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If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how many jalapeño poppers can Peter Piper gorge on in one sitting?
Like the magnificent mozzarella stick and the glorious crab puff, the jalapeño popper is really an excuse to indulge in cheese. While the frozen-to-fryer version at a bowling alley is a guilty pleasure, local house-made versions put the rest to shame.
Here are our choices for the best jalapeño poppers in Tucson.
These Jalapeño Poppers feature tender jalapeños stuffed with a house-made cheese filling, all wrapped in bacon. Their technique is a secret, but it results in a more evenly-cooked and delicate popper.
For more information, visit bzsitaliankitchen.com.
At the Canyon’s Crown, the Pub Footballs are stuffed with a smoked shrimp cream cheese before being wrapped with bacon. The drizzle of honey soy sauce adds an addictive sticky sweetness.
For more information, visit canyonscrown.com.
The Grilled Jalapeño Poppers are almost a fork-and-knife affair with crumbled candied bacon, Sriracha cream cheese, light Asiago foam, scallions, and red pepper for an extra kick.
For more information, visit dantesfireaz.com.
135 E. Congress St.
Also popular with the late-night crowd, Elliott’s features their Jalapeño Boats with a stuffing of cream cheese, cheddar, and shrimp. Bacon and sweet agave provide the smoky sweet-and-salty flair.
For more information, visit elliottsoncongress.com.
Horseshoe Grill fills their house-made Half-Stuffed Jalapeños with cheese, bacon, and scallions. Spice it up with a side of chipotle ranch.
For more information, visit thehorseshoetucson.com.
The Blistering Poppers feature Anaheim jalapeños filled with cream cheese, wrapped in applewood bacon, and served with a house-made raspberry chipotle sauce. You can even get them on a burger, the Popper Burger.
For more information, visit thestationtucson.com.
Baggins keeps their Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese simple with cheddar, cream cheese, and chopped jalapeños on Italian white bread.
For more information, visit bagginsgourmet.com/menus.
No Anchovies makes the pub classic pubbier with the Popper Loaded Tots. Tater tots are topped with fried jalapeños, cheddar, and ranch.
For more information, visit noanchoviespizza.com.
Saguaro Corners deviates with the popper formula in their Poppito Dip. The jalapeño, cream cheese, and bacon dip also features pulled pork. Tortilla and/or potato chips are the delivery vessel here.
Keep up with Saguaro Corners on Facebook.
Have a favorite place to gorge on poppers? Let us know in the comments.
Jackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon...
