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From casual diner fare to upscale brunches, Tucson boasts an ever-growing list of options for a great morning meal.
What many people don’t know is that a handful of well-known breakfast spots are also a great option for dinner.
Below are six classic Tucson restaurants known for breakfast that have used their passion in the kitchen to create unique and delicious dinner menus.
Blue Willow has been offering quality food in a beautiful setting for 37 years and is a top pick for a morning meal. The pride that the staff at Blue Willow takes in serving breakfast carries over into their full dinner menu.
With options for vegetarians, vegans, and carnivores, Blue Willow offers a full dinner menu to suit any palate. Diners can look forward to beer, wine, and a focus on quality ingredients. Appetizers include shareable places like French brie with apples and fruit compote and salmon cakes with cucumber yogurt dill sauce.
Some of Blue Willow’s most popular dinner dishes include Dijon Crusted Trout Fillets, tofu stir-fry, and Chicken Pesto Pasta. Meatloaf is made with local, grass fed beef, and Blue Willow’s breakfast crepes turn savory for dinner with mushrooms and spinach.
If you find yourself craving a classic Blue Willow Breakfast Special, you can have that for dinner too. Dinner is served seven days a week.
For more information, visit bluewillowtucson.com.
Tucsonans know Café a la Carte as a go to breakfast and lunch spot tucked behind the Museum of Art downtown.
Three years ago, Café a la Carte expanded the menu to include dinner and now offer evening dining Wednesdays through Sundays.
Diners can enjoy both the regular lunch menu of burgers, soups, and salads, along with rotating entrée specials. Though the rotating dinner entrée list is small, the flavors are not.
Pan roasted cornish game hen with butternut squash risotto and Thai coconut seared halibut are just two examples of the dishes that have made an appearance on the dinner menu.
A la Carte’s’s legendary desserts such as cakes, pies, and the decadent “chocolate bomb” are sweet ways to end your dinner experience. Diners can often enjoy live music and both indoor and outdoor seating. Happy hour is from 4pm to 6pm each night dinner is served and bottles of wine are half price on Wednesdays. The Café features a selection of wine, beer, and cocktails.
For more information, visit cafealacarttucson.com.
The iconic Tucson breakfast joint, Frank’s, serves classic diner food in a no frills spot near midtown. As soon as the sun goes down, Frank’s transforms into Francisco’s, where homemade Mexican food is the star.
Diners can expect to find made from scratch dishes like Michoacan enchiladas with red chili garlic sauce and queso fresco.
Corn tortillas and flavor packed birria are made in house and used in dishes like the sope, a thick, fried tortilla that is topped with meat, beans, lettuce and cheese. A trip to the fresh salsa bar is a must when dining at Francisco’s. Bright flavors from homemade salsas, pickled and fresh vegetables add delicious layers of flavor to menu items like tacos dorados, flautas, and Sonoran hot dogs.
Pair your food with a Mexican coke, horchata, or jamaica and you’re in for a great meal. Francisco’s serves dinner seven nights a week.
For more information, visit franksrestaurant.com.
Since 1992 Ghini’s has brought a taste of France to the Old Pueblo.
Many people know Ghini’s for their fresh and creative take on breakfast, but what they may not know is that every Friday evening the restaurant transforms in to a French Bistro.
The kitchen whips up classics like French onion soup, Croque Monsieur, paté, and even Escargot. “Moules” or “mussels” in French, are also a popular menu staple. The shellfish are prepared in a savory broth of either garlic and white wine or the chef’s preparation “du jour” and are served with delicate angel hair pasta and basil baguettes.
Traditional flavor combinations are given a creative twist in dishes like the Rosemary Lamb Sliders. Diners can enjoy their meals either inside the dining room or on the outside patio.
Happy hour on Fridays runs from 4pm to 7pm and includes specials on wine, beer, cocktails, and appetizers.
For more information, visit ghiniscafe.com.
Gourmet Girl’s have developed a dedicated following for their beautiful and delicious, homemade, gluten-free baked goods.
A year ago, the team at the bakery decided to expand their menu to include dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings.
The restaurant’s owners have dedicated time and effort to offer a dining experience that isn’t just for people looking for gluten free options, but for anyone wanting a good meal.
Homemade, gluten free French bread is used to make breadcrumbs for appetizers such as mozzarella sticks and crab cakes; menu items that many people enjoy but often can’t order at other restaurants if they are avoiding wheat.
All pasta is gluten-free and made in house to ensure quality, and used in dinner entrees such as Penne with Brussels sprouts and bacon, as well as Fettuccini Alfredo. As a certified gluten-free restaurant, diners can order with ease knowing that that all items served – from the dinner rolls to the decadent desserts – have no traces of wheat.
Gourmet Girls also offer a selection of wine, cocktails, gluten free beer, and cider.
For more information, visit gourmetgirlsglutenfree.com.
Hatch Green Chiles. It’s what comes to mind when people think of New Mexican cuisine, and the team at Poco & Mom’s makes this ingredient the star of the menu.
The restaurant’s homemade green chile sauce keeps regulars returning week after week. Many Tucsonans have found their breakfast niche at Poco & Mom’s, but some may not know that dinner is on the menu at both of the restaurant’s locations.
Burros, tostadas, pork green chili stew, and chimichangas are a handful of the many tempting items on the menu.
One of P&M’s most popular dinner options is the New Mexican Combo Plate which includes a green chile chicken enchilada, a chile relleno topped with sour cream green chile sauce, and a red chile shredded beef taco, paired with rice and beans.
End your meal on a sweet note with fruit filled sopapillas and homemade flan. The restaurant’s newest location on the corner of Tanque Verde and Sabino Canyon also has a full bar and happy hour.
For more information, visit pocoandmoms.com and pocoandmomscantina.com.
