Gallery of Food is one of those near-hidden spots in Tucson that gets two reactions when you bring up their name. It’s either “Where?” or “Oh my gosh, that is my favorite place!”
Its quiet tenacity is only matched by the products they carry, the services they provide, and, of course, the food they make. Gallery of Food is a lot in one cozy spot. Located on the corner of Fort Lowell Road and Tucson Boulevard, neighboring next to Seven Cups Fine Chinese Teas, it’s often referred to as the “Bodega.”
If you are from the east coast, a bodega means a convenience store that oftentimes sells egg and cheese sandwiches on a hard roll. Here in Tucson, though, the Gallery of Food Bodega is the spot for gourmet goodies, farm fresh produce, spices, handcrafted ceramic plateware, books by local authors, delightful arts and crafts, and even fancy pet treats.
You’ll also find housemade pesto, chimichurri, pickled items, sweet and savory spreads, condiments, and whatever arrives in abundance and feeds their creative culinary whims that day.
Over in the freezer section, there are always house-baked bread, desserts, soups, stocks, and fully prepared dinners. Gallery of Food is also a complete catering service meaning there is a lot going on in that lil’ building that was once a furniture store.
Gallery of Food owner, Kristine Jensen, along with longtime chef Chris Baldwin, introduced a lunch and dinner menu in 2021, just around the time of their grand opening. Much like the mystique of its overall continuance, it’s some of the best food around. It’s a tight but exquisite selection of sandwiches, burgers, salads, empanadas, and their famous corn pudding. The pudding is inspired by the recipe artist Frida Kahlo developed and used for her own cooking.
Keeping with the tradition of switching things up for the sultry summer months, Gallery of Food has rolled out a new menu that includes and variety of sumptuous bites, expanding their palatable horizons while embracing our Sonoran desert harvest — meaning they have a Sonoran hot dog now.
But this isn’t just any Sonoran hot dog. Oh no, Jensen and Baldwin are too crafty for that. Their version features a housemade sausage, which, yes, is wrapped in smoky bacon and stuffed inside a roasted poblano. That’s right, the poblano is the bun here, folks. It is then finished with a nopalito pico de gallo, creamy charro beans, and a spicy chipotle aioli. This is a knife-and-fork item so be warned that if you pick this meaty beast up we are not held responsible for said messiness to shirt and lap.
Gallery of Food has always been a haven for our vegan community and with the addition of their Lion’s Mane Mushroom Burger. The meat-free folks flock for this nibble.
Tucson’s own Desert Pearl Mushrooms provides the lion’s mane, which in itself is a beefy taste and texture proposition already, glazed in a sweet teriyaki sauce and paired with sweet potatoes, seared onions, roasted garlic spread, and sunflower sprouts. The good people at Gallery of Food keep it local as possible as all that is nestled between slices of community loaf from Barrio Bread.
Another sans animal handheld comes courtesy of their City of Gastronomy Veggie Burger starring a housemade veggie patty that is topped by tepary beans, Father Kino’s chickpeas, and a chipotle mayo. Each sandwich has a choice side of either a fresh green salad, slaw, Bodega mac ‘n cheese, or sweet potato fries.
The salads at Gallery of Food have always been a standout and with the addition of a watermelon and feta salad, grilled chicken salad, and caramelized peach salad, there is no reason why this shouldn’t be everybody’s regular stop for a relaxing resplendent lunch.
There is also a cozy back patio. Sure things are heating up but the big fig tree there does help with its burly thick branches and leaves as well as each table provided with a large shade umbrella. Although there are a few seats and tables inside the shop with a newly installed window bar giving it a look and feel of an authentic bodega.
Be on the lookout for their rotating Bodega Bowl of the Day as it changes with what arrives sometimes unexpectedly for the kitchen. Ever hear of an aprium? You better look it up because it just may wind up in their next bowl of the day. Trust me, they are delicious.
To highlight their already stunning variety of entrées is the addition of a Pueblo Ahi. This is a dish that is either a sharable lunch option or a stunning dinner plate. This one will make the hottest months an easy endurance with its flavor and presentation.
The ahi tuna is crusted with black sesame and mustard, seared to a perfect rare, and sits among ginger escabeche, crispy beets, sliced mango, and avocado — all of which is on a bed of fresh cabbage then drizzled with a spicy chile mayonnaise.
Gallery of Food now serves food from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Tuesday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Gallery of Food is set to be that gem you discovered one day while in the neighborhood, but will be a treasure hunt for people who love and appreciate real food, made by really talented people, with ingredients coming from real local farms, ranches, and gardens.
Gallery of Food Bodega is located at 2522 E. Fort Lowell Rd. For more information, visit galleryoffood.com and follow Gallery of Food on Instagram.
