At #ThisIsTucson, we love Tucson Meet Yourself. It’s a shame that the annual folklife festival and international smorgasbord is only one weekend a year.
In case you missed the 40-plus food vendors at Tucson Meet Yourself this time around, we found a roster of restaurants and caterers that were present at the event, but you can order food from regularly, year-round.
Cafe Francais
The French cafe got its start bringing its jumbo kouign-amann to farmers markets across Tucson. Now it has an expanded space including a section for imported goods out on the east side.
Location: 7831 E. Wrightstown Road
For more information, check out their website.
Cafe Santa Rosa
The south-side institution is known for its cozy Tohono O’odham specialties like popovers and red chile beef, or hamburgers made using popovers as buns.
Location: 2615 S. Sixth Ave.
For more information, check out their website.
Coyote Kitchen
This kitchen and gift shop served sweet and savory popovers at Tucson Meet Yourself. Call ahead to place an order for pickup!
Location: 1959 W. San Xavier Road
For more information, check out their website.
El Taco Rustico
Juan Almanza, owner of El Rustico, opened his place 24 hours after restaurants were ordered to close their dining rooms in March 2020. It survived the lockdown and is thriving.
Taco Rustico got its start at the Tohono O’odham Swap Meet, where it became known for its trompo of al pastor. Now their cult following can pick up tacos from a storefront on Oracle Road.
Location: 2281 N. Oracle Road
For more information, check out their website.
Empanadas El Dominicano
The food truck is run by a former baseball pro and can often be found in the lot west of Rosemont Boulevard on Broadway. You can find an array of the savory Dominican hand pies on the menu, along with tropical smoothies.
Location: 5030 E. Broadway
For more information, check out their website.
Food2Door Catering
This catering company has an extensive menu of Iranian specialties. Their menu at Tucson Meet Yourself featured lubia polo (a comfort dish of layered ground meat, rice and green beans) and the eggplant appetizer kashke bademjan.
They don’t have a brick and mortar, but you can find their saffron pistachio ice cream at Caravan and Babylon markets.
For more information, check out their website.
Frost Gelato
Frost co-founders Jeffrey Kaiserman, left, and Stephen Ochoa, right, flank master gelato chef and Italy native Nazario Melchionda, at their gelato shop, 2905 E. Skyline Drive.
Frost started in Tucson, and while still owned locally, has since expanded its gelato empire internationally.
Locations:
Tanque Verde | 7301 E. Tanque Verde Road
La Encantada | 2905 E. Skyline Dr.
Casas Adobes | 7131 N. Oracle Road
For more information, check out their website.
Fruit Shack Smoothies and Yogurt
Fruit Shack is more than a smoothie spot — you can also find empanadas here, in a slightly different style than those at El Dominicano food truck.
Locations:
Tucson | 5420 E. Broadway
Oro Valley | 10785 N. Oracle Road
For more information, check out their website.
Just Churros
These churros are a Spanish-Mexican fusion, using an old-school Spanish recipe but Mexican toppings like cinnamon sugar and cajeta.
Just Churros makes churros in the Spanish style, but with Mexican toppings like cinnamon sugar, and dips like cajeta. They’re made with a family recipe, made at fairs in Southern Arizona for generations.
Soon-to-open location: 4280 N. Oracle Road. Just Churros’ food truck can also be found at events around town.
For more information, check out their website.
Kingston Kitchen
This Jamaican restaurant used to be known as CeeDee. You can find Caribbean favorites like jerk chicken and oxtail there.
Location: 5305 E. Speedway
For more information, check out their website.
Little Mexico Restaurant
Little Mexico has a restaurant and steakhouse, where you can find Sonoran classics. They donate their earnings from TMY to Santa Cruz Catholic Church.
Location: 698 W. Irvington Road. (Steakhouse is at 2851 W. Valencia Road.)
For more information, check out their website.
Inca’s Peruvian Cuisine
Guy Fieri tried the lomo saltado beef at Inca’s Peruvian Cuisine on “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” television show.
Inca’s was featured in an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." When Guy Fieri was there, he ordered a stewy steak dish called seco de carne con frijoles and lomo saltado, a Peruvian-style steak frites.
Location: 6878 E. Sunrise Dr.
For more information, check out their website.
Mama Carey’s Catering
Tisha Carey, of Mama Carey’s Catering, scoops a helping of collard greens to go along with potato salad and fried catfish during the 2018 Juneteenth Festival.
Mama Carey is a caterer specializing in soul food: sweet potato pie, fried catfish and hush puppies. This catering company does not have a brick and mortar.
For more information, check out their website.
Mariscos Chihuahua
While there are many locations of Mariscos Chihuahua across the Tucson area, the one represented at Tucson Meet Yourself is on North Grande Avenue.
Location: 1009 N. Grande Ave.
For more information, check out their website.
Saffron Indian Bistro and Kababeque Indian Grill
These sister Indian restaurants cover both the high-end sit-down, and quick student fare in Oro Valley and Main Gate Square, respectively. It’s delicious at both.
Locations:
Saffron | 7607 N. Oracle Road
Kababeque | 845 E. University Blvd. (and in Sahuarita, 15990 S. Rancho Sahuarita Blvd.)
For more information, check out their websites: Saffron and Kababeque.
Solid Grindz Hawaiian BBQ
Solid Grindz slings Hawaiian specialties near Davis-Monthan. Favorites include bang shrimp and katsu chicken.
Location: 6255 E. Golf Links Road
For more information, check out their website.
Sonoran Sno-Cones
You can get a pineapple strawberry sno-cone from Sonoran Sno-cones year-round.
The family behind Sonoran Sno-Cones is also behind Sonoran Delights, a taqueria-style raspado shop.
Location: 921 W. Congress St.
For more information, check out their website.
A number of food trucks and pop-ups that were at TMY this year can also be found at events and locations around town. Check out:
- BBQ & Beats
- Churros El Rey
- Eatgypt
- Herculean Chicken
- Off The Hook Seafood
- Ricuras de Venezuela
- Takoyaki Balls
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