Cuisine Supreme

BizTUCSONSeptember 30, 2026

3 minutes read

Culinary Scene Sizzles

By Valerie Vinyard

On a balmy August day, Angie Hixenbaugh strolled along Congress Street in Downtown Tucson.

Hixenbaugh was visiting family and was on her way to meet them at the cozy Italian restaurant, Perché No.

“This is my first time in Arizona. The heat is brutal, but I’ve eaten at some really tasty places this week,” said Hixenbaugh, a 30-year old nurse from Boston who visited El Charro Café, Tavolino Ristorante Italiano and “some funky Mexican spots” around town.

Hixenbaugh wasn’t surprised that Tucson was named the nation’s first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2015. “That makes sense to me, because there are a lot of terrific restaurants here,” she said. “Every meal I’ve had has been incredible.”

Much of that culinary magic can be found downtown. It’s home to 89 food and drink establishments, according to Downtown Tucson Partnership, the nonprofit that manages and markets the 54-block area.

“Tucson’s UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation is absolutely reflected downtown,” said DTP President and CEO Crystal Moore. The current Tucson City of Gastronomy certified restaurant list includes several downtown and immediately adjacent favorites, including BATA, Charro Steak & Del Rey, Cup Café, El Charro Café, Jojo’s and The Monica, among others.

“Beyond the certification itself, I think downtown is one of the best places to actually experience why Tucson earned the UNESCO designation,” Moore said. “You can move from generations-old Tucson institutions to some of our newest chef-driven concepts within just a few blocks…”

Jonathan Mabry is the executive director of Tucson UNESCO City of Gastronomy. He co-authored the application that obtained the UNESCO designation, detailing Tucson’s “unparalleled agricultural tradition, a rich tapestry of cultures and some of the most inspiring food experiences available anywhere.”

He said downtown restaurant operators are becoming resourceful with square footage instead of chasing more of it.

“The trend I keep noticing this year is old buildings getting creative second acts as culinary spaces instead of new ones going up.”

The Emerald 29 speakeasy, a part of The Treasury 1929, is a perfect example. The historic and glamorous venue, once a bank built in 1929, is an iconic location for weddings, business dinners and more. The speakeasy operates out of what used to be the bank’s vault.

Owner and celebrated restaurateur Daniel Scordato knew he could not pass up the downtown location for his latest venture. “It was a chance for me to get into something that no one else has in all of Arizona and I didn’t want to pass that up,” he said. Emerald 29 “has beautiful stairs leading down to it – all the things that had a uniqueness to it.”

Stacks Book Club “turned a shuttered ice cream shop on the Sunshine Mile into a bookstore with a wine bar,” Mabry added. Additionally, an investor group has created Tucson Gastro Park, a chef and artisan retail cluster and culinary event venue, from a row of 1920s bungalows. And Grant Krueger, owner of Union Hospitality Group, recently opened his new Block A Sports Bar and Grill on Congress and 4th Avenue.

El Charro Concepts President Ray Flores has three downtown restaurants: El Charro Café, Charro Steak and Del Rey and The Monica. He said they’re not going anywhere.

“As a 104-year-old family restaurant, we are committed to the effort to protect and grow Tucson’s culture,” he said. We have to protect what got us here.”

Carlotta Flores, chef and owner of Flores Concepts, said that while Tucson deals with downtown issues such as construction and parking like many other cities, she encourages people “to look at the total picture.”

“It’s great to be part of it. I hope people stay excited; tourism is such an important part of us. We’re all in this together,” she said. “There’s just so, so much to see here – let your heart enjoy it.”

And downtown is just the start of the amazing UNESCO designation that has put Tucson on the culinary map for 10 years.

“A decade after UNESCO named us a Creative City of Gastronomy, here’s what evolution of our culinary landscape looks like: A chef who built his menu at Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen on recipes his abuela taught him before he ever cooked professionally is carrying that family knowledge to the James Beard stage in Manhattan; and a self-taught chef-owner of La Frida Mexican Grill and Seafood is a James Beard semifinalist in the Best Chef: Southwest category,” Mabry said.

The 10-year anniversary features free educational events; cooking and mixology classes and demonstrations with tastings; culinary events showcasing top chefs and winemakers; and fundraisers highlighting regional food heritage.

Though early fall saw several culinary events, including the Pueblos del Maiz Fiesta on Sept. 26 and DUSK Street Food Contest on Oct. 4, several events will continue through 2027.