Phoenix/Tucson restaurants

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if you have time for drinks one afternoon/evening, i highly recommend taking the drive to the starr pass resort (just take the service road along i-10 toward speedway blvd, head west and follow the signs). they have a great outdoor bar, gorgeous views of the desert and mountains, and a tequila tasting at 5pm.

new-wave mexican:

i highly recommend cafe poca cosa. if you only eat at one restaurant in tucson this should be it. it's sort of modern or new wave mexican that's out of sight. the menu changes nightly according to the ingredients available and the chef's whim, but you can usually get the sampler platter that includes a taste of each of the menu items.

street mexican:

you should go to el guerro canello for sonoran hot dogs: hots dogs wrapped in bacon, served on a bollilo (a little mexican bun) and topped with pintos, cheese, salsa, mayo, etc.

let's go tortas makes REALLY good tortas and tacos near the u of a campus.

there is a place in south tucson called pico de gallo that serves good stuff. you could also hit up the ubiquitous nico's or losbeto's or even the taco trucks that appear on grant rd at night.

traditional mexican:

el charro is an old tucson institution that claims to have invented the chimichanga. they have really good carne seca (dried beef) and that is their speciality.

mi nidito is good but expect to wait 2 hours, the parking is bad, and it's in south tucson.

guadalajara grill - my fav. mexican restaurant in tucson. you can't go wrong. they make fresh salsa at your table, have a great bar, and excellent food.

fine dining:

janos is an excellent fine-dining restaurant that specializes in southwestern food.

hacienda del sol is a really nice fancy restaurant that specializes in southwest food and has the best views of any restaurant in tucson.

if you're just in the mood for a sandwich:

beyond bread is an excellent bakery and has great sandwiches, pastries, and deserts.

yoshimatsu is a funky japanese place with lots of japanese toys and manga as the decor. they have a sushi bar on the side, but the main restaurant serves good and cheap bento boxes, udon, and japanese pizza.

and for coffee hit up raging sage. they roast their own coffee and have some of the best pastries that i've encountered in a cafe.

and if you get a chance take a ride up to sabino canyon in the catalina foothills. it's a great national park and has lots of hiking and bicycling trails. 15 minutes from the visitor's center on the trail and your in the desert wilderness. a great experience

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