The building has some pretty old bones, but the menu and the vibe scream 2016.
Hereβs what to expect from Phoenix-based Welcome Diner, which opened Tuesday evening, Oct. 4, at 902 E. Broadway:
Retro-chic design
βDesigned in 1964 by Santa Barbara architect Ronald Bergquist, in Googie style, the geometric asymmetrical diner is an American classic,β says the website for Tucson Modernism Week (which runs through Oct. 8). Googie, popular in the 1960s, is futurist architecture influenced by the Space Age.
The building first housed a Samboβs Restaurant and was Chaffinβs Diner from 2000 to December 2015.
Welcome Dinerβs overhaul of the building was done by local firm Repp + Mclain Design and Construction, which aimed to restore the original look using the idea of βaddition by subtraction.β
The waiting room/antechamber has been completely removed to restore the building to its original shape. Wooden benches have been added to the patio out front.
The acoustic tile ceiling has been stripped out to reveal light brown βglulamβ (glued laminated timber) beams.
To play off the beams, Repp + Mclain installed the same type of wood on the bar counter and tabletops. Chaffinβs iconic red highlights have been changed to a sky-blue color scheme, but you can still see the old red tiles from Chaffinβs in a line on the back wall.
The bathrooms and back room have been spruced up, and a back patio is coming soon.
Fancy food,
fun cockt
ails
The menu features a mix of gourmet and casual, with entree prices ranging from $8 (fried chicken and cheddar on a biscuit) to $28 (steak Roquefort).
There are sandwiches and burgers; mac-and-cheese with optional add-ons including Brussels sprouts; Southwestern-Southern mashups such as grits with green chili and roasted okra, or chile rellenos with hot pimento cheese; grilled romaine and corn salad; steamed clams in lemongrass broth; bone-in pork chop; and poutine fries, including vegan poutine made with tropical jackfruit β for some examples.
If youβre adventurous, order the cured sardines and toast. The mellow fish comes dotted with radish sprouts and a light foam made from local Fiore di Capra goat cheese.
Cocktails go from whiskey sour to the fussy Frappe GΓΌey with St. George absinthe, creosote and local nut milk. An early favorite is the classic hurricane rum punch, which was simple but well-balanced and tart.
For now, Welcome Diner is open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. every day. The team plans to add brunch and lunch service in the future.
