A new Chihuahuan-style restaurant and tortilla factory is opening in Tucson. Tortillas Chiwas debuts Thursday at 914 N. Grande Ave., inside the former Grande Tortilla Factory building in Barrio Hollywood. With only 38 seats available, make reservations on OpenTable.
Phoenix restaurateurs Armando Hernandez and chef Nadia Holguin, a married couple originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, lead the project.
A limited launch ahead of full hours
Tortillas Chiwas opens with a limited menu Thursdays through Saturdays from 5 to 10 p.m. through September as the team finishes securing its liquor license. Tentative regular hours will run roughly 10 or 11 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Diners can expect a roughly 15-item menu pulled from dishes served across the couple's other restaurants, including Cocina Chiwas and Espiritu Cocktails + Comida.
A decade of Chihuahuan cooking in Phoenix
Hernandez and Holguin opened their first restaurant, Tacos Chiwas, in Phoenix in 2016. Since then, the couple has built a group of six Phoenix-area restaurants and earned three James Beard Award nominations, including a nod this year for Best Chef Southwest.
The pair also previously partnered in Bacanora in Phoenix, before selling their stake last year. Their Tucson venture will draw on both Chihuahuan and Sonoran influences.
Interior details
Patterned Talavera-style trim borders the white subway tile walls. Star-shaped pendant lamps, family photos, hanging greenery, mounted copper pans, and Our Lady of Guadalupe bring warmth to the space. Hernandez also highlighted the Oaxacan ceramic bowls and plates.
A building built on tortillas
The Grande Avenue building has produced tortillas since 1947, when the Pesqueira family opened Grande Tortilla Factory and ran it for more than 60 years before closing in 2009. La Tortilla later took over the space and made tortillas there for 16 years before closing in late 2025.
Hernandez plans to mill nixtamal on-site and supply masa for hand-pressed tortillas at Tortillas Chiwas and across the couple's Phoenix-area restaurants. Retail tortilla sales may come later as the operation grows.
Follow Tortillas Chiwas on Instagram at @tortillaschiwas for updates.
Article written by:
Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.
