TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In a list released for 'National Taco Day' on Tuesday, Oct. 4, Yelp ranked 100 taco restaurants around the country and not a single Tucson taco eatery made the cut.
Nine locations in the state did make the top 100 list, with 143 Street Tacos in Sierra Vista coming in at #82—the sole representative south of the Phoenix area, according to the food review website.
Tucson's omission may come as a surprise to many, considering the culinary attention Tucson has gotten nationwide this year: As a United Nations City of Gastronomy, food-review giants like the New York Times, Food and Wine Magazine and the James Beard Awards have all given the Tucson food scene its time in the sun.
According to Yelp, the list was organized using the site's user ratings and reviews to guide the curation. And Yelp user numbers in Tucson tend to be low: Popular taco spots like El Rustico, Tacos Apson and Boca Tacos Y Tequila have reviews numbering all numbering in the 100s.
The top-ranked spot on the list in Arizona? Cocina Madrigal has a whopping 3181 total user reviews.
For what it's worth, most restaurants on the top 100 list—and the most popular Tucson spots left off the list—all average about 4.5 stars on Yelp.
The nine best Arizona Taco spots, according to the Yelp list:
- #21 - Cocina Madrigal, Phoenix
- #25 - La Bamba Mexican Grill Restaurant, El Mirage
- #31 - Kiss Pollos Estilo Sinaloa, Phoenix
- #49 - Tres Amigos, Flagstaff
- #62 - El Super Taco, Phoenix
- #67 - Just Tacos and More, Phoenix
- #73 - Taco Culture Taco Shop, Phoenix
- #82 - 143 Street Tacos, Sierra Vista
- #86 - Nanys Tacos, Williams
Southern California taquerias dominated the top three spots on the list.
Find the full list on Yelp.
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Anne Simmons is the digital executive producer for KGUN 9. Anne got her start in television while still a student at the University of Arizona. Before joining KGUN, she managed multiple public access television stations in the Bay Area and has worked as a video producer in the non-profit sector. Share your story ideas and important issues with Anne by emailing anne.simmons@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.
