After an extended time in Maine — where 5 Points’ cousin restaurant The Alna Store earned national acclaim — owners Jasper Ludwig and Brian Haskins are back with purpose.
Their accolades from The Alna Store speak volumes: a 2023 Portland Press Herald “Best New Restaurant in Maine” nod, a James Beard National Semifinalist for Best New Restaurant in 2024, and even inclusion in the 2024 New York Times “Top 50” list. But now, their focus is back in Tucson.
“This winter was the first opportunity we had to return to our beloved desert community, to say hello and breathe some new life into 5 Points, which turned 11 in January,” Ludwig said.
Meticulous Sourcing Is the Heart of the Menu
Part of what helps 5 Points stand out is their ingredient sourcing with obsessive care. Eggs come from Roots Ranch. Milk is organic and pasture-raised from California. When local ingredients fall short in quantity, they turn to small-scale organic California farms via the Santa Monica Farmers Market.
Their dedication to quality ingredient sourcing remains apparent on their new menu items, many of which 5 Points provided for us to photograph.
Heirloom Corn Cakes at 5 Points (Photo by Jackie Tran)
Heirloom Corn Cakes – ethereally light and fluffy blue corn masa pancakes topped with whipped piloncillo brown butter and macerated local organic strawberries (gf)
Braised Beet + Endive – wine braised Badger Flame beets and citrus-braised endive with heirloom black caviar lentils in lemon vinaigrette, puffed wild rice, and mint coconut labneh (gf, v; poached egg or toasted Barrio levain add-on available)
Grits + Eggs at 5 Points (Photo by Jackie Tran)
Grits + Eggs – cacio e pepe heirloom stone milled grits, confit local chestnut mushrooms, soft scrambled eggs and green onion (gf)
Smoked Salmon Benedict at 5 Points (Photo by Jackie Tran)
Smoked Salmon Benedict – same house smoked salmon (wild caught Alaskan salmon sourced through an indigenous fishing cooperative), now served on house sourdough challah with hollandaise and their house homefries, which are Weiser Family Farm satina potatoes cooked with fresh bay laurel and sea salt, smashed and fried to order (gf upon request)
Despite the changes, the Huevos Rancheros still remains on the menu — and always will.
Beyond Brunch
Along with the new daily hours, 5 Points also incorporated menu items that are now available all day.
Smoked Beet Sandwich at 5 Points (Photo by Jackie Tran)
Smoked Beet Sandwich – local organic roasted and smoked beets, savory pecan purée, and cabbage and jalapeño slaw on house sourdough focaccia (v; a long-time Tucson Foodie staff favorite)
The Ranch Hand at 5 Points (Photo by Jackie Tran)
The Ranch Hand – a big green salad featuring organic seasonal greens from Blue Sky Organic Farms, toum roasted organic carrots, probiotic coconut yogurt ‘ranch’, and chiltepín in savory crunchy granola (v, gf)
Kale Caesar at 5 Points (Photo by Jackie Tran)
Kale Caesar – local organic lacinato kale massaged in a traditional Caesar dressing made with boquerones, shaved sourdough focaccia ‘croutons’, preserved egg yolk, and pecorino
Bread and Spread – warm sourdough focaccia for tearing apart and dunking in savory schmears; Whipped Ricotta with Gusto di Nocci (walnuts, boquerones, lemon, oregano, and Calabrian chili), and Muhammara (roasted red peppers and Jimmy Nardello peppers)
Seared Sweet Potato at 5 Points (Photo by Jackie Tran)
Seared Sweet Potato – White fleshed sweet potato with cashew crema, salsa verde, confit mushrooms and herbs (v, gf)
Caraflex Cabbage at 5 Points (Photo by Jackie Tran)
Chicken Salad Salad – olive oil and herb organic chicken salad, organic and seasonal greens in banyuls vinaigrette with toum roasted sweet carrots and toasted almond slices (gf, df)
Pozole – organic pastured pork shoulder, heirloom hominy and roasted poblano pozole, served with oregano, chilies, onion, and lime. Add a poached egg at brunch and toasted barrio levain or tortillas to round it out. (df; poach egg, toasted Barrio levain, tortilla add-ons available)
Underrated Dinner Spot?
Despite the buzz around The Alna Store, 5 Points remains quiet with national press in comparison. But now, they aim to shift that.
“We’d really love to promote the all day menu and our new dinner menu,” Ludwig said.
The dinner menu currently includes:
Faroe Islands Salmon at 5 Points (Photo by Jackie Tran)
Argentinian Steak at 5 Points (Photo by Jackie Tran)
Argentinian Steak – Vera Earl Ranch hanger rested medium rare, bright chimichurri, fried bay satina potatoes
Focaccia Stack – 3.5-ounce Vera Earl beef and ricotta meatball on top of a slab of house sourdough focaccia, house bianco tomato marinara, burrata, fresh basil
Tonkatsu (coming soon once they secure a consistent source pork to meet their standards) – pork, heirloom yellow eye beans, melted and smoked onions, cowboy candy, aioli
Chocoflan – chocolate cake layered with chevre flan and orange blossom caramel
Sorbet – seasonally rotating, always vegan. currently a lime, mezcal and chiltepín
Pair with a drink from their standout bar program, helmed by Christopher Moreno (formerly of James Beard Award-winning Bar Agricole in San Francisco), where you’ll find small-batch spirits and refined classics.
“Chris sources his spirits the same way we source food and wine — with an unwavering commitment to quality and human scale operations,” Ludwig said. “Chris has a complete command of classics and imbues them with the incredible quality of the spirits we keep on bar. You won’t find Tito’s or Campari on our bar, but you will find marvelous clean vodka and beautiful aperitifs and amari.”
The Market & Interior: More Than Just a Café
The updated space retains its bright, welcoming interior with rustic exposed brick. Additions include warm diffused pendant lamps and a new sleek bar top. The rearranged layout brings the pastry case and gourmet retail market to the forefront, making it easier to pop in for a bottle of natural wine, a half gallon of organic milk, or Presta coffee.
Interior at 5 Points (Photo by Jackie Tran)
“Our new retail manager and GM, Keith Lane, has great taste and shares our commitment to excellent products and thoughtful sourcing,” Ludwig said. “We have pantry staples, natural wine, vermouth, skin and body care, lovely gifts, candles, and greeting cards, local eggs, greens, kombucha, milk, and more.”
Shelves are lined with artisan pantry items, greeting cards, local eggs, kombucha, olive oils, sauces, and more. Visitors can grab a flaky hand pie or sourdough concha and be on their way, or linger with a coffee under globe pendant lights and the buzz of quiet conversation.
Olive oil shelf at 5 Points (Photo by Jackie Tran)
“People have been enjoying stopping by for pastries to bring to the office, which is wonderful,” Ludwig said.
A Bakery with Desert Influence
Their new bakery manager, Evan Colibri (formerly of Tartine in San Francisco), brings world-class expertise to Tucson.
“Locally sourced and organic grains are such a revelation in flavor and are nourishing to our guests and community,” Ludwig said.
Pastries at 5 Points (Photo by Jackie Tran)
Current pastry offerings include:
Galettes – hand laminated dough, rotating seasonal filling
Pastries at 5 Points (Photo by Jackie Tran)
Sourdough Challah Conchas – shell changes weekly (recent iterations include dark chocolate, cardamom, beet vanilla, and lemon)
Bigotes at 5 Points (Photo by Jackie Tran)
Bigotes – like a big buttery Mexican style croissant, brushed with butter and rolled in scented sugar (recent iterations include Mexican chocolate, golden milk [cardamom, ginger, turmeric], and a sugar scented with star anise, nutmeg and pink peppercorn)
Savory Hand Pies and Empanadas
Buttermilk Scones (sweet and savory)
Babka Bun at 5 Points (Photo by Jackie Tran)
Babka Morning Buns – cinnamon orange babka with brown butter glaze
Bernadiddle Cookies – like a snickerdoodle packed with toasted coconut and oats
Mesquite Sunflower Cookies – a longtime 5 Points classic (v,gf)
Sicilian Morning Cake – almond + orange cake, their best seller for over a year (gf, df)
“In addition to a stunning new pastry program, Evan will be contributing gorgeous savory pub pies and sourdough focaccia to our dinner menu,” Ludwig said. “Once our electrical is fully upgraded, We’ll once again be offering special order cakes and pastries for holidays and celebrations via online ordering.”
Open Every Day, All Day
One of the most significant changes is the new schedule — the restaurant is now open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (last seating at 7:45 p.m.), serving food and beverage the whole time they’re open.
“Being closed for a few days was always confusing for our guests,” Ludwig said. “And while it feels like a crazy time to be adding more days of service, we are determined to try to give our guests what they’ve been telling us they want.”
Time to revisit this Tucson gem — not just for brunch, but for dinner, drinks, and pastries too.
Jackie 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.
