It seems like no matter which direction you’re headed in Tucson, you are met with a breathtaking view of one of the surrounding mountain ranges. To the west, the Tucson Mountains, Sentinel Peak and Tumamoc. To the south, the Santa Ritas. To the north, the Catalinas’ massive Mt. Lemmon. To the east, Rincon Peak and Mica Mountain, which are also part of the sprawling Catalina range.
It’s no surprise, then, that local eateries take advantage of this fact and boast their mountain views. After all, any sunset visit will yield dinner with a free show. However, none can brag quite like Saguaro Corners. Cozied right up next to Tanque Verde Peak—literally as close as you can get to the protected park area without being in the park itself, the commercially-zoned space certainly wouldn’t fly if someone asked to build it nowadays, but the Saguaro Corners has been standing since the mid-’50s and has been grandfathered in thusly.
Recently, this historic restaurant space was taken over by a well-known name in the downtown scene. Kade Mislinski, formerly of HUB and Playground, quietly snatched the beautiful location up and slowly began instituting changes over the course of about a year (perhaps to ease the shock to regulars). Initially, not much had changed in the menu at all, with promises of “donut programs” and re-imagined comfort food staples going largely unseen for the first few months of the transition.
Now that Mislinski has left his mark on Saguaro Corners, you’ll likely notice that some things have changed and some things haven’t. When he took the space over, he didn’t believe at the time that the concept was “broken,” so it’s no surprise that the simple, relaxed and homey ambiance of the restaurant has remained pretty much untouched. Still, it does show a measure of restraint on Mislinski’s part, especially being associated with aesthetic-driven concepts like HUB and Playground, as well as his newest venture: a donut and whiskey concept called Batch right down the street from his former stomping grounds.
While he delivered on his promise of a “donut program” in the end, it’s more important to note here that he also delivered on the promises that he made for the Saguaro Corners space. It’s a neighborhood, family restaurant, inspired by diner eats and home cookin’, that’s a destination for those who don’t live so far east.
However, the menu shows the ways he sought to improve the space, and no place is it more immediately evident than the beer and cocktail lists. With 24 rotating taps, featuring nearly half made in state, the bar offers plenty for craft beer lovers who happen to bike by on the afternoon suicide sprints around the mountains. The cocktail menu offers a handful of twists on classics like margaritas, whiskey sours and micheladas. At first glance, these drinks look rather syrupy on paper, but you’ll be met with a cocktail that is sweet, sure, but balanced out with other flavors. I recommend the spiced hibiscus margarita ($8) here.
The theme of keeping it simple, but adding a bit of a twist to keep it interesting, continues through to the appetizer menu, where you’ll find basic shrimp cocktails ($10), flavorful fusion-forward ahi poke tacos with ponzu ($13) and mini Sonoran dogs ($8), alongside dishes with names like “Wings of Awesomeness,” “Poppitos” and “Monument de Nachos” that will almost assuredly make you either blush or cringe when ordered—unless you’ve already downed a pint or two.
On some visits, said ordering process was actually kind of fun, with attentive service and genuine conversation. On others, I would venture to (though I don’t like to) use the words brash and hurried to assign to the service provided, with orders being taken and rung in wrong to top it off. You can roll the dice there or sit at the bar, though the views on the patio and in the dining room, which has large windows opening into a canyon area, are much better.
Eating through the restaurant’s options, from a fresh seared ahi nicoise ($13) to more stick-to-the-ribs options like meatloaf ($13) or baby back ribs ($16), you’ll find this menu has a lot going on. Tacos, burgers, mac and cheese, waffles, grilled cheese, pan seared salmon, herb roasted chicken—the list is almost dizzying. However, amidst all the choices, you’ll find quite a few gems.
Herbed and well-seasoned lamb burgers (“The Greek”) topped with tangy tzatziki ($19), fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside waffles topped with fried chicken ($10) and more steal the show. While my chips were lukewarm at most, the fish side of the classic pairing ($13) offered a lightly beer-battered filet of tender, juicy cod that rivals the best in town. Similarly, the mac and cheese ($7 with the option for mix-ins like chorizo, E&R ham and smoked chicken) served up just about exactly what you’d want it to: the noodles had a little bite, the sauce was cheesy and creamy and smooth, and the crunchy bread crumbs on top added just enough texture to keep you diving in for bite after bite.
Less successful dishes like the Bubba Ann ($10)—which is kind of a mess of hard, dense biscuits, spicy gravy, eggs, a chicken tender, bacon and cheese, showcase the main area this otherwise standout little dining outpost on the edge of town could improve, and that’s focus. The expansive menu could use some paring down to ensure every dish is as well executed as those waffles or that cod.
Maybe being so far from the downtown glitz has done Mislinski well, giving him a space to showcase his restaurant-running chops without being distracted by trends. In the end, it’s clear that Mislinski and Saguaro Corners are doing well for each other.
This article appears in Mar 10-16, 2016.
The food and atmoshere are good, it’s just that the beer is way over priced. I won’t be returning.
Really like the place. As far as pricing, I didn’t think it was that bad. Most places that serve craft beer are gouging– with the exception of Tucson Hop Shop. Another thing I really like about this place is there are NO annoying TVs outside to ruin the atmosphere. This was the main reason I visited in the first place: to verify that they deviated from the mindless TV obsessed masses. It’s true! Keep up the good work!
I like it there, as well. But, only once in a while – mostly for a drink. The Quinoa Kale salad is delicious.
The prices are a dollar or two over what they should be. They use cheese sauce instead of real cheese, which has a bland flavor. The service is hit or miss and the furniture is old and/or cheap both inside and outside. (Sometimes I wonder if food/drink places that open on the East side think that we don’t need or want quality surroundings. Then they wonder why they aren’t making money and eventually close.)
Lastly, there are very few vegetarian options. The calabacitas are supposed to be vegetarian, but are grilled on the same flat top as the meat, which ends up in the tacos. And, I think the fried cheese curds (“Curds of Amazingness”) are fried in the same oil as their fish n’ chips, because that’s all I tasted when I ordered them. So, it’s difficult to taste the cheese… and again… it’s not very vegetarian friendly.
But, it’s a great place to relax with a beer and take in the beautiful scenery.
I agree with jmeC, especially about the quality surrounds. That place is a dump on the inside. The inside smells old and is so very outdated and the furniture outside is uncomfortable. Nevertheless, my husband and I do go there relatively frequently but only when we can sit outside (and not at a picnic table). The service and food has been spotty. Sometimes it’s really good, sometimes it’s not so good. Sloooow service and limp, greasy fries the last time we were there :-(. On a positive note, I do love the beer and the poke tacos and I love the live music (especially the 2 Lazy 2 Ranch Band!). I hope they can fix all of these issues because we need good places on the east side and I would go here a lot more if it were better!
I love this place. Kade has done stellar compared to what this place used to be. The bartenders and wait staff over the past year are pleasant and willing to talk with everyone. It can be a little pricey, but the food is head n shoulders above anything else on this side of town and worth it. We’ve tried the Kadertots, salads, bbq sandwich, burgers, and most of the beers and always leave happy. The bbq sandwich with the Carolina style mustard sauce is good…I’m a N.C. native so it felt like home to me.
Glad they are doing well and hope it continues for us east side folks.
I had never heard of this place, so I just checked out the website. It doesn’t help their case. The menus are black text on a gray background, rendering them nearly impossible to read, and the main dishes are not listed on the site. If the owners read this, I hope they take it as constructive criticism.
When I heard the owner of the Hub and the playground was taking over saguaro corners I was thrilled. The first few times we went we noticed the changes happening slowly. Which is ok I guess to like the article said ease regulars into the change. However I agree with above commenters. This place is dumpy. I expected more from someone who has had such awesome interiors as the two other restaurants. Service is definitely hit or miss, which is never ever the case at the other two restaurants, and was super bummed when the promised creme brûlée donut never made its appearance (maybe it has now? We haven’t been back in a few months). Honestly with kids, I can’t depend on hit or miss service. By an hour in we should be asking for a check not waiting for food. Hoping that this doesn’t fall of deaf ears as we eastsiders definitely WANT, no desperately NEED something like the hub or the playground close to home!