Do you love garlic bread? Well, escargot are the next step.
Most of the Italian and French preparations of snails in Tucson feature a gratuitous amount of garlic butter along with some form of bread for dipping. The snails themselves add a tender bite similar to mushrooms.
Below are eight restaurants to eat escargot in Tucson. While some Mexican seafood restaurants also sell snails, this article focuses on garlic buttery escargot.
Bazil’s
4777 E. Sunrise Dr.
A Foothills staple, Bazil’s recently celebrated their 40-year anniversary. Their Escargot features roasted garlic, butter, and Gorgonzola, served with toasted crostini.
For more information, visit bazilstucson.com.
Charro del Rey
178 E. Broadway Blvd.
For the Charro Escargot, Charro del Rey takes the classic French combination of escargots and garlic butter, then adds a Sonoran twist with their signature carne seca. Don’t forget to squirt the lemon over everything.
For more information, visit charrodelrey.com.
Dante’s Fire
2526 E. Grant Rd.
Dante’s Fire takes the classic route with their Escargot — snails, white wine, and garlic butter, served with grilled crostini.
For more information, visit dantesfireaz.com.
Dolce Vita
1800 E. Fort Lowell Rd. #168
Dolce Vita offers two varieties: the classic Oven Baked Escargot and the Oven Baked Escargot in Mushroom Caps with Mozzarella.
For more information, visit dolcevitatucsonaz.com.
Ghini’s French Caffe
1803 E. Prince Rd.
Order the Escargots a la Bourguignonne, only available on Ghini’s Friday and Saturday dinner menu. The snails swim in a pool of garlic butter with artichoke hearts and Parmesan. Get some extra house-made bread to make sure none of that butter goes to waste.
For more information, visit ghiniscafe.com.
Jonathan’s Cork
6320 E. Tanque Verde Rd.
An east side classic, Jonathan’s Cork keeps their Escargot classic with garlic, shallots, wine, and butter served with bread.
For more information, visit jonathanscork.com.
Le Rendez-vous
3844 E. Fort Lowell Rd.
With the Escargots au Chablis at Le Rendez-vous, bright and acidic Chablis wine helps balance out the richness of the garlic butter.
For more information, visit rendezvoustucson.com.
Vivace
6440 N. Campbell Ave.
Meanwhile, Vivace amps up the richness in their Escargot and Artichokes by utilizing both garlic butter and Gorgonzola.
For more information, visit vivacetucson.com.
Article written by:
Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed 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 Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.
