The 2024 Sonoran Restaurant Week couldnβt come soon enough for some Tucson restaurateurs.
Itβs been a tough summer for many.
For Ted Fisher, itβs been βslowishβ at his two northwest side restaurants, Dominickβs Real Italian on North Thornydale Road and Twin Peaks Pizzeria in Maranaβs Continental Ranch community.
Inflation has definitely taken a toll.
βOur costs are tremendously higher,β he said. βIt has been a tougher summer. Volume does take care of things, but we havenβt had the volume we need to take care of summer.β
Sonoran Restaurant Week offers Fisher and his fellow Tucson restaurant operators a bit of a reset. Itβs a chance to remind Tucsonans about the cityβs richly diverse culinary landscape that landed Tucson the nationβs first UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation in 2015.
From Sept. 6-15, nearly 90 Tucson restaurants, from neighborhood pizzerias to destination Mexican eateries, will showcase three- and four-course prix fixe specials priced 25% below their regular menu.
Thereβs the spaguetti cacio e chiltepin at Bellissimo Ristorante Italiano at Casino del Sol that comes with a Caesar salad. Buendia Breakfast & Lunch Cafe on North First Avenue is pairing its sweet cinnamon iced tea or cafe de olla with special options for breakfast (huevos rancheros or chorizo and eggs) and lunch (tacos dorados or burritos carne con chile).
Oro Valleyβs Fork & Fire Smokehouse + Taproom is showcasing its βcue skills with barbecue pork, brisket and chicken on the lineup in various incarnations (sandwiches, plates), while Ermanos Bar on North Fourth Avenue is going meatless with its vegetarian lineup that begins with a housemade baba ganoush followed by beer-battered tofu dressed with a calabrian orange honey glaze and finishing with a chocolate mousse tart topped with honey tahini paste.
Ermanos Bar on North Fourth Avenue had this decadent dessert at last yearβs Sonoran Restaurant Week.
Scott Girod, chef-owner of Anello in the Warehouse Arts District on East Sixth Street, is using the opportunity to up his chefing game.
βI feel like itβs just an extra fun thing to do. I donβt know if fun is the right word, but itβs a chance to push out a new menu on the side,β said Girod, a protegΓ© of James Beard Award-winning piazzola Chris Bianco. βWe get to push ourselves a little more and do some things we donβt normally get to do.β
Girodβs Sonoran Restaurant Week menu takes a deep dive into local produce and heritage foods like tepary beans that heβll use to create a roasted green chile dip to accompany sourdough crackers made from the White Sonora Wheat grown at Maranaβs BKW Farms, which has focused on sustainable agriculture since the Wong family started the farm in 1939. Nopales and prickly pear, if he can get them, will be used in the seasonal vegetable ceviche and tomatillos, and E&R pork will top a pizza entrΓ©e. Honey from the small-scale Tucson producer Dos Manos Apiaries will be the centerpiece of a cake with burnt honey glaze and prickly pear whipped cream.
βThese things are being grown here and should be appreciated, and people should eat them every day,β said Girod, whose restaurant will celebrate its seventh anniversary in October.
The restaurants participating in the 2024 campaign cover the culinary gamut of Tucson genres and flavors, from our signature Mexican food (25 restaurants, including the return early this year of the west side Teresaβs Mosaic CafΓ© after a devastating fire closed it in late 2022) to Italian (17 including downtownβs Percheβ No Italian Bistro and several artisan pizzerias).
Chinese, American, Peruvian, Cuban, Japanese, Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine are well represented, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner specials priced from $25-$55.
This is the eventβs sixth year. In its inaugural event in 2019, 30 restaurants participated as an answer to the statewide restaurant week. Founder Laura Reese of Storyteller PR felt Tucson restaurants were being overshadowed by their Phoenix area counterparts. The event also boosted restaurants in early September, which operators say is their slowest time of the year.
Reese pitched the idea to Visit Tucson, which supports and promotes it. Last year, Tucson Foodie took over Reeseβs organizing role.
βI think the best part of our local economy is our Tucson restaurants and I want them to succeed,β said Tucson Foodie owner Shane Reiser. βLocal places are more interesting and local restaurants are more likely to buy from local growers and all that moneyβ goes back into the local economy.
Tucson Foodie has extensive experience hosting community events, including the popular Vegan Night Market that attracts thousands three times a year (the next one is Sept. 28). Reiser said Sonoran Restaurant week is now one of his bigger events because of its economic impact; a survey Foodie conducted with last yearβs participants showed a $3 million revenue impact.
This year, Foodie added nightly dinners to the mix. The dinners, held at a different restaurant each night, is modeled after MontrΓ©alβs MTLΓ TABLE restaurant week, which runs Oct. 31-Nov. 17.
βI just handpicked some restaurants I love and they can put together whatever they want,β Reiser said.
Participating restaurants include JoJoβs Restaurant in the former LaCo space on West Washington Street downtown; Patricia Schwabeβs Penca on East Broadway; the Mejia familyβs Chelaβs Latin Cuisine on East Congress Street; Doug Levyβs Feast on East Speedway; Tyler Fentonβs Bata on East Toole Avenue in the Warehouse Arts District; award-winning chef Ken Foyβs Danteβs Fire on East Grant Road; and Sally Kaneβs The Coronet on West Cushing Street near the Tucson Convention Center.
Other participating restaurants have not been announced.
Save room for desserts during the 2024 Sonoran Restaurant Week.
2024 Sonoran Restaurant Week eateriesHere are the restaurants participating in the 2024 Sonoran Restaurant Week Sept. 6-15. All of the eateries have three- to four-course prix fixe offerings discounted 25% from the regular menu prices. For menus and more information, visit sonoranrestaurantweek.com. Cuisine style is noted.
Agustin Kitchen, 100 S. Avenida del Convento, agustinkitchen.com
- ; American
- Ameliaβs Mexican Kitchen, 5851 N. Oracle Road and 5553 E. Grant Road,
- ; Mexican
- Anello, 222 E. Sixth St.,
- ; Italian and pizza
- Arabic Express, 806 E. University Blvd.,
- ; Middle Eastern
- Bacio Italiano, 943 E. University Blvd.;
- ; Italian
- Barbata, basement of 35 E. Toole Ave.;
- ; American with broader influences
- Barrio Brewing Co., 800 E. 16th St.,
- ; classic bar fare
- Bellissimo, 5655 W. Valencia Road in Casino del Sol,
- ; Italian
- BK Carne Asada & Hot Dogs, 5118 S. 12th Ave. and 2680 N. First Ave.,
- ; Sonoran hot dogs and tacos
- Blanco Cocina + Cantina, 2905 E. Skyline Drive in La Encantada,
- ; Mexican
- Blue Willow, 2616 N. Campbell Ave.,
- ; American
- Boca by Chef Maria Mazon, 533 N. Fourth Ave.,
- ; Mexican
- Borderlands Brewing Company, 119 E. Toole Ave.,
- ; craft beer
- Bottega Michelangelo, 420 W. Magee Road,
- ; Italian
- Buendia Breakfast & Lunch Cafe, 2530 N. First Ave.,
facebook.com/buendia.breakfast.lunch
- ; American
- CafΓ© Γ la CβArt, 150 N. Main Ave.,
- ; casual American bistro
- Caffe Torino, 10325 N. La CaΓ±ada Drive,
- ; fine Italian
- Casa Asada β TaquerΓa y CervecerΓa, 2502 N. Campbell Ave.,
- ; Mexican
- Charro Chico, 3699 N. Campbell Ave.,
; Mexican
Sonoran Restaurant Week celebrates Tucson's diverse dining scene.Β
- Charro Steak & Del Rey, 188 E. Broadway,
- ; seafood and steakhouse
- CharroVida, 7109 N. Oracle Road,
- ; vegetarian-leaning with Sonoran influences
- Chelaβs Latin Cuisine, 256 E. Congress St.,
- ; Latin
- Ciao Down Pizza Studio, 3230 N. Dodge Blvd.,
- ; pizza
- Corbettβs Tucson, 3340 N. Sixth Ave.,
- ; American
- Coronet Cafe, 353 S. Meyer Ave.,
- ; American fast-casual
- Coronet Restaurant, 353 S. Meyer Ave.,
- ; American fine-dining
- Cruda Mariscos & Oyster Bar, 31 N. Scott Ave.,
- ; Mexican seafood
- Culinary Dropout, 2543 E. Grant Road,
- ; American
- Danteβs Fire, 2526 E. Grant Road,
- ; modern American
- Dedicated, Gluten Free Bakery & Coffee Shop, 4500 E. Speedway,
- ; American
- Dominickβs Real Italian, 8330 N. Thornydale Road,
; Italian
Italian food is well-represented on this year's Sonoran Restaurant Week lineup.Β
- Doughbird, 2960 N. Campbell Ave.,
- ; pizza and rotisserie chicken
- El Charro CafΓ©, 311 N. Court Ave. and two other locations,
- ; Mexican
- El Minuto Cafe, 354 S. Main Ave.,
- ; Mexican
- El Sur, 5602 E. 22nd St.,
- ; Mexican
- Ermanos Bar, 220 N. Fourth Ave.,
- ; American with Mexican influences
- Feast, 3719 E. Speedway,
- ; American fine dining
- Fentonelliβs Pizzeria & Bar, 7262 N. Oracle Road,
- ; Italian and pizza
- Fiamme Pizza, 4706 E. Sunrise Drive,
- ; wood-fired pizza
- Flower Child, 2960 N. Campbell Ave.,
- ; healthful American
- Flying V Bar & Grill, 7000 N. Resort Drive in Loews Ventana Canyon Resort,
- ; contemporary Southwest
- Fork & Fire Smokehouse + Taproom, 11835 N. Oracle Road,
- ; barbecue
- Ghiniβs French Caffe, 1803 E. Prince Road,
- ; French bistro
- Gourmet Girls Gluten Free Bakery/Bistro, 5845 N. Oracle Road,
- ; American
- HiFi Kitchen & Cocktails, 345 E. Congress St.,
- ; American bar food
- Incaβs Peruvian Cuisine, 6878 E. Sunrise Drive,
- ; Peruvian
- Jojoβs Restaurant, 76 W. Washington St.,
- ; Southwest-inspired American
- La Botana Tacos, 565 E. Wetmore Road,
- ; Mexican
- La Chingada, 110 E. Pennington St.,
- ; Mexican
- La Indita, 722 N. Stone Ave.,
- ; Mexican
- Lovinβ Spoonfuls Vegan Restaurant, 2990 N. Campbell Ave.,
- ; vegetarian
- Midtown Vegan Deli and Market, 5071 E. Fifth St.,
- ; vegan
- Miss Saigon Downtown, 88 E. Broadway,
- ; Vietnamese
- Mojo Cuban Kitchen, 1929 E. Grant Road,
- ; Cuban
- Monsoon Chocolate Cafe + Market, 3630 E. Fort Lowell Road,
- ; desserts
- Noble Hops, 1335 W. Lambert Lane,
- ; gastropub
- North Italia, 2995 E. Skyline Drive,
- ; upscale Italian
- Obon Sushi Bar Ramen, 350 E. Congress St.,
- ; Japanese
- Penca, 50 E. Broadway,
- ; upscale Mexican
- Percheβ No Italian Bistro, 46 W. Congress St.,
- ; upscale Italian
- Pin+Flour, 4626 N. Campbell Ave. in the Eddy Hotel,
- ; American
- PY Steakhouse, 5655 W. Valencia Road in Casino del Sol,
- ; steakhouse
- RealGood Brunch Co., 1310 S. Alvernon Way,
- ; American
- Redbird Scratch Kitchen + Bar, 6444 N. Oracle Road,
- ; American
- Reforma Modern Mexican. Mezcal + Tequila, 4340 N. Campbell Ave.,
- ; Mexican
- Reilly Craft Pizza & Drink, 101 E. Pennington St.,
- ; Italian and pizza
- Rincon Mountain Grill at Forty Niner Country Club, 12000 E. Tanque Verde Road,
; American
Both locations of Tucsonβs popular Rollieβs Mexican Patio restaurant are participating in the 2024 Sonoran Restaurant Week.
- Rollies Mexican Patio, 4573 S. 12th Ave., and Rollies West, 267 S. Avenida del Convento in the MSA Annex,
- ; Mexican
- Salad Nation, 5870 E. Broadway in Park Place,
- ; salads and wraps
- Samurai Sombrero, 1439 S. Fourth Ave. in American Eat Co.,
- ; Japanese-Mexican fusion
- Sonora Moonshine Company, 124 E. Broadway,
- ; Mexican
- St. Cruz Restaurant at The Leo Kent Hotel, 1 S. Church Ave.,
- ; American
- Tandem American Eatery, 8864 E. Tanque Verde Road,
- ; American
- Teresaβs Mosaic Cafe, 2456 N. Silverbell Road,
- ; Mexican
- Terraza Garden Patio & Lounge at Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort, 5501 N. Hacienda Del Sol Road,
- ; fine dining with regional accents
- The Arizona Inn, 2200 E. Elm St.,
- ; Southwestern-inspired
- The Cork Tucson, 6320 E. Tanque Verde Road,
- ; steakhouse
- The Cup Cafe, 311 E. Congress St. in Hotel Congress,
hotelcongress.com/restaurants/cup-cafe
- ; American
- The Little One, 151 N. Stone Ave.,
- ; Mexican
The Monica, 40 E. Congress St., themonicatucson.com
- ; American with Mexican influences
The Neighborhood Bar, 3940 E. 29th St., theneighborhoodbar.com
- ; American
- Tohono Chul Garden Bistro,7366 N. Paseo Del Norte,
- ; American
- Trocadero Cafe, 4774 E. Grant Road,
- ; Mexican
- Twin Peaks Pizzeria, 7575 Twin Peaks Road,
- ; pizza and sandwiches
- Wildfire Wings & Grill, 15318 N. Oracle Road,
- ; American
- Zinburger, 1865 E. River Road and 6390 E. Grant Road,
- ; classic burger joint
- Zio Peppe, 6502 E. Tanque Verde,
; Italian, pizza
Kevin Fink and his partners created the biggest culinary market in the Southwest in San Antonio, Texas, the second city to be named a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. The Pullman is one of the anchors of the designation.
