[an error occurred while processing this directive]


Best All-You-Can-Eat Buffet
Best Bagel Bakery
Best Bagels
Best BBQ
Best Bread Creations
Best Breakfast Under $5
Best Breakfast
Best Burgers
Best Butcher Shop
Best Cannoli
Best Casual Dining
Best Chinese
Best Delicatessen
Best Desserts
Best Dim Sum
Best Diner
Best Fine Dining
Best Fish Market
Best Food On I-10
Best Formal Dining
Best Free Snacks
Best Fresh-Baked Bread
Best Greek
Best Hot-Links
Best Ice Cream
Best Indian
Best Italian
Best Korean
Best Late-Night Restaurant
Best Local Flavor
Best Lunch Over $5
Best Lunch Under $5
Best Margarita For Kids
Best Margaritas
Best Marinara Sauce
Best Mexican (No Lard)
Best Middle Eastern
Best Middle-Eastern Market
Best New Restaurant
Best Omelet Bar
Best Outdoor Dining
Best Pizza
Best Place To Eat Fried Pickles
Best Produce
Best Salads
Best Salsa
Best Sandwich Advocate For Fire Safety
Best Sandwiches
Best Smoothie Bar
Best Sonoran Hot-Dog
Best Sunday Brunch
Best Sushi
Best Sweet Shop
Best Taco Stand & Hot-dog Stand
Best Take-Out
Best Taste Of New York
Best Thai
Best Tortillas
Best Truck Stop
Best Vegan Selections
Best Vegetarian Fine-Dining
Best Veggie Burger
Best Vietnamese Soup



Best Margarita

Casa Molina's
6225 E. Speedway


READERS' PICK: Here's a helpful tip: Don't drink and drive--hire a taxi to take you to Casa Molina's, and, once there, order a pitcher of their plenty strong margaritas. Drink same. They go down surprisingly easily--soda pop for the depraved among us. You'll awaken three days later without a hangover, we promise. (Make sure you pay the cabbie in advance, though.)

READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: On the off-chance they might win some sort of place in this year's readers' poll, we decided to spend every Friday afternoon for the past year thoroughly investigating the margaritas at the Grant Road Chuy's Mesquite Broiler. After a great deal of probing, experimentation, discussion with colleagues, cross-referencing and retesting, we are pleased to announce our preliminary findings: They're real good! While some elitists may be put off by the plastic cups rimmed with salt, we find no fault with the working class ambiance (particularly during happy hour, when margarita pitchers are only $4). In any event, all aesthetic objections are soon overwhelmed by the faux-Puerto Peñasco flavor of the surroundings, to say nothing of the free chips and salsa provided by enthusiastic waitstaff. Chuy's has seven Tucson locations, open seven days a week, so chances are pretty good we'll see you there.

STAFF PICK: It's true there's no shortage of decent margaritas in Tucson, but what makes those at Cocina Restaurant at Old Town Artisans, 186 N. Meyer Ave., so splendid is the awe-inspiring exploration of possibilities, which include several variations in the list of traditional ingredients for this gran señora of cocktails. We admit a lack of appreciation for the standard strawberry version of our favorite sipper, so are pleased to inform that variety does NOT mean fruit cocktail. What does change, albeit subtly, is the blend of aged tequila with either Triple Sec or Cointreau; or the addition of unexpected accents like Amaretto or Curacao. We usually stick with the house margarita, on the rocks, salted rim; but we feel better just knowing Cocina's crafted a marg for every occasion.


Case History

1998 Winner: El Charro
1997 Winner: Casa Molina
1995 Winner: Chuy's


Page Back

Home | Arts & Culture | Cafés | Chow | City Life | Kids | Outdoors
Saloons | Shopping | Most Wanted | Credits | Search

Copyright © 1995-98 Tucson Weekly

Page Forward