Let's talk Tucson's best restaurants! (moving, food, friendly)

[coatimundi]

Originally Posted by 2farsouth

I am also curious about Codys' Beef 'n Beans. I guess it's just the silly name, but steak 'n beans (and a frosty mug) are 2 of my favorite things!!!

I've never considered Tucson much of a steak town. The steaks there certainly don't compare to what you get in Denver, Montana and in the Midwest. I don't know if it's preparation or the actual meat.

Cody's is a "down home" sort of place. They serve drinks in a glass boot and have goofy cowboy decorations on the wall. And they run specials throughout the week, including a $9.99 prime rib special on, I believe, Tuesday. The steaks aren't great, but they're good, and they're cheap. I always thought they had one of the best burgers in the city though, and the french fries are very good. Definitely an unpretentious place. The perfect bar counterpart to it is right down the street, at the Baboquivari.

[Prodigal Native]

Originally Posted by Tucson10

To me, the one glaring omission thus far has been for the Silver Saddle Steakhouse. I mean c'mon! You're in Tucson, you want a great steak in an authentic Tucson Steakhouse? The Silver Saddle wins hands-down in my opinion. And actually, a few years ago (2009, 2010???), the Tucson community voted it the best steakhouse in Tucson, and this was through the Arizona Daily Star - so it was polling a great cross-section of the Tucson community.

Anyway, Pinnacle Peak's is great for the 'new to Tucson' experience, but their steaks and service don't hold a candle to the Saddle. And even though it's a lot closer to where I work, everyone there agreed that the Silver Saddle is worth the drive (that's my completely UN-official, non-scientific poll of steak loving employees at Hair Salon Tucson | Your Resource for Tucson Hair Salons )

I've gone to very few (local) steak places in Tucson and the Silver Saddle is high on the list of places to go when I decide the rectify this great oversight.

Also on the list are El Corral, Lil Abner's.

McMahon's was over priced and the food was underwhelming. Even with Buy One Get One Free Entree coupon I felt like I overpaid. If I am going for something at this price-point I would prefer Flemming's or Sullivan's.

[Prodigal Native]

Originally Posted by 2farsouth

I am also curious about Codys' Beef 'n Beans. I guess it's just the silly name, but steak 'n beans (and a frosty mug) are 2 of my favorite things!!!

I was underwhelmed. As I recall, the menu was limited (not always a bad thing - I would rather be offered 5 things done perfectly over 50 mediocre items), there was a choice of Bud Light draft or maybe a dozen bottles of beer (no full bar) and the steaks were only OK.

That said, it was affordable and I have a friend who drools at the very mention of the place, so while I wasn't crazy about it I wouldn't say it was horrible.

To be honest, for the price it is hard to beat Texas Roadhouse for a decent steak in this town.

[Prodigal Native]

Just a quick FYI to everyone interested in trying new restaurants in Tucson - the Arizona Daily Star is doing their dining card again this year. For $20 you get a card that give you BOGO free entrees at several local restaurants. It runs the gamut this year from high-end (Le Rendez-vous, Primo, etc) to more casual like (On A Roll Sushi, Shlomo & Vito's deli, etc) and plenty in between. There are some restrictions on the dates and tip may be included, but for my family we always get our money's worth.

There are ads in the paper pretty much every day or you can get it online at 2012 Dining Card... but as a former waiter I must remind you to please tip on the amount BEFORE the discount!

PS - Tucson Originals still has a lot of their 25% gift certificates at Buy and Print Group and Discount Gift Certificates - Tucson Originals

[GJBenn85]

My favorite "normal" restaurants in Tucson are El Corral, La Parilla, and Caruso's.

[Jukesgrrl]

Originally Posted by Prodigal Native

Just a quick FYI to everyone interested in trying new restaurants in Tucson - the Arizona Daily Star is doing their dining card again this year. For $20 you get a card that give you BOGO free entrees at several local restaurants. It runs the gamut this year from high-end (Le Rendez-vous, Primo, etc) to more casual like (On A Roll Sushi, Shlomo & Vito's deli, etc) and plenty in between. There are some restrictions on the dates and tip may be included, but for my family we always get our money's worth.

There are ads in the paper pretty much every day or you can get it online at 2012 Dining Card... but as a former waiter I must remind you to please tip on the amount BEFORE the discount!

PS - Tucson Originals still has a lot of their 25% gift certificates at Buy and Print Group and Discount Gift Certificates - Tucson Originals

Thanks for the tip. I'll look into that. Also, I support your reminder about tipping. Having had many relatives and friends in the serving business throughout my life, I know that's a source of frustration for them. They do just as much work when a person has a coupon or a discount — maybe more if they have a complicated bill to deal with. I've used Groupons when the server had no idea the discount was legit (due to poor training) and had to take some of their floor time consulting with management to ring the check properly.

[ohnonothimagain]

Brawley's at Wilmot/Broadway is good for Breakfast-very crowded, but decent food at decent prices. I personally like Pinnacle Peak because of the prices. You can get a 1 pound Cowboy steak dinner for $ 19.50, and a 2 pound Big Cowboy for $22.50. They're grilled over a Mesquite fire, and I like the atmosphere there. Mexican for me has been Molina's Midway in Midtown. I've been going there since the 60's, and I like it a lot. If you like "fast food" type of places, then Lucky Wishbone or Eegee's are great. There's a lot of variety to choose from, and regardless of your food choices, there's a lot of places to go.

[RickTucsonHomes]

Came across a new "favorite hole in the wall" type place! Tucson Tamale Company on east Broadway/Tucson Blvd area. Excellent tamales and friendly quick service. Very small place so would be easy to miss just driving by. Wide assortment of tamales, very yummy stuff!!!

[rbohm]

Originally Posted by RickTucsonHomes

Came across a new "favorite hole in the wall" type place! Tucson Tamale Company on east Broadway/Tucson Blvd area. Excellent tamales and friendly quick service. Very small place so would be easy to miss just driving by. Wide assortment of tamales, very yummy stuff!!!

yes they do have excellent tamales.

[5150aries]

Hello there, just throwing a few of my faves out there, for anyone interested.

Def. agree that Mi Nidito should be #1 choice for great Mexican, and then BK is my second choice!

For some place unique and always good, try Wings N Rice-inmy opinion the best wings in Tucson.

Best Chinese Places- Mandarin Garden, Asian Bistro, Fortune Cookie.

Jerry Bob's is great for "family" "down home" cooking, and breakfast, have not had a bad experience there(at any location).

Fronimo's is my top choice for Greek.

Indian Oven-Great Indian Food.

Bentley's-my top coffee shop pick, they also have great deserts, shakes, and other food, love the atmosphere, very laid back and eclectic.

Sushi Garden-They have a large menu, and great place to eat for quality Sushi.

Best Burgers-Fuddruckers.