After an evening on the town, treat yourself as the nobility you are with tacos at the Royal Room Tucson, where chef and owner Ian Stupar has created a succinct menu that will absolutely sate the munchies. 

Choose from three varieties of tacos: beef, chicken and a delicious vegetarian option (and that from a dedicated carnivore). There is also a salsa and chips option. Each is $5.

“It’s been a nice little addition for people,” Stupar said.

On top of that, the kitchen is open until the place closes, so “you can come here at midnight seven nights a week and get hot food.”

On Friday and Saturday nights the food is available as late as 2 a.m. Plus, it can be Doordashed.

The Royal Room is a laid-back place to meet friends and have a conversation while having a couple of drinks. There are games, a comfortable sitting room, a bar, of course, and seating at a few high top tables and an outdoor patio. Although just steps from 4th Avenue, the corner of 6th and 6th, where the Royal Room is located, seems miles away in attitude. It’s hip, sure, but it’s casual and welcoming to anyone, even to those adults who are not students. Stupar strives for this.

This isn’t Stupar’s first go with food. A trained chef, he wanted to add something that people might enjoy after a night out and who doesn’t like tacos? But for the tortillas, which come from Tortillas Bryan, everything is made fresh on site. This is surprising considering Stupar tucked the “kitchen” into about four feet of back bar space, but here he has the ingredients that go into a taco. There are cooled containers with cotija cheese, chopped onions, cilantro, tomatoes and lime. There is a crock keeping birria hot and a container keeping salsa tasty. Pair these with a house margarita ($10).

Stupar was the kid who grew up in the kitchen. His mom worked and went to school and sometimes he and his sister were on their own for dinner. He began experimenting with flavors.

“We had that prototypical spice rack from my mom’s wedding in the ‘70s; it had one of everything in there,” he said. “It started with me doctoring up Campbell’s Soup or top ramen and it spilled into: I got a neighbor’s brownie recipe to earn money for a summer vacation trip.”

It was his mom who suggested cooking school. He saw it as a way to stay creative but still make a living.

Stupar said in time he might like to expand the menu but that would mean remodeling and so for now the menu will stay compact. Anyway, “I’m always a sucker for a frozen margarita and a big bowl of chips,” he said, although, according to his wife Laura, Stupar is known for his spaghetti sauce.  

The Royal Room Tucson
WHEN: 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday to Thursday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday
WHERE: 450 N. 6th Avenue
INFO: theroyalroomtucson.com