Restaurants
One of the great things about Tucson is the wide variety of restaurants you’ll find here, from cowboy steak houses and retro diners to award-winning resort fare and ethnic cuisine. Tucsonans are very proud of the great variety and quality of their restaurants. Although Sonoran Mexican food and mesquite-grilled steaks continue to play a role on the menu, visitors and residents of the Old Pueblo do not subsist on tortillas and T-bones alone.
Overview
Tucson is home to gastropubs, bistros, and cafes, Asian cuisine from pho to Thai to Malaysian, and eclectic mom-and-pops serving up ethnic delights from Bosnia, Hawaii, Jamaica, and Peru, just to name a few. Fine dining is alive and well, with continental, American, Southwestern, French, and Italian in the mix. The university area offers all sorts of possibilities including cupcakeries, sushi and Indian restaurants, brewpubs, Greek spots, coffeehouses, all-American burger joints, and pizza parlors to keep hungry students (and you) well fed for months.
Downtown is hopping with renovated historic buildings morphing into restaurants of all shapes and sizes, offering cuisines from global to Thai, steak to New York pizza.
Dress for the most part is Tucson casual—comfortable chic for upscale and resort hotels and very casual for most others.
We’ve divided the restaurants by cuisine, but many of them could easily be placed in more than one category. You may want to scan the entire chapter to get a full view of what the area has to offer. Not included in these pages are national restaurant chains, which are rapidly moving into town.
Along with descriptions of the food and the ambience of the establishment, we’ve added information on the history of the eatery or the building in which it is housed. We’ll also advise you about parking for places near the university or downtown, and the necessity for reservations, and we’ll recommend signature dishes or favorite entrees. Bon appétit!
Also, please note that many restaurants in town have a different menu and different hours during summer (some even close for a couple of weeks in summer).
1. Bobo’S
City: Tucson, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (520) 326-6163
Address: 2938 E. Grant Rd.
Description: It ain’t fancy, just home cooking in a tiny roadside diner, but it sure is good. Especially breakfast, which is served all day. If you’re in the mood for real home fries, fresh eggs over easy, and a slab of ham, this is the place for you. Delicious pancakes are bigger than your head—try the blueberry banana. (NOTE: Real maple syrup lovers should bring their own.) Hot coffee and the daily paper will start your day off right. Open every day for breakfast and lunch until 2 p.m.
2. Grill
City: Tucson, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (520) 623-7621
Address: 100 E. Congress St.
Insider Pick:
Description: The Grill is a favorite hangout for the young, artsy downtown crowd. The interior is a honest-to-goodness old-fashioned diner, complete with a semicircular counter and booths, an eclectic menu, and 24-hour service. You can get typical diner fare, such as fluffy pancakes, terrific burgers, and American tuna melts and the best malted milkshake in town, but the Grill is much more than a diner. You’ll find pastas, vegan and vegetarian specialties, and funky sandwiches here to go with the hipster downtown crowd. And ask about the Haystack!Downtown parking is limited, but you can use either metered spaces (free on weekends) or one of several pay lots within walking distance.
3. Gus Balon’S
City: Tucson, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (520) 747-7788
Address: 6027 E. 22nd St.
Description: If you’re looking for honest, all-American food, Gus Balon’s is the place. All the breads are homemade, the eggs are fried in butter, and every day more than 20 homemade pies are on the menu. Kids can enjoy a jelly omelet or a good ole pb&j sandwich, but the thing to order here are the humongous homemade cinnamon rolls, made from scratch daily.Grown-ups might like to try a breakfast special or a baked ham sandwich. This homey local breakfast favorite even garnered a mention in famous food writers Jane and Michael Stern’s book Roadfood: The Coast to Coast Guide to 800 of the Best Barbeque Joints, Lobster Shacks, Ice Cream Parlors, and Highway Diners and Much, Much More. Gus’s is open until 3 p.m.; closed on Sunday.
4. Hungry Fox Restaurant
City: Tucson, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (520) 326-2835www.thehungryfox
Address: 4637 E. Broadway Blvd.
Description: The Hungry Fox looks like a cozy country kitchen, with antiques and reproduction pieces on high shelves that run along the walls. The room is bright and cheerful, just like the waitstaff.Eggs are the things to order here. Boiled, fried, poached, scrambled, basted—you name it and they can do it. They are all double yolked, so you get two, two, two eggs in one! You can read all about it on the menu, where a helpful guide, “How eggs are prepared and how to order them,” explains all the options.Open for breakfast and lunch 7 days a week, the Hungry Fox closes at 2 p.m.
City: Tucson, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Address: 7010 E. Broadway Blvd.
City: Tucson, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Address: 5655 W. Valencia Rd. (in Casino del Sol)
City: Tucson, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Address: 1990 W. Orange Grove Rd.
City: Tucson, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Address: 5425 N. Kolb Rd.
9. Om Modern Asian Kitchen
City: Tucson, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (520) 299-7815
Address: 1765 E. River Rd.
Description: You may see other Oms around the country, but this is Tucson’s own Om! Sleek and contemporary, Om offers global Asian cuisine with a modern twist. You’ll find pulled-pork spring rolls, lamb samosas, and sesame fries, along with sushi on the appetizer menu. Soups include a familiar miso alongside a red curry sweet potato bisque. Hunan black pepper shrimp come with an Asian-style couscous, while pork sliders are served with a side of kimchi slaw. It’s all mixed up here, but it works. Leave room for dessert—hot pineapple cheesecake is a winner. Open daily for lunch and dinner.
10. Sakura
City: Tucson, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (520) 298-7777
Address: 6534 E. Tanque Verde Rd.
Description: You’ll find an interesting combination at Sakura, which is both a sushi bar/teppan-style restaurant and a sports bar. The rooms are separate, but whichever side you choose, we’re sure you’ll enjoy yourself.Decorated in traditional Japanese style, the dining rooms offer a show with your dinner: The trained chefs dazzle diners with flashing knives and fire right at the table as they prepare fresh seafood or New York steak teppan-style dinners. Kids will enjoy the show. Prices here are fairly steep, and the show sometimes is better than the food.The sports bar is a favorite with Eastsiders, offering TVs, dining, and dancing. Open daily.
11. Seri Melaka
City: Tucson, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (520) 747-7811
Address: 6133 E. Broadway
Description: If you want to experience Malaysian cuisine, this is the place to come. Warm and welcoming, and family run, this is where you’ll find terrific Malay dishes alongside familiar Chinese fare. Try the chili crab, a traditional Malay favorite. Giant king crab legs (or whole Dungeness crabs if you call 48 hours in advance) are deep-fried and added to a magnificent sauce made with loads of ginger, garlic, and chilies. The tapioca dessert, buburchacha, is a unique dish made with giant tapioca pearls, sweet potato, corn, and coconut milk. Try it.
12. Vila Thai Fine Dining
City: Tucson, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (520) 882-8143
Address: 9 E. Congress Ave.
Description: Owner Vila Jarrell is passionate about her food and Thai culture and has poured her heart and soul into her restaurant. An outdoor alley that leads into the space has been converted into a super lounge complete with comfy couches, a bar, and live music. It’s a great place to try starters, unusual mixed drinks, and Thai wines only available here. Inside, the slightly cramped quarters are packed with fans of Vila’s signature cuisine—large portions of hot and spicy Thai favorites. The winner here is smoky pad thai with fresh noodles. Numerous special events, wine tastings, and art and musical evenings take place weekly. Parking can be tricky here, but metered parking is free after 5 p.m. and several paid garages are in the area. Open 7 days a week.
13. Gentle Ben’S Brewing Co.
City: Tucson, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (520) 624-4177
Address: 865 E. University Blvd.
Description: Located in the heart of the university area, Gentle Ben’s is just 2 blocks from the main gate. A downstairs beer garden and an upstairs deck complete with fountains and flowering vines make it a great spot for a bite and a beer.The restaurant offers great salads, several different burgers, and great brewhouse sandwiches. You’ll also find pasta and numerous Southwest specialties.While you wait for your meal, enjoy a stroll past the glass-enclosed vats of the brews ranging from Red Cat Amber Ale to Tucson Blonde. Some beers are seasonal, and the menu explains each type of beer.Parking is at a premium. Note that the metered angle parking along the 3 blocks in this area is back-in only!
14. Nimbus Brewery
City: Tucson, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (520) 745-9175
Address: 3850 E. 44th St.
Description: Ben Franklin once said, “Beer is living proof that God loves us,” and the owners of Nimbus Brewery have adopted this philosophy (the quote is part of their logo).In a warehouse district off S. Palo Verde Road, Nimbus Brewery is a little tricky to find: On 44th Street, head east off of Palo Verde Road and then continue to where 44th Street dead-ends. There, in a large converted warehouse, you’ll find the brewery. The atmosphere is very casual.Food is limited to appetizers, burgers, and sandwiches, which are served at lunch and dinner daily. Live music is featured on weekends. Nimbus beers, which are brewed in small 10-gallon batches, are the only local brews sold at other beer parlors.
15. Noblehops Gastropub
City: Tucson, AZ
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (520) 797-4677
Address: 1335 W. Lambert Ln.
Insider Pick:
Description: A huge bar (no surprise!) anchors this hip gastropub, offering 28 beers on tap and over 150 unique bottled beers sourced from local breweries and funky underground bottlers. It all comes to the taps from a windowed keg room filled with barrels. But it’s not just about the suds here; the food is top-notch and way above typical brewpub fare. You can choose from outdoor patios, a lounge, and a private dining room, and, of course, you can always eat at the bar. Open daily.