Fry Bread House

James Beard-winning Tohono O'odham fry bread tacos

Address 4545 North 7th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85013

Founded in 1992 by Cecilia Miller, a member of the Tohono O'odham Nation, the Fry Bread House serves the dish the way it is made on the Sonoran-desert reservation south of Tucson. The bread comes out hot, light, and not greasy — flattened by hand and dropped into the fryer to order. You eat it either savoury, piled with beans, chile, and lettuce taco-style, or sweet with honey and powdered sugar.

In 2012 the place became the first Native American restaurant to win a James Beard America's Classics award. It is a one-room joint with vinyl booths and a paper-plate aesthetic — service is quick, prices are reasonable, and the line moves fast. The pumpkin-and-bean version is the connoisseur's pick.

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