Editor's note: This story was originally published on July 1, 2021. It was updated in 2024.
Summer is my favorite season. It always has been. I love the excruciatingly bright sunshine and the sauna effect of getting into a hot car.
But my favorite part of every summer, as it is for most Tucsonans, is monsoon. Rare humidity builds in a slow arc toward spectacular thunderstorms and life-giving rain.
Before you depart for one of these restaurants, please make sure it is safe to do so. The National Weather Service has safety guidelines for monsoons on their website. Be sure to avoid driving through washes or overflowing dips. Flash floods can happen suddenly even if it's not raining where you are. Don't hang out in low areas. Monsoons, like most of Tucson's rugged desert environs, can be as dangerous as they are breathtaking.
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Go-tos for a special occasion
The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, is nestled in the Tortolita Mountains. Its covered patio gazes over the Tucson basin below.
The most obvious answers to this proposition are the most expensive. Starr Pass, 3800 W. Starr Pass Blvd., is one of my go-tos for a special occasion.
The views at the Ritz-Carlton, 15000 N. Secret Springs Dr., and Vivace, 6440 N. Campbell Ave., are hard to beat.
Surprising finds
Flight Grill diners at the Pima Air and Space Museum can look through windows that run the length of the restaurant.
While few restaurants with a view are actively cheap, some of the more accessible places to watch a monsoon also happen to be the most unique.
Topgolf, 4050 W. Costco Dr., and Flight Grill at the Pima Air and Space Museum, 6000 E. Valencia Road, offer expansive views from floor-to-ceiling windows.
Sheltered views
Blanco Tacos + Tequila’s covered patio and floor-to-ceiling windows offer some of the best views in the Catalina Foothills.
If a meal at Vivace is out of your price range, try the nearby Blanco Tacos + Tequila, 2905 E. Skyline Dr., where you can cozy up to a bar and witness — yet feel sheltered from — the majesty of nature, for the slightly-inflated price of a cocktail.
Similarly, The Moonstone at the Graduate Hotel gives you panoramic views from the heart of town alongside bar eats and pretty cocktails. The restaurant and bar is located on the top of the hotel right behind Main Gate Square, 930 E. Second St.
Desert setting
Saguaro Corners embeds diners in the Sonoran Desert.
While neither of these places are cheap, per se, I had to mention Tohono Chul’s bistro at 7366 N. Paseo del Norte (they offer bottomless prickly pear mimosas) and Saguaro Corners, 3750 S. Old Spanish Trail, as well.
There’s nowhere better to feel like you are an integrated part of the desert we love so much.
Safe in the wild
A brief monsoon storm throws a rainbow over the valley, Tucson, Ariz., July 1, 2020. View to the southeast from Greasewood.
If watching the monsoon from your car is more your speed and the roads are safe, I’d suggest the Sweetwater Preserve, Babad Do'ag or Agua Caliente trailheads to watch the storms come through.
Pack a picnic, or pick up some pastries from Tucson institutions like La Estrella Bakery or Le Buzz Cafe. You could also pick up St. Mary's Mexican Food and head to a nearby park for car views.
