El Minuto Cafe

worst experience ever! if i had the option of 0 stars, thats what id give them. first off, our waiter was a bit abrasive. second, he tried walking away after taking everyone’s drink order except my wifes. third, the food took forever. fourth, we were left on the patio for long periods of time without any napkins (not cool with 2 small kids) and last but not least, porcelain in the cheese enchiladas! how the hell does a chunk of porcelain end up in a cheese enchilada? then when we informed the waiter he took the plate and offered a new one, but who wants to wait another hour for more porcelain enchiladas? and i dont think he bothered telling management about it because we weren’t approached about it for the rest of the time we waited for our check — normally if you find an unpleasant surprise in your food in any other restaurant you will get a visit from the manager on duty and usually they comp the plate and give you a percentage off of your check but not here. the restaurant is already overpriced, but i feel like this meal ($ 65) was not worth it at all especially because of the crappy service. so if you feel like spending lots of money, being a rebel and want to test your patience and teeth against some broken dish fragments then this is just the place for you. oh and the caldo de queso sucked.

Just returned from a visit to Tucson and dined here for the third time. This is one of my most favorite Sonoran style restaurants in the area. We always eat there. I had the Carne Asada Burro and it was fantastic. The Carne Asada was perfectly prepared. It was tender and seasoned perfectly. I must say it was the best Carne Asada I have ever had in Tucson. The Burro was perfect and I would highly recommend it if one visits.
My only complaint was that their «liquor license» was suspended so we were unable to have any beer or cocktails.
This is one of my most favorite restaurants to visit in Tucson.

Been serving customers since 1936, Great! But now they need to update and refresh. Now a days you have to offer up some new and exciting options. So much stuff can be done with Mexican food. Cheese crisp was good and not greasy which is a plus. Mini chimis and Carne Seca burrito were average. The service I had was great but it’s hard for me to say I’d be back with all the other restaurants in town

Flavorless and way over priced. I didn’t think it was possible to make Mexican food bland but this place figured it out.

Hands down one of the best Mexican food restaurants. It is my favorite. The food is delicious and the service is always great. Friendly and welcoming staff. Also fast service! I’ve never had a bad experience at el minuto. It’s a very fun and delicious Mexican food restaurant.

El Minuto has been around for a looong time, but quite frankly it feels like they’ve lost their pizazz and spark. The food is really your basic Mexican sonoran style cuisine– you’ll the typical combo plates, tostadas, etc. Standouts are the green chile green crisp and their salsa is pretty tasty! The tortilla soup is also worth trying. It’s served traditional style… clear broth, tortilla strips and cheese topped with some avocado. I’d return for this soup. Our servers were super friendly too. I’m just not sure the owners show they care about their customers all that much. No greetings at the door on arrival or departure– just not that friendly… and with so many choices in town, I’d rather support a local business that’s excited about their business, their food and service.

Really wanted to like this place, but alas… I won’t be giving it a segundo. I live nearby, and have passed it many times. On a whim, we stopped by for a bite. Tacos and soup, both were blah. Soup was super salty, and just tasted like bouillon with a couple of tomatoes and some cheese tossed in. Tacos were hard shell and unevenly filled. Table salsa was pretty much tomatoes. No spice, milder than mild. I was hoping for something a little more authentic since this place has been around for 80 years, but I think it just caters to 80 year old taste buds. In recognition of their name, everything was pretty fast, but when we were done, had to wait for the waiter to come back from his smoke break outside. Maybe we ordered the wrong dishes, but were so underwhelmed that I won’t give it a second chance. There are too many great Mexican food spots in town – this isn’t one of them.

Love this place! The service is fast and the food is delicious! I wish they had horchata, though. I definitely recommend.

My sister and I were in the area of the convention center and needed a quick bite. We love Mexican food and seriously could eat it everyday. Who am I kidding? We DO eat it everyday although el minuto is in a random spot we saw lots of cars in the lot. The inside is cute and we were sat right away. The menu was pretty typical so bean burrito for one kid, quesadilla, and then a rice beans and tortilla for the other little one. This is awesome bc my kiddo likes to build her own burrito!
The chips and salsa are fantastic. Plus a waiter overheard my daughter mention mild salsa and before I knew it he had brought some without us even asking!!! My tea and water were also kept full which is good bc the salsa was HOT!
I had the bean tostada and it was delicious. My sister had the bean, cheese and green chile quesadilla. Her three favorite things stuffed into her other favorite-​warm tortilla. Everything was spot on. I wish I didn’t live 45 minutes away bc El minuto would become our regular Mexican restaurant.

Ok so I’ve been eating at this restaurant for the past 30+ years. I LOVE their food. The red chili con carne is the BEST! The waiters are friendly. However, I do have a pet peeve when I walk in waiting to be seated and the owner’s daughter (the hostess) is busy looking at her Facebook on her cell phone as customers pile up. This is not very hospitable but just down right rude. It is obvious by the looks on the staffs face that they are annoyed with her. I think it’s time her mother puts her in check!!!
P. S. The cheese crisp is to die for!
Sincerely,
An Annoyed Patron

Great hospitality! We spent 3 hours at this restaurant visiting with family. The servers graciously filled our drinks and checked on us frequently! Highly recommend!

We found this place because of its proximity to the Arena. It was a gathering or a reunion of a sort. The food is authentic and wonderful. The best part is the service. We ended up staying here for 6 hours. We dined, drank and had a wonderful time. The employees here were patient with us, made sure our drinks were full. This place and its employees certainly deserve all five stars that I gave it. Thank you El Minuto Café!

Meh, I’d probably lean more towards a 3.5 star on this. The food wasn’t great but wasn’t horrible, albeit the cheese crisp with green chilies was amazing with the perfect texture and cheese ratio.
The chips and salsa were alright. My husband and mother in law thought the salsa was waaay too hot for enjoyment but a decent flavor.
I had two shredded beef tacos with beans and rice. The tacos were alright but much better with a little like, salsa and sour cream. The rice wasn’t too full of flavor and the retried beans were sub par. I also had a margarita that was average, lots of foam on top.
The waiter was good, around but not hovering.

Went there with family and it was reasonably crowded but service was very good. Parking is limited so street parking might be the only option but on a Sunday not hard to find. The atmosphere is casual. They have the typical Mexican food-​tacos, chimichangas, tostadas, tamales. You can get chicken or beef. They also have combination plates which is a good deal. I had the beef chimi and it was good-​lots of shredded beef, tortilla was crispy but soft. Sauce on top was pretty mild and there was shredded lettuce and cheese on top. The margaritas were good. There are a couple of separate rooms so you don’t feel over crowded. The others in my group enjoyed their food as well.

Been here a couple times, always packed with large parties so I understand if the service is a little slow or food not up to standard. But you’d think something like tortilla soup is hard to screw up. Somehow, they made it look like a crime scene. The server brought out a bowl of soup on a plate and the whole thing obviously exploded in the microwave. Splattered grease stains all over the bowl and plate. The soup was practically inedible. Lukewarm broth, uncooked avocado chunks, soggy tortilla strips, and a glob of sad cheese sunk to the bottom.
I understand it’s soup and not EVERYTHING is fresh in every restaurant. But to make no effort to clean up the bowl/​plate nor simply put it in a new bowl for presentation sake is not okay. Lot of Mexican restaurants in Tucson and was looking forward to some good tortilla soup. Will stick to non-​soup items.

This place is very close to where I work so my coworkers and I frequent here for lunch on a regular basis. I am just now getting around to reviewing it!
Located just south of downtown Tucson this Little house turned restaurant is a place to go whether you want to catch up with friends or get a quick lunch in 30 minutes or less. It serves Mexican food but without any frills you know exactly what you’re getting. It’s some good Mexican home cooking for those of us who don’t want to walk on the wild side. The portions are a great size and the lunch specials can’t be beat. For the lunch specials you’re able to choose from several selections all under $ 10.
The service staff is always friendly and very attentive. The chips and salsa they get served at every table seems to of changed up the recipe but it’s still good.
Make sure to try any of the soups and definitely the topopo salad. Me being from the Midwest this is my introduction to Mexican. The Decour is warm and inviting as it looks like this restaurant used to be a tiny little house.
Faves: cheese enchiladas and any soup!

Very nice and friendly people! I’m a huge fan of spicy salsa, but it may be too much for some.
The food was pretty good and was served super fast. I had the chicken enchilada and loved the rice that came with.
Overall, I enjoyed the restaurant!

My good friend from Vancouver was visiting me and his one request was to get real Mexican food (as it is hard to come by up in British Columbia), so I came here on a recommendation by my stepdad (who is from Guadalajara and has a large group of friends from northern Mexico). My feelings are mostly positive, although I’m wondering if my dad misunderstood me as El Minuto is more Tucson Mexican cuisine rather than true Mexican (for example, they have chimichangas on the menu which is not real Mexican food).
After reading reviews we ordered the cheese crisp with carne seca. I definitely liked that a lot, and so did my friend. He then ordered the Topopo salad (I believe that is what it is called) and I ordered the tortilla soup. He really enjoyed the Topopo salad.
My only complaint is going to be the tortilla soup. I have had some awesome tortilla soup, but it can be a hit or a miss so I asked the waitress what they put in it. She said it should be: cheese, tortillas, onions, cilantro, tomatoes, onions, avocado. Alright, standard fair, I’ll have one please! I was sad to see that the soup was mostly broth, tortilla strips, cheese, and a bit of avocado. I think I counted 3 small onions pieces, 2 very small tomatoes pieces, and maybe 3 «leaves» of the cilantro. Needless to say, that was extremely disappointing. Tortillas soup should be hearty. It’s comfort food.
All in all, I really like the atmosphere of the place, and the waitress was nice and always refilled our water. Did enjoy the warm tortilla chips and the salsa packed a nice kick. The food in general seems like it could be good, but I’m not a fan of the tortilla soup, and be aware that you are eating Tucson Mexican food.

Good small local casual Mexican food. Not pricey. Went here for a work celebration. The food was great, esp. good salsa. Very busy, waiter was overwhelmed so the service was slow, but when he saw the need he was quick to address it. I haven’t been here for a while, mainly because I forget about it on the back side of the convention center, But it is a landmark in Tucson.
There is not email or fax at the restaurant, so we had to go pick up a menu in order to preorder our food. If a menu is not posted I will add one later.

A solid Mexican food experience while in Tuscon. This place was recommended by locals, and it didn’t disappoint. I figured that while I was in downtown tuscon I should partake in a little Mexican.
This place is the quintessential small Mexican restaurant. Nothing exceptionally fancy but well laid out, enough room to meet the expectations of the local tuscon crowd.
The lunch items were a little limmiting (too bad) but the entire menu was good and fairly priced
My brother got a cheese crisp appetizer.. .which was larger than most pizzas.
Even my son, a four year old, had no issues with the beef (as part of my dish, a name I can’t remember). If you are downtown, and looking for a place to try that serves a decent mexican meal — I don’t think you can go wrong here.