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Go ahead and attempt to search Google for the string, "hot dogs la esquira tucson," and you won't find much of anything the world wide web.  But if you're driving in the vicinity of the busy intersection of 6th Ave. and Irvington Rd., on Tucson's south side, and you're in the mood for a delicious, Sonoran-style hot dog, you just can't pass up this place, as your price of admission into Sonora hot dog nirvana is only $2.00.  

Photo:  Here's La Esquira's modest operation, showing the taco truck, the shade, the many picnic tables, and the shed to the right.  The hot dog cart isn't shown in the photo.  I never did understand why they had safety cones placed in front of their restaurant.

I have to admit, during a March, 2007 visit to Tucson, I was driving around the south side of Tucson, and my eyes were scanning the horizon for hot dog stands that serve Mexican hot dogs, particularly in the Sonoran style.  As I was driving west, on 6th Ave, on the way back to my motel, I spotted Hot Dogs La Esquira, set up on a vacant lot and I knew that I just had to visit their restaurant, as La Esquira appeared to be the sort of place that I prefer.

I guess if you want to categorize La Esquira, you could categorize their restaurant as a "taco truck," as their catering truck appears to be the core of their business.  But check out the big picture, as the establishment consists of the truck, or "mobile kitchen," plus a large canopy erected in front of the truck to shade their customers from the blistering Tucson sun,  numerous tables, chairs and picnic benches, a hot dog cart, where the hot dogs are prepared, and a wooden building off to the side, that serves as a storage area.  I guess you could label Hot Dogs La Esquira as a "campus operation," but they seem to be a permanent operation at this busy street corner, occupied by a vacant lot, and sort of shaded by stunted mesquite trees.

Photo:  The photo regular menu is posted on the side of truck, near the order window, and the colorful mariscos and special hand-printed menu, posted below the regular menu.

Photo:  The friendly girl is cooking my hot dog, on her propane-fired grill.

Beauty aside, if you're in the mood for a delicious Sonora-style hot dog, at the low, low price of only $2.00, then La Esquira is a place that you must visit.  Hot Dogs La Esquira's menu is posted on the side of the truck, just to the left of the order window.  Besides delicious hot dogs, their menu includes all sorts of tacos, including birria, lengua, cabeza, tripa and mixta, mariscos, quesadillas caldo de birria, and various aguas.  The menu proudly states "Hot Dogs Estillo Sonora," which is a green-flag for delicious hot dogs.  Below the main menu, there are several hand-printed menus that offer various other marisco choices and daily specials.  So you place your order at the window, pay your $2.00, and the friendly girls asks what you want on your hot dog.  Naturally, I replied "con todo," as I love it all!  After ordering my hot dog, I sat down and watched the girl leave the truck, walk over to the hot dog cart, and begin cooking my hot dog.  I was also wondering what sort of a hot dog I was going to get for $2.00, as I'd spent $2.70 on a Sonora-style hot dog at BK Hot Dogs, only a few minutes before arriving at La Esquira.

Photo:  You have the option of seating yourself down, under one of the shady tables, and the friendly girl that operates the place will take your order.  I had to explain to this family what a Sonora-style hot dog was like!

Let me tell you what $2.00 buys you at Hot Dogs La Esquira:  A delicious, Sonora-style hot dog with all of the trimmings.  Let me describe a highlight of hot dog heaven:  La Esquira's hot dogs are wrapped with bacon, and grilled over a charcoal grill, using mesquite wood for seasoning.  The dog is removed from the grill, and tucked inside a large, soft bun.  Unlike U.S.-style buns, the bun isn't split, as its sort of hollowed out in the middle, and the ends remain closed.  Cooked pinto beans are placed in the bun, along with diced tomatoes, diced white onions, and salsa verde.  Mustard and mayonnaise are squirted on top of the condiments, as they use those plastic squeeze bottles to hold the goodies.  As in the custom of Sonora, Mexico, each hot dog comes with a small, grilled yellow chili pepper on the side.  As I bit into my dog, I was instantly transported into hot dog heaven.  La Esquira's hot dogs are delicious, as good or better than BK's, and priced at $.70 less.  What a deal!

Photo:  Hot dog heaven:  A bacon-wrapped, bean-filled hot dog from Hot Dogs La Esquira.  Delicious!

Hot Dogs La Esquira
Corner of 6th Ave. and Irvington Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85705



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