A new breakfast spot on Tucson's east side is filling the void left behind by Lani’s Luau.
The Cozy Corner Café opened last month in the Hawaiian restaurant's old home at 2530 S. Harrison Road.
The restaurant is a family affair. Zacharias Rodriquez and his fiancee Lisa Ann Sopher run the operation with help from Lisa’s mom Patricia Sopher and Rodriquez’ best friend Josh Urias working in the kitchen.
East-side diners may notice some familiar faces in the mix. Lisa worked at Joe’s Pancake House on South Kolb Road for 15 years. Patricia was a waitress at Joe’s for more than 20 years.
Rodriquez, whose background is in real estate, said he and Urias, who served as general manager at Risky Business on East Tanque Verde Road for a decade, had talked about starting a restaurant for years.
“We were all ready for a change,” Rodriquez said. “It was just a matter of putting the pieces together.”
Cozy Corner is a mix of traditional diner fare, breakfast and lunch dishes such as steak and eggs ($8.95), biscuits and gravy ($5.85) and a club sandwich for $8.95.
Hatch green chiles can be found in several dishes, a reflection on Rodriquez’ New Mexico upbringing.
“We had a Hatch green chile Philly that was introduced last weekend,” he said. “We sold out. People were interested.”
Cozy Corner Cafe is open from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. Find out more about the restaurant at facebook.com/Thecozycornercafe/
