There’s no place like home.
Nothing can compare to the warm feeling that washes over you as you sit down to enjoy a home-cooked meal, fond memories flooding back with every bite you take. You’re surrounded by familiar faces, each smiling, laughing and sharing stories with one another.
For many in Nogales, Arizona, Zula’s Restaurant has been that home.
For decades and decades, Zula’s has been a spot for the community to come together and enjoy burgers while filling each other in on what’s going on around town.
As a Nogales native, there was no better spot to go on Sunday morning than Zula’s, sitting with family around a wooden table, scarfing down stacks of pancakes and washing them down with a chocolate milkshake.
It was the place to meet friends for a cup of coffee in the morning, sharing a slice of warm, gooey apple pie with vanilla ice cream dripping down the sides.
You rarely even had to look at a menu. Victor, the trustee waiter, knew your order by memory.
From weddings to baby showers to birthday parties, Zula’s was more than just a restaurant; it had memories dating back to the '50s in its walls.
But in 2021, the lights at Zula’s turned off, signifying the end of our home away from home. It seemed like it was the end for the iconic restaurant, until one local man decided its legacy wasn’t ready to end just yet.
Bruce Bracker saved this home in 2022 , marking a new era in Nogales while still paying homage to the ones who made it what it is: the Papachoris family.
Since 1950, Zula's Restaurant has been a staple in the Nogales community.
Sisters Margo Moore and Helen Best first opened the restaurant at 982 N. Grand Ave. in 1950, gaining attention thanks to their beloved cinnamon sauce drizzled on their apple pie slices.
In the '80s, the sisters decided it was time to retire and reached out to George and Aurelia “Tita” Papachoris. The Papachorises had made a name for themselves when running the now-closed Tumacacori Restaurant. It was the Papachorises' reputation that made the sisters want to put their beloved restaurant in new hands.
On Aug. 1, 1984, Zula’s reopened, marking the start of the Papachoris era. Throughout the years, Zula’s became a staple in the Nogales community. It was where all the important city officials met to talk business. Anyone who was anyone could be found at Zula’s.
There really is no other way to describe it other than one big family, said Anna Rosas, who is Tita and George’s daughter.
“When I was teaching, I used to waitress there in the summers and I remember people coming in from all over the world, many from Mexico and other places,” Rosas said. “People would just sit here and come have coffee or eat or gather. They always told me it just feels like home.”
It was the Papachorises’ relationship with their customers that made the restaurant feel like home. During Christmas time, George and other Rotary Club members would gather at Zula’s to serve meals to seniors. They would even invite an orphanage from Mexico to come, pulling out all the stops for them.
“The rotarians would come and help, they'd sing and they’d provide presents for the children while my dad would make the food,” Rosas said. “That was one of my favorite memories.”
For anyone who grew up in Nogales, walking into Zula’s is muscle memory. As soon as you walk in, you're greeted by the hostess who sits you in one of three rooms. The walls were once plastered with pictures, some depicting Greek scenery and others of past patrons who dined at the restaurant.
Even though a menu is placed in front of you, you already know what to order: Tita’s Burger. This famous burger was created by George for Tita, kind of like an edible love letter.
Tita’s Burger comes with melted Swiss cheese, two pieces of applewood smoked bacon and Thousand Island dressing. All that goodness comes sandwiched between a sesame seed bun. (If you’re feeling crazy, you can add green chile.)
Many people like to add green chile to their Tita Burger for an extra kick.
Tita’s Burger is more than your average burger. The buns are lightly toasted so you get a nice crunch with every bite. The patty is perfectly cooked, like a hybrid between a juicy patty and a crispy smash burger. Mix that with the melted Swiss cheese, thick slices of bacon and the tanginess of the Thousand Island and you’ll finally understand why people flock to Zula’s for lunch every day.
One bite of the irresistible Tita’s Burger and my head is filled with memories: chowing down on Tita’s Burgers with my family on Sunday mornings and hanging with my friends on Friday nights before making my way to the movie theater.
The meal isn’t complete until you have a slice of pie, more specifically their apple pie. What sets this pie apart from your average apple pie is their coveted cinnamon sauce, which originated with Moore and Best.
Zula's specialty dessert is their apple pie, which comes topped with their coveted cinnamon sauce and vanilla ice cream.
You haven’t lived till you’ve had Zula’s apple pie. The chunks of warm apples are gooey, cinnamon-y and melt in your mouth with every bite. The crust is also everything you want: flaky, buttery and complements the sweetness of the apples.
What brings it all together is the light cinnamon sauce drizzled on top, adding a flavorful pop to the pie. Before you know it, you’ve finished your slice and are craving the rest of the pie.
In 2011, Zula’s lost a member of their family.
George died, but Tita kept the restaurant going, continuing the legacy she and her husband worked so hard for. She took on all the scheduling, purchasing, counting and other tasks required to maintain the restaurant.
At 85 years old, it was finally time for Tita to be the one to be waited on. In 2021, she made the tough decision to retire, which meant the restaurant would have its last hurrah.
“It just came to a point where she said that it was too much for her and she was ready to retire,” Rosas said. “She didn't want to leave the people. She'd say, 'Oh, they're like my family.' However, all of us already had other jobs and none of us were able to really just leave and continue the restaurant.”
After 37 years, Zula’s announced they would be closing their doors. Their announcement was the shot heard around the world. Nogalians were devastated. For many, it was like losing a part of family. Where else could we enjoy delicious Tita’s Burgers after a hard work week?
Nogales lost part of its history when Zula’s closed, and Bracker wasn’t going to stand by and watch.
Like the Papachorises, Bracker and his family are also an important part of Nogales’ history. Bracker’s grandparents moved to the small town in 1924 and bought the local army store. Later, his father and his uncle built a storefront downtown, which later became the popular department store, Brackers.
Instead of joining the retail business, Bracker told his parents he was going to take the winter off, work during the summer and then head to college. During that time, the economy wasn't good, Bracker said, so he got a job in a kitchen.
It was then when he realized how much he liked cooking. Thanks to his brother’s friend, he was able to get a job at Le Rendez-vous in Tucson working alongside Chef Jean-Claude Berger.
He continued to work and train around the world, and even had the chance to work with his cousin, esteemed Tucson chef Janos Wilder.
Eventually, Bracker shifted from his kitchen jobs back to his family’s store. He also served as a district supervisor for many years.
After hearing the news about Zula’s closure, Bracker didn’t want to see yet another iconic local business close. He and his partner, Alexis Campbell, put their heads together.
Campbell had experience running a restaurant and Bracker was a trained chef: things were starting to align perfectly.
“You [Alexis] can run the front of the house and I can man the back of the house. We have the skills,” Bracker said. “Do we want to try to reopen this iconic restaurant? The answer was yes. I'm also a county supervisor, so we’re leading by example here because economic development, creating jobs and reopening a business in our community, this is what people need to be doing in this community.”
Bracker reached out to the Papachoris family, letting them know he was interested in taking over the restaurant. It was like a dream come true: Zula’s was going to live on in the community.
“My father worked as a chef at the El Dorado Hotel and the restaurant belonged to the Bracker family,” Rosas said. “It was just like family continuing it with Bruce buying it.”
The revival of Zula’s was Bracker’s big return to the restaurant industry. He was even able to bring back some of the original staff, including waiters like Victor and Anna Maria.
Rosas said Victor’s father had actually worked at Zula’s before his son followed in his footsteps and Anna Maria has pretty much been there since the beginning.
To keep that authentic Zula’s feeling, Bracker kept most of the menu the same, adding a few new items like more salads and a flavorful tortilla soup. He made sure to get the blessing from Tita herself to continue serving her famous burger.
“What we kept hearing in town and when we talked to our family was 'Wow, we really miss Zula’s,' not 'We miss having a restaurant there,'” Bracker said.
Bruce Bracker and his staff make pecan, chocolate, apple and banana cream pies fresh every day.
Of course, Bracker has also made sure to have delicious, homemade pies available. He even bought a pie case to show off the decadent slices of apple, pecan, chocolate and banana cream pies.
While Zula’s has a fresh coat of paint and new pictures on the wall, it still feels like home as soon as you step in. People laugh and enjoy each other’s company as Bracker makes his way from table to table, talking to all the familiar faces that have supported the restaurant for years.
In fact, Tita still comes every Sunday, but this time she gets to be the customer.
Just like the Papachorises, it’s the people that Bracker enjoys the most about running the iconic restaurant.
“It’s a real community here,” Bracker said.
Thanks to the Brackers and the Papachorises, a new generation gets the chance to make memories at Zula’s, just like their family and their family and their family.
“It’s just a place that creates a lot of friendships,” Rosas said. “Families have a lot of good memories there. I'm sure if you ask families around town, they all have a different memory that brings them joy.”
