Pat's Drive-In - Tucson, AZ

Posted By Michael Stern on August 1, 2000 1:51 PM

For a living, we eat everything; but one of our favorite hobbies is eating chili dogs. There are few places we like practicing this hobby more than the vintage Tucson drive-in known as Pat’s. Although the dogs themselves are not inherently breathtaking, Pat’s tops them with a chili stew of beef, beans, and fresh chili peppers. (Chili is also available by the bowl.) On a chili dog, the chili is spread across a line of mustard and is customarily garnished with a sprinkle of raw onions. Depending on the seasonal variety of peppers (or possibly depending on how sadistic the cook is feeling that day), Pat’s chili can be ferociously hot … or it might be merely peppery.

Although chili dogs are Pat’s main claim to fame, serious students of the burger will want to sample a Big Pat, which is a double hamburger garnished with not only cheese and chili, but also mustard, pickles and lettuce. The Big Pat comes on a bun, but longtime devotees pay extra to have it on toasted bread.

With an order of Pat’s excellent salty French fries and about a quart of cold soda on the side, here you have a great all American meal with a uniquely Southwestern flavor.

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Posted By Tom Lewis on October 24, 2011 11:08 AM

As a lover of hot dogs, I made the trip to Pat's on a recent trip to Tucson. I ordered two chili dogs and a Coke. The service was fast and the dogs were put in a bag after being poorly wrapped in aluminum foil. In the brief time it took me to walk 20 paces to one of the tables, much of the liquid part of the chili leaked out into the bag, making it tough to reach in and grab one of the very messy dogs. The flavor of the hot dog itself was good and the chili was spicy-hot. The predominant flavor in the chili was tomato (more than I would have preferred) but, as mentioned, it had a nice heat.

Like many local favorites, it has a following that folks from other areas might not get. I'd eat another hot dog from Pat's if I was in the area. I wish I had gotten an order of their fried potatoes---they looked tremendous.

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Posted By Ed Bojarczuk on October 7, 2011 11:58 PM

I just think there are better options for dogs in Tucson. I just wasn't impressed.

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Posted By Tiffany Owens on November 3, 2010 12:06 PM

Spicy chili dogs and hand-cut, skin-on shoestring fries are the order of the day at this cash-only, landmark Tucson eatery. The vintage-style neon sign and red-and-black tiled exterior hearken back to the 1950s when these tiny, family-friendly eateries were all the rage. Locals swear that the “Big Pat Burger,” served sizzling from the griddle, beats In-N-Out’s much-beloved burger hands-down, a mighty tall order indeed.

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