El Charro Café

In 1922, in a small building on Church Avenue and East Broadway, the indomitable Monica Flin started El Charro Café—now the nation’s oldest Mexican restaurant in continuous operation by the same family. Naming her eatery after the gentleman horsemen of Mexico, Los Charros, Flin served her mother’s recipes and more, including her signature carne seca, which is still hung in cages today to capture the Tucson sun. Now helmed by Flin’s venerable grand-niece Carlotta Flores, the Flores family has worked tirelessly to build El Charro into a thriving family enterprise that is a darling of travel and food magazines alike and celebrated as an icon of Mexican cuisine. Yes, that was El Charro featured on Top Chef just a few years ago, as well as being named a James Beard semifinalist. Flin’s concept more than a century ago now includes restaurants Charro Steak & Del Rey, Charro Chico, Charro Vida and The Monica.

PHOTO COURTESY El Charro Café