184 LA VIDA BEST TAMALES TEEPEE MEXICAN RESTAURANT 4144 E. INDIAN SCHOOL ROAD 602-956-0178 TEEPEEMEXICANFOODAZ.COM Anytime you have a restaurant that’s been slinging the Mexican equivalent of diner food for damn near 75 years, you know they’re doing something right. Arcadia’s TeePee Mexican Restaurant has fed hungry Phoenicians since 1958, often with some of the finest restaurant tamales you’ll find this side of the border. While our go-to is the red beef variety, which features tender, rich chunks of beef slathered in a spicy red chile sauce, you can’t go wrong with the green corn or pork options. While tamales make up only a slim part of TeePee’s enormous menu, they’re more than worth the drive and the often-daunting challenge of finding a spot in the joint’s claustrophobic parking lot. i i i BEST MARISCOS MARISCO BOYS 2026 N. SEVENTH ST. 480-275-8326 MARISCOBOYS.COM Marisco Boys is the dressed-up younger brother of the brash Sonoran chainlet Taco Boy’s. At the taquerias, a casual cookout mood reigns. At Marisco Boys, this crew celebrates the finer things in life and takes mariscos into date-night territory. The Seventh Street eatery has a swanky vibe thanks to a backlit stone bar, custom woodwork and curved booths. Toast your night out with a Fernet-laced Batanga or have the team bring over an ice bucket for a tongue-in-cheek large-format Modelo served tableside. The menu offers a sea of mariscos options: aguachiles, ceviches, a hearty cóctel de camarón. One dish we never skip is the yellowtail tostada — a mound of cubed, rosy fish, chunks of avocado, salsa negra, a savory black garlic aioli, fried leeks and a scattering of microgreens atop crisp corn tortillas. Marisco Boys’ larger plates, particularly its cold or hot molcajete, pack enough seafood into each lava rock bowl to feed an entire table. i i i BEST MEXICAN SUSHI EL TATAKI SUSHI 1410 E. SOUTHERN AVE., TEMPE 480-912-3009 AND OTHER VALLEY LOCATIONS ELTATAKISUSHI.COM It may sound like a punchline, but Mexican sushi is an established fusion cuisine that takes Japanese and American sushi-making techniques and sends them through Mexican flavor profiles to create something spectac- ular. At El Tataki, the sushi menu includes traditional rolls, Mexican rolls and baked rolls. You can get a California roll anywhere, so do yourself a favor and dive into the Mexican rolls, characterized by deep-frying, thick sauces and nontraditional ingredients. The quintessential Mexican sushi offering is the Cielo, Mar Y Tierra roll, a deep-fried flavor and calorie bomb stuffed with shrimp tempura, chicken, beef, avocado, cucumber and cream cheese, topped with spicy mayo and eel sauce. i i i BEST SONORAN HOT DOG NOGALES HOT DOGS NO. 2 1640 E. INDIAN SCHOOL ROAD 602-527-0208 FACEBOOK.COM/NOGALESHOTDOGSNO2 There’s something quintessentially Phoenix about rolling up to Nogales Hot Dogs No. 2. For the price of a $6 Sonoran dog, you can sit under its pop-up canopy at a plastic folding table in a parking lot and feel your worries melt. The topping bar inside a cooler is stocked with cotija, guacamole, mushrooms and salsa verde. Did we mention it’s $6? Pablo Perez used to fix tires, but now he and his wife, Monica, fix late-night cravings. And like clockwork, after you’ve scarfed down your glizzy, you can expect him to ask you, “How about a second one?” In a world where so much feels so wrong, there is something simply and satisfactorily right about this little street stop. Our only complaint is that they need to do another T-shirt order soon, because the real ones know about Nogales Hot Dogs No. 2. i i i BEST POLLO ASADO EL POLLO SUPREMO 221 W. UNIVERSITY DRIVE, TEMPE 480-966-3713 ELPOLLOSUPREMO.SHOP Friends, media and happy customers have all raved about El Pollo Supremo for more than two decades. Finally, one day, we succumbed to the peer pressure. We stopped by an ATM (it’s famously a cash-only joint) and pulled into the parking lot. A deliciously smoky aroma hit us when we opened our car door. A friendly woman behind the counter took our order, we grabbed our to-go bag and headed home. The bright-red achiote-grilled chicken took our breath away in the first bite. We loaded up a flour tortilla with shredded meat, plus the pickled onions and salsa that came with the meal. And then came the sadness — the realization that we could have been eating at El Pollo Supremo for years. Now we know better. And so do you. BEST CARNE ASADA TA’CARBON MEXICAN GRILL 2929 N. 43RD AVE. 623-252-6003 AND OTHER VALLEY LOCATIONS TACARBON.COM One bite of their carne asada tells you every- thing you need to know. The flavor and the chew of Ta’Carbon Mexican Grill’s beef justifies the hike to the West Valley, where you may be partaking in some of the best low-priced carne asada in America. The umami from the meat shines, unhampered by the bounce of flabby cuts that often derail lesser carne dishes. You can eat like a sultan here for under $15 with an order like the papa loca: a chonker of a baked potato strewn with carne asada, melted cheese, bacon, peppers, onions and whatever groceries you add from the bountiful toppings bar. If you’re down to your last four bucks, just grab the crunchy, open- faced Lorenza asada, a red meat purist’s dream snack. i i i BEST TRES LECHES CAKE TACOS + CAKES 2610 W. BASELINE ROAD 602-341-0057 TACOSNCAKES.COM We love an unexpected combination. Like goat yoga or paint-and-sip nights, bringing together two things that are great on their own often leads to a new, awesome third thing. We love tacos. We love cakes. So it’s perhaps unsurprising that we love Tacos + Cakes in southwest Phoenix. The savory side of the menu has a deep roster of solidly done Mexican fare, but if we’re honest, we make the trek for the cakes. Tacos + Cakes’ tres leches in particular is worth the drive. They’ll pack you a thick, sweet square that always hits the delicate balance between dry and soggy. The vanilla flavor is to die for, but you can also choose strawberry, chocolate, pecan, lime, pineapple, coffee or red velvet. i i i BEST HORCHATA JUST TACOS AND MORE 2910 N. 32ND ST., #160 602-675-3924 JUSTTACOSANDMORE.COM At most restaurants that serve aguas frescas, customers choose between a fruit-filled sip or a creamy, rice-based horchata. The para- doxically named Just Tacos and More combines the two for a unique option. The Arcadia-area restaurant slings horchata with cubes of fresh apple inside. The classic cinnamon blends with the apple to create a refreshing cold drink that tastes like warm, comforting apple pie. It confuses your brain in the best way. Pair it with the eatery’s creatively topped tacos — we’re partial to the El Jefe, which tops cheese, chorizo and your choice of protein with guac, grilled cactus and pickled onions — for a welcome twist on a classic Mexican meal. i i i BEST PALETAS REALEZA MICHOACANA 2533 N. 16TH ST. 602-271-4527 FACEBOOK.COM/REALEZAMICHOACANA In the Phoenix summer heat, regular consumption of frozen treats is a straight-up survival tactic. A sweet, ice-cold paleta is a lifesaver on a July afternoon, and Realeza Michoacana in the Calle 16 area of 16th Street is our purveyor of choice. The snack and dessert shop made the hop across the