonnaise and a housemade jalapeño salsa. There’s even a traditional caldo de queso at the Sonoran-style taquería that’s made in America.

Two of Arizona’s three restaurants on the list were ranked inside the top 15. The only other state with two restaurants inside the top 15 was California, which had eateries ranked at No. 9 and No. 13. However, neither California nor Arizona had a restaurant inside the top 5.

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