Where to eat in Tucson

I read somewhere there are more than 1,800 restaurants in Tucson. With restaurants ranging from fast food to fine dining everywhere, that number is really believable. Plus, pick a cuisine and Tucson probably has a restaurant serving that style of food.

During our time in Tucson, we’ve sampled the food at quite a few restaurants, our favorites more than once. Here’s a list of restaurants that we’ve eaten at and can recommend.  The list is heavy on Northwest Tucson restaurants because that’s where we lived, but we’ve eaten at places all over the city.

·       Texas Roadhouse has several locations in Tucson, but we like the Texas Roadhouse at  8459 N. Cracker Barrel Road in Marana best. It has the best food and service. Take the Cortaro Road exit off Interstate 10.

·       Cattletown Steakhouse and Saloon is said to be the best steakhouse in Tucson. It has the crowds for the Saturday night steak special to prove it. It’s located at 3141 E. Drexel Road.

·       Panda One is a small restaurant serving Chinese food, including the best beef and broccoli I’ve eaten outside of China.  Don’t let the empty parking lot fool you – their food is good! There’ve been times when there’s only been a table or two of eat-in diners, but there’s a steady stream of people coming in for take-out. Panda One is located at 3670 N. Oracle Road.

·       Red Lobster has several locations in the Tucson area, but we like the one at 5061 B, Oracle Road best. The food and service are outstanding.  We’ve eaten at Red Lobsters in five states, and it doesn’t get any better than this Tucson location.

·       El Molinito has three locations in Tucson; we’ve only eaten at the one at 3675 W. Ina Road, but have been back several times. Their enchiladas are excellent.

·       Wisdom’s Dos is a good place to stop if you’ve spent a day exploring south of Tucson or shopping in Nogales, Mexico. It’s located at 4 Plaza Way in Tubac. They do a land office business with their cerviche; one taste and you’ll understand why. They automatically add a 15 percent tip to your bill for service, which seems to be pretty much non-existent, but they’ll take it off if you ask.

·       Frost is THE place to go for gelato. Their gelato is sinfully rich but lower in calories than regular ice cream.  Pick a flavor, any flavor, it’s all good. We’ve had gelato at two of their locations: 7131 N. Oracle Road and La Encantada Mall, 2905 E, Skyline Drive.

·       Sauce Pizza and Wine has three locations in Tucson. We’ve only been to the one at 7117 N. Oracle Road, which is right next door to Frost. The pizza is outstanding, with heavy crowds on weekends and evenings. Outdoor seating is available.

·       La Parilla Suiza is a chain of Mexican restaurants in Arizona. We have, however, only eaten at one of their three Tucson locations: 2720 N. Oracle Road. The restaurant specializes in the cuisine of Mexico City, not the Tex-Mex that I’m used to. It’s quite good, however, so we’ll go back.

·       The Curry Leaf is considered one of the best Indian restaurants in Tucson, and I have to agree with that assessment. Good food and good service are front and center at this small restaurant at 2510 E. Grant Road.