These 9 must-eat foods in Tucson will leave you hungry for more

Tucson is a total oasis for food lovers. Named the nation’s first City of Gastronomy by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Arizona’s second-largest city has a rich agricultural history. It has been continuously cultivated for 4,000 years, the longest in North America.

Other qualities include its native ingredients, James Beard-nominated chefs and a wide variety of cultural influences that collide to serve up everything from artisan bread and loaded hot dogs to inventive salsas and roadside burritos. So head down Interstate 10 and eat your way through “Old Pueblo” like a pro. Here are nine dishes not to miss.

Chorizo burrito + coffee at Barista Del Barrio

1002 N. Grande Ave., Tucson

As with many great food stories, this one began with beloved family recipes, a dream and a coffee cart, thus the birth of Barista Del Barrio. Started by owner Flavia Briones and her two kids, Sergio and Ariana, the establishment now has a walk-up window with outdoor patio seating in the historic Barrio Hollywood neighborhood — and Briones has earned national recognition as a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef Southwest. Burritos are filled with potato, cheese, beans and the fluffiest scrambled eggs. You pick the protein (bacon, ham, sausage or soyrizo), but the obvious best choice is the house-made chorizo with its secret blend of chiles and spices. The burritos are panini-pressed to crispy perfection. Say yes to extra salsa and wash it all down with coffee, from killer cold brew to a lovely lechera latte (or shhh… order off the secret drink menu).

Breakfast at Coronet Cafe

353 S. Meyer Avenue, Tucson

Everything is cute, cozy and made from scratch at Coronet Cafe, a quaint counter service spot tucked in the historic Barrio Viejo neighborhood with ample patio seating and a Parisienne feel. Order delights like Lil Dutch Babies for a threesome of puffed-up pancakes filled with tart citrus cream and seasonal fruit, eggs Benedict with slow-cooked brisket, potato kugel and dill hollandaise and owner Sally Kane’s favorite Turkish eggs in a garlicky dill yogurt sauce with house flatbread. As well as boozy bloody marys and mimosas, the must-try drink is the Mesquite Ras el Hanout, an oat-milk latte with house-made mesquite syrup. Breakfast is served daily from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., perfect for those vacation days when you want to sleep in. The mercantile is also stocked with jams and hot sauces to take home.

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Le Cave's feels like a blast from the past — prices included.

Allison Young

Doughnut at Le Cave’s Bakery & Donuts

3950 E. 22nd St., Tucson

Le Cave’s doughnuts are impossibly fluffy, with a springy, cloudlike texture and ridiculously indulgent finish that doesn’t feel heavy or greasy — and they happen to be vegan (with the exception of the Boston cream, apple fritter and apple cinnamon). The original shop opened in 1935. Now under new ownership in a new location — a former Jack in the Box with a drive-thru — it has the same time-tested recipes. Plus, they serve a doughnut of the month to keep things fresh, like frosted orange cream or coconut key lime. But which of the regular rotation doughnuts to order? The glazed is a fave, a glistening, melt-in-your-mouth morsel that’s both featherweight and filling. Oh, and a chocolate frosted doughnut that’s somehow the milkiest chocolate you’ve ever tasted, yet vegan. And for non-vegans, the Boston cream is a whipped cream, chocolate revelation that tastes better than any donut should. In other words, you can’t go wrong.

Jackfruit anything at Tumerico Cafe

2526 E. Sixth St., Tucson

Wendy Garcia, chef-owner of Latin-inspired, plant-based Tumerico, has a lot to be proud of. Not only was she named a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef Southwest for the second year in a row, Tumerico earned the top spot in the country on Yelp's Top 100 Places to Eat list. Not that the national props would surprise Tucson locals. Garcia has been serving vegan and vegetarian spins on family recipes since 2013 and can butcher a jackfruit like a boss. She starts with the giant, green fruit, adds a blend of spices and seasonings, fries it up and piles it into tacos and enchiladas. Also included are adobo sauce, fiery salsa, cashew crema and guacamole, all house made from scratch. The ever-changing blackboard menu comes with options like fiery jackfruit al pastor tacos, jackfruit carnitas, ropa vieja and mole chimichangas, all beautifully plated creations that pop with color and spice.

Sonoran hotdog at El Güero Canelo

5201 S. 12th Ave., Tucson

We’re not sure what we like best about Sonoran hotdog house El Güero Canelo, a Tucson institution serving bacon-wrapped dogs since 1993. The toppers include a combo of pinto beans, fresh and grilled onions, diced tomato, mayo, mustard and jalapeno sauce portioned in a just-right ratio to provide crunch and character. There are the delicately steamed, slightly sweet buns, which owner Daniel Contreras gets from his hometown of Magdalena, Mexico. There’s the single dog Sonoran style ($3.99) and the Sammy Dog ($5.00) that comes with two bacon-wrapped franks in one bun. And the epic toppings bar gives you the chance to take your already-loaded dog to new heights with pickled onions, shredded cheese, more grilled onions and a slew of house-made salsas. What’s more, the hot dog joint won a James Beard America’s Classics Award.

Bonbons at Monsoon Chocolate

Factory + Gift Shop: 234 E. 22nd St.
Cafe + Market: 3630 E. Ft. Lowell Road

Not your average sweets shop, Monsoon Chocolate is a bean-to-bar operation that serves handcrafted confections using sustainably sourced cacao like you’ve never seen or tasted. The bonbons are sculptural, hypnotic gems infused with southwestern flavors like chiltepín pepper, prickly pear caramel and Sonoran sea salt that look almost too good to eat. But, man, when you do, they coat your mouth in a robust, velvety texture that makes regular, waxy chocolate seem flat. Visit their new Cafe + Market in midtown Tucson for a full-on chocoholic café of drinks, desserts and frozen treats (the house-made Choco Taco with sweet corn frozen custard dipped in chocolate is a must-try), while the factory location in the Santa Rita Park neighborhood gives a glimpse into the chocolate-making process, as well as selling retail products.

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Salsa's live up to the sign at BOCA Tacos y Tequila.

Allison Young

Salsa at BOCA

533 N. Fourth Ave., Tucson

Make sure to order a taco to go with your salsa at BOCA, where the declaration, “Our salsas are hotter than your wife,” says it all. Executive chef and owner Maria Mazon, a two-time James Beard Award semifinalist and “Top Chef” Portland contestant, takes salsa seriously. And she doesn’t think of it in terms of mere red and green, not when inspired ingredients can be turned into a carnal condiment. Think banana and habanero, pickled jalapeno and honey, chai tea and soy sauce, peanut butter and guajillo and watermelon wasabi. The ever-changing repertoire offers no fewer than five flavors made fresh each day. Start with the chips and salsa flight and move to tacos, where you can choose between 17 creations ranging from the Taco Dog inspired by the Sonoran hot dog to a chipotle BBQ flavor made with slow-roasted pork ribs.

Pizza at Anello

222 E. Sixth Street, Tucson

Anello has strong Phoenix ties. Chef-owner Scott Girod, who’s from Gilbert, worked under Chris Bianco at Pizzeria Bianco, and also spent time in Italy as a pizzaiolo before opening Anello in Tucson’s Warehouse Arts District in 2017. But his pizza is all Tucson, built on naturally leavened dough that’s fermented over 30 hours, and wood-fired with Arizona’s native mesquite wood to a charred, bubbly finish. There are only four regular pizzas on the menu, including the Bianca with fresh mozzarella, ricotta, garlic, basil and local chiltepin peppers; and the Verde with smoked mozzarella, parsley puree and pistachios. There's also a standout market special made with seasonal ingredients (think shaved meyer lemon, gruyère, ricotta, thyme and pink peppercorns). The minimalist space — mostly blonde wood with a bubble gum pink wall — matches the pared-down menu.

A loaf at Barrio Bread

18 S. Eastbourne Ave., Tucson

Between Marco Bianco's baguettes at Pane Bianco and Jason Raducha’s naturally leavened loaves at Noble Bread, Phoenix knows good bread. Yet we don’t see the lineups that exist at Barrio Bread, where diehards queue up in front of the small Broadway Village storefront before it even opens. Barrio is Spanish for neighborhood, and James Beard Award-winning baker Don Guerra’s breads and recently launched bagels are imbued with a lot of local love. Look for a blend of locally grown heritage flours and grains unique to the Southwest, including white Sonoran wheat (one of the oldest surviving varietals in North America), and the cactus stenciled on the signature Heritage loaves. Not that you have to drive all the way to Tucson to score a loaf — Hayden Flour Mills in Gilbert now has a Barrio Bread pop-up on Tuesdays – but Tucson has different breads available and more bragging rights. Just hope they don’t sell out.