Pat's Drive-In (Tucson, Arizona)

 restaurant, drive-in restaurant

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1202 W Niagara St
Tucson, AZ 85745
(520) 624-0891

Pat's Drive-In has been a Tucson institution for nearly 40 years, beginning first as a small spot downtown and later moving to its present location on North Grande Avenue, near St. Mary's Road. A favorite neighborhood hangout as well as a popular place for office types and ambulance crews to grab a quick bite on the run, Pat's has gathered a loyal following with its homemade chili con carne and fresh-cut French fries.

Current owner Carlos "Charlie" Hernandez began working at Pat's in the mid '60s, while still a student at Tucson High School. In 1979, Pat's original owner, Henry Patterson, offered the business to Hernandez, who has carefully tended the esteemed chili dog tradition ever since. Prices have inevitably risen over the years, but even taking inflation into account, Pat's continues to be one of the best meal deals in town. Family specials with hamburgers, chili dogs and mountains of fries can be had for about $7, and should handily put a dent in the appetites of a clan of four.

Burgers with or without cheese, double or single patties, are also affordable options, as are fried shrimp or chicken. If you've got a five-spot in your back pocket, you can dine extravagantly at Pat's. Of course, the chili's the thing here, a phenomenon about which whole books could be written. Mild or spicy, Pat's chili is the real deal--no commercial cans used here. Each batch is whipped up from scratch using whole pinto beans, ground beef, onions, garlic and a subtle infusion of various herbs and spices. If you're sampling the spicy rendition of this house specialty, expect to find some finely chopped jalapeños adding fire to the mixture. So good is this chili, that it transforms the most mundane of weenies and spongy buns into culinary works of art. Topped with a handful of freshly diced onions and grated cheese, Pat's chili dogs ascend to the ranks of plebeian haute cuisine. There isn't any fresh-brewed root beer to enjoy at Pat's, but the pink lemonade makes a congenial substitute and a fitting complement to the various chili dogs and hamburgers.

Also legendary are Pat's French fries, scrubbed, peeled, sliced and cooked on the spot to impart a full potato flavor to each and every snippet. Just to ensure that there are no illusions about what you're putting into your body, Pat's packs your food into brown paper to-go bags, which unwittingly disclose the rather greasy nature of their content. Most people will relish the guilty pleasure of periodically dining on this kind of fare, but for the exceptionally squeamish it might be advisable to eat on the premises, either in your vehicle or at one of a few picnic tables set up outside.