Where To Eat Now: Weekend of August 8th

“Where do you want to eat?”

“I don’t know. Where do you want to eat?”

Sound familiar? If you’re tired of the same ol’ same ol’, have checked Yelp a thousand times only to find the same local results and need some fresh options, Tucson Foodie brings you Where To Eat Now – our choices for places to get great grub (and drinks) over the weekend.

We’ll offer four weekly picks every Friday that should cover coffee, breakfast, lunch, drinks, and dinner. Spread them out over a weekend or two or get crazy and do them all in one day. Maybe you’ve tried some of them before, while others might have been on your must-try list for awhile. Of course, maybe you’ve just never heard of some of them either.

Without further ado, here are our picks for the weekend of August 8, 2014:

Savaya Coffee Market

5350 E Broadway Blvd Suite 174

Savaya Coffee Market is a small coffee shop and roaster located inside the William Centre Shopping Plaza on the southwest corner of Broadway and Craycroft. Savaya does an exceptional job roasting and preparing coffee. And, it’s a beautiful space, too, with a long mesquite wood bar. It’s the kind of place you walk into and immediately feel like you want to stay awhile.

Try this:

• Espresso
• Turkish Coffee

After you’ve enjoyed your exquisite morning coffee at Savaya, you can head a little further east to…

Baja Cafe

7002 E Broadway Blvd

Don’t let the funky decor scare you. This breakfast and lunch joint puts out some seriously amazing food with passion. Owner and chef Gerard Meurer brings a near perfect blend of Sonoran, Mexican and American cuisine to breakfast and lunch. Many of the dishes you’ve seen and had a million times, but probably not as well executed.

Try this:

• Oscar’s Nopalitos
• Red Velvet Pancakes
• Chilaquiles

You may need a nap now, or a good long walk to work it all off. Up next, you can head north to…

Whole Foods Market River Road

5555 E River Rd

For food lovers, the Whole Foods River Road location is a wonderland. If you thought it was just a high end organic grocery store, it’s much more. It’s like an edible toy store for foodies. Yes, you can do your grocery shopping here, but this Whole Foods has one of the widest selections of food ready to eat (or near ready) in town including pizza, sandwiches, hot and cold bar, barbecue, and a small central beer garden. If you like the quicker functionality of Rincon Market, you’ll love this Whole Foods.

Try this:

• Brisket
• Pizza
• Sandwich (made to order)

If you’ve made it this far, it’s definitely nap time. I mean, it’s the weekend. Plus, you’ll have quite the night in store when you head over to…

Pizzeria Bianco

272 E Congress

If this is the first you’re hearing about Pizzeria Bianco, the James Beard award-winning chef and restaurant that just opened up shop on Congress Street downtown, I question your foodie affiliation. Badge stripped! Kidding. But seriously, this place is the real deal. Great food prepared with the best ingredients Chris Bianco can source served with impeccable, treat-you-like-family, service. Yes, there will be a wait. Embrace it and plan on dinner a little after you get your name on the list. You can take a short short walk over to any of the fine establishments downtown such as R Bar, Playground, Hotel Congress for anything ranging from a small live music act, to drinks, appetizers, or just plain people watching.

Try this:

• Margherita Pizza
• Spiedini
• Farmer’s Market Salad

Good work, foodie. 🙂