El Charro Café

Founded in 1922
Tucson

The oldest Mexican restaurant in the U.S. was started by Monica Flin, daughter of a French immigrant who created the stone façade for Tucson's San Augustine Church. Monica perfected her culinary skills while living in Mexico with her husband. After his death, she returned to Tucson, borrowed money from her sister, and opened El Charro in a narrow, one-room building, serving what became its signature dish: Carne Seca Beef. In the beginning, combination plates cost fifteen cents. During the 1940s, it was said, Monica sat on the restaurant's patio drinking martinis and playing cards with John Wayne when he came to town to film Westerns. In 1972, when her health declined, she sold the business to the Flores family. Today there are five El Charros.