Tucson’s favorite street food, the Sonoran dog, is a bacon wrapped hot dog topped with everything you can find in a southwest kitchen. Most of the time, this includes pinto beans, onions, jalapeno salsa, tomato, mustard, and mayonnaise. I tried three on my trip to Arizona. Here’s how they stack up.
Ruiz Hot Dogs
The first Sonoran dog I tried was also the best. Though technically it’s a Sinaloan dog, the difference being that the bun is brushed with butter and then grilled. Like others, it’s topped with grilled onion, onions, tomato, mayonnaise, salsa, mustard and beans. You can add shredded cheese and avocado cream or hot sauce. A blistered yellow chili pepper is served on the side.
Ruiz Hot Dogs is a food truck attached to a dining shed in a dusty, rocky parking lot in the shadow of a beautiful Spanish church. There is only one thing on the menu. This isn’t a place filled with tourists (other than me). It’s simple food, perfectly done. And I am so glad I ate there.
Ruiz Hot Dogs
1140 S 6th Avenue
Tucson, AZ
El Guero Canelo
Our second dog came from El Guero Canelo, which might be the most famous of Tucson’s Sonoran dog stands. It’s not a stand any more though the original one from 1993 remains in the parking lot of one of their three locations. And in 2018 the James Beard Foundation awarded them the title of America’s Classics.
Here the bun is steamed, not grilled. It’s soft, fluffy, and a little sweet. The dog is a little thicker than the Ruiz dog, and has great flavor. There is a large salsa bar with a variety of additional toppings. I think the bread is a little too big and mutes the flavor, but there are people who swear by these dogs.
The atmosphere of El Guero Canelo is the opposite of Ruiz. It has a big paved parking lot and a large, bright dining room with high ceilings. The James Beard Award attracts people far and wide. They also have a bigger menu and while I was there for a dog, I did try the Asada Taco Lorenza which was delicious. But if I’m getting a Sonoran Dog in Tucson, this isn’t my first choice.
El Guero Canelo
2480 N Oracle Road
Tucson, AZ
Salt River Fields
I found my last dog at Salt River Fields, the Spring Training facility for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies. If hot dogs and baseball go together, then Arizona baseball calls for a Sonoran dog. This one is a little less dressed than the other two. It’s got pico, beans, and mayo. The wrapped bacon was undercooked in parts, but still it wasn’t bad, at least for ballpark food.
So this isn’t the best take on a Sonoran Dog, but you can’t beat the location. If this is your only chance to try one, it’s worth it. Of course, if you’re going to try a proper Sonoran dog, skip this one and get the empanadas.
Salt River Fields
7555 N Pima Road
Scottsdale, AZ
Concord Culinary Lyceum 
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