Visiting ‘the house that chilaquiles built’

As someone who grew up in a Hispanic household, I’ve spent my entire life eating Mexican food. From pozole and menudo to tamales and enchiladas, I’ve had my fair share of traditional meals.

When I first moved to Flagstaff, I was concerned with which restaurant would offer the authentic experience of a Mexican meal. As much as I enjoy cooking, some recipes require a lot of ingredients and time. With a majority needing some sort of salsa, the flashbacks of coming home from school as a kid and feeling an immediate burn in my eyes from the tomatoes, jalapeños and onions cooking in the kitchen was enough for me to decide that eating out once in a while wouldn’t harm anyone.

I heard of MartAnne’s Breakfast Palace while walking the streets of downtown Flagstaff. With a colorful board that read “The House That Chilaquiles Built,” I took a step inside.

The red and blue walls are covered in paintings from local artists and brown and black vinyl booths are accompanied with green and red chairs on the opposite of each table. The interior design was an experience itself.

Once seated, I realized ‘the house that chilaquiles built’ had more than just chilaquiles. Offering a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu ranging from eggs, burritos and french toast to nachos, ceviche and quesadillas, MartAnne’s has something for everyone to enjoy. It’s typical to find some type of meat or chicken in Mexican food but vegetarian and vegan options were available, making the restaurant more inclusive.

While browsing the menu for drinks, I immediately noticed they had horchata and knew no other drink could compete. If I’m ever at a Mexican restaurant I’ll always choose to drink horchata. Simply put, this sweet rice and milk beverage has always had a grip on me, I can’t explain why.

When it was brought out in a cute mason jar, I was intimidated by its size. It is enough for two people to enjoy, so I was a little nervous to take my first sip. Whenever I go to a restaurant that sells horchata, it’s always a hit or miss. Whether it’s because it tastes too much of cinnamon powder or is watered down because it’s made in large amounts, I was worried it wouldn’t meet my expectations.

But, I was worried for no reason. It wasn’t too sweet or watered down, it was perfect. As a harsh critic of horchata, I was surprised it exceeded my expectations. Ranking it more enjoyable than the horchata sold at a Mexican food truck I would go to when I lived closer to Buckeye, the serving size suddenly seemed like the perfect amount.

As a huge fan of breakfast foods, I was overwhelmed by the choices. After taking a look at the options, I ordered MartAnne’s Burrito. This is made of three scrambled eggs, tomatoes, green onions, diced chilis and cheese. This meal also came with the option of adding meat, so I decided on adding chicken in my burrito. All of this was served with a side of rice, beans, hash browns and a flour tortilla.

When the server brought out a burrito almost the size of my head, I knew I’d be taking leftovers home. Every inch of the plate was covered with food.

Digging into my burrito with a fork and knife in hand, I was met with steaming ingredients mixed together. The first bite, despite burning my tongue, made me feel like I was back in San Luis Potosí, my dad’s hometown in Mexico, enjoying a meal with my family.

Some might say I’m biased towards Mexican food since it’s what I grew up with but I think it’s made me an experienced taste tester. Everything at MartAnne’s surpassed my expectations and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking to eat at a Mexican restaurant in Flagstaff.

As I left, I noticed a lot more people were waiting outside. If you ever find yourself wanting breakfast from MartAnne’s on the weekend, I’d recommend making a reservation to skip the morning rush.

Overall, MartAnne’s is the best Mexican restaurant I’ve dined at for breakfast in Flagstaff. Their lunch and dinner menu look amazing, but I’ll definitely be stopping by again for their breakfast.