While Tucson Slows Down for Summer, Casa Asada Just Had a Record Week

While a lot of local restaurants are seeing the usual summer slowdown, Casa Asada Taqueria y Cerveceria just had its busiest week yet.

Their concept – a full-service, traditional taquería – is clicking with Tucsonans.

There’s no gas in the building. Every cut of meat is cooked over an open mesquite fire grill, and you can taste it in every bite.

They’ve recently added new large plates to the menu, including a killer Carne Asada Plate that comes with refried beans, grilled onion, grilled jalapeño, and your choice of corn or flour tortillas.

Their #1 seller is their carne asada taco, made with thick, prime cuts of beef grilled over mesquite and served on tortillas from local tortillería Tortillas de Harina Linda.

If you want to go traditional, try it with chopped onion, cilantro, and the chiltepín salsa — but my personal favorite pick from their impressive salsa bar is the Charred Black. It’s smoky, spicy, and perfect on just about everything.

Their bar is popular, too. They’ve got a full sit-down bar with 40 tequilas, caguamans, (the big beers), and a rotating list of signature cocktails that changes regularly.

Fun fact: The word caguama originally referred to a massive sea turtle — the loggerhead. It became slang for the big 940 ml bottles of beer we know today after Carta Blanca launched the bottle in the 1960s. Some people even use the verb caguamear, which means “to drink beer from a caguama.”

Casa Asada is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Casa Asada Taqueria y Cerveceria is located at 2502 N. Campbell Ave. For more information, visit asadataqueria.com and follow Casa Asada Taquería on Instagram.