This Tucson tapas restaurant will bring new flavors downtown

A new tapas restaurant going by the name Basqueria is slated to open in the old Fired Pie pizza spot at 350 E. Congress St. downtown by next summer.

Here is what you need to know:

The concept creator works right across the street. Freddy ElMesselmani, who opened Urban Pita with his business partner Jeff Baker at 345 E. Congress St. six years ago, was originally hoping to relocate Urban Pita at the old Fired Pie, but found himself locked into his current lease. He still claimed the Fired Pie location, with plans to open a new tapas restaurant.

Basqueria will focus on tapas, or pinchos, from the Basque country of Northern Spain and Southern France. ElMesselmani toured the Basque region, visiting Bilbao and the North Spanish coast, to get a feel for the culture and cuisine. “They do their own thing, have their own identity,” ElMesselmani said. “They open up their food to Spanish and French influences.” The restaurant will tentatively be open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night, with brunch options on weekends.

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ElMesselmani said they chose a tapas restaurant because, like Urban Pita, it has a fast, casual element to it. “The idea of tapas is you are sharing plates, while hanging out, drinking,” ElMesselmani said. “You will go in there, have small bites, maybe a couple of drinks and move on to the rest of your night.”

Early menus offer an array of small dishes, not found at other restaurants in Tucson. Breakfast options will tentatively include Basque-style breakfast beans and tortilla Española. Lunch will feature stuffed baguettes called bocadillos, flat breads and marmitako, a tuna and potato stew. Evenings will offer a rotating list of small plates that includes ham with a house aioli; smoked salmon with goat cheese and honey; beef tenderloin with piquillo peppers and chimichurri; and chorizo and egg. Basqueria will also have a small selection of larger dishes, with seafood paella and carne ropa vieja on the menu.

This will be the first dedicated tapas restaurant downtown since the closure of Casa Vicente at 375 S. Stone Ave. in 2017. “We are just trying to make our mark,” ElMesselmani said.