A deep-fried burro: a flour tortilla wrapped around shredded beef or chicken and beans, fried until golden and blistered, then smothered with cheese, salsa, guacamole and sour cream.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 2 cities.
Arizona claims the chimichanga as its own, with Tucson's El Charro and Phoenix family kitchens both telling tales of a burro that slipped into the deep fryer mid-century. Whoever dropped the first one, the dish became an Arizona-Mexican signature, distinct from Tex-Mex, and spread across Valley Mexican rooms through the late 20th century. The canonical version is crisp outside, juicy inside, and buried under toppings.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Tip from the editors. Seal the seam well and fry seam-side down first, or the parcel unrolls and floods the oil.
Rosita's Place (Mexican) in Phoenix: It has served Sonoran-style Mexican since 1964; the green-chile plates and the chimichanga are the long-time orders.
Why locals love it: A 1964 Sonoran family room on McDowell that locals guard while visitors chase the newer downtown Mexican names.
Tip: It has served Sonoran-style Mexican since 1964; the green-chile plates and the chimichanga are the long-time orders.
Los Sombreros on Scottsdale Road is a long-running regional Mexican cantina set in a converted house, known for its mole and one of the best patios in town.
Signature: Mole poblano, Cochinita pibil, House margaritas
Order: The mole poblano and a house margarita on the patio.
Tip: The casita patio is the seat to book; weekends and snowbird season fill the small rooms fast.
Comedor Guadalajara on South Central is a big sit-down Mexican room of regional staples, fast service and lunch specials that fill a plate without much spend.
Try: Mexican plate lunches
Order: A combination plate off the lunch-special menu with rice and beans.
Tip: Lunch specials are the value; the room is large, so walk-ins move fast.
El Charro Cafe on Court Avenue in Tucson is the United States' oldest family-run Mexican restaurant (1922), and the claimed birthplace of the chimichanga.
Signature: Chimichanga, Carne seca
El Charro Cafe Ventana on East Broadway in Tucson is the eastside outpost of the 1922 downtown original, serving the same carne seca and chimichanga.
Signature: Carne seca, Topopo salad
More cities are in research. Want chimichanga covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.