Arizona’s restaurant scene is trending among Yelpers. Yelp has announced its list of the top 100 places to eat in the U.S. for 2024 and eight Arizona restaurants made the cut, including one in Tucson that ranked as the No. 1 restaurant to try this year.
The top U.S. restaurant goes to the plant-based Mexican eatery, Tumerico, which serves fresh Latin-inspired vegan and vegetarian food at two locations in Tucson. Tumerico ranked No. 1 nationally and also took the top spot on Yelp’s list of the top 100 restaurants in the Southwest.
Founded by chef-owner and James Beard Award semifinalist Wendy Garcia, Tumerico has been stealing the hearts of foodies for nearly a decade with its inventive plant-based fare that tastes “like the real deal,” according to Yelp reviews. The restaurant offers a family-style menu inspired by the traditional recipes that Garcia grew up making on her farm in Hermosillo, Mexico, which includes everything from salsas, tacos and enchiladas to barbacoa, tamales and chilaquiles.
Each dish is made with plant-based ingredients that pack every bite with the rich flavors of Latin cuisine. For example, juicy jackfruit carnitas replace the meat in multiple menu items, such as Cuban Tacos, Al Pastor Tacos and tamales made with green olives, carrots, jalapeno, potato and red chile salsa.
Yelp highlights Tumerico for its salsas that are at the soul of every dish, as well as for Garcia’s signature mole sauce recipe that blends the flavors of dark chocolate, local mesquite flour, cashews and spices during a four-hour preparation process before it is ready to be served. Tumerico uses locally-grown, seasonal ingredients from Tucson’s Heirloom Farmers Market, which provides a rotating menu for guests to try.
In addition to Tumerico, seven other restaurants made Yelp’s top places to eat in 2024, which include: De Babel in Scottsdale (No. 14); Worth Takeaway in Mesa (No. 38); Cocina Madrigal in Phoenix (No. 52); Buendia Breakfast and Lunch Cafe (No. 39), Baja Cafe (No. 50) and La Chaiteria (No. 68) in Tucson; and Sirens Cafe and Custom Catering in Kingman (No. 85).
To view Yelp’s complete list of the Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S. for 2024, click here.
