New Tucson restaurants and bars opened in fall 2021
From burger joints to tea and coffee shops, here are some new spots opened in the Tucson area this autumn.
We will be updating this list as more restaurants and bars are welcomed to town later this year. If we missed your favorite new place to eat, let us know at jtellez@tucson.com.
Thunder Bacon Burger Co.
Updated
The Thunder Classic burger is two patties topped with bacon, American cheese, thunder sauce, lettuce and a pickle.
This new burger joint at 621 N. Fourth Ave. is the newest venture of Lindon "Lindy" Reilly, who founded Lindy's On 4th.
Several of Thunder Bacon Burger Co.'s burgers feature the flavors of the Southwest, specifically roasted green chiles and chorizo, and of course, they all have bacon.
Flaps and Racks/Acai Paradise
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Jeffrey Flores, left, and Auxi Navarro at Flaps and Racks and Acai Paradise, 3253 E. Valencia Road.
Jeffrey Flores and his wife/business partner Auxi Navarro are bringing twin restaurants Flaps and Racks and Acai Paradise to 3253 E. Valencia Road.
Flaps and Racks will offer bone-in and boneless chicken wings and Korean-style barbeque ribs, while Acai Paradise serves housemade oatmeal and acai bowls and fruit smoothies.
Ding Tea
UpdatedThis Taiwanese tea house opened as Tucson's first location in September at 2739 E. Speedway Blvd.
Ding Tea offers trendy milk and boba teas, as well as fruity, flavored teas and slushies. Their full menu can be found here.
Perché No Italian Bistro
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Krissy and Bruno Girardi plan to reopen the space that once housed Caffé Milano as Perché No, which means “why not?” in Italian. The Girardis say they fell in love with Tucson while on a cross-country road trip.
Meaning "why not?" in Italian, Perche' No opened this fall in the former Caffé Milano space downtown at 46 W. Congress St.
Some of the new Italian bistro's menu items include pesto ravioli, lamb lollipops, spaghetti puttanesca, and calamari fries.
Black Rock Coffee Bar
Updated
The new Black Rock Coffee Bar at 1821 E. Broadway will be the first of at least four Tucson locations for the boutique coffee chain.
Tucson recently welcomed a Black Rock Coffee Bar store at 1821 E. Broadway Blvd., where customers can stop in or use the drive-thru to grab their favorite javas, teas, energy drinks, and smoothies.
This is the first of at least four locations the Portland-based company plans to open in Tucson.
Meyer Avenue Cafe
UpdatedMeyer Avenue Cafe, opened Sept. 20, 2021 on the same property as the Coronet and Nightjar, offers reimagined brunch staples, pastries, and an array of coffee and other beverages.
The attached Mercantile, 353 S. Meyer Ave., offers homemade goods and gifts, including beer and wine selections.
The Jackrabbit Lounge
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Kaitlyn Mills and Chris Vick line up a shot with the backgrounds, tripods and lights set-up in the Instragram hallway at The Jackrabbit.
This new retro-themed bar is bringing drinks, live music, drag-queen-hosted trivia nights, karaoke, and an Instagram-worthy atmosphere to 2000 N. Oracle Road.
Adult bourbon-infused milk shakes and Old Fashioneds can be found on The Jackrabbit's menu, along with shareable dishes like cauliflower fritters, mac 'n' cheese, and spicy Korean-style meatballs.
Bubbe’s Fine Bagels
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Bubbe's Fine Bagels brings east-coast style bagels to the east side of Tucson.
If you have been looking for a locally-owned place to grab a bagel and schmear, look no further than Tucson's newly-opened Bubbe's Fine Bagels at 1101 N. Wilmot Road.
If you happen to come across the framed photo of Barbra Streisand inside the shop, make sure to say "Hello, gorgeous" before chowing down on a bagel sandwich.
Little Love Burger
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The BarBQtie at Little Love Burger includes swiss and cheddar, bacon, tomato, arugula, pickled onion and barbecue sauce.
Downtown Tucson welcomed another burger-centric restaurant this fall, this time at 312 E. Congress St.
Little Love Burger, brought to us by the minds behind Playground Bar & Lounge and Hub, opened in October in the former Diablo Burger location.
In addition to burgers, the menu here offers hot dogs, chicken sandwiches and a full breakfast menu.
EspresSoul Cafe
UpdatedThis new coffee truck opened just in time for pumpkin spice latte season and you will most likely see it at various locations across Tucson.
EspresSoul Cafe's honey lavender espresso, cookies and cream frappes, and fruit smoothies are some of the items available at the traveling cafe. To see where they will be stopped next, check out the EspresSoul Facebook page.
8 Degrees Ice Cream and Cookies
UpdatedIf you get a sweet tooth while shopping at St. Phillip's Plaza or grabbing a drink in the center courtyard, 8 Degrees Ice Cream & Cookies is just a few steps away.
The new ice cream shop at 4320 N. Campbell Ave. gives you several options of ice cream flavors, toppings and cookies (including vegan-friendly ones) to design your own ice cream sandwich.
You can also choose one off the menu or buy cookie dough to bake at home.
Wow Wow Lemonade Stand
Updated
Wow Wow Lemonade Stand started in Maui in 2012 and opened a stand this week at 7705 N. Oracle Road.
This Hawaii-based all-natural lemonade shop, which has a drive-thru, recently opened at 7705 N. Oracle Road in Oro Valley.
Some of Wow Wow's colorful lemonade flavors include strawberry mint, lava flow, and lavender blackberry. The menu also features health-conscious treats like smoothie bowls, avocado toast, and flatbread sandwiches.
Fiesta Filipina
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Thelma Ward, owner of Fiesta Filipina, talks with friend and longtime customer Beth Jacobsen while preparing Jacobsen's order.
Fiesta Filipina got its start as a food truck a few years back, but now has a spot inside the Park Place Mall food court, at 5870 E. Broadway Blvd.
Filipino food can be hard to find in Tucson, but Fiesta Filipina offers some classic dishes like lumpia, pancit rice noodles, chicken and pork adobo, halo-halo and dinuguan, a pork blood stew.
Buendia Breakfast & Lunch Cafe
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Buendia’s poblano pepper is stuffed with a fresh green corn tamale.
Buendia Breakfast & Lunch Cafe opened two months ago at 2530 N. First Ave., where the now-closed Asian Sofrito used to operate.
Buendia's breakfast and lunch menus feature a range of burritos, huevos rancheros, nopales, tacos, soup, seafood, and vegetarian and vegan-friendly options.
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