176 Best of phoenix 2023 | WWW.bestofphoenix2023.c0m | septemBer 28, 2023 lard — which other makers believe is a key ingredient — from her tamales. She wants to make a healthy and modern tamale that all will be willing to try. Best Tortas LOS REYES DE LA TORTA 9230 N. Seventh St. 602-870-2967 1528 E. Southern Ave., Tempe 480-491-1314 losreyesaz.com When ordering from the massive menu at Los Reyes de la Torta, be prepared for a mountain of food. This restaurant, which has locations in North Phoenix and Tempe, serves football-sized sandwiches filled with layers of ingredients piled impossibly high. And there are more than a dozen flavors to choose from, including the most popular option, the Del Rey. This giant sandwich comes loaded with ham, mozza- rella, pork sirloin, breaded beef, a sausage and chorizo omelet, tomato, caramelized onions, avocado and chipotle sauce. Whew. We recommend sharing with a friend so you can squeeze in a creamy mango or banana agua cremosa, made with sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk and topped with a tiny umbrella. Best Tortillas CAROLINA’S 2126 E. Cactus Road 602-275-8231 5920 W. Greenway Road, Glendale 623-878-6277 And other Valley locations carolinasmexicanfood.com When it comes to tortillas, Carolina’s has leaned into this approach since opening in 1968: Go big or go home. The tortillas, which clock in at a healthy 16 inches, are made from little balls of dough in stores every morning. The no-frills, fast-casual chain of family-run restaurants focuses on the food, which has been the key to its success reaching into its sixth decade. The flour tortillas are so sought after that the restaurant offers them on their own. You can buy a single one, six or a dozen at a time. Get a buttered one to add some clar- ified richness to your meal. It’s worth the additional 70 cents. They’ll be happy to turn your tortilla into a burrito, too. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Best Birria HOLA CABRITO 4835 S. 16th St. 602-513-8384 holacabrito.com Before there was quesabirria with its oozing puddles of cheese, vats of red oil and packaged ramen noodles, there was plain ol’ birria de res. And before there was birria de res, there was birria de chivo. And for those who appreciate the dish’s less- Instagrammed ancestry, there’s no better place for birria than Hola Cabrito. The menu includes tacos and tortas and such, but the indispensable dish at this South Phoenix fixture is a simple plate of goat meat — lean or fatty, your choice — served roasted and tender, alongside a bowl of consommé. The broth is clean and clear with a ruddy color and meaty, chile-laced depth that pops once you garnish it with onion, cilantro and a bit of salsa. The meat, meanwhile, is knee-buckling. Its gaminess carefully tamed, the goat meat is tender and intense, heavily scented with chiles and spices. Ordering it tatemada-style adds a symphony of textures once it’s seared to an aggressively crunchy crisp on the griddle. When birria is this good, it doesn’t need greasy overkill and street-cart theatrics to blow your mind. Best Quesabirria BIRRIERIA TIJUANA 3202 E. Greenway Road 480-250-0274 birrieriatijuanaaz.com Driven by drippy, greasy TikTok videos and a commitment to flagrant excess, Tijuana- style quesabirria has so swiftly and thor- oughly infiltrated the mainstream that Best Late-Night Mexican Food LA FRONTERA #1 209 N. 16th St. lafronterafoodtrucks.com There are plenty of choices when it comes to late-night Mexican food around the Valley; an endless parade of ’Bertos dots the land- scape just waiting for midnight eaters. But if you want something a little tastier, we recommend a visit to La Frontera #1, a permanently stationed food truck in Central Phoenix. The menu is full of simple, traditional Mexican fare. Make sure you grab napkins with your al pastor burrito; the meat’s savory oils tend to drip down your arm. Tostadas are piled high with toppings, and the vampiros come heavily laden with meat — don’t overestimate how many you’ll need or you’ll have a ton of food left over. The truck is open until 1:45 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and until 12:45 a.m. the rest of the week. La Frontera #3, a food truck in the same parking lot with a focus on seafood shares the same hours, and the same payment policy: Purchases are cash-only.
