From a taco shop opening up on Tucson’s west side to a popular new pizza joint, Tucson kicked off 2020 with several restaurant openings.
The Dapper Doughnut
4016 N. First Ave., 820-5691
The Dapper Doughnut may be a national franchise operation, but I was impressed by the quality of the mini doughnuts at this new spot on First Avenue.
These little guys buck the trend. They’re not giant sugar bombs covered in Oreos or frosting caricatures that give them an anthropomorphic look. They’re simple doughnuts fried in oil right in front of you, and lightly drizzled with some sweet stuff.
The “mini doughnut” does something to the texture of each bite. There’s a higher ratio of golden brown crunch, making the cakey inside taste that much better.
I got a six-pack for $4.99 with Fruity Pebbles and salted caramel, expecting to take a couple back to the office. After one bite I realized that was not possible.
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday-Sunday.
La Chaiteria by Tumerico
1002 W. Congress St., 270-2055
Less than a year after she expanded her widely popular Tumerico restaurant to North Fourth Avenue, Wendy Garcia is bringing her veg-Mex worldview to the west side.
La Chaiteria by Tumerico quietly opened in the old bones of a Quick Stop convenience store in Menlo Park. It’s part restaurant, part vegan market and part yoga studio. And it’s getting more colorful as we speak. Every time I pop in, there’s a new mural, with hummingbirds and Indian deities and giant lotería cards on the sliding garage doors.
Like Tumerico, the food menu changes daily, and all of it is cooked from a taco cart parked in front of the restaurant.
But unlike the other locations, La Chaiteria is the first to offer a standalone salsa bar. This is a huge deal, considering how talented Garcia is with sauces. This stuff is so good, you want to drink it. And that’s what I did, after my meal of jackfruit tacos that were spiced up like al pastor.
Also, it just opened but La Chaiteria has a small selection of plant-based Mexican grocery store items. They also do CBD drinks, and the server assured me you can put CBD on anything in the restaurant, even your tacos.
Hours: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.
Slice & Ice
1905 W. Grant Road, 274-7276
Your new spot for sub sandwiches, icy drinks and ranch fries? No it’s not Eegee’s, but it is down the street from one.
After selling his namesake company to a California family in 2006, Eegee’s co-founder Ed Irving is back with a fast-casual spot on Grant Road, west of Interstate 10. Slice & Ice serves a small menu of toasted subs and crinkle fries that can be done up with nacho cheese, garlic, ranch or pizza toppings.
In addition to sandwiches, they also make rapid-fire pizzas. But the highlight of the menu is the Italian ice, an O.G. recipe that eventually grew into the Eegee’s slush of today.
During our visit, Irving was doing one flavor: an all-natural lime Italian ice made without fillers and preservatives that give it that fakey taste. Irving said he plans to add other flavors like strawberry limeade.
Hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
Voltron Brewing Company
330 S. Toole Ave., 505-2560
Named after a kitschy anime show from the ’80s where space explorers ride robot lions through the universe, Voltron Brewing Company is a partnership between two Tucson breweries.
Borderlands Brewing Co. and Sentinel Peak Brewing Company formed Arizona’s first brewery co-op in 2018 so they could expand production by sharing a large warehouse space on Toole Avenue. In January, they opened a tasting room that serves both of their beers, plus some fun collaborations like the Lion Force Lager (also named after the show).
Voltron’s tasting room has a warehouse feel, despite having 20 beers on tap. The focal point of the room is the long window that looks out onto the 10,000-square-foot brewing area.
The move has allowed Sentinel Peak to expand their operations to a 15-barrel system, while Borderlands has 20. This means that the two breweries can distribute their beers across Arizona and beyond.
Hours: 4-9 p.m. daily
On the horizon:
- The Phoenix-based chain of wine bars Postino will open its first Tucson location March 2, according to a news release. The restaurant is going in at a new development called The Grant Modern on the southeast corner of East Grant Road and North Tucson Boulevard.
- The national brunch chain Snooze an A.M. Eatery will open by the end of April. postinowinecafe.com
Ni Hao Tea, 4726 E. Broadway, serves boba tea and other liquid treats like cheese tea, fresh taro slushies and drinks made with ceremonial-grade matcha imported from Japan. The business held a soft opening last weekend, but is taking a few more days to regroup before opening to the public. facebook.com/nihaobobatea
