182 LA VIDA BEST MOLE LAS 15 SALSAS RESTAURANT OAXAQUEÑO 722 W. HATCHER ROAD 602-870-2056 LAS15SALSAS.COM This Sunnyslope charmer specializes in Oaxacan food and exemplifies the mother sauce of the southern coastal Mexican state. While many Mexican restaurants in town serve hearty red mole, Las 15 Salsas offers a color wheel of rich sauces: mole verde, mole coloradito, mole amarillo, mole negro and mole estofado. While we’re partial to the punchy verde or deeply earthy negro, each sauce brings a different personality. As a mole-loving Sam-I-Am, you can have your mole over tlayudas, in a tamal, stewed with chicken or in an empanada. True to its name, if you order the Moles de Fiesta or enchi- ladas, you’ll have a party of three of these complex sauces on your plate. When the weather allows, sit on the patio under the twinkle lights and order a juicy melon agua fresca or a smoky mezcal cocktail to complete your meal. i i i BEST ENCHILADAS LOS DOS MOLINOS 1044 E. CAMELBACK ROAD 602-528-3535 AND OTHER VALLEY LOCATIONS LOSDOSMOLINOSPHOENIX.COM The New Mexican restaurant Los Dos Molinos serves warm hospitality and even warmer plates from its three Valley locations in Phoenix and Mesa. Their slogan — “Some like it hot!” — serves as fair warning. The pitcher of water left on your table is another clue. The restaurant’s New Mexican-style enchiladas highlight its exceptional chiles, slow-cooked meats and thick housemade tortillas. The enchiladas are stacked and topped with a fried egg whose yolk offers a rich, velvety counterpoint to the Hatch chile sauces. You can pick acerbic green or fiery red, but the right answer is both: Christmas-style. Choose blue corn tortillas for their nutty bite between layers of cheese and garlicky roast pork that holds its own when bathed in the bold chile. You’ll leave with a hill of leftovers, already thinking about when you’ll return to Los Dos Molinos for another round. i i i BEST TORTAS LOS REYES DE LA TORTA 9230 N. SEVENTH ST. 602-870-2967 1528 E. SOUTHERN AVE., TEMPE 480-491-1314 LOSREYESAZ.COM Go to Los Reyes de la Torta if you’re in the mood for a huge sandwich with electric flavor. The opposite of fussy and fancy, Los Reyes de la Torta really is the kings of tortas — their famous Mexican sandwiches are big enough to share with your lover (or family member or friend), but don’t let that stop you from ordering one on your own and getting messy. The two namesake tortas, the Del Rey and La Reyna, are stacked high with multiple meats and smothered with enough cheese, veggies and sauce to make eating them a gloriously untidy affair. Wash down this Dagwoodian brute with one of their specialty drinks from the juice bar. i i i BEST EMPANADAS REPÚBLICA EMPANADA 204 E. FIRST AVE., MESA 480-969-1343 REPUBLICAEMPANADA.COM Seemingly every country has developed its signature spin on wrapping meat inside dough, whether you’re tearing into pierogies, baos, pasties or dumplings. In Mesa, República Empanada serves excellent Latin variations: hot, warm, flaky pockets that fit in the palm of your hand. Nothing wrong with playing it Americanly safe with the cheese- burger empanada stuffed with ground beef and cheddar, or a classic ham and cheese. But while you’re here, venture further afield. The Boricua, packed with pork, peas and rice, is a satisfying blend of flavors and textures, and the Cubana’s pork, ham, mozzarella and pickle is a delicious take on the classic sand- wich. Save room for one of República Empa- nada’s dessert empanadas, the ideal ending to a hearty meal. BEST PUPUSAS SEYDI’S PUPUSERIA & GRILL 2625 E. GREENWAY PARKWAY, #107 602-404-7634 SEYDISPUPUSERIA.COM When you step into the colorful north Phoenix restaurant painted in the blue and white of El Salvador’s flag, you’ll likely see the flat-top of the open kitchen packed with pupusas. Seydi’s Pupuseria, named for its matriarch, Seydi Flores, swung open the doors in 2019. She and her son, Jose Flores, serve an array of Salvadoran dishes, including the country’s signature filled corn cake. Order yours stuffed with cheese and carne asada, camaron, chicharron, jalapeño or beans. Each puffy griddled pocket sand- wich is a little different, like a snowflake filled with gooey, savory splendor and a craggy tapestry of golden griddled edges that sometimes hold a bit of cheese or meat that tried to escape while it cooked. Tangy curtido or Seydi’s zingy house salsa add brightness to the savory filling tucked into these tender, thick tortillas. i i i BEST POZOLE REQUINTO 6522 N. 16TH ST., #6 INSTAGRAM.COM/REQUINTO_PHX Some of Erick Pineda’s fondest memories are from his teen years, hanging with his “rock ’n’ roll friends” and eating the pozole his mom made to feed them all. She would start this low, slow-cooking soup before she left for work and let the flavor develop and deepen till supper. The chef, who runs the brunch pop-up Requinto at Linger Longer Lounge, calls pozole his mother’s way to celebrate, nourish and show her love. The same could be said about Pineda’s version of the family recipe honed over generations, including at a weekend pozoleria run by his grandmother in Chilpancingo, Mexico. Pineda makes his pozole with a blend of two stocks: an unctuous pork broth simmered for hours and a speedier stock to add a layer of flavor. Generous hunks of pork and starchy, chewy hominy join the broth. The pozole sings on its own with salinity and meaty comfort. Those flavors get amplified when finished with Pineada’s accompani- ments: a squeeze of lime, red onion, serrano and a crumble of dried chile de arbol. It’s a soul-warming soup to savor even in the dead of summer. BEST MEXICAN SOUPS DEL YAQUI 9201 S. AVENIDA DEL YAQUI, GUADALUPE 480-839-8170 DELYAQUI.COM Dig around in your steaming bowl of cocido de res and spot an oxtail hiding somewhere beneath the green beans, corn, squash, carrots and potatoes. This is Del Yaqui’s take on wakavaki, a beef soup with roots in the Yaqui pueblos of Sonora, Mexico. Co-owner Alba Valenzuela lived in Valle del Yaqui and speaks the Yaqui dialect. Her husband, Roberto Jaimes Perez, brings his own Sonoran schooling from Obregón, via a birria slow-cooked in dried chiles, garlic and spices. Pozole? On weekends — especially with a hangover — the menudo with tripe and earthy broth is the go-to. Between bowls, look around. Brick arches, hand-painted mission murals and a Mother Mary shrine have been part of this Guadalupe restaurant’s story for nearly four decades. Order extra tortillas — de maíz, de harina or los dos. For sure, you’re finna be dunking. i i i BEST SALSA BAR CASA CORAZON 2637 N. 16TH ST. 602-334-1917 CASACORAZONRESTAURANT.COM Free chips and salsa used to be a given at Mexican restaurants. That’s no longer the case, but Casa Corazon is staying true to the tradition and even taking things up a few levels. When customers sit at one of the shiny wooden tables in the quaint dining room, servers deliver a basket of tortilla chips and a dish of warm bean dip. The salsas, they explain, are around the corner. Near the entrance, a stainless steel salsa cart stands filled with exciting options. Have a sweet tooth? Try the herbaceous pineapple salsa or deep pink hibiscus flavor. Prefer something roasted? Try smoky salsa morita. Tomatillo, serrano and creamy avocado salsas join the mix. At Casa Corazon, it’s OK to fill up on chips — the salsas are worth every bite.