Sonoran Restaurant Week starts today (Friday, September 8)!
With nearly 100 restaurants participating this year, our Guide to Sonoran Restaurant Week can be a bit overwhelming.
To help you get the most out of these 10 delicious days (September 8-17), we’re putting together curated mini-guides to Sonoran Restaurant Week 2023, including:
Up first, the Best Deals!
Don Guerra’s bread consistently lives up to its reputation. Finding it at a discount is a rarity. If you go to Barrio Bread this week and ask for the Sonoran Restaurant Week deal, you’ll get three freshly baked loaves for $25 plus an additional 25% off ($18.75, if my math is correct). If you haven’t tried this Tucson-famous bread, now is your chance to find out why there’s always a line down the block.
A three-course lunch or dinner at Blanco for two people for just $35? I usually drop that much just on myself. What a deal. And with four appetizer options, six entree options, and two dessert options to choose from, both you and your friend/boo/boo-friend will be happy.
I usually go to Cafe Santa Rosa for breakfast (the pancakes are amazing). For Sonoran Restaurant Week, they’re offering a three-course dinner for two for just $35, featuring their famous tacos and a dessert sampler of mini popovers. Yum!
With a crab cake app, veal saltimbocca entree, and panna cotta dessert for just $35, you can order that second glass of house red with no regrets.
Dinner for two for just $25. Includes two glasses of wine or two beers, a pizza to share, and dessert. When you do the math, you’re basically getting both your drinks for free. Nice.
El Minuto was one of the first places I discovered when I moved here in 2014. Their cheese crisp was a lifesaver for me on several occasions. For Sonoran Restaurant Week, they’re offering dinner for two for $35. You get a cheese crisp (carnitas or just cheese), two main plates (beef tacos, carnitas tacos, red chile plate, or green chile plate), and two desserts (flan or churros). This might be the most Tucson deal of Sonoran Restaurant Week.
You might be thinking $25 for a burger is not a deal, but keep reading – you also get rosemary sweet potato wedges, your choice of freshly brewed teas, and a slice of citrus olive oil cake. And this burger… wow, is it special. I can’t wait to try it. They made it just for Sonoran Restaurant Week. It’s a savory house-made veggie burger made with native tepary beans & Father Kino’s heritage chickpeas, topped with aioli, poblanos, seared onion, sunflower sprouts & fresh goat cheese. Local ingredients FTW, y’all!
I love Kon Tiki so much, I try to convince the Tucson Foodie team to sneak it into every new Guide we create. For Sonoran Restaurant Week, they’re offering both a $35 and a $45 dinner menu. By my math, you’re saving double digits. Might I suggest using your savings to order a Scorpion Bowl or a couple of Kon Tiki Mai Tais?
A new addition to Sonoran Restaurant Week, this place is on my list for sure. Grab a friend and go get 4 of their ridiculous and innovative Sonoran hot dogs and a couple of bottled Mexican Cokes for $25.
This might be the best deal of Sonoran Restaurant Week. For $25, you get a drink of your choice, the surprise plate (what I always order anyway), and a pastry of your choice. But here’s where the deal gets really good. If you bring a friend, you both get the deal for just $40. Whuuuuuuuttttt…..?
Their fried chicken dinner (my happy place) is normally $18. For just $7 more ($25), you get an appetizer and one of their house-made cookies.
I had the pleasure of tasting this Sonoran Restaurant Week menu early and let me tell you — the Sonorense Burger is huge, the garlic parmesan fries are generous, and the warm skillet brownie sundae tipped this $25 from a deal to a steal.
Penca is definitely upscale, so it might seem odd that I’ve included them on the Best Deals list. In my experience, Penca is always so darn delicious and consistent, so I was surprised to see a $35 price on their Sonoran Restaurant Week menu (instead of $45). Treat yo’self!
This new spot slipped through the cracks and shouldn’t technically even be in Sonoran Restaurant Week because it’s actually a food truck! But, it’s permanently parked at Motosonora where you can get their Elote or Sonoran Hot Dog Pizza (a full pie) and two pints 🍺🍺 from Motosonora for just $25. On my list for sure.
Six chicken wings of your flavor preference (or a double house salad) + three breadsticks (choose regular, spicy hot sticks, or barbecue sticks) + a nine-inch deep-dish Kitchen Sink pizza for just $35. Rocco’s is just the best.
Two combination plates. Two medium Aguas Frescas. Spanish rice. Beans And an additional two tacos or two tamales. Mix and match to your heart’s content. Just $30. See you there.
I dream about this crust, which is made using water filtered through a very expensive system to mimic that of New York City’s. Get one of Squared Up’s two Sonoran-inspired pizzas for just $30 (normally $36).
Tucson Tamale is offering up a special deal that feeds four people for just $35. The “Sonoran Week Fiesta Box” includes your choice of eight tamales, two sides, a salsa, chips, and four cookies.
Enjoy a meal poolside. For $25, you’ll get their Sonoran Cheese Crisp, an order of their Sonoran Style (Flat) Enchiladas glazed in a red chili sauce with a cotija cheese and nopalito (prickly pear) garnish, a side of Barrio Beans, and a Mezcal Mule with Tajin Rim (Virgin option available). Ok, maybe this is the best deal of the week? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Here’s your chance to visit Urban Fresh if you have yet to experience the positive energy and love that immediately rains upon you when you walk through their door. Take a friend and get two wraps, two house drinks (tea or lemonade), and two desserts (cookies or brownies) for just $25.
Lunch for two for just $35. Includes drinks, a side (get the sweet potato fries), two entrees, and a slice of pie. Definitely a deal.
This is just a quick list of some of the best deals happening during Sonoran Restaurant Week. But remember — ALL of the menus offered for Sonoran Restaurant Week are a deal. It was a requirement to participate! So — take advantage! Use this week to explore all that Tucson’s incredible restaurant scene has to offer without breaking the bank. That’s what Restaurant Week is all about!
View the full Sonoran Restaurant Week lineup here.
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