TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — We're just outside of what is officially known as Hispanic Heritage Month which runs from mid-September to mid-October but we celebrate great Mexican food every day in Tucson. Today my "Discovery" takes us down south without ever crossing the border.
You've heard the saying that you 'sell the sizzle, not the steak' right?
But with El Sur Mexican Restaurant on 22nd street, what ends up on the plate really is worth all the hype.
"Not only does it reflect on the food, but I think attitude-wise and how we treat our customers."
Isela Mejia knows a thing or two about growing a business through customer service. But she backs it up with what she feels is the best food in the Southwest with a track record that shows she could be on to something.
"Thank you guys again for stopping by..."
All the way back in the mid 90s, Isela and her husband started selling food out of this van, making their way to work sites and street corners with authentic Mexican cuisine.
"Food that comes from the heart and food that came from my grandmother... that came from my mother," Isela told me.
And from that foundation they've stayed in business at this location on the Eastside for close to a quarter century.
I asked Isela to describe the perfect base from which all real Sonoran cuisine has grow... and it's a simple as:
"A lot of salsas, a lot of hot spiciness, corn tortillas, carne asadas, the onions, the cilantro, mixed in with a little Tex mex which also has your yellow cheeses, your white cheeses, your queso cotijas, chimichangas, burros, your soups on a daily basis as well."
Did you get all of that? So with literally hundreds of choices in Southern Arizona when it comes to mealtime, why do Tucsonans keep selecting El Sur?
Reina Serrano might have something to do with it.
"El sazon es unico, no? Se puede decir." The flavor is one-of-a-kind, she told me.
The queen of this kitchen, Reina has been cooking here since 2006. She told me she'd love to say that it's just the singular flavors that help them stand above the rest.
But the love for what she does, the complete culinary goodness she pours into every plate, makes the result a given. Why does it work year after year?
"I love it," Reina told me. "I love what I'm doing. I love the atmosphere and my bosses they treat me very well."
That boss, Isela, hopes to pass along the family business.
"My kids, you know, they basically grew up here."
They've helped expand and freshen up the dining room because their family's success is part of their future as well as their past.
I tried the queso fundido, the chips and salsa, the bacon-wrapped stuffed chilis. No argument here. Reina was right.
The flavor, the service and the experience is one-of-a-kind.
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Dan Spindle co-anchors Good Morning Tucson on KGUN 9 and is an award-winning storyteller whose work has earned him honors from the Rocky Mountain Southwest Emmys, the Associated Press and the Utah Society of Professional Journalists for both anchoring and reporting. Dan is passionate about history and loves to explore the Grand Canyon State. Share your story ideas with Dan by emailing dan.spindle@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or X.
