"Indian Village" The Best Food I Ate in Arizona

One of my favorite things about going out of town on vacation is trying out new restaurants.

Recently, we did some vacationing in Arizona and found a little gem of a place called "Indian Village" on the main drag through Cave Creek. The inside joke we heard on the town of Cave Creek is that "it is a biker town with an artist complex."

I wanted to stop at the Indian Village because they had a big sign out front that said "Indian Fry Bread." MKH and I laughed because we said, "Fry" and "Bread", what's not to like? Well not only did they have cool Indian and Western souvenirs, but they had a whole menu of food items including the Indian Fry Bread. MKH had a huge tamale that she rated at two thumbs up, and I had the fry bread with honey on top.

While we were enjoying our meal we saw another couple eating something called Navajo Tacos. When I saw the Navajo Taco I knew I needed to come back for another visit to The Indian Village.

The Navajo Taco starts out with Indian Fry Bread, (which is way better than a tortilla) then a layer of red bean chili on top of that, then shredded beef, and finally your other more conventional taco ingredients.

The Navajo Taco is wonderful, but the Indiana Village offers more than great food. It's a regular circus. You meet Bear, the guy behind the counter who will sell you some neat Indian made jewelry. You also meet Bart, the owner of the place. Bart is a riot. He will entice you to try his food, which he claims is the best around. He teases, taunts, smiles, laughs, brags and boasts and suddenly you find yourself ordering something to eat.

After you place your order, you have to walk through the kitchen to get to the dining area. On your way you meet the cook, an American Indian (I think) who is working her magic. Bart, a former Hoosier, will entertain you for as long as you want with stories about Gila Monsters, Mountain Lions, Indians, cowboys, history, religion, politics, Arizona, and on and on. He's a great talker and is a lot of fun.

Now don't expect a fancy dining room, I think the tables were formica. The place is a little gritty, to be sure, but it's wonderful as far as I'm concerned, and I highly recommend it. Prices are more than reasonable and the food...well, it's the best I had in Arizona.