The Blacktop Grill (Award-Winning Street Food) — Restaurant in Arizona

Update since my last visit: The Owner Gabe did great in reaching out and offering for us to try our order correctly. It went great, my aunt got her correct tacos which were the Vampiro Steak tacos she enjoyed them and my bacon jalapeño popper quesadilla with chicken tasted great as well. Even accommodated my request to have the jalapenos on the side so that I could manage the spice level on my own. Definitely would recommend those two items and even their sweet potato fries! Support your local Marana restaurant ☺️

Went to try The Black Top Grill for the first time part of trying to support the small business for Marana Dine & Discover along with trying to support the owner as well since he is married to the esthetician I go to. It was my aunt, child and myself that visited today 6/26/2025 around right when they opened 11am. To begin, we took a minute to figure out the menu and liked that there was a bigger printed version of it. Then getting our order taken was great, the cashier was kind, answered any questions we had about the menu and interacted awesome with us. It came down to the food that we are very disappointed about. My child had a kids quesadilla combo with regular fries which came out good. I ordered a bacon popper quesadilla and asked to add chicken to it and the cahsier said she could do that, when I got my quesadilla it tasted good but I noticed there was actually no chicken added but I didn't notice until I got home to eat my left overs which was a little disappointing since I asked to add chicken. What was the most disappointing is my aunt ordered the Vampiro Steak Tacos and at the time we didn't know that what she actually got was not the Vampiro Steak tacos they were actually the steak ta-ketos tacos because we noticed the cheese on the outside and inside but we didn't know it was the wrong ones since it was the first time there. Only figured out they were the wrong ones by going to the Instagram page and seeing what the vampiro tacos were supposed to look like. Even with that her tacos had barely any meat and the other ingredients in it, where more than half the taco was just the cheese shell. We are super disappointed in the quantity of the amount she got in her tacos even with them giving her the wrong ones versus now seeing how much they put in the ones we have now seen on their Instagram page. We're not sure if we'll visit again just because it was not worth the money for the amount of food and mistakes made in our first trip. I am hoping that if we do go again that our order will be made correctly and the quantity is...

For context, we got a to-go order, and I had the Sonoran hotdog, Elotero hotdog, and Chile Relleno hotdog w/ fries and Dr Pepper.

I'm a little conflicted on this review. The owner and staff were wonderful, but the food was only okay. I'm tempted to leave 3 stars but I'm going with 4 stars because I can tell they are generally using high quality ingredients, but something about the hotdogs is off and it took me a moment to realize what it is: the buns.

For Sonoran Dogs, a key and often overlooked aspect is using the right buns. You can't use a standard hot dog bun recipe or shape, you need a specific bun and that's where I think they're falling short. The buns on my dogs felt and tasted like a traditional American hot dog bun: firm, dense, inoffensively bland. Sonoran buns though should instead be noticeable on the first bite: a pillowy softness, a gentle buttery milkiness, and a shape reminiscent of bolillos.

I think with the right buns, this place would definitely be a place I would recommend to my friends and family. My hope is to dine-in soon and see if there's any appreciable difference between takeout or eating in, but as for now I'll hold off on any recommendations unless they are on a more Keto...

I will start by saying, I wish this joint on was on the southeast side in Vail. I would be eating here weekly.

It is a place where you order at the register but they bring you the food. Super cool vibe inside, in fact I was mesmerized by the floor. My husband and I ordered a bunch of stuff off the menu. The guy taking our order was incredibly friendly and nice. They have some really different items on the menu which I loved! We ordered the Mexican Street Corn Dip/Chips, a Sonoran Dog, Mango Quesadilla and the Vampiro Tacos w/Elote. Every item was delicious... particularly the Mexican Street Corn Dip and the what has to be homemade chips that went with it. My husband loved his tacos and the flavor of their salsa. My Mango Quesadilla was the real treat as I would have never thought to mix mango/jalapeno with asadero and cream cheese into a flour tortilla but WOW. The hotdog was good, but did not blow my mind like the other items -- I think I should have went for that Shanghai Dog as that actually looks reallllllly good.

We took a chunk of the food home and it reheated incredibly well in the air fryer. We will be back, not sure when since it is a hike for us but it was SO...