Locally, we know Tucson’s culinary community is top-notch. Nationally — and even globally — more people are starting to catch a whiff of what we’ve been cooking.

Some of the local scene’s worldwide impact rests in being internationally recognized as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Speaking of which, we’re coming up on 10 years since the Old Pueblo became the first U.S. designation in December 2015.

Most recently, folks from The Wall Street Journal strolled around, listing out “Why Tucson Is the Desert Destination to Visit Now.”

With photography by Cassidy Araiza and in the words of David Weiss, “Thanks to a burgeoning culinary scene and a well-attended roster of street fairs, festivals, and other initiatives,” people are greeted with “the city’s considerable cosmopolitan charms.”

There’s much praise for the city’s “thousand of tacos,” Sonoran hot dogs, and markets “abound with locally crafted cheese, bread, and native ingredients like nopales, corn, and chiles.”

A large portion of the piece focuses on Tucson’s downtown scene.

“The historic Hotel Congress also houses a 100-year-old watering hole called Tiger’s Tap Room and The Century Room, which features live jazz seven nights a week,” said Weiss.

Tom Ziegler, most commonly referred to as Tiger, passed away in December 2024. He began bartending at Hotel Congress in 1959, and when he turned 80 years old, the historic hotel renamed its bar Tiger’s Tap Room in his honor.

“A short stroll brings you back to the city’s dusty colonial days. The pastel-tinted quarter of Barrio Viejo — literally, the old neighborhood — is best known for its post-Civil War adobe row houses, many of which have received a face-lift. Need to refuel? Swing by Exo Roast Co., a chic coffee shop committed to working with small producers in Mexico.”

Local treasures like everything along Fourth Avenue, El Güero Canelo, La Estrella Bakery, El Charro Café, and BATA are also mentioned.

There’s so much more to discover, though, here in Tucson. If you need visual assistance, check out our interactive guides for dining, drinking, and socializing in Tucson.

Read the full article: “Buzzy Bars, Cool Shops and Chile-Everything: Why Tucson Is the Desert Destination to Visit Now.”

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