We said farewell to these Tucson restaurants and bars in 2020
2020 may be considered the "Year from H-E-double-toothpicks" for many of us, but for the owners and employees of these restaurants that closed, it was the worst. We're sorry to see them go.
The Independent Distillery
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Choose your own smash from liquors and fruits at The Independent Distillery.
The 5-year-old downtown cocktail bar, 30 S. Arizona Ave., announced its closure in early November, saying that eight months without revenue was the dealbreaker.
El Indio Mexican Restaurant
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El Indio Mexican Restaurant was known for its albondigas and caldo de queso soups, as well as its topopo salads.
El Indio Mexican Restaurant, 3355 S. Sixth Ave., closed in March, when many restaurants closed because of the pandemic. Now the owner, Pedro Estrella, has decided to retire and the restaurant will not reopen.
Rigo's on Oracle Road
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Rigo's Oracle location, 5851 N. Oracle Road, closed in 2020.
Rigo's closed its second location, 5851 N. Oracle Road, after 10 years.
Mestizos
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Mestizos, 1118 W. St. Mary's Road, announced it was closing in April, 2020.
Mestizos, 1118 W. St. Mary's Road, opened in November 2019, but announced in April it wouldn't be able to continue.
Gee's Garden
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Gee's Garden closed in June, 2020.
Gee's Garden, 1145 N. Alvernon Way, opened in 1975, but the new owner fell behind on rent and it closed in June.
Chicago Bar
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The owners of Chicago Bar, a fixture for Tucson blues fans and musicians alike since 1978, announced the closure on Facebook, saying the financial burden of being mostly closed since March 17 took an irreversible toll.
Chicago Bar, 5954 E. Speedway, opened in 1978. The owners announced it would be closed because of the pandemic in late June.
Athens on 4th
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at 5951 E. Speedway Last June, the owner of Athens on 4th at North Fourth Avenue and East University Boulevard threw in the towel. Owner Andreas Delfakis said it was impossible to continue under the strict COVID restrictions that limited capacity at his 27-year-old restaurant.
Athens on 4th had served up Greek food for 27 years when it closed in late June.
Alibaba Mediterranean
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Alibaba Mediterranean was a casual spot for falafel plates and more at 2545 E. Speedway.
Alibaba Mediterranean, 2545 E. Speedway, closed in late June. This sign was gone and the doors locked.
Rincon Market
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Rincon Market, 2513 E. Sixth St. in Tucson, closed for good.
Rincon Market, 2513 E. Sixth St., closed in June after the owner was unable to pay rent.
Public Brewhouse
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Public Brewhouse, 209 N. Hoff Ave., closed its doors after a five-year run because of the pandemic.
Public Brewhouse, 209 N. Hoff Ave., closed for good in October. The nanobrewery was losing money doing takeout only.
Meet Rack
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Jim Anderson, owner of the Meet Rack, 210 W. Drachman St., in 2007 with his trademark staff and vehicle license plate, which reads “GOD.”
Meet Rack, known for branding its customers and an owner who called himself God, closed in October.
Green Feet Brewing
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Green Feet Brewing, 3669 E. 44th St., opened in 2016, announced in August that it would close "when the beer ran out."
Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails
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Chef Janos Wilder has closed Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails, which had been open for 10 years. He temporarily closed the restaurant in March because of the pandemic and decided to shutter it for good on Thursday. He said he has no plans to start another restaurant.
Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails had closed temporarily because of the pandemic, but Chef Janos Wilder announced in October that the restaurant would close for good.
Elvira’s
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Rubén Monroy Jr. has permanently closed his downtown restaurant Elvira’s Tequila, Cocina & Vino due to COVID-19. He and his crew were cleaning out the restaurant on East Congress Street on Wednesday.
Elvira’s Tequila, Cocina & Vino, 256 E. Congress St., closed permanently after months of closure during the pandemic.
Cafe Poca Cosa
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Café Poca Cosa, closed for months because of the pandemic, will not reopen. Other local restaurants are limping along.
After months of a pandemic closure, Cafe Poca Cosa, 110 E. Pennington St., closed its doors for good.
Perfecto's Express
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Perfecto Leon’s second family restaurant, in a former Sonic Drive-In at 1055 E. Irvington Road, is gone, but his restaurant on South 12th Avenue is still going strong.
Perfecto's Mexican Grill Express, 1055 E. Irvington, is another casualty of the pandemic. It was a spinoff of Perfecto's on South 12th Avenue.
Bianchi’s Italian in Marana
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Bianchi’s owner Vincent Bianchi said the Marana restaurant, above, was picking up steam after years of struggle, but “we cannot overcome COVID-19.”
Bianchi’s Italian in Marana, 3620 W. Tangerine Road, is the second Bianchi's location, and is now closed.
Irene’s Holy Donuts
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Irene’s Holy Donuts, 340 N. Fourth Ave., will be unable to satisfy the sweet tooth of Tucsonans because it closed in February.
As featured on
Owners of the longtime Greek restaurant Fronimo's say they aren't entirely throwing in the towel: They hope to find a new, smaller space to re-establish the restaurant.
While some COVID-19 metrics show signs of plateauing, case counts remain high, hospitals remain at low capacity and patients continue to die.
B Line served up a bistro-quality menu at diner prices to attract a decidedly younger clientele, including college students living in nearby student housing complexes.
