Editor's note: This story was originally published in October 2019.
When Dino Volpi opened his Purple Penguin Candy Emporium on East 22nd Street earlier this year, he was hoping his independent sweets shop would bring back memories for Tucsonans.
The store specializes in selling the candies, chocolates and craft sodas from your youth, no matter what part of the country you hail from.
Grow up in the Pacific Northwest? Have an Idaho Spud with all of its cocoa-marshmallow, soft chew goodness.
Midwest residents can pick up a Cherry Mash, a chocolate shell with cherry-flavored filling, still made in the small Missouri town where it was created in 1918.
If youโre a transplant from Pennsylvania, a few bottles of Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer might satisfy your thirst for home.
The store works with 16 suppliers across the country for inventory.
Volpi encourages his customers to make requests.
โIf you want it and they still make it, weโll locate it,โ said Volpi, who grew up in the Philadelphia area. โPeople come in here and see candies they have not seen since they were kids.โ
Volpi says the extra effort is worth seeing the smiles on customersโ faces. It is why he got into the candy business in the first place.
Volpi, 69, has a long history in the food service industry.
He started his career in the early 1970s, opening Pizza Hut and Arthur Treacherโs Fish & Chips locations in cities around the U.S., and launching his own concepts.
โI brought the first Philly cheesesteaks to Casper, Wyoming,โ said Volpi, referring to his restaurant Dinoโs, which he owned and operated in the early 1980s.
Volpi also ran several antique shops, including a store that shared the Purple Penguin name in Casper.
Since moving to town seven years ago, Volpi has worked primarily as a sales representative for Peddlerโs Son Produce & Provisions, a wholesale produce distributor.
The candy store, he said, is his first step to retirement. He splits his time between the shop and his sales job.
โWhat better thing to do when you retire than open a candy store?โ Volpi asked. โIt is a lot of fun, no stress.โ
Part of the fun for Volpi is decorating the Penguin, which shares a small strip mall with a bike shop and a tattoo supply store at 3392 E. 22nd St.
Volpi makes the most of the 1,500 square feet.
Designed to look like an old-fashioned general store, customers are greeted by shelf after shelf of taffy, chocolates, sodas and other candies, interspersed with antiques from Volpiโs own collection.
A floor piano, like the FAO Schwarz piano featured in the 1988 Tom Hanksโ film โBig,โ is positioned against the back wall.
A claw machine dubbed the Miniature Steam Shovel from 1920 awaits kids full of bubble gum and other treats.
Families are welcome to interact with many of the working antiques around the Purple Penguin.
โThese kids are playing with a claw machine that their great-grandparents might have played with,โ Volpi said.
Rebekah Holman, a cashier at the store and its only employee, was so entranced with the atmosphere of the place when she came in to apply over the summer that she almost forgot to hand in her rรฉsumรฉ.
โI got lost with everything thatโs in there,โ Holman said. โThere is so much to see. I walked around in amazement.โ
Holman said people often come in out of sheer curiosity.
They see the figures set up outside of the shop โ M&M characters, a Willy Wonka cardboard cutout and the like โ and peek inside to see whatโs happening.
Volpi said he chose the location because its proximity to the family friendly Reid Park and Reid Park Zoo.
โPeople always have this wide-eyed look when they come in for the first time,โ Holman said. โTheir jaws drop and they start asking questions.โ
Itโs all part of making the Purple Penguin a destination, Volpi said.
โAs an independent candy store, itโs hard to compete with places like Walmart,โ Volpi said. โWe want people to come in here for the full experience. You are getting more than just candy when you walk through those doors.โ
70 restaurants and coffee shops that opened in Tucson in 2019
Here's a look at restaurants that opened in the Tucson area in 2019
UpdatedReporting by Andi Berlin, Cathalena E. Burch and Gerald Gay.
ATL Wings โ 802 N. Fourth Ave.
UpdatedRalph and Velveia Bankhead like to think a little heavenly intervention led them to the 1950s-era gas station-turned restaurant on the corner of North Fourth Avenue and East University.
It all started with a business networking meeting at their Phoenix church three years ago. Velveia Bankhead was the keynote speaker, and one of the guests, fellow church member Cianna Kirksey, pitched her and her husband Mikeโs ATL Wings restaurant chain.
Not long afterward, the Bankheads visited the restaurant in west Phoenix โ there are eight locations in the Valley โ and discovered something Ralph Bankhead called life-changing.
โThese wings do something to you,โ he said, sounding like a preacher about to hit that fever pitch of his sermon. โWhen people eat our wings, they love our wings.โ
With so many locations in the Phoenix area, the Bankheads, who own the restaurant with Angela and Alphonso Tyson, turned their attention to Tucson and that 2,000-square-foot former filling station at 802 N. Fourth Ave. that had been converted into a restaurant in 2017.
Read moreย here.
Alexandria's Pearl โ 1535 N. Stone Ave.
UpdatedAlexandria's Pearl serves up Egyptian food, with a full menu and a buffet.ย
The menu includes traditional fatta, kabsa and koshari.ย
August Rhodes Market โ 3073 N. Campbell Ave.
UpdatedPrep & Pastry may have movedย down the street, but the owners quickly turned the original space into a trendy lunch spot.
Named after chef Kyle Nottingham's son,ย August Rhodes Marketย specializes in gourmet salads and sandwiches on housemade baguettes.ย
Read more about Prep & Pastry's move here.
Bacio Italiano โ 943 E. University Blvd.
UpdatedItalian restaurant Bacio Italiano took over the 2,800-square-foot space that for two years housed Redโs Smokehouse & Tap Room, which closed last year.ย
Among the items on the menu,ย Bacio Italianoย serves Neapolitan style pizzas with a New York flair. The dining room is airy and minimalist, fashioned around a massive domed pizza oven imported from Italy.
Baja Mar โ 3541 S. 12th Ave.
UpdatedIn 2019, Baja Mar expanded with an additional location on South 12th Avenue.
The seafood restaurant also serves as a market. Plus, kids eat free on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.ย
Barro's Pizza โ 410 N. Wilmot Rd.
UpdatedBarro's Pizza opened its second Tucson-area location in January.ย
The first location opened in 2017 in Marana, at 5884 W. Arizona Pavilions Dr. It was the Phoenix chain's first location south of Casa Grande.ย
The chain now has more than 40 locations, most in the greater Phoenix area.
The menu includes classic dishes such as pizza, pasta, salads and subs.ย
Black Standard Coffee
UpdatedBlack Standard Coffee is a new coffee subscription business owned by Tucson couple Jason and Rachel Kish.
Black Standard Coffee is a direct-trade business that purchases their beans through "farm gate," which means that the buyer negotiates directly with the coffee farmer.
They sell their freshly-roasted beans wholesale, through subscription or by the bag on their websiteย blackstandardcoffee.com.ย
The coffee is also served atย Dogs-n-Donuts, an east-side bakery that specializes in sweet treats for dogs.
Read more here.
The Blind Pig โ 943 E. University Blvd.
UpdatedThe Blind Pig focuses on dry-rubbed and Cajun barbecue and seafood.
The restaurant sits in the spot that was home for nearly seven years to The Fix, which served mac and cheese. That restaurant closed in early May.
Read more here.
Bowld โ 13160 E. Colossal Cave Rd.
UpdatedBowld was recently welcomed to the Vail area.ย
The restaurant boasts meal prepping and catering services, in addition to a menu of bowls and "rowls," which are veggies, meat or cheese wrapped in a different kind of meat or tortilla. They're available grilled or breaded and fried.
The menu also includes salads and burgers.
The Boxyard โ 238 N. Fourth Ave.
UpdatedAfter more than two years of waiting, The Boxyard, a shipping container food hall on Fourth Avenue, officially opened in January.ย
The bar portion has 15 beers on tap. For food, you can nosh on Sonoran dogs, Vietnamese food and barbecue.
Read moreย here.
Brooklyn Rolls โ 1628 E. Sixth St.
UpdatedA New York City native brought his favorite Brooklyn flavors to a spot just south of the University of Arizona stadium.
John Ryan launched his New York-style deli, dubbedย Brooklyn Rolls, atย 1628 E. Sixth St., in the old home of Abeโs Place, in July.
Ryan was born in Canarsie, Brooklyn, grew up in Midwood, not far from where Ebbets Field once stood, and is a New York University alum.
A bout of homesickness led to the creation of Brooklyn Rolls.
โI missed Brooklyn,โ Ryan said. โI missed the food, the people.โ
Read more here.
Buffalo Wings โ 485 N. Grande Ave.
UpdatedBuffalo Wings' menu is fairly simple, with wings, appetizers such as potato skins and jalapeno poppers, and sides including buffalo fries and potato salad.ย
Plus, our food reporter Andi Berlin said it's the only place she knows of in Tucson that sells both buffalo wings and boba slushes.
BZ's Pizza โ 7856 E. Wrightstown Rd.
UpdatedThe east side restaurantย BZ's Pizzaย closed in the summer of 2017 after itsย shopping center's anchor Safeway pulled out.
But now it's back on the southwest corner of Pantano and Wrightstown. The new spot has 30 draft beers and a menu that includes pasta and seafood entrees like cioppino and lobster ravioli along with the signature thin crust pizzas.ย
Carnitas Estilo Michoacรกn Los Gordos โ 4545 E. 22nd St.
UpdatedItโs hard to miss Carnitas Estilo Michoacรกn Los Gordos as you travel down East 22nd Street in midtown Tucson.
The mobile eatery is housed in a former school bus, painted bright pink. It sets up in the middle of a large dirt lot amid several car dealerships, between South Swan Road and South Columbus Boulevard.
Its interior has been custom altered to resemble a diner rather than your kidsโ ride to middle school.
Long metal tables stretch along either wall, giving each customer a view of neighboring businesses and the traffic on 22nd.
The rear of the bus serves as the counter and kitchen, where 20-year-old Jackie Aguilar takes orders and her brother, Alex Quezada, 36, creates carnitas dishes using family recipes, born in Michoacรกn, Mexico, and passed down through generations.
Read more here.
Ceres Pasta + Bread โ 77 W. Washington St.
UpdatedLocated in the old Fanny's space across from La Cocina,ย Ceres Pasta + Breadย is a cafe that serves handmade pasta.ย
Working with a small team of mostly women,ย Carolyn O'Connorย arrives at 5:30 every morning to make at least 20 pounds of fresh pasta. She prepares a small but rotating selection of pasta styles, available for take-home cooking or freshly-prepared during the daily lunch service. The two main varieties are thin tagliolini and wide tagliatelle, both egg noodles popular in Northern Italy. You choose a noodle, and then choose whether you want tomato basil, pesto, cacio e pepe or meaty Bolognese sauce.ย ย
Read more here.
Charred Pie โ 12125 N. Oracle Rd.
UpdatedCharred Pie serves up wood-fired pizza, in addition to salads, pasta and sandwiches.ย
Charro del Rey โ 178 E. Broadway
UpdatedThe seafood-centric restaurant Charro del Rey was opened by the Flores family โ the same family behind the popular El Charro Cafe.
Charro del Rey sits at 178 E. Broadway, next door to the Flores family's 2-year-old Charro Steak, 188 E. Broadway.
El Charro President Ray Flores told the Star in October 2018 that the restaurant pays homage to his father, Ray Sr. whose name was often misspelled โRey.โ
Read moreย here.
Charrovida โ 7109 N. Oracle Rd.
UpdatedThe Mediterranean-inspired Charrovida, the newest restaurant from the El Charro family, opened in May.
It is the third new concept that the Flores family has launched in three years.ย ย
Charrovida, 7109 N. Oracle Road, is a Mediterranean-Sonoran fusion restaurant that borrows from plant-based and sustainable-foods philosophies, a passion for Flores family matriarch Carlotta Flores. The emphasis is on healthy, but with an El Charro focus on flavor and innovation.
Read moreย here.
Chef Chic โ 1104 S. Wilmot Rd.
UpdatedTucsonโs newest Iron Chef took the plunge and opened her own restaurant.
Technically, itโs the second iteration of the restaurant if you count the eight years Wendy Gauthier had been running Chef Chic out of the commercial kitchen/cafeteria of the Arizona Daily Starโs south side plant.
โI think itโs time,โ Gauthier said in November from the dining room of the Starโs Carla Gamez Cafeteria where Gauthier and her staff serve a menu of handcrafted sandwiches, soups and breakfast specialities to Star employees. โI think weโve gotten enough of a following that itโs time to broaden out and do more and show people what we can do.โ
Read moreย here.
Chef Wang โ 356 E. Grant Rd.
UpdatedThe menu atย Chef Wangย is so large, it takes a four-ring binder to list everything they serveย โ including many dishes you may not have seen before.
Chef Wang, or Zhuang Yuan Lou if you speak Mandarin, is essentially a Northeastern Chinese restaurant. The spot is a partnership betweenย Baoge Chen and Chef Hongquan Wang, who are from the city of Shenyang in the Dongbei region of China.ย
The restaurant is inside an old Mariscos Chihuahua on Grant Road, and has a suburban vibe that led This Is Tucson's food writer Andi Berlin's lunch partner to call it "The Cheesecake Factory of Chinese food."ย
Read moreย here.
Churrasco de Brasil โ 150 W. Wetmore Rd.
UpdatedOpened in theย 8,700-square-foot building that used to house Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar at the Tucson Mall, Churrasco de Brasil is similar to the successful Fogo concept.
Diners pay a fixed price which includes trips to the 30-item salad bar and as much meat as you can handle. Diners will flip over a red card to display a green color when they are ready to begin, signaling the meat servers to come to their table.ย
Servers offer up 12 to 15 different types of lamb, pork, chicken and beef. This includes the iconic picanha or sirloin cap, which comes out in half-ovals topped with a thick layer of fat.ย
Read more here.
Crema Coffee โ 3725 W. Ina Rd.
UpdatedCrema Coffee opened in Marana in the beginning of April. In addition to coffee, the shop offers pastries in partnership with Sweetster's Bakery, according toย their Facebook page.ย
Desert Dream Ice Creamery โ 210 N. Fourth Ave.
UpdatedAlthough Isabella's Ice Cream moved out of their Fourth Avenue location in 2018, ice cream hasn't left the street.ย
Brothers Zech and Noah Bergeron took overย Desert Dream Ice Creamery, after closing its former location on Speedway and Campbell Avenue.
Now in Isabella's former location on Fourth, the Bergerons make their own ice cream flavors like Coyote Tracks and Elvis Pretzel with help from the original owner.
Divine Bovine โ 1021 N. Wilmot Rd.
UpdatedThe former La Salsa building on North Wilmot Road and East Speedway is now home to a local purveyor of high-quality hamburgers.
Ben Rine, who co-owned and operatedย BrushFire BBQย for ten years, launchedย Divine Bovine Burgersย in the 2,000-square-foot space in February.
Rine was looking for a new opportunity in the food service industry since selling BrushFire's two locations more than a year ago.
โI took a year off because you only get one life and I wanted to spend time with my kids,โ Rine said. โBut weโve all got bills to pay. I didnโt sell 25 BrushFires, and Iโve wanted a burger restaurant for a while.โ
Rine said Divine Bovine offers 15 different types of burgers, all made with โridiculously high-end ingredients.โ
Each burger patty consists of a blend of โbrisket, chuck and short rib thatโs really, really naughty,โ he said.
Read moreย here.
Dutch Bros. Coffee โ 10105 E. Old Vail Rd., 9330 E. Golf Links Rd., 1971 W. Valencia Rd.
UpdatedDutch Bros.ย Coffee, the Oregon-born, hip and happening coffee shop with the sugar-sweet nice baristas, expanded its reach in Tucson.
Dutch Bros. introduced itself to Tucson with its first location last October at 120 S. Wilmot Road.
El Antojo Poblano โ 1114 W. St. Mary's Rd.
UpdatedEl Antojo Poblano refers to the city and state of Pueblo, southeast of Mexico city.
You can find huaraches, cemitas and delicate molote pockets of fried corn masa at El Antojo Poblanoย โ Tucson's new food truck that parks in a vacant lot at St. Mary's near Interstate 10.ย
Read moreย here.ย ย
El Chinito Gordo โ 2920 N. Oracle Rd.
UpdatedAccording to the restaurant's website, El Chinito Gordo's menu is inspired by Central Mexican recipes passed down through generations.ย
The menu includes enchiladas, tacos, a chorizo burger, chile rellenos and more.
El Torero โ 231 E. 26th St.
UpdatedFonda la Hermanita โ 198 W. Cushing St.
UpdatedThe quaint cafe is tucked back behind The Coronet, which moved into the historic Cushing Street building near the Tucson Convention Center.
Chef Erika Bostick has created a small but colorful menu that showcases the fresh produce of Southern Arizona. Since the tiny kitchen doesn't have a flattop, she craftily prepares scrambled eggs using a sous vide machine and serves an array of "platos" like fresh corn masa gorditas with baby greens and black bean spread.ย
Read more here.ย
Fried Rice Hut โ 1655 S. Alvernon Way
UpdatedFried Rice Hut is an unassuming dinner spot near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
Yuko Takatori's menu is almost entirely made up of fried rice and deep-fried meats, but that doesn't mean the food is greasy. They also have tasty apple and cinnamon hand-pies that look like sugary egg rolls from the outside.
Heemee Coffee and Bakery โ 20 E. Congress St.
UpdatedTucked into a little nook on Congress Street,ย Heemee Coffee and Bakeryย has a minimalist aesthetic with white clean walls and a pastry case full of whimsical treats. But back in the kitchen, there's a veritable assembly line of people busting butt.
This new downtown cafe makes its own baguettes, cupcakes, sweet buns and Japanese cream puffs from scratch. The pastries are a mix of American and French cafe staples with unique creations from Korea and Japan.ย
Read more here.
Hop Street Lounge โ 7215 E. 22nd St.
UpdatedTucson's east side just got another destination for locally produced craft beer and wine.
Hop Street Lounge is located in the Palo Verde Plaza shopping center at 7215 E. 22nd Street, halfway betweenย Arizona Beer Houseย at South Kolb Road and East Broadway andย BlackRock Brewersย at East 22nd and South Pantano Road.
The new venture offers up to 35 beers on tap, eight wines, coffee, kombucha and more than 600 bottles in coolers.
Eight television sets show the sporting events of the day, and seating in the space includes couches.
โI want people to be super comfortable,โ owner Damion Jenkins said. โIt is going to have a loungy feel.โ
Read moreย here.
Irene's Holy Donuts โ 340 N. 4th Ave.
UpdatedIrene Heiman was selling real estate in her childhood home of Hawaii and she was doing pretty well, making money while making a name for herself.
But she would go to sleep every night with this gnawing feeling that she wasnโt doing what she was meant to do in this world. Around 2014, the mother of three said she heard a voice that told her to open a doughnut shop.
She spent a year of trial and error, experimenting with glazes, yeasts, fillings and doughs, and was told by some folks honest enough to deliver bad news that her doughnuts were pretty awful.
She admits she was discouraged, but her husband wasnโt. He told her that once she had the proper equipment and space, those doughnuts would be just fine. And when they opened Holy Donuts in the mall of their small hometown of Kailua-Kona in 2015, he was proven right. People loved them.
Irene Heiman was confident people in Tucson would feel the same way.
Read moreย here.
Istanbul โ 2945 E. Speedway
UpdatedA Turkish restaurant is taking up residence in the old Mayโs Counter Chicken & Waffles space on East Speedway nearly 10 months after the popular UA-area restaurant closed.
Istanbul servesย a menu of kebabs, wraps, sandwiches and other Turkish and Mediterranean-inspired dishes, said chef-owner Kamran Esar.
Esarโs resume includes cooking at the original Opa Greek restaurant on Campbell Avenue that closed in spring 2018 and Opa Time at South Fourth Avenueโs American Eat Co. He said his siblings, parents and friends will be involved in his restaurant โ a first for the family.
Read more here.
Ja Ramen โ 2643 N Campbell Ave.
UpdatedJa Ramen opened in the former home of the restaurant Hoki Poki, which closed in July.
Chef-owner Ja Le said his focus is on curry dishes and ramen, the noodle soup that has gained in popularity over the past few years.
One of his specialties is ramen served with slow-cooked, chashu-braised pork belly or pork shoulder.
โI like to cook ramen,โ said Le, a Vietnam native who has been in Arizona about a decade.
Read more here.
Jewel's Noodle Kitchen โ 5683 E. Speedway
UpdatedJewel's Noodle Kitchen is owned by Ronghua Zhu who hails from Beijing and has filled her small menu with Northern Chinese specialties like dumplings and housemade wheat noodles.
John Henry's โ 117 N. Sixth Ave.
UpdatedJohn Henryโs fills the space most recently occupied by the comic-book-inspired gallery Constant Con, just north of the East Pennington Street intersection.
Co-owner Brenndon Scottโs original vision was to launch a dive bar downtown in the same vein as The District Tavern, which held court on East Congress Street for a decade before being pushed out by rising rent costs in 2015.ย
Plans changed.
Scott, who also co-owns theย Bashful Banditย on East Speedway andย The Boxyardย on North Fourth Avenue, instead shot for a neighborhood bar vibe.
Read more here.
Just Kabab โ 10420 N. La Caรฑada Drive
UpdatedThe new Oro Valley restaurant brought the art of the Persian kebab to a casual setting, with counter service and an open kitchen where you can see your meat being grilled.
Start with a classic skewer of ground beef kubideh and go from there. They also plan to serve traditional stews such as ghetme and ghorme sabzi.ย
Just Noodles โ 2545 E. Speedway
UpdatedLocated inside Alibaba Restaurant, Just Noodles serves up a menu filled with noodles.
The menu includes wonton noodle, tomato egg, chili spice, chicken with sesame, and more.
Kukai โ 267 S. Avenida del Convento
UpdatedKukai opened quietly in February at the Mercado Annex, making it the second food vendor in the shopping area.ย
And you may recognize the familiar face of Setsuko Mochizuki inside the shipping container kitchen. Her husband Kazuo Senda is the owner ofย Samuraiย on Oracle Road, which has been Tucson's go-to rice bowl joint for more than 30 years.ย
Kazuo is partnering with his son-in-law Michael McCormack at Kukai, crafting a menu that feels like Samurai meets Instagram. They're making everything from onigiri rice balls and ramen to thoseย takoyaki octopus balls you may have lined up for at Tucson Meet Yourself.ย
Read moreย here.
Le Buzz Caffe โ 2930 N. Swan Rd.
UpdatedLe Buzz Caffe opened its second location in December.ย
The new location sits in the Palomino shopping center, near Fort Lowell Road. The first location is atย 9121 E. Tanque Verde Rd., near Catalina Highway.
The menu is the same as the original location for now, so look out for those European pastries and fluffy omelettes.
Lemonshark Poke โ 2501 E. Grant Rd.
UpdatedLemonshark Pokeย is owned by guitarist Tobi Miller of the The Wallflowers.
Who is this man? He's formerly a semi-famous rockstar and currently a businessman in California who's opened a franchise of poke restaurants.
At Lemonshark Poke, diners can make their own poke bowl, or get one of the house combinations like the Maui Heat Wave pictured here with spicy salmon and spicy tuna.ย
The Libertine โ 402 E. 9th St.
UpdatedThe Libertine opened in June in the spot that once housed The Coronet.
Ran by the The Coronet's owner, The Libertine is a casual bar with a kitchen serving small plates.ย
The Coronet moved out of the Ninth Street space and reopened in the location that was once home to Cushing Street Bar and Restaurant.
Read more here.ย
Longhorn Grill & Saloon โ 28851 S. Nogales Hwy in Amado
UpdatedA long-closed restaurant whose steer skull faรงade has served as a roadside attraction for generations of travelers heading to and from Mexico recently reopened.
The Longhorn Grill and Saloonย opened in late May in Amado.ย
The property's new owners Greg and Amy Hansen, no relation to Star sports columnist Greg Hansen, purchased the Longhorn in 2018 in hopes of turning it into a destination steak house, catering to tourists, Tucsonans and residents from the surrounding communities of Green Valley, Tubac, Rio Rico, Nogales and Arivaca.
The Longhorn serves everything from high-end steaks and fish plates to burgers, sandwiches and salads.
Read moreย here.
Mama Carey's Kitchen โ 501 N. Park Ave.
UpdatedTisha Atkins Carey had a hard time feeding her son KaโDeem when he was growing up.
The football coaches at Canyon del Oro High School and later the University of Arizona would reach out to her when her 5-foot-10 running back son would nibble his way through team meals.
โHe was a real picky eater,โ she recalled. โI would get calls from the high school and UA asking me for advice.โ
Her best advice: Mamaโs cooking โ homemade broccoli and cheese with rice; hot links and hot wings; mac and cheese; fried chicken; and Philly cheesesteaks like the ones she ate as a child growing up in Trenton, New Jersey.
โThatโs the food I grew up with, the food that made me who I am today,โ said KaโDeem Carey, opened a restaurant, Mama Careyโs Kitchen, with his mom.
Read more here.
Maru Japanese Noodle Shop โ 1370 N. Silverbell Rd.
UpdatedMore Japanese food has graced Tucson's west side.ย
Maru Japanese Noodle Shop is a casual counter-service spot from the people behind Yoshimatsu, just with an emphasis on ramen and udon noodles.
In addition to the familiar beef and curry udons, the restaurant also does a spicy tantan udon, sweet tofu kitsune udon and a cream udon with a sauce similar to fettuccine alfredo.ย
Small snacks, such as takoyaki balls and onigiri, are also offered.
Mendez Bakery โ 1219 S. Sixth Ave
UpdatedNearly two years after Le Caveโs closed amid a flurry of failed health department inspections, Fernando Mendez opened Mendez Bakery and Tortillas at 1219 S. Sixth Ave.
Mendez said that from the time they set out the โnow openโ sign on June 12, they had customers from the neighborhood trickling in, many of them curious to see how Mendez has cleaned up the place and to catch a glimpse of the display cases filled with empanadas, tortillas and fresh baked rolls.
โWe started from the bottom and cleaned everything,โ Mendez said Thursday afternoon, ticking off a laundry list of repairs that included replacing the plumbing and electrical and repairing the flooring in the kitchen that stretched the length of the 100-year-old building.
Read more here.
Mestizos โ 1118 W. St. Mary's Rd.
UpdatedThe old Manna From Heaven fry bread spot on St. Mary's Road is getting new life as a contemporary Mexican restaurant.
Mestizos is the product of Patricia Gomez of Nogales, Sonora, who's cooking a mixture of Sonoran and Sinaloan mariscos dishes, as well as recipes from farther south in Mexico. The menu is still being built out, but Patricia recommended the blue corn quesadillas and the Tacos Mestizos, which are actually more like empanadas.ย
Mian Sichuan โ 4695 N. Oracle Rd.
UpdatedThe main draw atย Mian Sichuanย (not to be confused with the former MiAn sushi downtown) is volcano noodle soup with Sichuan peppercorns and American cheese.
This new shop in the Tucson Mall area has a small menu of spicy noodle dishes and soups.ย
Mission Coffee Imports โ 606 N. Fourth Ave.
UpdatedFor the past four years, Brian Jerome Peterson and his partners have peddled their fresh-roasted coffee at area farmers markets.
But those nomad days are behind them.
In late January, Peterson and his partners John Howard and Matthew DeVore openedย Mission Coffee Importsย in the small street-front space atย 606 N. Fourth Ave.ย that was home for nearly a decade to Revolutionary Grounds Books & Coffee.
Read moreย here.
Momo's โ 1838 E. Sixth St.
UpdatedThe old Rosati's Pizza on Sixth Street and Campbell is now a Mexican restaurant calledย Momo's.
Owner Mauricio Racano has crafted a menu of Sonoran staples as well as dishes from Mexico City, where he's from. In addition to tacos, nachos and Sonoran hot dogs, you'll find a whole section of enchiladas with uncommon fillings like shrimp and Mahi Mahi.
There are also burrito bowls and tortas, which you can get with something called Cabo meat: a mixture of chorizo, ground beef and green chile. They also serve beer, and make their own aguas frescas.
Monster Sonoran Hot Dogs โ Near 1000 W. Congress St.
UpdatedThis new food truck takes Sonoran hot dogs into uncharted territory.
Not only are they wrapped in bacon, but they're also slathered in a juicy mound of birria.ย Monster Sonoran Hot Dogsย makes two sizes, a six-inch and a footlong Big Monster Dog, which is tucked into a bright red bun from Alejandro's Tortilla Factory.ย
Original Cuisine โ 1800 E. Fort Lowell Rd.
UpdatedThe Arizona Republic speculated thatย this may be the best Chinese food in the Phoenix area. Lucky for Tucsonans, a location opened up in the Old Pueblo.
The Sichuan menu caters to adventurous eaters who enjoy dishes such as rabbit with pickled pepper and baby ginger.ย
Read more here.
Pescaderia y Taqueria Yami โ 1926 S. Fourth Ave.
UpdatedThis casual mariscos spot on South Fourth Avenue serves food from the coastal town of Guaymas, Sonora. This means you'll find shrimp cocktails, ceviche, various tostadas with octopus, crab and more.
Pescaderia y Taqueria Yamiย also has a small market up at the front where you can purchase seafood to-go.ย
Pirata Luchi โ 4602 E. 29th St.
UpdatedPirata Luchi opened in December, serving up seafood, from enchiladas to tostadas.ย
Plaza Eats at Hotel Congress โ 311 Congress St.
UpdatedDowntown weekend revelers with late-night hunger pangs have a new dining option, located within the plaza area at Hotel Congress.
The historic hotel, which is celebrating its 100th year in 2019, recently installed a food trailer meant to accommodate evening traffic, including bar hoppers and post-concert crowds, until 2 a.m., Thursdays through Saturdays.
Dubbed Plaza Eats, the trailer offers a mix of favorites from the hotelโs Cup Cafรฉ โ menu items like the Picacho nachos, lettuce wraps and a plant-based Beyond Burger โ and classic international street foods.
Read moreย here.ย
Potwhale โ 3620 N. First Ave.
UpdatedAt Potwhale, guests cooks their own meats, noodles and veggies in a pot of boiling broth at the center of the table.
Potwhale swims an extra mile by letting you choose from several different broths.ย
Purple Penguin Candy Emporium โ 3392 E. 22nd St.
UpdatedWhen Dino Volpi opened his Purple Penguin Candy Emporium on East 22nd Street earlier this year, he was hoping his independent sweets shop would bring back memories for Tucsonans.
The store specializes in selling the candies, chocolates and craft sodas from your youth, no matter what part of the country you hail from.
Grow up in the Pacific Northwest? Have an Idaho Spud with all of its cocoa-marshmallow, soft chew goodness.
Midwest residents can pick up a Cherry Mash, a chocolate shell with cherry-flavored filling, still made in the small Missouri town where it was created in 1918.
If youโre a transplant from Pennsylvania, a few bottles of Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer might satisfy your thirst for home.
The store works with 16 suppliers across the country for inventory.
Read more here.
Red Light Lounge at the Downtown Clifton โ 485 S. Stone Ave.
UpdatedThe Red Light Lounge is manned by Donald Murray, formerly of The Dusty Monk.
He's doing interesting cocktails Red Light Lounge, including a Bacanora margarita and drink with Tequila and Pimm's called the Inglaterra.ย
Rush Bowls โ 1058 N. Campbell Ave.
UpdatedRush Bowls, a Colorado-based smoothie shop, opened in the former Desert Dream Ice Cream on Speedway and Campbell Avenue.ย
Rush Bowlsย offers a range of frozen yogurt, granola and acaรญ bowls and even has something for your dog, according to the website.ย
Selena's Salvadorian Restaurant โ 2513 N. Campbell Ave.
UpdatedLuis Gonzalez and his family started making pupusas about five years ago at food festivals like Tucson Meet Yourself, and gradually worked their way up to evening and weekend farmers markets.ย
By the end of summer, they opened a brick and mortar restaurantย in the former Desert Island Eatery, which closed in July after the ownersย announced on Facebookย that they're moving to Phoenix.ย
Luis said he plans to serve a full Salvadorian menu in addition to the seven varieties of pupusas that he already makes out of his food stand. If you've never had a pupusa before, that's very okay, because they're actually almost impossible to find outside of theย Tohono O'Odham Swapmeetย on Drexel Road.
The national dish of El Salvador, a pupusa is basically a thick patty of corn masa that's been stuffed with cheese, beans, chicharrones and/or a Central American flower called loroco. The ingredients are cooked together with the fresh masa on a comal, kind of like how you'd make an omelette. Then they're generally eaten with smooth tomato salsa and the pickled cabbage slaw curtido.
Read more here.
Sentinel Peak East โ 9155 E. Tanque Verde Rd.
UpdatedSentinel Peak Brewing Company headed east with a second location.
The midtown craft brewer took over theย Stillhouse Grill and Barย which was rebranded Sentinel Peak East, said Jeremy Hilderbrand, who co-owns the 5-year-old craft brewery with two fellow firefighters.ย
The Stillhouse menu will eventually be incorporated intoย Sentinel Peak's menu of barbecue and smoked meats and burgers, but to what extent will be determined after Hilderbrand's staff has had a chance to settle in and chat with customers.ย
Read moreย here.ย
Sonoran Brunch Company โ 1060 S. Kolb Rd.
UpdatedThe original Poco and Mom's space on Kolb Road has gotten a refresh, complete with a license plate ceiling and Danny Martin and Jessica Gonzales murals brightening up the space.
The menu atย Sonoran Brunch Companyย goes for an eclectic Tucson hip vibe, with bright takes on huevos rancheros, chorizo skillet pie and more.ย
Sweetscape Desserts at Casino del Sol โ 5655 W. Valencia Rd.
UpdatedWhen walking near the bingo hall at Casino del Sol, you'll come across the eclectic menu at Sweetscape Desserts.
The dessert shop was created by Chef Ryan Clark and his culinary team. The menu includes gelato, shakes, floats, sundaes, breakfast sandwiches and more.ย
But you'll probably be drawn in by the colorful donuts from pastry chef Gina Skelton. Her whimsical flavors include fluffernutter, fruit cereal and maple bacon.
Toro Loco Tacos Y Burros โ 7940 E. Broadway
UpdatedTravis and William Miller, the brothers behind the popular Serial Grillers chain of burger and pizza restaurants, are focusing on tacos and burritos in their newest restaurant venture.
The brothers, who also own the midtown taproom Craft, A Modern Drinkery, opened Toro Loco Tacos Y Burros in the recently closed Papa Locos Tacos & Burgers atย 7940 E. Broadway.
But Toro Loco is not a Mexican take on Serial Grillers, Miller was quick to note. The menu of specialty burritos and tacos is made with carne asada, chicken, barbacoa, shrimp and carnitas and emulates to some degree the taco shops you find around the beaches in San Diego.
Read more here.
Tortillas by Che West โ 2105 S. Sixth Ave.
UpdatedYou may have seen Jose Zavala's colorful corn tortillas atย American Eat Co., but now the local chef is opening his own storefront.ย
Tortillas by Che Westย has a variety of non-GMO handmade corn tortillas in creative flavors like garlic green onion, Hot Cheetos, El Pato and more.
He's also selling a variety of flour tortillas and pan dulce from La Estrella Bakery.
Trident Grill IV โ 2912 W. Ina Rd.
UpdatedAfter months of construction and remodeling including installing a โgarageโ door, Trident Grill IV officially opened on July 4.
It is the fourth installment of the Trident concept from the trio of Nelson Miller, Danny Gallego and Jason Machamer. And itโs the trioโs second restaurant opening since December, when they launched Trident Pizza Pub in the old Grimaldiโs Pizzeria at 446 N. Campbell Ave.
The owners for several months had been renovating the 4,065-square-foot space at 2912 W. Ina Road that was home to CiCiโs Pizza, which closed in spring 2014.
Read more here.
Tumerico โ 402 E. 4th St.
UpdatedWendy Garcia has been a tireless ambassador for vegetarian Mexican food at her popular midtown restaurant Tumerico.
In June, she opened her second outpost of Tumerico along bustling North Fourth Avenue.
The location at 402 E. Fourth St., on the corner of North Fourth Avenue, offers a scaled back menu of grab-and-go meals and snacks to complement a full beverage menu of lattes, juices and teas. On weekends, she offers a limited made-to-order menu mirroring whatโs offered at the original location, 2526 E. Sixth St.
Read more here.
Whiskey Roads โ 2265 W. Ina Rd.
UpdatedWhiskey Roads, a country-music themed restaurant/night club across from Foothills Mall, opened in the beginning of August.
The space once housed Romano's Macaroni Grill.ย
Managing partner Fernando Gomez, a chef-owner along with partners Greg Wexler and Josh Arvizu are from Putneyโs PitStop Sports Bar & Grill on North Oracle.
Read more here.
Wings on Fire โ 9040 E. Valencia Rd.
UpdatedWings on Fire opened in the Rita Ranch area earlier this year. The wing restaurant serves a variety of flavored wings including lemon pepper, honey mustard and spicy barbecue.ย
Also on the menu: salads, sandwiches and hot dogs.