Portion sizes is part of what has made Nate’s so popular on Tucson’s east side. Thursdays through Saturdays there is usually a line out the door to order and an hour wait.
- Mamta Popat, Arizona Daily Star
Kadai paneer is Twisted Indian manager Raj Sihota’s favorite item on the menu because it reminds him of what his mom cooked for him growing up.
- Ellice Lueders, This is Tucson file
Pictured are sweet chili chicken tenders from Oh My Chicken at Park Place Mall.
- Ellice Lueders, This is Tucson file
Licks Catalina is home to rotating ice cream flavors and the option to infuse the treat with cereal. This is the Tucson Double Rainbow, with vanilla and strawberry ice cream, Lucky Charms, gummies, rainbow sprinkles and a sweet cream drizzle.
- Gloria Knott, This is Tucson
The Pork and Chinese cabbage dumplings from Jewel’s Noodle Kitchen have the perfect amount of filling.
- Jamie Donnelly, This is Tucson
Pictured is the Spicy Jim pizza from Penelope Wood Fired Pizza, which has pepperoni and jalapeño.
- Ellice Lueders, This Is Tucson file
Butter chicken in a gas station? Hawaiian food in a bar?
Jamie Donnelly
Some of the best restaurants can be in the most unexpected places. From gas stations to mall food courts, the food scene in Tucson teaches you to never judge a book by its cover.
These hidden gems may be underrated or easy to miss, but the food they make will make you wish you discovered them sooner.
Jewel’s Noodle Kitchen
Sandwiched between a Big Five Sporting Goods and a spa sits Jewel’s Noodle Kitchen, a small restaurant that’s been serving up meat pies, noodles and so much more since 2019. While it doesn’t have all the glitz and glam seen in other restaurants nowadays, Jewel's Noodle Kitchen makes up for it with some of the best dumplings in the city.
Twisted Indian
Typically, the food you see at a gas station are hot dogs rolling on a grill and a nacho cheese dispenser, but inside of a gas station off of Interstate 10, you can get rich butter chicken and garlic naan. Twisted Indian, the south side’s only Indian restaurant, runs out of a kitchen in the Chevron. The menu is similar to what you’d find in their midtown counterpart, Indian Twist, so you can expect the same great flavor and quality.
Oh My Chicken
Mall food courts are often overlooked. You can almost always count on finding a Panda Express or Jamba Juice, but once in while, you’ll strike gold. At Park Place, Oh My Chicken is that treasure. Oh My Chicken has some of the best fried chicken. The Korean flavors they use, like theirsweet and spicy sauce, mixed with the crispy chicken will have you coming back for more.
Oh My Chicken won't stay hidden for long, though. They're opening a second location in midtown this fall!
Lick’s Ice Cream & Coffee
About 30 minutes from Tucson, you can find Lick’s tucked away in a small shopping center in Catalina. The ice cream sundaes and creative flavors are worth the drive up north.
At Lick’s, you won’t be getting your usual toppings. Here, you can get cereal-infused ice cream topped with sweet treats like cannoli cream, Cocoa Puffs, cheesecake, animal crackers and Teddy Grahams. You can also get bubble waffles topped with their creamy ice cream.
The Quesadillas
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Quesadillas may seem like a dish that’s easy to make; all you have to do is warm some cheese up in a tortilla, right? But there's so much more to it.
From the type of cheese and meat that’s used to how long the tortilla is cooked, making the perfect quesadilla is a science. The Quesadillas gets it right every time. Their carne asada quesadilla is jam-packed with smokey meat and gooey cheese.
Nate’s Italian Kitchen
Nate’s Italian Kitchen may be small, but it packs a punch. Next to a Little Caesars and Fry’s, you may overlook it, but this Italian spot is a fan favorite. Reviews rave about their big portions and pasta dishes such as their lasagna and fettuccine alfredo.
Solid Grindz
Some of Tucson’s best Hawaiian food can be found at a local bar. Inside Just 1 More is Solid Grindz, serving up authentic Hawaiian barbecue and poke bowls. Katsu chicken, spicy bang shrimp and buttery Hawaiian rolls are on the menu, bringing a piece of island paradise to the Sonoran Desert.
Substance Diner
Parked behind Screwbean Brewing is Substance Diner, which makes comfort food that is 100% plant-based. Their all-vegan menu includes typical diner favorites like pancakes, milkshakes and juicy burgers. They also have spicy chicken sandwiches and Sonoran dogs if you want something with a kick. Many reviewers said they were surprised to find out the food was vegan.
Penelope Wood Fired Pizza
Pizza and coffee may be an unusual combination, but it works for Cartel Roasting Co. and Penelope Wood Fired Pizza. This pizza spot, which blends Italian and New York flavors, can be found in the back of Cartel’s downtown Tucson location. From jalapeños to buffalo ranch, their wood-fired pizzas incorporate unique flavors that keep customers lining up.
Lucky for east-siders, it looks like Penelope is gearing up to open another location soon.
Birria Munchies Truck
Comida Park inside the Tanque Verde Swap Meet is home to a variety of food trucks to choose from, but no one does it like Birria Munchies. At this truck, you can get tasty birria on top of pizza and nachos. The real star of the show is their birria bombs. Gooey cheese and juicy birria are packed inside fried dough — you're hit with an explosion of flavors with every bite.
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Jamie Donnelly is the food writer for #ThisIsTucson. Contact her at jdonnelly@tucson.com
