‘The Delta’ is now open in the former DOWNTOWN Kitchen + Cocktails spot

After months of waiting, wondering, and refreshing the restaurant’s social media feeds, The Delta officially welcomed in Tucsonans for the first time on Saturday, January 1 at 135 S. Sixth Ave.

The owners, Steve Dunn, Bryce Zeagler, and Chef Travis Peters, who all currently run The Parish on 6453 N. Oracle Rd, spent months renovating the old stomping grounds of chef Janos Wilder, who closed up his restaurant in late 2020 after dishing out delicious bites for ten years.

Soft Opening Success

This past weekend’s soft opening came later than planned due to a slower than expected construction process. However, Chef Peters and his crew had been training for an opening over the past few months.

“Last week, we as a team felt like we could proudly present The Delta,” said Chef Peters, “So at 9 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, we made the decision to go for it. Saturday, the entire staff was bustling to tighten up the final details. We decided to open at 6 p.m. and around 5 p.m. we announced the doors were opening. I looked up from the kitchen around 5:45 p.m. and saw a line beginning to form at the gate. My adrenalin kicked in — I was so nervous but strangely confident.”

What’s on the menu?

If you’re familiar with The Parish, you’ll be excited to know that The Delta is rockin’ out similar southern-style dishes inspired by Arizona, Texas, and Louisiana.

For instance, The Big D bone-in short rib sandwich comes on toasted soft french bread, Andouille mayonnaise, habanero pickles. The short rib is smoked and braised in Dr. Pepper and is also topped with umami crispies — crispy mushrooms and crispy beef tendons.

Other items to explore on the menu include Crispy Pigtail Confit, Chilled Louisiana Shrimp, Southern Elote, and Bacon and Rosemary Caramel Popcorn. Plus, there’s plenty to drink, too, like the Killer Parties Almost Killed Me cocktail, which is part house-infused vanilla and ginger rum, dark rum, syrup, Campari, pineapple, and lime.

My heart exploded in gratitude,” said Chef Peters. “We obviously had some opening bumps, but overall, it was very smooth — our team absolutely killed it.”

Keep in mind, the menu will be shared and posted to The Delta’s website soon, so be on the lookout for either new additions or changes.

Hours of Operation

The dining room and patio are open 4 – 10 p.m. on Tuesday – Thursday, 4 p.m. – midnight on Friday – Saturday (kitchen closes at 10 p.m.), 4 – 10 p.m. on Sunday, and closed on Monday.

The Delta will be located at 135 S. Sixth Ave. To keep up with the latest, follow The Delta on Facebook or visit thedeltatucson.com.