One of my favorite restaurants in Tucson is Casa Molina on Campbell Avenue. Not only is the food great, but the whole environment is uplifting and vibrant. I love the Mexican music, the friendly family vibe, and the great staff who make me feel welcomed the moment I step foot inside the door. With the red, blue, yellow and green flowers on the walls, tables there are even seashell decorations hanging from the ceiling, there is always something to look at and admire. Sometimes I forget I’m in Tucson and have been transported to Mexico when I dine here, and I don’t think I’m the only customer who feels that way!
Flavorful Spices Galore
The food is very appetizing. As soon as you’d put the food in your mouth you could taste the cilantro from the taco but also the melted cheese with a very spicy chili verde. When I was able to go visit Casa Molina I was able to enjoy the “Sampler Plate” which allowed me to get a taste of four different entrees that they offer. The plate included a taco dorado with ground beef with paprika spices, three mini chimichangas with shredded meat, a very traditional cheese with chili verde which was spice since the chili verde still had the seeds in it making it that much more spicy and flavorful. To top off the plate it came with beans that were made with chili powder to give it a hint of spice but not too much to the point where you are not able to eat it, it also came with a a warmed up flour tortilla. Visitors have a variety of Mexican dishes to choose from, including options for vegetarians, kids, and folks who like their food on the less-spicy side. The many options keep loyal customers like me from ever getting tired of the place.
I was able to go to Casa Molina with a friend of mine which helped us see more than one plate of food. My friend got a Traditional Mexican plate called Mole. An ingredient that is used would be a mixed of chocolate sauce and chile. Although the plate itself does not taste like chocolate. The chicken is covered with the purée mixed of chile and chocolate but it tastes more like a sweet and nutty pudding. My experience at the restaurant was all good, the service, the food and the hospitality of the servers were all excellent.
For adults who would like to have a little more “fun” when they go out on a Friday and Saturday night, the restaurants offers colorful and tasteful cocktails. They have almost ten different Margarita flavors! If you’re not much a drinker, I would recommend their lemonade, which tastes as if the lemons have been juiced on the spot and has the perfect mix of bitter and sweet.
Before walking into the restaurant you are greeted with an enormous statue of a matador red-caping a bull, a reference to the very old and still-famous spectacle sport of Spanish bullfighting. Many customers enjoy taking pictures around this statue and sharing a good laugh. Inside are other statues, like a horse kicking its legs up ready to take off, and beautiful paintings that capture different aspects of Mexican culture such as a woman making fresh tortillas and salsa.
I had the opportunity to speak with one of the waitresses and briefly talk to the owner of the place, who told me an interesting background story about Casa Molina. This restaurant’s founder built it for his sister, who loved to cook and dreamed of becoming a chef one day. He save money from selling tortillas and other Mexican foods to buy a building that is now Casa Molina. “The most important thing in life is family,” the owner told me. “I will do anything I can, and work my whole life, to make my family happy,” stated Gilberto F. Molina, the Director of Casa Molina.
Casa Molina is a place of pride and motivation, known in Tucson for its great Mexican cuisine and welcoming, family-friendly environment.
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Stephanie Hurtado is majoring in law and Spanish at UArizona. She wants to become an immigration lawyer.