Karamelo King — Restaurant in Tucson

Being a very picky eater with Mexican food on top of my favorites list, I go way out of my way to find and eat the very best food I can find. Being married to a Mexican who was born and raised in Michoacan and makes me some of the best homemade Mexican food every week makes my standards even higher and all that more difficult to find an authentic Mexican restaurant that is worth paying for.

I go way out of my way to drive 50 minutes one way from Sahuarita to bring my family to eat at Karamelo Kings. It is hands down #1 for quesadillas (aka caramelos, what they call them in Sonora, MX) and lorenzas (aka open faced tacos on a toasted toritilla/tostada with melted cheese and your meat of choice). And their Sonoron hot dogs are also very good, not the best I've ever had but pretty close.

Their secret is...

#1 - how they grill their meat, over mesquite, which adds this natural smokiness to enhance flavor.

#2 - the texture of the meat which they grill to perfection and is NEVER overcooked or dry, it's ALWAYS cooked perfectly which makes the meat tender and juicy, just right!

#3 - the fresh ingredients to put on top of my lorenzas and caramelos and tacos are top notch:

red onions pico de gallo freshly cut limes (squeeze a generous amount on each item) guacamole sauce tasty salsa (I prefer the dark which is spicy and flavorful)

#4 - rather than serving chips and salsa, they serve freshly cut cucumbers 🥒 in slices to dip in guacamole sauce and spicy dark salsa. Maybe not as tasty as chips but less filling and more refreshing so I can eat more delicious food.

#5 - the prices are very reasonable for the quality of the food. I've eaten at top rated Mexican restaurants that charge $10-15 or even more per plate and it doesn't come even close to quality of the food prepared here.

If you want a fancy restaurant to eat at, then this place is not for you. It's a down home little hole in the wall which serves delicious down home food.

This is a hidden gem and I highly recommend you try:

Karamelo King with chicken Lorenzas with chicken or adobada (marinated pork) Chipilon (Sonoran style bacon wrapped hot dog, bun grilled with melted cheese) to drink order a Fresca Toronja, a Mexican soda (with real sugar instead of processed high fructose corn syrup) or even Mexican Coke in glass bottle, if that's what you prefer

After my family and I are full, fat and happy we turn around and drive 50 minutes back home totally satisfied and ready for our next trip to Karamelo Kings.

Oh! And they also have another location on Grant which is open late for night owls 🦉

PLEASE NOTE - I docked one star for the service which is hit or miss depending on who is at the counter when you order.

We stopped coming for a while when their service declined during COVID but the food kept us coming back. When the owner is there, the service is good. Sometimes you need to go out of your way to get their attention if the youngsters are at the counter.

Just be prepared to walk up to the counter to ask for more salsa and toppings several times when you run out because they never provide enough, at least for me and my family who love to pack on the flavor with all of the toppings which is what really enhances the taste & texture & flavor of the food.

¡PROVECHO! Enjoy your meal 😋

UPDATE: 11/3/2023

Now that COVID restrictions have essentially gone away, things are back to normal and the serve yourself salsa bar is back open which is great news because my issue with service is a non-issue now. All they need to do is get your order right and the rest is gravy! 😉

I raised my rating back...

Had hoped for a much better experience than what we had here, but maybe our expectations were too high. We had heard rave reviews about this place and were excited to try it out. Unfortunately, we were disappointed. We ordered takeout and had to wait over 30 minutes for our order even though there was no line. The food we ordered was not complicated so I have no idea what took so long. Once we got the food, we were surprised at how small the tacos were, they were literally about the size of a sand dollar. I've never seen such miniature tacos in my life. We also did not get what we ordered, I ordered two hardshell tacos and we're given these teeny tiny soft shelled ones. I didn't realize the mistake until it was too late and we were home. The food was OK, but I would not say that it was exceptional. I wish that it had lived up to...

One of my go-to spots for amazing carne asada in Tucson! The flavor is unmatched — this is hands-down some of the best carne asada I’ve had in the city. It’s grilled over an open flame (not a flattop), so the meat has that perfect smoky char that really brings it to life.

The food is always prepared quickly, consistently delicious, and the salsa bar is well-stocked with a great variety of fresh toppings to customize your plate just the way you like it.

Update as of 8/3/2025: Still just as good! That smoky grilled flavor keeps me coming back. One tip — Google Maps lists their opening time as 10 AM, but I’ve found they’re more reliably open after 4 PM. It’s worth the timing puzzle — once you catch them open, you’re in...