6. Maynards

Delicious baked eggs at Maynard's in Tucson, Arizona

As the sister restaurant of the fantastic Cup Cafe, Maynards is, not surprisingly, another one of the best brunch choices in the city. This classy restaurant is located downtown inside the historic train depot. It’s the perfect place for a romantic brunch date thanks to the upscale service and classy ambiance. Maynards is divided into a more casual Market section, offering quick bite eats, bakery selections, and happy hour specials, and a more refined Kitchen section, offering a full menu.

The Market is a better choice for those on a tight schedule. During lunch hours, a diverse variety of hot and cold sandwiches are available. For breakfast, you can choose between a tempting selection of pastries, sandwiches, and breakfast burritos. A full espresso bar, featuring coffee from local roaster Caffe Luce is also available.

The Kitchen is the place to go for a nice elegant meal. Brunch is my preferred time to visit as they offer a similar Baked Eggs dish as the Cup Cafe. Their Cast Iron pancakes are a great selection for those with a sweet tooth.

What to do nearby: Treat yourself to a quality cup of joe at Exo Roast, the best coffee shop downtown. Their mocha is top notch and I love the urban vibe.

Update: As of 2024, Maynards only serves dinner. The restaurant closed in 2020 and reopened with a new menu.

7. Original Guadalajara Grill

Taquitos De Papas at Original Guadalajara Grill in Tucson, Arizona

Guadalajara Grill is an authentic Mexican restaurant owned by Emma Vera, originally from Guadalajara Mexico. If you are seeking a Mexican meal with a bit of pizzazz, Guadalajara is definitely the way to go. The colorful dining room, live nightly mariachi music, and tableside salsa have been drawing in tourists since 2002. This place just screams vacation restaurant. Guadalajara offers a diverse food selection, with a bit of something for everyone, with a full vegetarian menu available. Tortillas are made fresh in-house daily.

As far as appetizers go, The Queso Fundido con Chorizo, is a delicious Mexican style fondue with Manchego & Jack Cheese, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, & garlic. The standout dish here is the Taquitos con Papas. This savory dish includes mashed garlic potatoes stuffed in corn tortillas and fried, served alongside rice, beans, guacamole, and sour cream. This is one hefty dish that will leave you satisfied.

Of course, you cannot go wrong with good old-fashioned fajitas either, whether it be chicken, shrimp, or veggies. A variety of combination deals and lunch specials can also be enjoyed.

I recommend visiting the original location on Prince Rd. which is much better than the new location on Oracle.

What to do nearby: Check out the impressive collection at the Center for Creative Photography (always free!).

8. Rocco’s Little Chicago

Delicious pizza at Roccos Little Chicago in Tucson, Arizona

Rocco’s is the place to go for delicious Chicago style pizza, whether you are a fan of thin crust or deep dish (thin for me all the way!). While the menu is a tad pricey (20 bucks for a simple large cheese pizza), Rocco’s does offer some tasty fare in a simple little space reminiscent of many of the local pizza joints you would find throughout the south side of Chicago.

The dining/bar area features various Chicago sports themed memorabilia and a full bar. Rocco’s did a great job recreating the pizza/pub atmosphere so common throughout the Windy City. As a native of Chicago, I approve of both the decor and food! I am overwhelmed with nostalgia for my favorite southside pizza places like Vito and Nicks. There is also a decent sized patio for those cooler winter desert evenings.

Do not leave without trying out the tasty toasted ravioli, which is definitely the best app on the menu. Rocco’s also offers a great selection of salads and their garlic bread is also pretty good.  This place will surely please Chicago transplants and visitors alike, as well as anyone else seeking a delicious slice of pie. Pizza made freshly daily with quality mozzarella, as opposed to a generic pre-frozen meal from a national pizza chain. As a former Windy City resident for several decades, I can say that the pizza has passed the test.

What to do nearby: Check out the intricate mini dollhouses at the top rated Mini Time Museum of Miniatures. this is such a cool place. The dollhouses are so incredible with the tiniest details that must have taken forever.

9. Le Buzz

Breakfast sandwich at Le Buzz in Tucson, Arizona

Le Buzz, a simple little French style cafe, is extremely popular with locals as it is one of the better places to enjoy both good breakfast fare and good coffee. It gets very crowded on weekend mornings, especially with the fitness crowd. As this cafe is located on the way to Mt Lemmon Scenic Byway (a cycling hotspot), cyclists tend to quickly fill up the outdoor patio early each weekend. Not surprising really, as they need to fuel up for their 30 mile long, 3000+ ft elevation gain ride up Catalina Scenic Highway. Really, I don’t know how they do it but I see them biking their way up this monstrous incline all year-round.

Le Buzz’s coffee is decent, although not quite the best in town. Breakfast portions are small but pretty tasty. The Quiche and breakfast paninis are both wonderful. They offer one of the better outdoor patios in town, so if you are seeking a place where you can enjoy a leisurely, long breakfast out with friends and family, Le Buzz offers the perfect laid-back ambiance for doing so. I prefer this cafe to Panera Bread (you can tell they were going for a similar theme).

What to do nearby: Spend the day exploring the pine tree covered trails of Mt. Lemmon, a high altitude summer escape typically about 20 degrees cooler than Tucson. Here are a few of the top things to do at Mt. Lemmon during the summer season.

10. The Canyon Crown

Delicious mac and cheese at The Canyon Crown in Tucson, Arizona

Unfortunately, there are no Irish pubs to be found anywhere in this city -a bit of a disappointment come St. Patrick’s Day. They do have a great British Pub, which not only serves some tasty Irish favorites, but also puts on quite the party on March 17th each year.

For all your favorite UK inspired foods, head right over to The Canyon Crown for the best pub fare in town, including the best fish and chips. The spinach artichoke dip and Irish Nachos appetizers and their mac and cheese are also worth the calorie splurge. We have enjoyed a lot of great appetizers here for sure.

The ambiance is very cozy and casual here. Really, it’s the perfect place to catch a game especially during football season as they have 10 flat screen TVs and Sunday NFL ticket. Canyon has a great beer selection with 20 diverse choices on draft. Overall, The Canyon is the best choice in town for quality pub fare and a lively game day atmosphere.

What to do nearby: Browse around the Madaras Art Gallery.