There are a number of “best of” restaurant lists out there. Most are put together by larger publications and industry-backed restaurant groups that, while giving you a nice picture of the top restaurants in the country (or around the world), there is often a heavy influence from restaurant owners and executives. In fact, most “best of” or “best selling” lists have very specific credentials that can elevate a name brand over an outsider. That is why, for many, the best lists are those put together by average individuals who just know what they like. When it comes to the food and beverage industry, all of this is summed up in the annual Yelp top 100 lists. These lists showcase the best-rated and reviewed restaurants in the country. And with the 2023 edition of the list, two Tucson restaurants came out on top.
In order to come up with the top 100 restaurants to visit in the United States, Yelp combined the total number of Yelp submissions and combined the numbers with the average ratings, reviews, as well as geographical representation (in order to make sure all the best restaurants don’t come out of a heavily populated region due to more locals and tourists in the given spots).
But how did the Tucson restaurants perform? Tumerico, a Latin-inspired vegan and vegetarian restaurant finished as #8 in the list of top 100 restaurants. Vegan and vegetarian restaurants do tend to perform well on these lists, as vegans and vegetarians, who often struggle to find something to eat at other locations, will rate these destinations favorably (as long as the food is good, of course). Located at 2526 East 6th Avenue, the Tucson restaurant uses locally sourced foods and is best known for crafting vegan-based tacos and mole.
The second restaurant from Tucson to make the list is Buendia Breakfast & Lunch (clocking in at #26 out of 100). The majority of the menu items here were crafted and mastered by owner Julio Garcia when growing up in Nogales, Mexico. The restaurant is located at 2530 North First Avenue.
As for who finished at the top of the Yelp restaurants? Broken Mouth out of Los Angeles, is a Hawaiian meets Korean hybrid restaurant. Kaaloa’s Super Je’s Authentic Hawaiian (Captain Cook, Hawaii), Archibalds Village Bakery (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), Beyer Deli (San Diego, California), and Adela’s Country Eatery (Kaneohe, Hawaii) finished in the top five. What about other Arizona restaurants? De Babel out of Scottsdale finished #39, and Cocina Madrigal (Phoenix) finished #57.
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