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Vegetables are freakin’ delicious. With increasing access to local produce, freshness is closer than ever.
Look past traumatizing canned vegetables and visit a chef that knows how to boost flavor. Quality produce, treated simply with respect, will also make you a fan.
We already wrote about the best salads, so they’re excluded from this list. Forget about drowning everything in cheese sauce (for now) and try one of these local veggie dishes.
Cauliflower is so hot right now. But just the right amount of hot in the case of the 47 Scott’s Fried Cauliflower, fried in peanut oil and dressed buffalo style with a tangy, creamy cayenne pepper sauce. The house-made buttermilk dressing will make you forget about ranch — but omit it if you want the dish to be vegan.
For more information, call (520) 624-4747 or visit 47scott.com.
The Smoked Beet Sandwich is straight fire. A generous pile of sliced smoked beets mingle with local pecan cheese, jalapeño cabbage slaw, and house-made organic ciabatta for a remarkable vegan sandwich.
For more information, call (520) 623-3888 or visit 5pointstucson.com.
When restaurants simply label veggies as “vegetables” on a menu, it’s easy to expect a bland medley of frozen vegetables. When you have a restaurant that works as closely with farmers as Agustin Kitchen, you’re in for a treat. Our last order of the Roasted Vegetables had unusual goodies such as white asparagus and Romanesco, but expect the vegetables to change seasonally. The current dips are avocado crema and tomato aioli.
For more information, call (520) 398-5382 or visit agustinkitchen.com.
Anello often cooks their ever-changing Seasonal Veggies in their wood-fired pizza oven, which helps concentrate the sweetness in the caramelized exterior. A simple drizzle of quality olive oil and chopped garlic is also often enough for veggieuphoria.
For more information, visit anello.space.
Although BIRD has fried chicken, you’ll find yourself craving the Roasted Cauliflower. The roasting process brings out sweetness and nuttiness from the cauliflower, while black garlic adds a pleasant slight bitterness with savory depth complemented by the meaty-tasting eggplant nage. The slaw adds layers of texture with a touch of sweetness from golden raisins.
For more information, call (520) 441-9509 or visit fukushuconcepts.com.
It would be cheating to include French fries and tater tots in a veggie list, but we’re making one fried potato exception for BOCA Balls. Chipotle mashed potatoes are rolled in panko bread crumbs, fried, and served with BOCA dipping sauce. Order it with some veggie tacos.
For more information, call (520) 777-8134 or visit bocatacos.com.
Fee-fi-fo-fum, Jacques’ Magic Beans belongs in your tum. The hearty butter beans and roasted mushrooms are balanced with the sweetness, acidity, and umami of tomatoes and preserved lemon. Piave cheese and greens round out the meal.
For more information, visit cafecoronet.com.
The Game Changer is a rich, zesty soup composed of African yam, ginger, pineapple, peanut, lime, Cholula hot sauce. As it turns out, executive chef Janos Wilder obtained the recipe from his friend Torkin Wakefield, who runs a non-profit in Uganda called Bead for Life. A dollar from each sale of the Game Changer is donated to Bead for Life, which creates sustainable opportunities for women to lift their families out of poverty by connecting people worldwide in a circle of exchange that enriches everyone.
For more information, visit downtownkitchen.com.
Ermanos’ Grilled Mushrooms Beurre Rouge features meaty sautéed cremini and shiitake mushrooms, little cubes of smoky house-made bacon, and a Dos Cabezas WineWorks red wine reduction. Pay the extra dollar to add a dollop of creamy, tangy goat cheese on top — the acidity helps balance the richness while also making the dish easier to spread on toast. Even though the mushrooms are cooked with wine, it’s also quite rich, so try pairing with a medium-bodied beer or sparkling wine.
This is the only dish on this list with meat, but we chose to include it because the mushrooms are undoubtedly the star.
For more information, call (520) 445-6625 or visit ermanosbrew.com.
Queen Sheba doesn’t have a veggie combo listed as an item, but you can order a few different veggie dishes on top of their spongy injera bread. Try the spicy Red Lentils, yellow split pea-based Alicha, chickpea-based Shero, and Green Spinach with cottage cheese.
For more information, call (520) 336-9736 or visit queenshebatucson.com.
Raijin’s Veggie Ramen features a veggie broth, medium curly noodles, zucchini, bok choy, green and yellow onion, seaweed, bean sprout, cabbage, onions, and pickled ginger. The vegan broth is creamy and complex, yet light enough that you won’t feel guilty after hastily slurping down a bowl.
For more information, call (520) 795-3123. Keep up with Raijin Ramen on Facebook.
The Brussels Sprouts are one of the most famous dishes on this list, and for good reason. The nutty fried sprouts are dressed with the house hot sauce, sherry vinegar, and pecan brittle crumbs for an addictive combination of sweet and sour.
For more information, call (520) 882-5550 or visit reillypizza.com.
Crisp romaine serve as a replacement for tortillas in Renee’s Lettuce Taco Board — fill the leaves up with your custom proportion of organic black bean hummus, zucchini, salsa fresca, and avocado for a light and refreshing take on tacos.
For more information, call (520) 886-0484 or visit reneesorganicoven.com.
Even as a young restaurant with a few weeks under its belt, Rollies Mexican Patio is making a splash with its fun menu. Its flagship item, Rollies, are rolled tacos with some flair. We recommend ordering the cauliflower version with rojo sauce, cabbage, crema, pickled onion, and cotija cheese. But the queso sauce version is delicious too.
Keep up with Rollies Mexican Patio on Facebook.
Guacamole fiends will love the Baja-inspired Crispy Avocado taco platter. Avocados are dipped in Modelo Especial beer batter, fried crispy, and served with cabbage, cilantro, shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack, and Seis-style chipotle crema on house-made corn tortillas.
For more information, visit seiskitchen.com.
Homemade paneer and vegetables meld with a creamy, subtly spicy curry to form Sher-E-Punjab’s Navratan Korma. Scarf it down with some naan or Vegetable Biryani.
Keep up with Sher-E-Punjab on Facebook
While the menu at the Tasteful Kitchen is entirely vegetarian, there’s no shortage in umami. The Miso Eggplant features eggplant medallions with a savory miso glaze, coconut black rice, green curry sauce, and Asian greens for an eye-opening cornucopia of flavors.
For more information, call (520) 250-9600 or visit thetastefulkitchen.com.
Gourmands who appreciate anchovies and gratuitous garlic will fall in love with the Verdure al Forno Isola, which features wood-roasted vegetables with goat cheese, roasted garlic, and bagna cauda dressing. Tavolino might be the only place in Tucson to have the obscure Piedmontese sauce, which calls for a head of garlic per person in a traditional recipe. Don’t miss out.
For more information, call (520) 531-1913 or visit tavolinoristorante.com.
Pizza might not be a “veggie dish,” but the Kale & Chèvre Pizza at Time Market is probably the healthiest pizza that we still love. The quality of the ingredients and the dough makes all the difference. The combination of organic kale, Sierra Nevada goat cheese, balsamic cherry tomatoes, shiitake, mozzarella, Grana Padano, garlic, and sea salt hit a wide spectrum of flavors without the usual “I feel like garbage” sentiment from indulging on a meat lover’s pizza.
For more information, call (520) 622-0761 or visit timemarket.xyz.
While Tumerico’s chalkboard menu changes daily, you can always count on the Butternut Squash Tamales. They’re available to eat in the restaurant or refrigerated to-go. Only organic GMO-free corn is used, and it’s also vegan and gluten-free, so it’s a safe bet regardless of most dietary restrictions. All the improvised tamales have been drooly-worth as well.
For more information, call (520) 270-2055 or visit tumerico.com.
Don’t eat the mason jar itself, just the pickled contents within. Assorted vegetables and olives are pickled in a traditional brine including coriander seeds, mustard, and cumin. Also, ignore the blurred out chicken and waffles in the background of the photo above.
Urban Fresh’s plant-based menu features the Green Chile Burger with a half-pound patty made of tofu, mushrooms, flax, and panko baked and topped with Merchant’s Garden lettuce, onion, tomato, avocado, and roasted green chile on a sesame seed bun. The spicy sauce and pickle help amp up the heat without being overbearing. Don’t expect the patty to taste beefy — but it is flavorful, enjoyable, and hearty.
For more information, call (520) 792-9355 or visit urbanfreshtucson.com.
A burrito at a diner is an unintuitive choice, but trust us here. Welcome Diner’s Three Sisters Burrito features a vegan blend of tempura squash, corn, Tepary beans, smoked pecan cheese, ranchero, and pico de gallo. The trio of squash, beans, and squash happens to grow well in unison next to each other — they also provide all eight essential amino acids, making it one of the healthiest burritos you’ll ever put in your filthy mouth.
For more information, call (520) 622-5100 or visit welcomediner.net.
If you’re not familiar with okonomiyaki, don’t sweat it. Yoshimatsu might be the only restaurant in Tucson to offer it. The savory pancake, a popular street food in Japan, is comprised of a flour-based batter, cabbage, egg, ginger, green onion, and mushroom broth. The drizzle of Japanese mayo and a thick sweet-savory brown sauce carries the mishmash of flavors over the top. While the seafood version is popular, the veggie version is absolutely worth eating.
For more information, visit yoshimatsuaz.com.
Does our best veggie dish in Tucson list include your favorite? Let us know in the comments.
Jackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon...
