Look around, and Tucson’s top dining trends become pretty obvious: pizza and burgers.
Pies and patties are positively proliferating.
Yes indeed, fast-casual seems to be the name of the game. Pizza Studio and Fired Pie both launched onto our dining landscape at the end of 2014, and now each has two locations. Scottsdale-based artisanal pizza chain Humble Pie opened in La Encantada on Black Friday. It’s the first Humble Pie to open outside of the Phoenix area.
If you’ve ever tried to get into Zinburger on a random Wednesday night, you already know burgers are popular. More proof: Blake’s Lotaburger is expected to open by the end of March in the former Arby’s, 2810 E. Speedway, said Craig Wood, manager of business development for the Albuquerque-based chain. It’ll be across the street from the year-old, locally-owned Graze, 2721 E. Speedway, which offers up antibiotic- and hormone-free beef hamburgers.
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Construction’s underway at the Speedway location, and Blake’s — which was recognized by National Geographic in 2006 for having the best green chile cheeseburger in the world — is set to break ground in a few weeks on a second location in Midvale Park, Wood said.
Also on the burger horizon is Beaut Burger, a new venture from Kerry Lane, whose restaurateur husband Ari Shapiro owns Falora pizzeria and cocktail lounge Side Car, both in Broadway Village.
Shapiro, who owned Sparkroot and founded smoothie bar Xoom Juice, announced Lane’s new eatery last month. He said Beaut Burger would open west of downtown and feature a “pretty sizable twist” on the American classic.
