How Avondale eats: taco shops, market nights and a world on Dysart Road

Ask someone in Avondale where to eat and the answer usually starts with a taco shop. The city's own visitor bureau puts it plainly: this is a place where neighborhood taquerias share the spotlight with the racetrack. But Avondale's table has grown along with the city, and today a short drive can take you from birria to Thai curry to whole-hog barbecue. Here is how Avondale eats, and why.

A Mexican American kitchen at the center

Avondale's food starts with its people. More than half of the city's residents, about 53 percent, identify as Hispanic or Latino, and the city's history is bound up with the Mexican farmworkers who came to plant and pick cotton on Goodyear Farms during World War I. The city's visitor bureau names its Hispanic cuisine alongside its festivals, and its biggest celebrations put that heritage front and center.

You can taste it at Avondale Fiesta, which turns Old Town's Western Avenue into a nighttime celebration of Mexican culture each spring, with traditional food, live music and a Salsa Showdown. It returns on May 1, 2027. The library keeps the skills going too: this October the Civic Center Library taught tortilla making in a hands-on class.

Fields, then and now

For most of the last century the land around Avondale was farmland. The name Las Ligas, a neighborhood and park near Old Town, comes from the rubber bands farm laborers used at harvest, and the paved Van Buren path is decorated with tractor tire tracks and seed-shaped benches that recall the fields. The Algodon Arch, whose name is Spanish for cotton, makes the same point on Santa Fe Trail.

Today the fields have mostly given way to neighborhoods, so local ingredients show up in smaller ways. Modern Grind Coffee on Rancho Santa Fe Boulevard pours beans roasted in Arizona by a family business, and the city's family kitchens cook the dishes their owners grew up with.

Where the city gathers to eat

Avondale's market nights are run by the city. Mercados & Melodies brings artisan vendors, food and live music to the Civic Center Amphitheater several times a year. This year's series included a country night in March and a Hispanic Heritage celebration in September, and the 2027 dates already posted include a Juneteenth celebration on June 18 and the Hispanic Heritage night on September 17. Billy Moore Days in October fills Festival Fields Park with food vendors alongside the carnival.

Taco shops, mariscos and whole hog

These independent places show the range of Avondale's everyday food. They are listed in no particular order.

• Rosie's Taco Shop on North Dysart Road is a quick counter for street-style tacos. The quesabirria taco comes with Oaxaca cheese, short rib birria and a cup of consommé for dipping, and the asada taco is topped with guacamole and pico de gallo.
• Las Cazuelas Mexican Food on North Avondale Boulevard leans toward the coast, with shrimp ceviche, tostadas marineras of shrimp and octopus, and a molten queso fundido to share.
• Eric's Family Barbecue on Indian School Road is a veteran-owned family restaurant that smokes whole hogs. The city gave it its Community Impact award in 2020, and the city's visitor bureau features it among Avondale's restaurants.

A world of flavors on Dysart and Indian School

North Avondale's shopping centers hold a mix of family kitchens that reflects how the city has grown.

• Thai Orchid Garden on Indian School Road is run by the Aphaisuwan family, who cook the dishes of their home, from red curry and pineapple fried rice to lard na noodles.
• India Garden on North Dysart Road serves Indian food for dine-in, carryout and catering, and describes itself as one of the few Indian restaurants on Phoenix's west side.
• EEST Asian Bistro, also on Dysart Road, cooks Chinese and other Asian dishes, from noodle soups to mu shu and chef's specialties, with party trays for gatherings.
• Crepella Crepes & Waffles Cafe on North Dysart Road makes sweet and savory crepes and Belgian-style waffles, and weekend brunch can get busy enough that it suggests reservations.

What's new

Avondale's restaurant map keeps changing. At this year's State of the City, the mayor pointed to new restaurants at The BLVD and Park 10 on McDowell Road, and the city's new budget pays for more parking at The BLVD so more restaurants can open there. Paris Banh Mi Cafe Bakery at The BLVD, which serves bánh mì on French baguettes, pho and boba tea, is one of the newer arrivals.

Start with tacos, work your way up Dysart Road, and save room for the next opening.