Historic Restaurants

EL TOVAR DINING ROOM
(Est. 1905)
In the early years, a meal at El Tovar might have consisted of corned ox tongue and pickled vegetables. You won’t find those things on the menu today, but at one of the 10 tables that face the Grand Canyon, you can still enjoy the same view of the natural wonder that visitors experienced when the lodge opened in 1905. Because people come from all over the world, most entrées at El Tovar are centered on classic continental cuisine with a Southwestern influence. Meanwhile, traces of the past linger on the Mimbreño dinnerware, which replicates the fine china used on the Santa Fe Railway — which once brought travelers to the Canyon. Architect Mary Jane Colter, who designed the nearby Hopi House and other Canyon buildings, sketched the Native-inspired patterns. No other restaurant in Arizona has a better view.
Information: South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, 928-638-2631, grandcanyonlodges.com/dining
 

EL CHARRO CAFE´
(Est. 1922)
Only one place in the United States can claim to be the “oldest continually operating Mexican restaurant in the country.” That place is El Charro Café in Tucson, which opened its doors in 1922. The menu is a mix of traditional Sonoran-style and innovative Tucson-style food, and it’s so good that Gourmet magazine described it as “a taste explosion.” In addition to its long history of serving the classics, El Charro is famous for
its founder, Monica Flin — known as the “inventor of the chimichanga.” As the story goes, she was frying her now-famous El Charro ground beef tacos when she accidentally dropped a burro into the frying pan. She referred to the delicious, deep-fried accident as a “chimichanga,” which was her version of “thingamajig.” Years later, the U.S. Navy named the galley on the USS Tucson, a Los Angeles-class submarine,
“El Charro Down Under.” Damn the torpedoes.
Information: 311 N. Court Avenue, Tucson, 520-622-1922, elcharrocafe.com
 

EL CHORRO LODGE
(Est. 1937)
Located in a wide valley between Camelback and Mummy mountains, El Chorro’s setting is spectacular. The food is exceptional, too. And the history is interesting. The lodge began in 1934 as a one-room schoolhouse for girls. In 1937, under the ownership of Jan and Mark Gruber, the schoolhouse became a watering hole for guests at nearby Camelback Inn — a resort that was alcohol-free at the time. And then the Grubers started cooking. And cooking well. Their small watering hole turned into one of the most popular restaurants in Arizona, attracting prominent local families and national celebrities, including Clark Gable and Milton Berle. Many of those folks came for the Grubers’ famous — and complimentary — sticky buns. The momentum continues with popular menu items that include deviled eggs, a chopped Waldorf salad and ale-braised beef short ribs.
Information: 5550 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley, 480-948-5170, elchorro.com
 

THE STOCKYARDS
(Est. 1947)
In 1984, Clara Peller asked a simple question: Where’s the beef? It was part of an ad campaign for Wendy’s. Had she been asking the same thing in 1919, people would have directed her to Edward
A. Tovrea’s meatpacking plant near 48th and Van Buren streets in Phoenix. At the time, the Tovrea Land and Cattle Co. boasted the world’s largest feedlot — nearly 40,000 head of cattle in 200 acres of pens. In 1947, The Stockyards officially opened and quickly became a gathering place for Phoenicians of all kinds. Although Phoenix’s cattle industry has since given way to skyscrapers and freeways, “Arizona’s Original Steakhouse” is still in business. The ghost of Clara Peller leans toward the filet mignon.
Information: 5009 E. Washington Street, Phoenix, 602-273-7378, stockyardssteakhouse.com
 

LOS OLIVOS
(Est. 1947)
Frank Lloyd Wright had a fondness for Los Olivos. Whenever he headed south from Wisconsin to Taliesin West, this popular Mexican restaurant was his first stop. At the time, Los Olivos was relatively new. The original building, an old adobe, was built in Old Town Scottsdale by Tomas Corral. Old-timers remember it being a bakery, tavern, pool parlor and chapel. In 1947, the next generation of the Corral family transitioned their grandfather’s adobe into a popular Mexican restaurant that serves everything you’d expect in an interesting space that includes a series of interconnected rooms with unique Spanish-style chandeliers designed by an extended family member. But it’s the food that matters most. Two of the most popular dishes are the shredded beef chimichanga (enchilada style) and the pollo à la queso crema. No one remembers what Mr. Wright ordered.
Information: 7328 E. Second Street, Scottsdale, 480-946-2256, losolivosrestaurants.com
 

DELGADILLO'S SNOW CAP
(Est. 1953)
National Geographic once called Juan Delgadillo “the clown prince of Arizona eateries.” The man who built the Snow Cap drive-in with his brothers and father in 1953, out of scrap lumber he collected while working for the Santa Fe Railway, died in 2004, but his madcap wit lives on in this one-of-a-kind Historic Route 66 drive-in, where outside signs advertise “cheeseburgers with cheese” and “dead chicken.” It’s still a family-run operation, with Delgadillo’s son, John, and daughter, Cecilia, in charge. They see to it that their father’s famous antics continue, with servers squirting fake mustard at customers and shaking their hands when they order a shake. And they still serve all the 1950s drive-in fare — hamburgers, banana splits, root beer floats and fountain sodas — that once lured families and teens piled high in Chevrolet coupes.
Information: 22235 Historic Route 66, Seligman, 928-422-3291
 

SUGAR BOWL
(Est. 1958)
“You’re never too old for ice cream,” Bil Keane, the legendary cartoonist who created The Family Circus, said while enjoying a sundae at the Sugar Bowl in Scottsdale. He was a regular, and his artwork still hangs on the colorful walls. Now considered old by Arizona standards, the bubble-gum-pink restaurant and ice cream parlor opened on New Year’s Eve in 1958. It was the brainchild of Jack Huntress, who was intent on adding a family-friendly diner to Old Town Scottsdale. Today, it’s one of the most beloved restaurants in the city, a place that offers a step back in time with its heart-shaped tables, pink booths and original soda fountain. The atmosphere is unmatched, and the food is old-school — tuna melts, meatloaf, peanut butter and jelly. But it’s the ice cream that stands out most. Orange rafts, root beer floats, black-raspberry shakes and the Camelback Soda are among the all-time favorites. No matter how old you are.
Information: 4005 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480-946-0051, sugarbowlscottsdale.com