50: Taco Monterrey at Pepe's Taco Villa

By Michele Laudig Mon., Aug. 9 2010 at 3:08 PM

Categories: 100 Favorite Dishes

Hungry yet?

We're working up our appetites for our huge Best of Phoenix issue, out September 30, with daily servings of Chow Bella's 100 Favorite Dishes from across the Valley -- in no particular order

Leave your suggestions for upcoming favorites in the comments section.

Visit our sister blog, Jackalope Ranch, for a companion series on 100 Creatives who make Phoenix a little more interesting for all of us. We'll be posting the next 49 picks daily through the rest of the summer.

Number 50: Taco Monterrey at Pepe's Taco Villa

You can find breakfast burritos seemingly everywhere in the Valley, but where can you find a good taco that you'd want to munch in the morning?

Head to Pepe's Taco Villa, a nearly 30-year-old institution serving great cheap eats on West Camelback Road. Here, the Taco Monterrey is a house specialty, and it's so good you'll find yourself craving it at any time of the day.

A big homemade flour tortilla is the foundation for a flavorful egg scramble of dried beef, tomato, chile, and onion. A tiny, two-bite street taco this is not. This is the kind of hearty a.m. nosh that goes well with a cup of coffee and a dash of hot sauce. It's also a primo hangover remedy. Take one taco and call me in the afternoon.