If you’re a well-travelled foodie, you may have already ticked Paris, Penang and Tuscany off your list, but what about Tucson, Arizona? 

Officially one of the tastiest places on earth, this laid-back desert oasis was the first of just two US cities to earn a prestigious UNESCO City of Gastronomy plaudit – among only 56 cities globally. 

Tucson may just be the most underrated among them, although it has a culinary history dating back more than 4000 years, combining wholesome indigenous desert ingredients with Mexican heat and US cowboy comfort food. Slap-bang in the middle of the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona, the state’s second-largest city is a playground for brewers, bakers, chefs and makers who flex their culinary muscles in the city’s characteristically affable, unpretentious style. Whether you’re slurp-chewing tacos over a cardboard box, fine-dining with sunset views over the Santa Catalina Mountains or sharing a farm-to-table dinner under one of the world’s clearest starry skies, meals in Tucson come with a side of wilderness and adventure.  

Tucson offers a delectable stopover on your way to dark sky glamping and canyoning in the Sonoran Desert, a skiing escape to Mount Lemmon or a wine jaunt to nearby Sonoita. If you’re living out your Route 66 road-trip dreams, ticking the Grand Canyon off your bucket list or joining a yoga retreat near one of Sedona’s famed vortex sites, add a day or two for a southward detour to Tucson. Your tastebuds will thank you for it. 

There are also plenty of local adventures to help you work up an appetite. Tour the limestone labyrinths of Colossal Caves Mountain Park by torchlight, follow the Seven Falls Trail through fields of saguaro cacti, across stream crossings and into refreshing swimming holes, or stay at a dude ranch and catch the sunset on a horseback ride through the Sonoran Desert.  

Whatever you do, make sure you arrive hungry and save room for these signature Tucson tastes. 

Carne asada

With a long history of desert ranching in Tucson and the broader Sonoran Desert, the region’s chefs know their way around a cut of beef. Carne asada is how to enjoy it best, with cuts grilled over mesquite fire, then chopped into crispy-edged, tender bites. 

Try it on a taco at El Charro Cafe, the oldest continually running Mexican restaurant in the US, or at El Güero Canelo, where it rests on a bed of crispy fries, topped with gooey cheese and jalapeno sauce. 

Sonoran hot dogs

UNESCO accolades aside, your tastebuds will understand what makes Tucson such a gloriously special place after one bite of a Sonoran hot dog. 

Traditionally nestled in a bolillo roll made from local Sonoran wheat (think a short baguette, nutty, slightly sweet and cottonball fluffy), Sonoran hot dogs are topped with Mexican-style pinto beans, diced tomato, grilled onion and jalapeno salsa. Then comes the clincher: a blanket of bacon, smoked with indigenous mesquite wood.  

It’s part Mexican flavour-bomb, part American fast-food decadence and entirely scrumptious.  

Try one in a gravel parking lot from iconic food truck El Sinaloese, or claim a seat at the flagship venue of Mexican restaurant chain El Güero Canelo.

Fry bread 

Some of the world’s most beloved dishes were born of necessity – ramen noodles started as a cheap meal for Japanese labourers, bouillabaisse fed frugal fishermen and, in Arizona, fry bread came about when the Navajo people were forced out of their homelands and survived on government rations. 

Now, these deep-fried discs of golden bread are symbols of resilience, ingenuity and pure deliciousness. Street vendors outside historic San Xavier Del Bac Mission sell them loaded with taco-style toppings like meat and beans, or sweetened with honey, cinnamon and fruit. 

Family-run Cafe Santa Rosa claims to make the city’s best fry bread, serving it straight up with red or green chilli, and as the ‘bun’ for a double-patty burger. 

Indigenous ingredients

It’s worth rising early to score a still-warm loaf from community-supported bakery Barrio Bread, which prides itself on using heritage grains and traditions from the Sonoran Desert. 

You’ll find more indigenous ingredients on the daily-evolving menu at plant-based hotspot, Tumerico – whether in the form of a spicy taco, mole dish or tamale plate. They also have tepache on tap – a fizzy fermented pineapple drink that puts a Mexican spin on kombucha. 

Prickly pear is an abundant crop in the Sonoran Desert, and gives margaritas a bright pink, tangy twist in bars across the city. Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen makes a particularly good one, and took out the People’s Choice award in the 2025 World Margarita Championship. 

For travellers seeking a destination to soothe the soul while setting your explorer spirit alive, Arizona awaits. From epic adventure and glorious food and wine to world-class wellness, the magic of Arizona ticks every box. Start planning your adventure here.