You’re hungry and new to campus. You may or may not have a car or bike, and maybe you don’t quite trust the people on the city bus yet. It’s possible to have your “”Choose Your Own (Dining) Adventure”” at the UA without using an ounce of gasoline. Where do you go and what do you get? Here are foods, and a few drinks, that you have to eat:
Pizza
Zachary’s
1028 E. Sixth St.
(520) 623-6323
Sunday, 3 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Monday, 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Tuesday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
College means pizza and there are a few worthwhile places to stop by for their pizza pies.
Just east of North Park Avenue and East Sixth Street, Zachary’s serves deep-dish pizza, and if you’re there with friends, by all means, get a whole pie ($14-$20). With its thick crust and tasty toppings, there is enough to feed four to six hungry stomachs. But the better deal is the lunch special ($7), which includes a slice of whatever pizza is available, a dinner plate of salad and a soda, and you can order it at any time of the day.
No Anchovies
870 E. University Blvd.
(520) 623-3333
Monday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
As the name states, No Anchovies does not use the pungent fish on any of its thin-crust pizzas, but it is not afraid to use just about every other ingredient. Potato, bacon and cheddar top one reinterpretation of the baked potato while all fixings for an order of buffalo wings — sauce, chicken, bleu cheese, ranch — adorn another pizza. Of course, there are the old standbys, cheese and pepperoni, but with so many options and combinations available, it wouldn’t hurt to step outside your comfort zone. If you can’t decide what you want or if you just want to dip your tongue, so to speak, you can combine different slices and finish it off with a drink ($6-$8).
1702
1702 E. Speedway Blvd.
(520) 325-1702
Monday – Friday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Saturday, Noon – 11 p.m.
Closed Sundays
For those who want a large selection of beers with their equally large pizza, 1702 is the place to go. The thin pizza slices ($5 per cheese slice, 75¢ per topping; $8 per gourmet slice) cover a dinner plate, and are usually more than enough for the average person.
Grimaldi’s
Sam Hughes Plaza
446 N. Campbell Ave.
(520) 882-6100
11 a.m. – 11 p.m. daily
Grimaldi’s also offers thin pizzas (starting at $20) using water that is the same as its Brooklyn pizzeria, then baking them in coal-fired brick ovens to create a crisp, savory wedge that is so good, the sauce and toppings almost don’t matter.
Espresso, coffee, tea
Canyon Café
Second floor, Student Union Memorial Center
Whoever first discovered that chocolate and oranges complement each other deserves a public statue or a fountain made of this divine combination. You can find your own piece of divinity with the chocolate-filled croissant with orange herbal tea (about $3) at the UA’s Canyon Café. It’s located at the Student Union Memorial Center, making it the perfect rest stop for both between and after classes. Why is tea (herbal, no less!) recommended as the drink of choice instead of coffee or espresso? One bite through the wafer-thin layers of rich, buttery dough of the café’s enormous regular croissant is enough to force anyone to grab a cup of coffee. Add a layer of chocolate chips inside the croissant and you won’t need that coffee and sugar to get you through the day.
Espresso Art Café
944 E. University Boulevard
Monday – Friday, 6:30 a.m – Midnight
Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m – Midnight
Fully automatic espresso machines that dispense espresso with only the push of a button require little to no training to use, and are great for serving many customers very quickly, which is why you’ll find them at most Starbucks and Seattle’s Best locations. They also create utterly boring drinks. You can’t get, say, a variation of Café Cubano if you need a small but strong dose of caffeine. Espresso Art Café, a minute’s walk west of campus on University Boulevard, can pull off such shots for about $2. The café’s take on this drink is to add demarara or turbinado sugar into the portafilter with the espresso grounds, rather than into the demitasse.
Caffé Luce
943 E. University Blvd. Suite 191
(520) 207-5504
Monday – Thursday, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Friday, 7 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Saturday, 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Sunday, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m
If you’re looking for a superb cup of the other black gold, just head north of Park Avenue and University Boulevard to Caffé Luce. Its 16 coffee blends are roasted in the café with a hard-to-miss roaster that looks like a steam train engine, which is amazing to see in action. Many Tucson restaurants carry beans from Caffé Luce for good reason.
Seven Cups
2516 E. Sixth St.
(520) 881-4072
Monday – Saturday, 10:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
For tea lovers, there is Seven Cups, which, at the southeast corner of East Sixth Street and South Tucson Boulevard, can be quite a walk from campus. But it is well worth it. This Chinese teahouse is the only American tea company to be given a Chinese trading license, which allows it to control its tea supplies starting at the suppliers. This means you get to taste a variety of specialty teas from different regions of China and Taiwan. Add helpful staff, the Chinese tea ceremony, majiang (or mahjong) nights, classes on tea from a certified tea master and free weekly tastings, and you’ll begin to understand why tea is a worthy alternative to espresso and coffee.
Off the beaten path: Sonoran hot dogs, kosher fare, pho
Mr. Antojo
501 N. Park Ave
Monday – Friday, 6 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays. 6 a.m.
The Sonoran hot dog can be quite deceptive if you aren’t paying attention. There’s a good reason the dog is nestled within an oversized bun. It’s sharing a room with beans, grilled onions, tomatoes, salsa verde, cheese and sometimes mayonnaise, mustard and guacamole. And then there’s the bacon coiled around the dog itself, which just makes sense. Formerly a cart in the parking lot of Jett’s Wildcat and now housed within the gas station, Mr. Antojo is a great pit stop for this local specialty ($3).
Oy Vey Café
Hillel Foundation building
Only open during the school year
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Located just north of the main UofA Bookstore at the Hillel Foundation building on the UA campus, Oy Vey Café offers a kosher menu that is primarily vegetarian with daily specials ($5.75) and comforting soups. Most sandwiches and salads start at $5.50. The chocolate and banana panini ($4.50) is worth a try.
Saigon Pho
943 E. University Blvd.
(520) 396-3624
Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday, Noon – 7 p.m.
Miss Saigon
1072 N. Campbell Ave.
(520) 320-9511
Monday – Saturday, 10:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Pho is such a simple Vietnamese dish — sliced meat atop rice noodles in broth — and something that used to be considered just street food. But its essence and how, like a jazz musician with a standard song, anyone can easily play off of it with the garnishes — Thai basil, bean sprouts, lime juice, cilantro, and fish sauce — elevate this bowl to something worthy of being considered a culinary treasure and arguably one of America’s best imports.
Two places worth seeking out within walking distance serve this dish: Saigon Pho and Miss Saigon. (Check the archives at Dailywildcat.com for my review.) Both places have great pho and excellent service, but other factors should be considered as to which place to visit.
With Miss Saigon a little further from campus at the southeast corner of East Speedway Boulevard and South Campbell Avenue and Saigon Pho located right behind Caffé Luce, it really comes down to how much time you have for your meal.
