A Taste of Flagstaff

Several months ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Flagstaff, Arizona for a long weekend where I got to take in plenty of gorgeous views and delicious bites. Nestled amongst groves of ponderosa pines, this cozy college city is bustling with a diverse mix of food offerings. If you’re planning a trip to Flagstaff this spring season, here are three spots you simply must visit.

Begin your day at MartAnnes Burrito Palace, a vibrant Mexican restaurant known for its stacked breakfast and brunch plates. Chilaquiles, a dish made of saucy, toasted tortilla chips, are the thing to get here. You can order classic red or green chilaquiles or get them with chorizo or MartAnne’s punchy green chile pork. For something sweet, try the Banana Split French Toast or Blueberry Buckwheat and Banana Pancakes.

If you’re fueling up for a long day of hiking and sightseeing, order the J.B.’s Volcano, a generous helping of chilaquiles, green chile pork, chorizo, rice, beans, hash browns and a runny egg on top. It’s truly everything you’d want to eat before an outdoor adventure (or after a craft brewery crawl the night before!).

For lunch, swing by Tourist Home All Day Cafe, a trendy, casual spot located on the south side of Flagstaff. This energetic cafe serves elevated breakfast and lunch bites along with a tempting selection of pastries and sweets.

There are plenty of tasty things to order at Tourist Home All Day Café , but I would highly recommend the Pastrami Sandwich and the Annex Burger.  Served on fluffy marble rye slicked with horseradish cream cheese, the Pastrami Sandwich is stuffed with house-cured pastrami and tangy braised cabbage. Each bite is rich, balanced and keeps you coming back for more!  The Annex Burger is topped with cheddar, bacon jam, bread and butter pickles and a thousand island-ish secret sauce. For both plates, you’ll want to get fries on the side with some of Tourist Home All Day Café’s housemade ketchup. Just make sure you save some room for one (or two or three) of the decadent treats from the pastry case.

Close out a day in Flagstaff with a visit to Criollo Latin Kitchen. You’ll definitely want to order a spread of shared bites, tacos and margarita flight. The Barbacoa Flauta is stuffed with braised beef, onion and potato, then topped with shaved zucchini, avocado crema and chimichurri sauce. The fresh green things on top provide nice contrast to the bold, rich beef within.

Criollo’s Bacon Nachos are over-the-top in all the right ways.  Warm with melted jack and Oaxacan cheeses, this mound of crunchy tortilla chips is littered with bacon lardons, black beans, roasted jalapeños, guac and smoky tomato salsa.  Be sure to ask for some of Criollo’s house-made salsas on the side.

The tacos at Criollo are inventive, yet approachable. The Catfish Taco, a spin on a Baja fish taco, features crispy, beer battered catfish, shredded cabbage, sliced avocado, smoky tomato salsa and a drizzle of ancho crema. The Pork Belly Taco is stuffed with golden, crispy pork belly sauced with black garlic mojo and spicy chile de arbol salsa. Chopped, fresh cilantro on top adds a note of freshness.

These three spots will give you a delicious taste of Flagstaff; however, if you’re still hungry for more, you should check out Pizzicletta for wood-fired pizzas and local brews, or Tinderbox Kitchen for craft cocktails and elevated American fare.