Restaurants in Tucson

Tom and Kenny Lam's recipe for delectable banh mi—Vietnamese sandwiches on a baguette—is a matter of public record. The Arizona Daily Star sought out the father-and-son team to publish their techniques, guiding readers through prepping the bread, pickling the vegetables, and marinating the pork. The instructions stem from the kitchens of iLuv Pho, the restaurant owned by Tom and managed by Kenny, where their variations of banh mi comprise a popular lunchtime segment of the menu.

The sandwiches have been labeled "out of sight" by Tucson Weekly, though they only cover a small subheading of the Lams' authentic Vietnamese plates. Also on the list are hearty bowls of pho, dappled with rice noodles, beef, and seasonings. Curries and stir-fries imbue entrees with fiery aftertastes, combated by the cool sips of slushes in flavors such as mango, red bean, and coconut. Chewy balls of tapioca—or boba—hide inside the frosty drinks, waiting to be slurped through straws or launched into a free-for-all game of marbles.

Vegetarian entrees, piquant soups, and simmering noodles fill plates at Asian Bistro, where specialty drinks such as the mango-and-pineapple-infused Hawaiian Escape provide sweet accompaniment to meals. Happy hour ushers in discounted meals and desserts such as house-made mango pudding, and swift delivery service whisks meals directly to one's door or backyard tree fort.:m]]

Monkey Burger's menu boasts a variety of two-handed nibbles. Burgers crafted from 100% natural Angus-beef patties sleep between soft, fresh rolls from Tucson's own Viro’s Bakery and snuggle with heaps of toppings. Chef Mattie's Monkey ($9.50) comes packed with roasted poblano peppers, sautéed mushrooms and onions, lettuce and tomato, bacon, and a bi-cheese blend of cheddar and swiss, and the Plymouth ($8.50) is made with turkey, smoked mozzarella cheese, sundried tomato, shredded lettuce, and avocado pesto. Vegetarians appreciate the portobello-based patty on the VegHead burger ($7.50). Salad options include baby spinach dressed with honey dijon ($6.50), grilled chicken and Granny Smith apples ($8.50), and mixed greens with goat-cheese crumbles and heavily buttered croutons ($6.50).

The Hungry Fox is a cozy breakfast and lunch destination serving up an extensive menu of sweets, savories, and other sinfully succulent creature comforts. To tame an early-morning stomach's jowly mammalian growl before it turns to expletive-laden tirades, bite into a breakfast burrito (stuffed with egg, cheese, sausage, onion, and salsa and served with hash browns, $7.89), an order of homemade biscuits and gravy ($5.79 for a full order), or a vegetable omelette (sautéed mushrooms, onions, green peppers, and tomatoes, served with potatoes and toast, $7.99). A homemade jumbo cinnamon roll ($2.99), a Belgian waffle ($5.29), or a healthily sugar-kissed stack of multigrain pancakes ($5.59) will satisfy the sweetest-toothed incisors. The Hungry Fox's lunch offerings include french-fry-friendly foods such as the green-chili cheeseburger ($6.99) and the deli fox sandwich (hard salami, ham, turkey, lettuce, tomato, onion, and Swiss cheese, $7.29), as well as healthier options such as the spinach salad (topped with egg, cheddar, bacon, black olives, tomatoes, and onions, $6.99) and the seasonally offered stuffed tomato (filled with tuna, chicken, or egg salad and served with fruit, $6.59). If it's your first time dining at The Hungry Fox and the restaurant's bounty of tasty temptations overwhelm, try a declared "foxy favorite" such as the honey-stung chicken (four pieces of golden fried chicken, whipped potatoes, gravy, and a fresh vegetable, $8.99).

Elegant, internationally inspired dinners at the Arizona Inn's main dining room offer the discerning diner a rich beginning to any meal with an order of seared foie gras ($18) before quelling carnivorous cravings with the filet mignon ($42), topped with lobster relish and truffle-infused mashed potatoes. Plant-poppers can direct forks toward the butternut-squash and sweet-corn cannelloni ($30) before dunking into desserts such as the crème brûlée trio (vanilla-bean, chai-spice, and lemon versions of the crystalloid crème classic, $8) and the pomegranate cheesecake ($8) with pistachio crisps, both of which are sure to end any dinner or economic-policy debate on a sweet note.

Owner and chef Allen Yap began his culinary career in 1991, cooking alongside his mother and father at the family's first restaurant, which they founded after relocating to Tucson from Malaysia. Inspired by his childhood in Asia and driven by a desire to innovate, he took the reins at OM Modern Asian Kitchen and Sushi Bar and designed a menu that incorporates the spices, cooking methods, and flavors of Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, and Malaysian cuisine. The resulting blend of sushi, spicy noodle dishes, and aromatic curries earned his restaurant the award for Best Asian Cuisine & Sushi from Arizona Foothills magazine in 2011.

Along with the inventive brand of fusion fare, bartenders keep spirits high by mixing potent cocktails, pouring glasses of sake, and disguising bottles of domestic and imported beers as adorable kittens. The wine cellar brims with hand-selected varietals from the vineyards of Italy, Washington, and Napa Valley, including the Uppercut cabernet sauvignon, which teems with notes of dark fruit, expresso, violet, and spices.

The restaurant's theme of updating the traditional carries over into its decor, which features stone walls inlaid with small statues. Towering bamboo shoots coil beneath modern, curved lanterns that hang from the ceiling and light the dining room as delicately as a beach ball hosting a firefly high-school reunion.