The main attraction at El Paisano, though, is a small Mexican eatery within the store.
El Paisano Market Mexican Food is a small, counter-service kitchen that stays open until long after midnight. On a recent weeknight, there was an impressive crowd lined up at the counter, waiting for sustenance in the form of oversize burritos and quesadillas.
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Waiting in line is part of the experience of visiting El Paisano, a busy Mexican restaurant that's located inside the El Paisano Market in Tempe.
Patricia Escarcega
On the menu, you'll find Hot Cheetos nachos and Doritos nachos (there's a whole specialty nachos menu). You'll also find quesadillas, massive burritos, and even a few non-Mexican comfort foods like burgers and fish and chips.
Every month, the restaurant offers a "Burrito of the Month" option, which for the month of November is El Trumparito. El Trumparito, like the muse that inspired its creation, is an orange-hued monstrosity. It's bigger than your pocketbook and generously stuffed with Buffalo chicken, French fries, and shovelfuls of Mexican rice. The whole thing is deliciously sluiced with ranch sauce. For a half-buck more, you can get the burrito served Pence-style — smothered in nacho cheese and red salsa.
The burrito, which oozes cheese and sauce, is probably not the best burrito you've ever had. But it's not the worst, either. It's lush and flavorful and filling, which is exactly what you crave after a late-night "study session."
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El Paisano Market in Tempe is located at the intersection of Lemon Street and Terrace Road, near the eastern edge of the ASU campus.
Patricia Escarcega
One such Hall of Famer is the Fiji burrito, which I tried on a recent visit. It's loaded with your choice of steak or chicken, tater tots, a few slivers of pineapple, some fresh avocado, and pico. Like most dishes here, it's also lavished with shredded cheese.
All your cares and troubles seem to disappear when you're eating something like the Fiji, which is extravagantly flavorful and hearty. You don't so much eat it as you make a dent in it. It's a burrito that reminds you of all the generosity and abundance in the universe.
Not bad for $7.99, plus tax.
El Paisano Market. 1035 East Lemon Street, Tempe; 480-557-5000
Every day 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.