We said farewell to these Tucson restaurants and bars in 2020
- Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
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
UpdatedThe 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
UpdatedEl 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
UpdatedRigo's closed its second location, 5851 N. Oracle Road, after 10 years.
Mestizos
UpdatedMestizos, 1118 W. St. Mary's Road, opened in November 2019, but announced in April it wouldn't be able to continue.
Gee's Garden
UpdatedGee's Garden, 1145 N. Alvernon Way, opened in 1975, but the new owner fell behind on rent and it closed in June.
Chicago Bar
UpdatedChicago Bar, 5954 E. Speedway, opened in 1978. The owners announced it would be closed because of the pandemic in late June.
Athens on 4th
UpdatedAthens on 4th had served up Greek food for 27 years when it closed in late June.
Alibaba Mediterranean
UpdatedAlibaba Mediterranean, 2545 E. Speedway, closed in late June. This sign was gone and the doors locked.
Rincon Market
UpdatedRincon Market, 2513 E. Sixth St., closed in June after the owner was unable to pay rent.
Public Brewhouse
UpdatedPublic Brewhouse, 209 N. Hoff Ave., closed for good in October. The nanobrewery was losing money doing takeout only.
Meet Rack
UpdatedMeet Rack, known for branding its customers and an owner who called himself God, closed in October.
Green Feet Brewing
UpdatedGreen Feet Brewing, 3669 E. 44th St., opened in 2016, announced in August that it would close "when the beer ran out."
Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails
UpdatedDowntown 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
UpdatedElvira’s Tequila, Cocina & Vino, 256 E. Congress St., closed permanently after months of closure during the pandemic.
Cafe Poca Cosa
UpdatedAfter months of a pandemic closure, Cafe Poca Cosa, 110 E. Pennington St., closed its doors for good.
Perfecto's Express
UpdatedPerfecto'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
UpdatedBianchi’s Italian in Marana, 3620 W. Tangerine Road, is the second Bianchi's location, and is now closed.
Irene’s Holy Donuts
UpdatedIrene’s Holy Donuts, 340 N. Fourth Ave., will be unable to satisfy the sweet tooth of Tucsonans because it closed in February.
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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.
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