The chimichanga is a deep-fried burrito stuffed with shredded beef or chicken, beans, rice and cheese, topped with sour cream, guacamole, salsa and lettuce.
El Charro Cafe founder Monica Flin is said to have invented the chimichanga in 1922 by accident at her Court Avenue kitchen in El Presidio. According to family lore, she dropped a burrito into the deep fryer and shouted 'chingada' (a Spanish curse), softening it to chimichanga in front of the children. El Charro has run the dish ever since. The chimichanga is now standard at Tucson Mexican-American restaurants and across Arizona, with regional variations in Phoenix, Flagstaff and the Sonora border.
2 editor picks for Chimichanga in Tucson, ranked by editorial score. All Tucson signature dishes · Chimichanga across every city.
El Charro Cafe ★ 4.6
el-presidio · 311 N Court Ave, Tucson, AZ 85701
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.
El Charro Cafe Ventana ★ 4.3
catalina-foothills · 6310 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85710
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.