El restaurante mexicano Rigo's abre sucursal en Benson

Here's a look at restaurants that opened in the Tucson area in 2019

Reporting by Andi Berlin, Cathalena E. Burch and Gerald Gay.

ATL Wings — 802 N. Fourth Ave.

Alexandria's Pearl — 1535 N. Stone Ave.

Alexandria's Pearl serves up Egyptian food, with a full menu and a buffet. 

The menu includes traditional fatta, kabsa and koshari. 

August Rhodes Market — 3073 N. Campbell Ave.

Prep & Pastry may have moved down the street, but the owners quickly turned the original space into a trendy lunch spot.

Named after chef Kyle Nottingham's son, August Rhodes Market specializes in gourmet salads and sandwiches on housemade baguettes. 

Read more about Prep & Pastry's move here.

Bacio Italiano — 943 E. University Blvd.

Italian restaurant Bacio Italiano took over the 2,800-square-foot space that for two years housed Red’s Smokehouse & Tap Room, which closed last year. 

Among the items on the menu, Bacio Italiano serves Neapolitan style pizzas with a New York flair. The dining room is airy and minimalist, fashioned around a massive domed pizza oven imported from Italy.

Baja Mar — 3541 S. 12th Ave.

In 2019, Baja Mar expanded with an additional location on South 12th Avenue.

The seafood restaurant also serves as a market. Plus, kids eat free on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. 

Barro's Pizza — 410 N. Wilmot Rd.

Barro's Pizza opened its second Tucson-area location in January. 

The first location opened in 2017 in Marana, at 5884 W. Arizona Pavilions Dr. It was the Phoenix chain's first location south of Casa Grande. 

The chain now has more than 40 locations, most in the greater Phoenix area.

Black Standard Coffee

Black Standard Coffee is a new coffee subscription business owned by Tucson couple Jason and Rachel Kish.

Black Standard Coffee is a direct-trade business that purchases their beans through "farm gate," which means that the buyer negotiates directly with the coffee farmer.

They sell their freshly-roasted beans wholesale, through subscription or by the bag on their website blackstandardcoffee.com. 

The coffee is also served at Dogs-n-Donuts, an east-side bakery that specializes in sweet treats for dogs.

Read more here.

The Blind Pig — 943 E. University Blvd.

The Blind Pig focuses on dry-rubbed and Cajun barbecue and seafood.

The restaurant sits in the spot that was home for nearly seven years to The Fix, which served mac and cheese. That restaurant closed in early May.

Read more here.

Bowld — 13160 E. Colossal Cave Rd.

Bowld was recently welcomed to the Vail area. 

The restaurant boasts meal prepping and catering services, in addition to a menu of bowls and "rowls," which are veggies, meat or cheese wrapped in a different kind of meat or tortilla. They're available grilled or breaded and fried.

The menu also includes salads and burgers.

The Boxyard — 238 N. Fourth Ave.

After more than two years of waiting, The Boxyard, a shipping container food hall on Fourth Avenue, officially opened in January. 

The bar portion has 15 beers on tap. For food, you can nosh on Sonoran dogs, Vietnamese food and barbecue.

Read more here.

Brooklyn Rolls — 1628 E. Sixth St.

A New York City native brought his favorite Brooklyn flavors to a spot just south of the University of Arizona stadium.

John Ryan launched his New York-style deli, dubbed Brooklyn Rolls, at 1628 E. Sixth St., in the old home of Abe’s Place, in July.

Ryan was born in Canarsie, Brooklyn, grew up in Midwood, not far from where Ebbets Field once stood, and is a New York University alum.

A bout of homesickness led to the creation of Brooklyn Rolls.

“I missed Brooklyn,” Ryan said. “I missed the food, the people.”

Read more here.

Buffalo Wings — 485 N. Grande Ave.

Buffalo Wings' menu is fairly simple, with wings, appetizers such as potato skins and jalapeno poppers, and sides including buffalo fries and potato salad. 

Plus, our food reporter Andi Berlin said it's the only place she knows of in Tucson that sells both buffalo wings and boba slushes.

BZ's Pizza — 7856 E. Wrightstown Rd.

The east side restaurant BZ's Pizza closed in the summer of 2017 after its shopping center's anchor Safeway pulled out.

But now it's back on the southwest corner of Pantano and Wrightstown. The new spot has 30 draft beers and a menu that includes pasta and seafood entrees like cioppino and lobster ravioli along with the signature thin crust pizzas. 

Carnitas Estilo Michoacán Los Gordos — 4545 E. 22nd St.

Ceres Pasta + Bread — 77 W. Washington St.

Located in the old Fanny's space across from La Cocina, Ceres Pasta + Bread is a cafe that serves handmade pasta. 

Working with a small team of mostly women, Carolyn O'Connor arrives at 5:30 every morning to make at least 20 pounds of fresh pasta. She prepares a small but rotating selection of pasta styles, available for take-home cooking or freshly-prepared during the daily lunch service. The two main varieties are thin tagliolini and wide tagliatelle, both egg noodles popular in Northern Italy. You choose a noodle, and then choose whether you want tomato basil, pesto, cacio e pepe or meaty Bolognese sauce.  

Read more here.

Charred Pie — 12125 N. Oracle Rd.

Charred Pie serves up wood-fired pizza, in addition to salads, pasta and sandwiches. 

Charro del Rey — 178 E. Broadway

Charrovida — 7109 N. Oracle Rd.

The Mediterranean-inspired Charrovida, the newest restaurant from the El Charro family, opened in May.

It is the third new concept that the Flores family has launched in three years.  

Charrovida, 7109 N. Oracle Road, is a Mediterranean-Sonoran fusion restaurant that borrows from plant-based and sustainable-foods philosophies, a passion for Flores family matriarch Carlotta Flores. The emphasis is on healthy, but with an El Charro focus on flavor and innovation.

Read more here.

Chef Chic — 1104 S. Wilmot Rd.

Chef Wang — 356 E. Grant Rd.

The menu at Chef Wang is so large, it takes a four-ring binder to list everything they serve — including many dishes you may not have seen before.

Chef Wang, or Zhuang Yuan Lou if you speak Mandarin, is essentially a Northeastern Chinese restaurant. The spot is a partnership between Baoge Chen and Chef Hongquan Wang, who are from the city of Shenyang in the Dongbei region of China. 

The restaurant is inside an old Mariscos Chihuahua on Grant Road, and has a suburban vibe that led This Is Tucson's food writer Andi Berlin's lunch partner to call it "The Cheesecake Factory of Chinese food." 

Read more here.

Churrasco de Brasil — 150 W. Wetmore Rd.

Opened in the 8,700-square-foot building that used to house Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar at the Tucson Mall, Churrasco de Brasil is similar to the successful Fogo concept.

Diners pay a fixed price which includes trips to the 30-item salad bar and as much meat as you can handle. Diners will flip over a red card to display a green color when they are ready to begin, signaling the meat servers to come to their table. 

Servers offer up 12 to 15 different types of lamb, pork, chicken and beef. This includes the iconic picanha or sirloin cap, which comes out in half-ovals topped with a thick layer of fat. 

Read more here.

Crema Coffee — 3725 W. Ina Rd.

Crema Coffee opened in Marana in the beginning of April. In addition to coffee, the shop offers pastries in partnership with Sweetster's Bakery, according to their Facebook page. 

Desert Dream Ice Creamery — 210 N. Fourth Ave.

Although Isabella's Ice Cream moved out of their Fourth Avenue location in 2018, ice cream hasn't left the street. 

Brothers Zech and Noah Bergeron took over Desert Dream Ice Creamery, after closing its former location on Speedway and Campbell Avenue.

Now in Isabella's former location on Fourth, the Bergerons make their own ice cream flavors like Coyote Tracks and Elvis Pretzel with help from the original owner.

Divine Bovine — 1021 N. Wilmot Rd.

Dutch Bros. Coffee — 10105 E. Old Vail Rd., 9330 E. Golf Links Rd., 1971 W. Valencia Rd.

El Antojo Poblano — 1114 W. St. Mary's Rd.

El Antojo Poblano refers to the city and state of Pueblo, southeast of Mexico city.

You can find huaraches, cemitas and delicate molote pockets of fried corn masa at El Antojo Poblano — Tucson's new food truck that parks in a vacant lot at St. Mary's near Interstate 10. 

Read more here.  

El Chinito Gordo — 2920 N. Oracle Rd.

According to the restaurant's website, El Chinito Gordo's menu is inspired by Central Mexican recipes passed down through generations. 

The menu includes enchiladas, tacos, a chorizo burger, chile rellenos and more.

El Torero — 231 E. 26th St.

Fonda la Hermanita — 198 W. Cushing St.

The quaint cafe is tucked back behind The Coronet, which moved into the historic Cushing Street building near the Tucson Convention Center.

Chef Erika Bostick has created a small but colorful menu that showcases the fresh produce of Southern Arizona. Since the tiny kitchen doesn't have a flattop, she craftily prepares scrambled eggs using a sous vide machine and serves an array of "platos" like fresh corn masa gorditas with baby greens and black bean spread. 

Read more here. 

Fried Rice Hut — 1655 S. Alvernon Way

Fried Rice Hut is an unassuming dinner spot near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

Yuko Takatori's menu is almost entirely made up of fried rice and deep-fried meats, but that doesn't mean the food is greasy. They also have tasty apple and cinnamon hand-pies that look like sugary egg rolls from the outside.

Heemee Coffee and Bakery — 20 E. Congress St.

Hop Street Lounge — 7215 E. 22nd St.

Irene's Holy Donuts — 340 N. 4th Ave.

Istanbul — 2945 E. Speedway

Ja Ramen — 2643 N Campbell Ave.

Ja Ramen opened in the former home of the restaurant Hoki Poki, which closed in July.

Chef-owner Ja Le said his focus is on curry dishes and ramen, the noodle soup that has gained in popularity over the past few years.

Jewel's Noodle Kitchen — 5683 E. Speedway

Jewel's Noodle Kitchen is owned by Ronghua Zhu who hails from Beijing and has filled her small menu with Northern Chinese specialties like dumplings and housemade wheat noodles.

John Henry's — 117 N. Sixth Ave.

Just Kabab — 10420 N. La Cañada Drive

The new Oro Valley restaurant brought the art of the Persian kebab to a casual setting, with counter service and an open kitchen where you can see your meat being grilled.

Start with a classic skewer of ground beef kubideh and go from there. They also plan to serve traditional stews such as ghetme and ghorme sabzi. 

Just Noodles — 2545 E. Speedway

Located inside Alibaba Restaurant, Just Noodles serves up a menu filled with noodles.

The menu includes wonton noodle, tomato egg, chili spice, chicken with sesame, and more.

Kukai — 267 S. Avenida del Convento

Kukai opened quietly in February at the Mercado Annex, making it the second food vendor in the shopping area. 

And you may recognize the familiar face of Setsuko Mochizuki inside the shipping container kitchen. Her husband Kazuo Senda is the owner of Samurai on Oracle Road, which has been Tucson's go-to rice bowl joint for more than 30 years. 

Kazuo is partnering with his son-in-law Michael McCormack at Kukai, crafting a menu that feels like Samurai meets Instagram. They're making everything from onigiri rice balls and ramen to those takoyaki octopus balls you may have lined up for at Tucson Meet Yourself. 

Read more here.

Le Buzz Caffe — 2930 N. Swan Rd.

Le Buzz Caffe opened its second location in December. 

The new location sits in the Palomino shopping center, near Fort Lowell Road. The first location is at 9121 E. Tanque Verde Rd., near Catalina Highway.

The menu is the same as the original location for now, so look out for those European pastries and fluffy omelettes.

Lemonshark Poke — 2501 E. Grant Rd.

Lemonshark Poke is owned by guitarist Tobi Miller of the The Wallflowers.

Who is this man? He's formerly a semi-famous rockstar and currently a businessman in California who's opened a franchise of poke restaurants.

At Lemonshark Poke, diners can make their own poke bowl, or get one of the house combinations like the Maui Heat Wave pictured here with spicy salmon and spicy tuna. 

The Libertine — 402 E. 9th St.

The Libertine opened in June in the spot that once housed The Coronet.

Ran by the The Coronet's owner, The Libertine is a casual bar with a kitchen serving small plates. 

The Coronet moved out of the Ninth Street space and reopened in the location that was once home to Cushing Street Bar and Restaurant.

Read more here. 

Longhorn Grill & Saloon — 28851 S. Nogales Hwy in Amado

Mama Carey's Kitchen — 501 N. Park Ave.

Maru Japanese Noodle Shop — 1370 N. Silverbell Rd.

More Japanese food has graced Tucson's west side. 

Maru Japanese Noodle Shop is a casual counter-service spot from the people behind Yoshimatsu, just with an emphasis on ramen and udon noodles.

In addition to the familiar beef and curry udons, the restaurant also does a spicy tantan udon, sweet tofu kitsune udon and a cream udon with a sauce similar to fettuccine alfredo. 

Small snacks, such as takoyaki balls and onigiri, are also offered.

Mendez Bakery — 1219 S. Sixth Ave

Mestizos — 1118 W. St. Mary's Rd.

The old Manna From Heaven fry bread spot on St. Mary's Road is getting new life as a contemporary Mexican restaurant.

Mestizos is the product of Patricia Gomez of Nogales, Sonora, who's cooking a mixture of Sonoran and Sinaloan mariscos dishes, as well as recipes from farther south in Mexico. The menu is still being built out, but Patricia recommended the blue corn quesadillas and the Tacos Mestizos, which are actually more like empanadas. 

Mian Sichuan — 4695 N. Oracle Rd.

The main draw at Mian Sichuan (not to be confused with the former MiAn sushi downtown) is volcano noodle soup with Sichuan peppercorns and American cheese.

This new shop in the Tucson Mall area has a small menu of spicy noodle dishes and soups. 

Mission Coffee Imports — 606 N. Fourth Ave.

For the past four years, Brian Jerome Peterson and his partners have peddled their fresh-roasted coffee at area farmers markets.

But those nomad days are behind them.

In late January, Peterson and his partners John Howard and Matthew DeVore opened Mission Coffee Imports in the small street-front space at 606 N. Fourth Ave. that was home for nearly a decade to Revolutionary Grounds Books & Coffee.

Read more here.

Momo's — 1838 E. Sixth St.

The old Rosati's Pizza on Sixth Street and Campbell is now a Mexican restaurant called Momo's.

Owner Mauricio Racano has crafted a menu of Sonoran staples as well as dishes from Mexico City, where he's from. In addition to tacos, nachos and Sonoran hot dogs, you'll find a whole section of enchiladas with uncommon fillings like shrimp and Mahi Mahi.

There are also burrito bowls and tortas, which you can get with something called Cabo meat: a mixture of chorizo, ground beef and green chile. They also serve beer, and make their own aguas frescas.

Monster Sonoran Hot Dogs — Near 1000 W. Congress St.

This new food truck takes Sonoran hot dogs into uncharted territory.

Not only are they wrapped in bacon, but they're also slathered in a juicy mound of birria. Monster Sonoran Hot Dogs makes two sizes, a six-inch and a footlong Big Monster Dog, which is tucked into a bright red bun from Alejandro's Tortilla Factory. 

Original Cuisine — 1800 E. Fort Lowell Rd.

The Arizona Republic speculated that this may be the best Chinese food in the Phoenix area. Lucky for Tucsonans, a location opened up in the Old Pueblo.

The Sichuan menu caters to adventurous eaters who enjoy dishes such as rabbit with pickled pepper and baby ginger. 

Read more here.

Pescaderia y Taqueria Yami — 1926 S. Fourth Ave.

This casual mariscos spot on South Fourth Avenue serves food from the coastal town of Guaymas, Sonora. This means you'll find shrimp cocktails, ceviche, various tostadas with octopus, crab and more.

Pescaderia y Taqueria Yami also has a small market up at the front where you can purchase seafood to-go. 

Pirata Luchi — 4602 E. 29th St.

Pirata Luchi opened in December, serving up seafood, from enchiladas to tostadas. 

Plaza Eats at Hotel Congress — 311 Congress St.

Downtown weekend revelers with late-night hunger pangs have a new dining option, located within the plaza area at Hotel Congress.

The historic hotel, which is celebrating its 100th year in 2019, recently installed a food trailer meant to accommodate evening traffic, including bar hoppers and post-concert crowds, until 2 a.m., Thursdays through Saturdays.

Dubbed Plaza Eats, the trailer offers a mix of favorites from the hotel’s Cup Café — menu items like the Picacho nachos, lettuce wraps and a plant-based Beyond Burger – and classic international street foods.

Read more here. 

Potwhale — 3620 N. First Ave.

At Potwhale, guests cooks their own meats, noodles and veggies in a pot of boiling broth at the center of the table.

Purple Penguin Candy Emporium — 3392 E. 22nd St.

Red Light Lounge at the Downtown Clifton — 485 S. Stone Ave.

The Red Light Lounge is manned by Donald Murray, formerly of The Dusty Monk.

He's doing interesting cocktails Red Light Lounge, including a Bacanora margarita and drink with Tequila and Pimm's called the Inglaterra. 

Rush Bowls — 1058 N. Campbell Ave.

Rush Bowls, a Colorado-based smoothie shop, opened in the former Desert Dream Ice Cream on Speedway and Campbell Avenue. 

Rush Bowls offers a range of frozen yogurt, granola and acaí bowls and even has something for your dog, according to the website. 

Selena's Salvadorian Restaurant — 2513 N. Campbell Ave.

Luis Gonzalez and his family started making pupusas about five years ago at food festivals like Tucson Meet Yourself, and gradually worked their way up to evening and weekend farmers markets. 

Sentinel Peak East — 9155 E. Tanque Verde Rd.

Sonoran Brunch Company — 1060 S. Kolb Rd.

The original Poco and Mom's space on Kolb Road has gotten a refresh, complete with a license plate ceiling and Danny Martin and Jessica Gonzales murals brightening up the space.

The menu at Sonoran Brunch Company goes for an eclectic Tucson hip vibe, with bright takes on huevos rancheros, chorizo skillet pie and more. 

Sweetscape Desserts at Casino del Sol — 5655 W. Valencia Rd.

When walking near the bingo hall at Casino del Sol, you'll come across the eclectic menu at Sweetscape Desserts.

The dessert shop was created by Chef Ryan Clark and his culinary team. The menu includes gelato, shakes, floats, sundaes, breakfast sandwiches and more. 

But you'll probably be drawn in by the colorful donuts from pastry chef Gina Skelton. Her whimsical flavors include fluffernutter, fruit cereal and maple bacon.

Toro Loco Tacos Y Burros — 7940 E. Broadway

Travis and William Miller, the brothers behind the popular Serial Grillers chain of burger and pizza restaurants, are focusing on tacos and burritos in their newest restaurant venture.

The brothers, who also own the midtown taproom Craft, A Modern Drinkery, opened Toro Loco Tacos Y Burros in the recently closed Papa Locos Tacos & Burgers at 7940 E. Broadway.

But Toro Loco is not a Mexican take on Serial Grillers, Miller was quick to note. The menu of specialty burritos and tacos is made with carne asada, chicken, barbacoa, shrimp and carnitas and emulates to some degree the taco shops you find around the beaches in San Diego.

Read more here.

Tortillas by Che West — 2105 S. Sixth Ave.

You may have seen Jose Zavala's colorful corn tortillas at American Eat Co., but now the local chef is opening his own storefront. 

Tortillas by Che West has a variety of non-GMO handmade corn tortillas in creative flavors like garlic green onion, Hot Cheetos, El Pato and more.

He's also selling a variety of flour tortillas and pan dulce from La Estrella Bakery.

Trident Grill IV — 2912 W. Ina Rd.

After months of construction and remodeling including installing a “garage” door, Trident Grill IV officially opened on July 4.

It is the fourth installment of the Trident concept from the trio of Nelson Miller, Danny Gallego and Jason Machamer. And it’s the trio’s second restaurant opening since December, when they launched Trident Pizza Pub in the old Grimaldi’s Pizzeria at 446 N. Campbell Ave.

The owners for several months had been renovating the 4,065-square-foot space at 2912 W. Ina Road that was home to CiCi’s Pizza, which closed in spring 2014.

Read more here.

Tumerico — 402 E. 4th St.

Whiskey Roads — 2265 W. Ina Rd.

Whiskey Roads, a country-music themed restaurant/night club across from Foothills Mall, opened in the beginning of August.

The space once housed Romano's Macaroni Grill. 

Wings on Fire — 9040 E. Valencia Rd.

Wings on Fire opened in the Rita Ranch area earlier this year. The wing restaurant serves a variety of flavored wings including lemon pepper, honey mustard and spicy barbecue. 

Also on the menu: salads, sandwiches and hot dogs.