Taqueria Obson hits it out of the park with Sonoran cuisine

Valley residents can savor the flavors of Ciudad Obregón, Mexico at Taqueria Obson in Guadalupe.

The mom-and-pop restaurant serves food from the southern Sonoran city and the entire family helps owners Rosy Ruiz and Victor Valenzuela run the business. Their son Alex works as a chef and cashier. His wife, sister, brother-in-law and cousins assist with day-to-day operations, marketing and managing their food truck and catering service. His sister recently had a trailer wrapped and will be offering some of the family recipes in another location soon.

Much of the taqueria’s success stems from the family’s all-star teamwork, alongside their creative use of social media during the pandemic. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to park a giant barbecue grill outside, sending the irresistible aroma of mesquite-grilled carne asada to Arizona Mills shopping mall in Tempe.

“We make carne asada the Obregón way,” says Alex Valenzuela, “with top-quality beef, just salt, and grilled over mesquite charcoal.”

Open since 2019, the restaurant serves the juicy carne asada in tacos, burritos, mulas, sopes, quesadillas, tortas and their signature dish, papanchas.

“A papancha is like a loaded potato, but with our own twist,” Valenzuela says as he prepares one in the kitchen. “We mash the potato, add cheese, butter, carne asada and fresh cabbage, and top it with our signature red sauce.”

Priced at $10.40, the carne asada papancha is a fan favorite. Customers can also choose from other proteins such as cabeza, birria, chicken or al pastor. Another popular option is tripas, or intestines.

“Here in Guadalupe, people love our tripas,” Valenzuela says. “We can make them soft or extra crispy – most people prefer them crispy, like chicharrones.”

The restaurant’s appeal extends beyond local fans, attracting visitors from around the world. Tour buses sometimes park outside the restaurant on South Avenida Del Yaqui, and its passengers enjoy the Obregón-style fare in the parking lot or dine inside. Among the groups of visitors are Mexican baseball teams, the Naranjeros de Hermosillo and Yaquis de Obregón.

“We’ve had 30 to 40 players from each team come by,” Valenzuela recalls. “When they arrive, we set up a taco cart outside, and many of them order papanchas. Maybe it’s how they look that draws them in.”

The unique mashed potato dish, stuffed with various types of meat, catches the eye with its distinct presentation. The Guadalupe version is quite different from the papas locas seen across the border – usually served with halved potatoes maintaining their structure, then topped with ingredients or French fries with toppings.

Guadalupe’s deep-rooted love for baseball shines through its strong ties to the Naranjeros and Yaquis teams. Many residents, including Taqueria Obson’s founders, share hometown connections with the players.

Proudly sponsoring local baseball teams, Taqueria Obson draws families after games of all levels to enjoy its signature dishes. Above the dessert case, which contains flan, fresas con crema and homemade pies, stand baseball and softball trophies, underscoring the restaurant’s community spirit.

The Sonoran-style hot dogs and Quesidogos, with added cheese, are favorites from Little Leaguers to high school varsity players.

“Then, these quesabirria tacos right here are our most famous tacos at the moment,” Valenzuela says as he grills three corn tortillas with red sauce and melted cheese. “We add the shredded beef, cilantro, onions and more cheese.”

He then folds the tortillas to form a half-circle and melts the cheese. The three tacos are served with a cup of birria consomé to dip.

Valenzuela, now 20, reminisces about the family’s humble beginnings just northwest where Tempe and Phoenix meet.

“We used to hold yard sales and serve the same food we offer here,” he says. “My parents were always great cooks, and with the extra money from the sales, we bought a food cart to cater events.”

For nearly a decade, the family catered parties and sold food at Semana Santa in Guadalupe before opening the restaurant in 2019.

Then came the pandemic in 2020.

“The COVID lockdown actually helped us in a way,” Valenzuela says. “My mom started doing Facebook Live videos, and at a time when people weren’t going out much, she’d get 500 to 600 viewers. People would place big orders – 20 or 30 tacos at a time. We also did a promotion, offering five tacos for $5 on Taco Tuesdays, and that got us through.”

The tacos were the hook. Once the surrounding Tempe and Ahwatukee neighbors sampled the Obregon-influenced tacos – especially the hearty Taco Mexicano filled with carne asada, guacamole, onion and cilantro – the mom-and-pop taqueria hit a homerun.

The restaurant celebrated its fifth anniversary in May, and over the years, the menu has grown. The mulas are now the all-stars on the menu. They are stacked tacos made with two tortillas packed with meat, veggies, salsa, cheese and guacamole. The mula is grilled, and the melted cheese and guac ooze from its sides.

With the holidays approaching, the restaurant is preparing tamales and weekend-only menudo.

In this town where baseball and tacos go hand in hand, Taqueria Obson continues to knock it out of the park – one grilled tortilla at a time.

Taqueria Obson

8400 S. Avenida Del Yaqui, Guadalupe