Right at the tail end of 2020, Locale Neighborhood Italian opened up its doors at 60 N. Alvernon Way., the midtown space that previously housed Old Pueblo Grill. Since then, many have taken a liking to its beautiful patio, welcoming interior seating, and
Well, now the owners, Deb Tenino and Nick Kreutz — also own Contigo Latin Kitchen — are excited to be finally opening Locale Café, which is located on the south side of the property.
Locale Café is officially opening on Friday, February 4, making the original plans for the property complete. Right now, the plans are to be open for breakfast and brunch from 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. on Tuesday – Sunday.
“We are so happy to add this final piece to the puzzle and expand our offerings at Locale,” said Tenino, co-owner of Locale. “We are grateful to the community and this wonderful neighborhood for making us feel so welcome.”
What’s coming out of the oven?
Pastry chef Karen Lustig recently joined the Locale family and will now be overseeing what’s being dished out at the Café. Lustig has a pretty extensive culinary background, which includes restaurants like Café Terra Cotta, Boccata Bistro, and Feast. Basically, Lustig is thrilled to be settling back into chef mode.
“I’m enjoying being in the kitchen again — the timing was perfect,” said Lustig. “I love working with this great team at Locale. They’ve given me the opportunity to be creative with both the bakery and the dessert menu at the restaurant.”
It won’t take long for the neighborhood to discover the morning delights of a freshly brewed Cappuccino with a freshly baked brioche or croissant.
Hardier fare includes the Breakfast Sandwich on a Brioche roll, the Daily Frittata, one of several Paninitti — open-faced sandwiches on house-made Noble toast, Pizza a Taglio, and more. All are offered to go, to enjoy in the café dining room or outside on the private patio.
LOCALE CAFÉ MENU
- Noble Country Loaf Toast ($4.50) – with butter and house-made jam
- Breakfast Sandwich ($10) – Brioche roll, soft scrambled egg, bacon, Fiscalini cheddar sriracha mayo
- Frittata ($8) – Daily bake, with arugula salad
- Granola ($8.50) – Greek yogurt, local honey
- Noble French Toast ($10) – lemon ricotta, local honey
- Pie and Coffee (Breakfast of Champions) ($8) – seasonal fruit
Paninetti (open-face sandwiches on Noble toast)
- Salmon ($18) – Russ and Daughters smoked salmon, house-made Fromage blanc
- Burrata ($10) – Charred toast, pesto, prosciutto crudo
- White Bean ($8) – Cannellini spread, fried sage
Additionally, they’ll have rotating specials on their Pizza a Taglio, pastries made daily like croissants, brioche, fruit bars, and cookies. Beverages include Espresso, Americano, Macchiato, Cappuccino, Latte, Hot Chocolate, Cold Brew, Golden Milk, Maya Chai, soda pop, and more.
Specialty Beverages
- Bicerin – Chocolate, Hazelnut, Coffee
- Café de Olla – Chocolate, Coffee, Cinnamon Spice
- Aperol Spritz
- Mimosa
- Sangria
If you don’t get up early enough to enjoy the new Café, the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Tuesday – Sunday.
Locale is located at 60 N. Alvernon Way. For more information, call (520) 398-7549 or visit localetucson.com.
Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
