Mi Nidito Mexican Restaurant: A Guest Review
Mi Nidito Mexican Restaurant, Tucson AZ
This week, a reader of our Southern Arizona Guide newsletter wrote about his experience at Mi Nidito Mexican Restaurant. His impression was decidedly different than my original 2011 review which you can read here.
J.C., a local Tucsonan who wishes to remain anonymous, wrote in March 2020.
“I just finished reading your review of the Mi Nidito Restaurant on 4th Avenue, and found it completely different than my own experience. By the way, I also just ate there yesterday with three companions.
Mi Nidito is my favorite Mexican restaurant in town, with El Minuto a close second. (See our not so glowing review of El Minuto here.) I’ve been eating at the Mi Nidito since the early 1990’s when I first had occasion to go there. It’s now the “go to” restaurant for my friends and myself, and we always go there for our respective birthdays, with the birthday boy or girl treated to a free meal and a margarita! The chips are always served warm, and refilled frequently during our repasts, it’s almost too easy to fill up on the chips and salsa alone!
If you haven’t tried the traditional flat enchiladas at Mi Nidito, I would suggest them as a good option. Get a side of sour cream to have as topping, and they’re a nice meal. I often order the Combination 1 (cheese enchilada, beef tamale, chile relleno and bean tostada), and I never have any leftovers. Your choice of the President’s Plate was, in my opinion, just a bit over the top. Several of my friends enjoy the Combination 9, Carne Seca Con Huevos or the Combination 8, Nopalitos Con Chile. None of them ever complain about their meals, and a couple of my friends are really choosy (one of them is a native Tucsonan)!
I’ve lived in Tucson since 1978, and I’ve definitely eaten at a lot of the Mexican restaurants in Tucson and South Tucson. I am also a native New Mexican had delicious meals at their many restaurants in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Mesilla and elsewhere, so I was not a novice in eating at Mexican restaurants before moving to Arizona.
El Charro, which you’ve rated very highly is a shadow of the restaurant that I once enjoyed a lot. It’s now become a touristy restaurant, and its vaunted Carne Seca isn’t nearly as good as it used to be. I particularly liked the original baked red chili enchilada with Carne Seca. It was hot and delicious, especially with a dollop of guacamole added as a topping! The present dish, is just not the same, or even close. (Ms. Karen agrees about the Carne Seca but still likes the place.)
After eating at the Guadalajara Grill recently, I do agree that is a good Mexican restaurant. You might also try Rosa’s Restaurant on Fort Lowell and Campbell, it’s another traditional Mexican restaurant in Tucson.”
Thank you, J.C., for your thoughtful comments.