Coming in 2023: A restaurant with a speakeasy from the folks behind Borderlands Brewing

A new restaurant with a focus on agave-driven spirits and a food menu programmed by one of Tucson’s top chefs will open its doors downtown next spring.

Sonora Moonshine Company will tentatively launch in May on the ground floor of the VFW Lofts, 124 E. Broadway, in a building that once housed the public television station, Access Tucson.

A concept conceived by Es Teran, chief executive of Borderlands Brewing and co-owner in this venture, the restaurant will have a full bar, with an emphasis on agave-based spirits; drinks that play with mezcal, tequila, bacanora and sotol.

“I come from Sonora,” Teran said. “A lot of my family is involved in the agave making process of spirits. We wanted to make a unique style of restaurant that caters to that agave component.”

Beyond the main dining area, Sonora Moonshine Company will have an outdoor patio space and a basement bar styled as an old fashioned speakeasy that will be open on the weekends and for private parties.

Teran said the basement was a big selling point for him and his partners, several of whom are also involved with Borderlands.

“There is going to be a hidden door to the basement away from the restaurant,” Teran said. “We are trying to implement a guest list or text messaging system where people can have exclusive access, giving it that prohibition feeling.”

Food-wise, the restaurant’s owners have tapped local celebrity chef Maria Mazon, owner of Boca Tacos y Tequila, to create a menu for the concept.

Mazon was a contestant on Season 18 of the Bravo food competition series, “Top Chef” and has appeared on several other programs, including “Chopped,” “Man v. Food” and “The Talk.” She was a semi-finalist for a James Beard Award earlier this year.

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Teran first met Mazon at a culinary festival in Hermosillo, Mexico, several years ago.

“She’s a genuine human, smart industry leader with vast experience and connections within the industry, and phenomenal chef,” Teran said. “Tucson, and the rest of the people who visit from out of town, will be able to see what she is truly capable of.”

Teran said the food aspect is still in its early stages.

“A traditional Mexican food menu is what we are shooting for,” he added. “We want to make sure that we have meals that will satisfy both the lunch crowd and the late-night dinner crowd, looking for somewhere to eat after visiting the Rialto or the Fox.”

Borderlands is working with Mazon on several concepts, including having her develop the menu at their new Borderlands location, set to open at the end of October, in the old PJ Subs “T6” Filling Station, 2500 E. Sixth St.; and as a partner in a concept, dubbed DOS, at the old Harvest Restaurant location, at 5605 E. River Road.

Teran said the VFW Lofts building is the perfect spot for Sonora Moonshine Company, adding to a busy stretch of restaurants and bars along East Broadway, including Charro Steak & del Rey, Pueblo Vida Brewing Co., Penca, and Thunder Canyon Brewing.

The project recently received added financial support from Rio Nuevo, whose board agreed to invest $380,000 for requested improvements to the space during its last meeting.

“This was not part of my 2022 vision board,” Teran said. “But we fell in love with the building. We want to be able to provide a different kind of atmosphere for downtown.”