A guide to Tucson food and signature dishes

Editor's note: This story was originally published on Nov. 30, 2021.

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Benny Galaz is the son of a miner. He grew up in Nacozari de Garcia, Mexico, a small town whose wealth was extracted from the copper, silver and gold deposits in its narrow hills. His dad would spend weekdays under the earth. As a manager, he would emerge on Friday night just to be called back in to handle an emergency on Saturday morning. Benny, off from school, would be permitted to tag along, transported through a shaft into a pitch dark world operating in parallel to, and fueling, the city of his mother.

There came a day when his dad asked to take him out of school to come to the mine. The CEO of the mining company was flying in from Mexico City. The CEO was bringing his son with, so Benny’s dad would do the same.

Benny understood this was not a typical visit to the mine when they were waiting outside. The young secretaries who were typically confined to desks and only seen from the waist up were standing in a line. He saw their beautiful skirts for the first time. Everyone was waiting around a big green circle with a white H in the middle.

The secretaries had to hold their hair down as winds picked up in an unnaturally confined space, like a tornado made just for them. Benny didn’t know what was coming down from the sky, but his father would soon tell him it was a helicopter.

The big man in a suit exited from the helicopter doors and embraced everyone, including Benny’s father. He shook Benny’s hand, and told his dad he should be proud. The boss’ son stood at a distance, “like he was judging us for being from the countryside,” Benny said. “But his father, the more important man, treated everyone like a friend.”

“I knew from that day on that I wanted to have a helicopter,” he said.

Today, Benny is an important man. He wears crisp collared shirts that are patterned, appearing more casual than his ambition really makes him. When he was 21, he was selling a thousand Sonoran dogs a day out of a cart he named, in a pinch, with his and his wife’s initials. Decades later, he’s still expanding. As we spoke, he occasionally took a handkerchief out of his pocket to gently dab at the sweat on his brow throughout a conversation, recalling Marlon Brando.

Benny owns BK Carne Asada and Hot Dogs. The restaurant has two locations, one on the south side, the other on First Avenue, with another on the way at Park Avenue and 19th Street. He also owns El Berraco, a submarine-themed seafood restaurant. “I wanted something people couldn’t imitate,” he said. “Seafood is harder to copy than a Sonoran dog.”

He is sensitive about this intellectual property because he staked his legacy to something that is replicable. “A Sonoran dog will always have the same ingredients. What makes it different is in the little details, the special methods each person brings. But principally it is something very simple and easy to recreate.”

He first learned about Sonoran dogs as a kid in Nacozari, Mexico. He remembers very distinctly the day that the Sonoran dog cart came to town.

He was still a schoolkid. He would leave Nacozari to go to high school in Tucson, where he was born. When he returned to Nacozari, he knew he wanted to make Sonoran dogs, too. When he put his cart into practice, though, he realized the town wasn’t big enough for two vendors, so he decided to take the concept back to Tucson.

“I thought, Sonoran dogs and carne asada, these are two things that were everywhere in my hometown and hard to find here at the time,” he said.

But when he got to Tucson, he was confronted with the strict bureaucracy of the city health department. “Luckily, the director at the time spoke Spanish. He talked me through the process on how to run my cart safely. ‘You have to keep the beans at the right temperature, the bacon at the right temperature, or people can get very sick,’ the inspector told me.”

“So I took the specs home and I used the side of a CD jewel case as a ruler to get the lines all straight,” he said. “I built out the cart with a water heater placed underneath the beans to keep them warm. The inspector was impressed, and Xeroxed my plans. Then, whenever anyone would come up to the inspector asking about how to get a hot dog cart certified, he would give them the document I made.” Benny told this story with some chagrin. He sees those specs as his own, and they are now freely and commonly plagiarized.

To make matters more sensitive, many of Benny’s former employees now run Sonoran hot dog joints of their own — a narrative that’s part Willy Wonka, part The Godfather.

“A man from my hometown came to Tucson to open a hot dog restaurant on South Fourth Ave.,” Benny said. “I found out and came in to congratulate him. When I dropped by, he was very pale, like someone who just got caught. He was scared because he was located so close to BK, so he didn’t want to tell me. But I was proud of him for opening his own business. I wanted to talk to him about his ambitions, his dreams.”

The language of dreams comes to Benny from motivational speakers like Tony Robbins. He has been attending leadership conferences for the past six years and incorporated their messages into every conversation we had. It is natural for him to feel like these methods work, because he is already the kind of person the people who go to motivational speakers aspire to be.

“I bought a helicopter a number of years ago,” he said. “I used it on my ranch down in Sonora. My friends and I would use it to hunt wild boars,” he said. “But we had too much fun,” he said with a mischievous smile. “So I sold it.”

In the not-yet-released documentary about BK that he commissioned, no helicopter is mentioned. Instead, the video imagines BK’s future at Park and 19th: fully automated ordering, with an account that will remember your preferences and make suggestions; software that films employee’s work for social media promotions and records each individual’s output in pounds of carne grilled like stats in a video game; drones that will deliver BK across town and eventually the country. It’s part of a campaign with the slogan #ThinkOutsideTheGrill.

“When I started, if you were brown, or Mexican, you couldn’t buy property north of 22nd Street,” he said. That isn't the case anymore, and Benny is proof of that. He has two restaurants above the line and is working on a third outpost. He imagines his influence extending nationwide, if he finds the right partners for franchising.

“A few years ago I was at a leadership conference in Orlando, and afterward I decided to go to Disney World. I had never been,” he said. “When I was at Epcot, this international theme park, I found a stand that sold the hot dogs of the world.

“I ordered a Chicago dog and asked the attendant which hot dog was their favorite. He said, ‘Actually, it’s the Sonoran dog, from Tucson.’ And I told him, ‘That’s me.’”

Below are 26 spots on Tucson’s south side and in South Tucson to get a Sonoran hot dog. Sometimes hours can vary between social media pages and Google listings, so check ahead of time. If we’re missing your favorite spot, let us know: elueders@tucson.com.

Check out the first part of this series, a list of midtown Sonoran hot dog spots, here.

Aqui Con El Nene

Location: 65 W. Valencia Road

Hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, closed Sunday

For more information, check out their website.

Editor’s note: Their midtown Tucson location is in our first Sonoran dog roundup.

Aqui Con El Pariente

Location: 1060 E. Irvington Road

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 6-11 p.m. | 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday | 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. Saturday | Closed Sunday

For more information, check out their Facebook page or call 520-273-2423.

BK Carne Asada & Hot Dogs

Location: 5118 S. 12th Ave.

Hours: Sunday-Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. | Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

For more information, check out their website. Their central Tucson location is in our first Sonoran dog roundup.

Delicias Mexican Grill

Location: 4581 S. 12th Ave.

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Friday-Saturday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 7-2 a.m. Sunday

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

Dylan’s hotdogs & quesadilla

Location: 4129 E. 29th St.

For more information, check out their website or call 520-448-8145.

El Chencho Hotdogs

Location: 3207 E. Ajo Way

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

Pro tip: Ask and they might write your name on your hot dog with mayo.

El Güero Canelo

Locations: 5802 E. 22nd St. | 5201 S. 12th Ave.

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. | Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. | Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For more information, check out their website.

El Kora Hotdogs

Locations: Lot on the southwest corner of Irvington Road and Park Avenue | S. Swan Road #3 | 6028 S. Sixth Ave.

Hours: Irvington and Park, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily | Swan, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays, 3-10 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday | Sixth, 1-11 p.m. daily

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

El Movimento Hotdogs

Location: 772 W. Irvington Road

Hours: Noon to 11 p.m. daily

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

El Pacotote

Location: 1055 E. Irvington Road

Hours: Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

El Perro Loco Hot Dogs

Locations: 3051 E. 36th St. and 3800-3818 S. Valley Road

Hours:

• Valley Road: Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. | 2-11 p.m. Sunday
• 36th Street: Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. | Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

El Teo Hotdogs

Location: 3095 E. Irvington Road

Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday | 1-9 p.m. Sunday

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

Hot Dogs Mercado

Location: 3924 S. Sixth Ave.

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 7:30 p.m. to 12 a.m.

For more information, check out their Facebook page or Instagram.

Hermanos Hotdogs, Tacos

Location: 7889 E. 22nd St.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily | Closed Sunday

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

Hot Dogs Los Chipilones

Location: 4775 S. 12th Ave.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

JV Querobabi Hotdogs

Location: 5713 S. Country Club Road

Hours: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday | Closed on Sunday and first Monday of each month

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

Pro tip: Their tree-shaded courtyard eating area is worth the haul to Drexel and Country Club. 50 cents off dogos on Friday.

La Carreta Rosa

Location: 3085 E. Valencia Road

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

Los Hacen Dogos

Location: 6718 S. Nogales Hwy.

Hours: 5-11 p.m. daily | Closed Sunday

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

Monster Sonoran Hot Dogs

Location: 1439 S. Fourth Ave.

Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For more information, check out their website.

Oop’s Hot Dogs

Location: 502 W. Ajo Way

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 10-12 a.m. | Friday-Saturday, 10-1 a.m. | Closed Sunday

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

Romero’s Sonoran Hot Dogs

Location: 5333 S. 12th Ave.

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m. | Friday-Saturday, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

Ricositos Chile Dogos

Location: Southeast corner of Ajo Way and Randolph Avenue

Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 9-12 a.m. Saturday | Closed Sunday

For more information, call 520-603-5393.

Sammy El Sinaloense Sonoran Hotdogs

Location: 4733 S. Campbell Ave.

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 3:30-10 p.m. | Friday-Saturday 3:30-11 p.m.

For more information, check out their Facebook page or Google Maps site.

Editor’s note: There is a discrepancy between the Google Maps address and what’s on their Facebook page. For the right directions, go to the linked 4733 S. Campbell Ave.

Super Hotdogs Obregon

Location: 4902 S. 12th Ave.

Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. | Friday-Saturday, 6 p.m. to 3 a.m.

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

Tacos y Hot Dogs El Manantial

Location: 953 E. 36th Street

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. | Monday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

Taqueria La Esquina

Location: 4876 S. Sixth Ave.

Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. | Friday-Saturday, 11-1 a.m.

For more information, check out their website.

La Estrella reporter Claudia Bungard contributed to this story.

Where do you seek comfort in Tucson? Do you have a special hiking trail, like Tumamoc Hill or Tanque Verde Falls? Do you have a special patio, park, or courtyard that lends you peace? What about a stretch of road? A self-care ritual? Or are you like me, whose most treasured and reliable respite is food?

On a personal note, I’ve been going through a hard time lately. I’ve tried any and all of the salves above. I got highlights for the first time in my life. I have wandered through my neighborhood every morning, until I found the path that passes every one of my favorite houses. Now I tread the same route every morning, listening to Morning Edition, coffee in hand. I watched Legally Blonde and yelled all the punchlines back at the screen. I’ve called my mom.

But to get through on the small scale, the moments in-between, I needed to be buoyed by indulgence for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. I needed something to look forward to, a guarantee of pleasure when nothing felt certain. This routine is far from sustainable: I’ve since returned to apples and peanut butter for snacks, sheet pan dinners with broccolini and kale. But for that week, the really hard one, I needed this, and maybe one day you will too. Here are my favorite comfort foods in Tucson.

Comfort foods are unique to each person. My predecessor Andi Berlin shared some of her favorites before the 2020 election (her list heavily features cheese). If you’d like to share yours, feel free to comment on our Facebook page or shoot our food writer Ellice an email: elueders@tucson.com or DM on Instagram: @elliceeats.

Donuts

When you wake up in the morning and your first feeling is hurt, nothing pacifies that rot like a donut (and some horchata coffee). Everyone has their favorite, and for many people it’s La Estrella’s. I always think their chocolate frosted are my favorite, but it’s really the glazed. If you get them from their outpost in MSA, you can grab some cochata from Seis Kitchen. If you prefer their new location on Grande Avenue, Barista del Barrio is across the street.

I also love Alvernon Donut Shop, where you can get broasted fried chicken too. But it’s usually enough for me to have their chocolate glazed, or a buttermilk bar.

Sometimes, though, the best donut is the closest. Even though their cinnamon-sugar rolled, custardy churro cruller is pricier than donuts at La Estrella and Alvernon, Flora’s Market Run is walking distance from my house. Their donuts are concocted by Kayla Draper, the head pastry chef for the Ares Collective empire. Unfortunately, it’s delicious enough to justify the price tag.

Start your day right.

Pizza

Maybe it’s just me, but I like simple foods when I’m hurting, the kind of foods my 10-year-old self would eat without adult supervision. Donuts and pizza. I can rhapsodize on the pizza from Family Joint ad infinitum, and I have. But last week I didn’t find myself at a Neopolitan pizzeria: not Family Joint, not Pizza Luna, not Anello. I hopped on the SunLink to Empire Pizza on Congress Street.

I went often enough to get their names. Elmer took my order. David brought me sprinkle cheese. My order was the same every time: one slice of pepperoni and a generous side portion of ranch. The grease on the pizza is abundant enough to slough the ranch off the first time you dip it in. Don’t you dare dab that off with a napkin. It’s the elixir getting you through.

Booze

While I would never enable anyone to drown their sorrows in liquor, I’d be lying to exclude it from my roundup. My favorite cocktails of late include pomegranate, which adds powerful but mercifully dry fruitiness: the vodka-based Pama Martini from Kingfisher, the tequila’ed Mexican Firing Squad at Owl’s Club. This might be dangerous, but as a pro tip: both are simple enough you can get the ingredients for your shelves at home.

Coffee

Sometimes food doesn’t get you through alone. Sometimes it’s a place, too. When home is weighed heavy with emotional baggage, the best respite can be a coffee shop, somewhere you can be by yourself without feeling alone. Strangers can keep you company, who don’t know you and don’t care about what is upsetting you. Through that gift of anonymity, they can trick you into feeling small again, like you don’t need to matter and maybe your problems don’t either.

I love and have eternal allegiance to Eleven Cafe, but what is so special about it is that you will never be anonymous under owner Q’s watch. I learned about Exo Roast Co. when I saw their baker making quince pastries in the kitchen at Mission Garden.

Exo’s warehouse-chic setting is cosmopolitan in the vocabulary of a 21st century hipster: stained glass window panes above the entrance, a vintage sign painted on the exposed brick wall, college students and creative professionals lined up in thrift-store gems to pick up oat milk lattes. You could be in Brooklyn. You could be anywhere.

International travel has become quite the headache these days, what with COVID restrictions, flight delays and the skyrocketing cost of a ticket.

So we decided to take you on a trip around the globe, one bowl of soup at a time, without leaving Tucson.

Why soup?

Because it’s winter and wintertime always puts us in the mood for a steaming bowl of soup.

We’ve found Tucson restaurants that take a page from the recipe books of France, Greece, Persia, Mexico, Hong Kong, Poland and America’s heartland, creating soups that define cultures and traditions.

Bonus: No passport or boarding pass required.

Middle American classic: Beyond Bread’s Cream of Chicken & Dumpling

When it comes to meal-worthy, warm-your-belly soups, Beyond Bread‘s Cream of Chicken & Dumpling fits the bill. Bite-sized chunks of moist roasted breast meat bobs and weaves alongside chewy gnocchi in a creamy, peppery gravy. This is classic Sunday supper soup, hearty and savory and begging to be eaten slowly to savor to the last spoonful.

The Cream of Chicken & Dumpling has been on Beyond Bread’s menu since it opened its second location on East Speedway in 2001, said District Manager Matt Boling.

“It’s definitely a very popular soup, especially in the wintertime when things get colder,” said Boling, who joined the 24-year-old company when it was in its infancy. “That soup complements the bread bowls that are so popular. It’s definitely a comfort food.”

Boling said one of the chain’s secrets is using gnocchi rather than dumplings, which tend to fall apart in the soup.

The Creamy Chicken & Dumpling is only available on Sundays at all three Beyond Bread locations — 421 W. Ina Road; 3024 N. Campbell Ave.; and on the east side at 6260 E. Speedway. Boling isn’t sure if Beyond Bread will carry the soup at its new location at the Mount Lemmon Lodge, which is expected to open in the summer.

Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily

Order online: beyondbread.com

Oooh-la-la: French Onion at Ghini’s

Ghini’s French Caffe chef-owner Coralie Satta has been serving her house special French onion soup since she opened her doors in 1992. She starts with a beef stock infused with garlic and Provencal herbs (thyme, rosemary, savory, marjoram and oregano). She prefers yellow onions — lots of them — because Vidalias tend to be too sweet for her taste. She adds some sherry and a splash of wine, tops the soup with Gruyère and Parmesan cheese and pops it in the oven to get brown and melty before serving with her father’s crusty baguettes from his La Baguette Bakery next door.

The result is a deeply rich, savory, beefy broth with tender to the tooth onions and the rich tang of the melted cheese.

The soup is one of her big sellers, right behind Ghini’s signature Eggs Provençal and tied with the popular Les Croques ham and Gruyere sandwiches.

Location: 1803 E. Prince Road

Hours: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; closed Mondays

Order online: ghiniscafe.com

French Onion duex: Le Rendez-vous

You also can get French onion soup at Tucson’s oldest French restaurant Le Rendez-vous, 3844 E. Fort Lowell Road. The restaurant, which Jean-Claude Berger opened in 1980 and his son, Gordon Berger, continues to run today, offers a baked French onion soup with a medley of cheeses.

Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays

Order online: rendezvoustucson.com

Central European hangover cure: Polish Cottage’s Zurek

Sharron Tompkins had never heard Zurek — the traditional Polish sour rye soup — referred to as a hangover cure, but with its aggressive notes of marjoram, many in Poland and elsewhere swear by its healing powers to dull that one-too-many-pints morning-after headache.

At the 10-year-old Polish Cottage Restaurant, Zurek starts with a sour rye base that’s complemented with sour cream to create a creamy broth similar to European white borscht. You also can order it with sausage and hard boiled egg on the side.

“People love it instantly,” said Tompkins who has worked at Polish Cottage nine of its 10 years. “When they are willing to be adventurous, this is the soup I recommend to them. It’s quite creamy and it really warms the belly and gets you going.”

Location: 4520 E. Broadway

Hours: Noon to 8 p.m. daily

Order online: tucne.ws/polishcottage

Opa!: Pappoule’s lemon chicken and rice

The Greeks like to refer to Avgolemono as chicken soup’s silky rich cousin, and at Pappoule’s at Foothills Mall, the egg lemon soup has been a hit since Michael and Bea Cotsones opened the restaurant in 2007.

“It’s a very traditional chicken rice soup and we add the Avgolemono sauce,” said the Cotsones’s son, Chris, who has run the restaurant for the past five years.

Think of it as your basic chicken and rice soup in a chicken stock that’s given a rich, silky kick with the traditional Greek egg and lemon Avgolemono.

“It’s the most popular dish in Greece and it’s popular here,” Cotsones said. “It’s warm, rich and it makes you feel good when you eat it. You really taste that Greek love.”

Pappoules, which Cotsones grandparents, John and Angeline Cotsones, launched at the Tucson Mall in 1982, serves its Avgolemono with pita bread.

Pappoules has weathered a lifetime of incarnations at the Foothills Mall, which is set to become more of an entertainment and dining destination in its latest remake. The restaurant is getting a jump on those plans with plans of its own to expand into the adjoining space, adding 1,600 square feet to its 2,300-square-foot footprint. Cotsones said his father, who is all-but-retired, is overseeing the expansion, which will give them more kitchen space and additional dining capacity.

Location: 7475 N. La Cholla Blvd.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, until 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Order online: pappoules.com

Persian perfection: Osh Reshteh at the Persian Room

The first thing you taste when you dig into Persian Room‘s traditional Osh Reshteh is the fresh Middle Eastern herbs — parsley, cilantro, chives and tarragon — infused in the broth that serves as the base for garbanzo and kidney beans. Persian noodles are added and the soup is topped with whey, sautéed onions, garlic and fried mint.

The taste is a bit salty and likely a bit foreign on the tongue for newbies, but Persian Room manager and partner Farideh Nikkhahmanesh says people are usually surprised by how much they like it.

Persian Room Fine Dining has a loyal following in Tucson, where it opened in summer 2018, an outpost of Farideh and brother Nassar’s Scottsdale restaurant that has been been in business for more than 30 years.

Location: 9290 N. Thornydale Road

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, until 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Details: persianroom.com

Pho-tastic bowl: Pho at Miss Saigon

Pho, that Vietnamese noodle soup that has been all the rage in Tucson since Miss Saigon opened its doors 20 years ago, is still the reason folks visit its three locations — downtown at 47 N. Sixth Ave.; central at 1072 N. Campbell Ave.; and east side at 250 S. Craycroft Road.

Miss Saigon was the second Vietnamese restaurant to offer pho in the early 2000s; the other one is long shuttered, replaced by a handful of respectable pho establishments. But Miss Saigon has longevity on its side — and a beefy broth made from a stockpot of slow-cooked beef bones that depart a richness you can’t get from adding premade beef stock or MSG, says owner Bao Ma.

“The reason that our pho is so good is that we use a lot of beef bones and not a lot of MSG,” he explained.

The broth gets a lift from chicken base and is seasoned with coriander, star anise, fennel seeds, peppercorn, salt, sugar and Asian sugar. Garnishments include beansprouts, sliced jalepeño, lime, cilantro and Thai basil.

“We have a great following,” Ma said. “If they want pho, they typically come to Miss Saigon.”

Hours: 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, until 8 p.m. Sundays

Details: misssaigontucson.com

Raging for noodles: Ramen at Rajin Ramen

Tucson was late to the ramen craze, but boy have we made up for lost time. One of the area’s hot spots is the four-year-old Rajin Ramen near the University of Arizona, where they take their ramen seriously — with a side of humor.

Novice to noodles? They offer a few light-hearted tips on how to consume ramen, which is not your mama’s noodle soup. Among them: Sip the broth first then attack the noodles with chopsticks — “Forks are for amateurs!” — to avoid the noodles becoming soggy and soft.

Rajin Ramen, which is a sister restaurant to Jun and Diana Arai’s popular east side restaurant Ginza Sushi & Izakaya, has 10 varieties of ramen, from the house-favorite Tonkotsu Black Roasted Garlic in a pork broth that a manager said was the most user-friendly for newbies, to the Veggie filled with bok choy, corn, onions seaweed and pickled ginger among the garden of vegs swimming in the creamy vegetable broth.

Manager Abdullah “AJ” Tamimi won’t pick favorites, but he sounds like a poet describing dishes on the menu and the joy diners get from tucking into a steaming bowl that fogs up your glasses when you lean in for that first bite.

“It’s like a beautiful cacophony. You’ve got a bunch of different flavors from the pork to the veggies to the noodles themselves,” he explains, summing up ramen as the “epitome of comfort food — salt, sugar, carbs and proteins bundled into a spoonful.”

“You sit down and you feel like wherever you are at, a roof just sort of builds on top of you,” he said. “It’s so grounding. It’s absolutely phenomenal.”

Location: 2955 E. Speedway

Hours: Noon to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 4 to 8 p.m. Sundays

Details: raijinramentucson.com

Taste of home: Micha’s traditional cocido

Alex Franco’s nana always made him cocido, the traditional Mexican beef stew packed with tender beef and fork-firm vegetables.

“It’s more like tradition; it reminds you of home,” he said of the cocido he serves at Micha’s, his family’s longtime South Tucson Mexican restaurant.

At Micha’s, they start with a rich beef broth and chunks of tender beef that shares the spotlight with carrots, corn, squash, potatoes and cabbage. The soup is one of several on Micha’s menu, and it’s hands-down the favorite among the loyal clientele, especially this time of year.

“When it’s really cold that soup sells,” Franco said.

Location: 2908 S. Fourth Ave.

Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sundays and Tuesdays through Thursdays; until 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and until 2 p.m. Mondays

Details: michascatering.com

40+ new restaurants and bars Tucson welcomed in 2021

Barrio Charro

Barrio Charro, 3699 N. Campbell Ave., was brought to Tucson by a "culinary marriage" between the minds behind El Charro Café and Barrio Bread. 

New venture pairs two Tucson culinary stars in one kitchen

Toast 101

Toast 101, 4699 E. Speedway Blvd., is the place to go for familiar brunch options served in a trendy atmosphere. 

Fun fact: co-owner Kalvin Jarvis represented Tucson on "The Voice" when the singer competed in the popular NBC show in 2019.

Transit Tea

Tea lovers can visit the Transit Tea drive-thru, 2645 E. Speedway Blvd., for a wide selection of drinks including tea sodas, tea lattes, chai teas and slushy-like "tea snows."

Bella's Gelato Shoppe

Bella's Gelato started as a local food truck but now has a stand-alone shop at 2648 E. Speedway Blvd.

The menu of a dozen gelato and sorbet flavors, plus smoothies, coffee and floats, should cool down anyone in search of a summer treat. 

Local food truck Bella's Gelato opening inside an old Baskin-Robbins

Chicago Bar

A Tucson favorite for decades, Chicago Bar announced it would close permanently in 2020, but it reopened this April under new owner Yongsoo Seo. 

Chicago Bar, 5954 E. Speedway Blvd., no longer has a restaurant, but Seo hopes to get food trucks on site for nights that feature live music.

Tucson's popular Chicago Bar is reopening following COVID-19 closure

Edna's Eatery

Edna's Eatery, 2150 N. Alvernon Way, was formerly Café Botánica inside the Tucson Botanical Gardens. 

The name may have changed, but visitors can still grab a drink and something for breakfast or lunch while enjoying the gardens. 

New cafe at Tucson Botanical Gardens has a great patio, and all the plants

El Mezquite Grill and Taqueria

El Mezquite Grill and Taqueria, 280 S. Church Ave., and its gourmet Mexican, Spanish and French dishes can be found downtown at the new DoubleTree Hilton next door to the Tucson Convention Center.

Talented Tucson chef Virginia Wooters is cooking downtown at the new DoubleTree Hilton

Flora's Market Run

Flora's Market Run, 2513 E. Sixth St., is part grocery store, part restaurant and features a sushi bar, produce from local Tucson farmers, a cafe and a deli that will provide you the perfect cuts of meat to make an Instagram-worthy charcuterie board. 

Here's what to get from Flora's Market Run, a gourmet grocery wonderland

Taqueria La Esquina

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Taqueria La Esquina started out as a food truck but has since moved to a storefront at 4876 S. Sixth Avenue, where a variety of tacos, Sonoran dogs and churros can be found.

A full bar is expected to be coming soon, but for now, beer is available for those looking to pair a drink with their Sonoran street food. 

Santorini Greek Cafe

This cafe features all the Greek classics (no, not Homer's "The Iliad"): gyros, lamb skewers, tzatziki, dolmathes and mousakas, to name a few. 

Santorini Greek Cafe is at 2545 E. Speedway Blvd., a couple doors down from The Screamery ice cream shop. 

Gallery of Food Bodega

The Gallery of Food Bodega, at 2522 E. Fort Lowell Road, had its grand opening this June, despite technically first opening back in October 2020. 

This store, run by Kristine Jensen of the Gallery of Food catering company, sells locally-sourced products and offers grab-and-go meals, all of which can also be bought online. 

Maria Bonita Mexican Kitchen

After its original location closed in 2011, Maria Bonita Mexican Kitchen has returned to Tucson, this time at 2708 E. Fort Lowell Road. 

The menu features popular Mexican dishes like quesadillas, chimichangas, tacos and desserts like flan and tres leches cake. 

Snakes & Lattes

Short ribs, burgers and pozole are a few items on this cafe's menu, located at 988 E. University Blvd. in Main Gate Square.

Snakes & Lattes also offers cocktails, beer, and wine but what makes this Toronto-based chain special is the selection of more than 400 board games available to play while guests sip and eat. 

New eats! 7 restaurants and markets that opened in Tucson this spring

The Barnyard Crafthouse & Eatery

The Barnyard's burgers, pizza, wings and other American staples can be enjoyed in its outdoor dining area or inside the restaurant that was formerly an actual barn house, located at 11011 E. Tanque Verde Road.

Pops Hot Chicken

You may recognize Pops Hot Chicken as the popular Tucson food truck, but now it has a new location at 600 N. Fourth Ave.

The new shop offers a larger menu, including brunch options like chicken biscuit sandwiches, and a bar.

Five-To-Oh! Coffee

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This small new coffee shop is right under the dome of the historic Pima County Courthouse at 115 N. Church Ave.

5-to-Oh! Coffee, a play on southern Arizona's area code, serves hot and cold coffee drinks, teas and daily snacks like hummus and pita, muffins and croissants. 

Fullylove's

Fullylove's shares a marijuana-friendly space with Arte Bella, a "puff-and-paint" studio, located at 340 N. Fourth Ave. 

Burgers, wings and several desserts are a few of the offerings Fullylove's has for anyone with a case of the munchies.

New Tucson marijuana-friendly restaurant, painting party space opens Friday

Deliciocho

Deliciocho, 6308 S. Nogales Highway, is one of the newest spots in Tucson to grab some raspasados on a hot day.

The mom-and-son-owned shop also sells tacos, tortas, Mexican street corn and several desserts...churro ice cream sandwiches, anyone?

A huge list of 20 Tucson raspado spots to visit

Zio Peppe

This new Italian-American restaurant, at 6502 E. Tanque Verde Road, incorporates Tucson's Southwest flare into its pastas, pizzas and desserts.

Fun fact: Zio Peppe has an all-female pizza crew!

Longtime friends join forces to open new Italian-American eatery in Tucson

Sakari Sushi

Sakari Sushi, 2962 N. Campbell Avenue, is one of the newest spots in Tucson to grab your favorite sushi dish, whether that is an Arizona roll or a Red Dragon roll. 

This sushi restaurant also offers several kinds of lo mein, soup and fried rice if those are more your speed.

Dillinger Brewing Company

The former Coronado Hotel has become the Dillinger Brewing Company's second taproom in Tucson, located right off Fourth Avenue at 402 E. Ninth Street.

The beers, ciders, wine, cold brew coffee and kombucha offered here can be drank inside or on the patio of the new taproom. 

Fun fact: There is an arcade game table inside the taproom where visitors can play classic games like Pac-Man.

Tucson's Dillinger Brewing Company to open taproom near North Fourth

Noodleholics

Noodleholics' first shop opened on Grant Road back in 2018 and has since opened an Oro Valley location at 7850 N. Oracle Rd.

The new Oro Valley spot has a larger kitchen and a patio dining area for noodle-lovers in the area who might not want to make the trek down to midtown.

Tuk Tuk Thai

The Oro Valley Marketplace got a taste of Thai food in May when Tuk Tuk Thai opened its new location at 12125 N. Oracle Road. 

This new store features the same menu items as Tuk Tuk Thai's 2990 N. Campbell Ave. location, such as the Khao Soi coconut curry noodles, which ThisIsTucson's Andi Berlin said "are a must."

Tuk Tuk Thai is bringing its irresistible curry noodles to Oro Valley

La Estrella Bakery

La Estrella Bakery opens its third Tucson location on July 31 at 901 N. Grande Ave. 

The Franco family, who opened their flagship bakery in the '80s, is putting this new location in Barrio Hollywood where their Tucson roots began. 

La Estrella Bakery’s goodness is expanding on Tucson’s west side

Transplant Pizza

This new pizzeria "born in Tucson, inspired by Detroit" at 4603 E. Speedway Blvd. comes from the minds of William and Travis Miller, the brothers behind Tucson's Serial Grillers. 

The duo opened the doors of Transplant Pizza this summer right next to Craft, A Modern Drinkery, a taproom which they also run. 

Serial Grillers pair launching Detroit-style pizzeria in Tucson

Reilly Craft Pizza & Drink

You may be familiar with Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink's popular downtown location at 101 E. Pennington Street, but now you have the chance to grab a pie and a cocktail up north.

Reilly's second location opened Aug. 1 on Tucson's northwest side at 7262 N. Oracle Road.

This popular downtown Tucson pizzeria is opening a 2nd location

Salad and Go

Salad and Go has over 30 locations in Arizona and now Tucson's first is open at 5501 E. Speedway Blvd.

Although the name says "salad," you can also grab breakfast burritos and seasonal soup there. Another Tucson location is planned to open later this year at Tucson Marketplace.

Buena Vida

This luchador-themed spot at 919 N. Stone Ave. had its grand opening at the end of August, which featured a car show and live wrestling.

Buena Vida's menu offers a variety of tortas, loaded "Lucha Fries," Sonoran dogs, and salads with a Mexican cuisine-inspired twist. They have indoor and patio seating and offer carry out as well. 

This new luchador-themed restaurant in Tucson aims to connect the community

Noble Hops

The popular Oro Valley gastropub, Noble Hops, opened up a new location this summer at the DoubleTree by Hilton at Reid Park, 445 S. Alvernon Way.

Noble Hops's new spot offers mostly the same menu items as the original location, in addition to craft beers and cocktails. 

Oro Valley’s popular Noble Hops is opening in Tucson

Perché No Italian Bistro

Meaning "why not?" in Italian, Perche' No opened this fall in the former Caffé Milano space downtown at 46 W. Congress St.

Some of the new Italian bistro's menu items include pesto ravioli, lamb lollipops, spaghetti puttanesca, and calamari fries. 

Love at first sight drove an Italian chef to open a new restaurant in Tucson

Black Rock Coffee Bar

Tucson recently welcomed a Black Rock Coffee Bar store at 1821 E. Broadway Blvd., where customers can stop in or use the drive-thru to grab their favorite javas, teas, energy drinks, and smoothies.

This is the first of at least four locations the Portland-based company plans to open in Tucson. 

A popular Portland java chain is opening in Tucson

EspresSoul Cafe

This new coffee truck opened just in time for pumpkin spice latte season and you will most likely see it at various locations across Tucson.

EspresSoul Cafe's honey lavender espresso, cookies and cream frappes, and fruit smoothies are some of the items available at the traveling cafe. To see where they will be stopped next, check out the EspresSoul Facebook page.

Bubbe’s Fine Bagels

If you have been looking for a locally-owned place to grab a bagel and schmear, look no further than Tucson's newly-opened Bubbe's Fine Bagels at 1101 N. Wilmot Road.

If you happen to come across the framed photo of Barbra Streisand inside the shop, make sure to say "Hello, gorgeous" before chowing down on a bagel sandwich.

A star is born: New shop Bubbe's brings Barbra, handmade bagels to the east side

Thunder Bacon Burger Co.

This new burger joint at 621 N. Fourth Ave. is the newest venture of Lindon "Lindy" Reilly, who founded Lindy's On 4th. 

Several of Thunder Bacon Burger Co.'s burgers feature the flavors of the Southwest, specifically roasted green chiles and chorizo, and of course, they all have bacon. 

Feel the thunder or fall in love: 2 new burger joints open in downtown Tucson

Little Love Burger

Downtown Tucson welcomed another burger-centric restaurant this fall, this time at 312 E. Congress St.

Little Love Burger, brought to us by the minds behind Playground Bar & Lounge and Hub, opened in October in the former Diablo Burger location.

In addition to burgers, the menu here offers hot dogs, chicken sandwiches and a full breakfast menu.

Tucson's burger craze to get a little downtown love with new eatery

8 Degrees Ice Cream and Cookies

If you get a sweet tooth while shopping at St. Phillip's Plaza or grabbing a drink in the center courtyard, 8 Degrees Ice Cream & Cookies is just a few steps away. 

The new ice cream shop at 4320 N. Campbell Ave. gives you several options of ice cream flavors, toppings and cookies (including vegan-friendly ones) to design your own ice cream sandwich.

You can also choose one off the menu or buy cookie dough to bake at home.

Meyer Avenue Cafe

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Meyer Avenue Cafe, opened Sept. 20, 2021 on the same property as the Coronet and Nightjar, offers reimagined brunch staples, pastries, and an array of coffee and other beverages. 

The attached Mercantile, 353 S. Meyer Ave., offers homemade goods and gifts, including beer and wine selections. 

Wow Wow Lemonade Stand

This Hawaii-based all-natural lemonade shop, which has a drive-thru, recently opened at 7705 N. Oracle Road in Oro Valley.

Some of Wow Wow's colorful lemonade flavors include strawberry mint, lava flow, and lavender blackberry. The menu also features health-conscious treats like smoothie bowls, avocado toast, and flatbread sandwiches. 

Aloha! A new Hawaiian lemonade stand has opened in Tucson

The Jackrabbit Lounge

This new retro-themed bar is bringing drinks, live music, drag-queen-hosted trivia nights, karaoke, and an Instagram-worthy atmosphere to 2000 N. Oracle Road. 

Adult bourbon-infused milk shakes and Old Fashioneds can be found on The Jackrabbit's menu, along with shareable dishes like cauliflower fritters, mac 'n' cheese, and spicy Korean-style meatballs. 

Instagram opportunities abound at this new Tucson bar

Flaps and Racks/Acai Paradise

Jeffrey Flores and his wife/business partner Auxi Navarro are bringing twin restaurants Flaps and Racks and Acai Paradise to 3253 E. Valencia Road.

Flaps and Racks will offer bone-in and boneless chicken wings and Korean-style barbeque ribs, while Acai Paradise serves housemade oatmeal and acai bowls and fruit smoothies. 

Amid supply chain hiccups, hiring woes, 2 new restaurants opening in Tucson

Ding Tea

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This Taiwanese tea house opened as Tucson's first location in September at 2739 E. Speedway Blvd.

Ding Tea offers trendy milk and boba teas, as well as fruity, flavored teas and slushies. Their full menu can be found here.

Fiesta Filipina

Fiesta Filipina got its start as a food truck a few years back, but now has a spot inside the Park Place Mall food court, at 5870 E. Broadway Blvd.

Filipino food can be hard to find in Tucson, but Fiesta Filipina offers some classic dishes like lumpia, pancit rice noodles, chicken and pork adobo, halo-halo and dinuguan, a pork blood stew. 

Fiesta Filipina just opened at the mall

Buendia Breakfast & Lunch Cafe

Buendia Breakfast & Lunch Cafe opened two months ago at 2530 N. First Ave., where the now-closed Asian Sofrito used to operate.

Buendia's breakfast and lunch menus feature a range of burritos, huevos rancheros, nopales, tacos, soup, seafood, and vegetarian and vegan-friendly options.

New Tucson brunch cafe Buendia will make your soul (and your stomach) happy