Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Herald: El Mesquite Taqueria has reopened at its new location at 257 W. Center St. in Pima.
By Jon Johnson
PIMA – If you’ve got a hankerin’ for some of the best Mexican food in the Gila Valley, be sure to visit El Mesquite Taqueria in Pima and satisfy your hunger.
After five years of construction, owner Jesus “Chuy” Cabrera opened up his new location at 257 W. Center St. in Pima, just east of the Cottonwood Wash Bridge.
The new restaurant is bigger, with about 800 square feet of dining area, along with an additional 1,000 square feet of kitchen and storage. The new spot also has a patio that Cabrera wants to eventually have shaded during the day and open at night, and has off-street parking – something the former spot did not have.
Cabrera utilized the art of recycling in building his restaurant, using an old doctor’s office as a shell and then adding old tin from a barn for the ceiling, more than 100-year-old wood from the former sawmill on Mount Graham for pillars, and bricks from the demolished Pima Elementary School building built in 1923 for the patio.
Touches of Mexico are throughout the restaurant, with numerous art pieces, and authentically made Mexican dining tables painted by his daughters in bright colors.
“We wanted to go with an authentic Mexican-style building,” Cabrera said. “I think it turned out really nice, and I hope that people like it.”
No matter how well you dress it up, however, any restaurant is always judged by the food, and Cabrera and his team certainly don’t disappoint as the menu stayed the same from the change in locations, with special selections such as “The Ben Allred” burro.
El Mesquite Taqueria is currently open from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., Tuesday – Saturday, but Cabrera hopes to open up for dinner in the future. Online ordering is made easy at pimatacos.com or by calling (928) 485-8991.
“If you order online, usually you beat everybody before they get here,” Cabrera said. “Sometimes you have to wait if you (order) in person but we encourage you to use the online orders. It’s a lot easier for us to process your order.”
“I’d like to thank all my customers for supporting us all these years,” Cabrera said. “We do appreciate everything you’ve done for us. And we hope to continue serving you for as long as we can.”
What: El Mesquite Taqueria
Where: 257 W. Center St. in Pima
Times: Tuesday – Saturday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Order Online: pimatacos.com
Order by phone: (928) 485 8991
