Say what you will, but Tucson is a sports bar kind of town. Almost every neighborhood pub, saloon or watering hole is equipped with several large screen TVs and most of them have some kind of sports package to lure fans in. When the Wildcats, Cardinals or Diamondbacks are playing, seats are full and eyes are glued to the game. Smart food truck owners usually park their rigs out front of these establishments in hopes that a patron who is a few shots in will grab a bite during halftime, but a good number of locally operated sports bars come equipped with their own kitchen.
For those that want to avoid the overtly loud chain concepts that price point their beers at layaway inspiring costs, there are plenty of family run and independently owned pubs that always have a game on and will fix you up a plate of munchies at a reasonable rate.
One such place just opened on the dusty stretch of Oracle just a few blocks south of Grant, part of the Miracle Mile revitalization of quality shops and restaurants moving in. The O on Oracle is open but not a lot of people know about it yet. That will change soon enough. Not only because of the historical building it resides in but the food is a lot tastier, and generous, than expected.
Gus and Andy’s Steakhouse stood at 2000 N. Oracle Road for nearly 60 years. The casually elegant eatery was then bought out and became Looks, a sort of bar and grill that also hosted cabaret shows and shut down a few years ago. The structure stood empty for quite some time, getting sun bleached and wind worn and a lot of folks wondered if it was just going to be bulldozed down and become another corporate snore. That’s when owner Tami Korth moved in with some help from investors that wanted to keep the place alive with its memories intact; a new concept that exudes a bit of Tucson history.
The O will hit its stride once it survives the summer, but you can’t not fall in love with the red pleather throwback décor and aura of its interior, with’70s-style captain’s chairs filling the three separate rooms, one of which still boasts raised dancing platforms and shiny poles. It just has this amazing feel of a modern speakeasy, smoke-filled hall from a rowdy Tucson past. Behind the original yet updated full service bar, which was most likely a private dance cigar lounge at one point, is now a cozy breakfast nook equipped with an espresso machine for those early morning games.
You’re going to come to The O to watch your favorite sport on one of the various flat screens installed throughout, but you’ll come back because the food is great and priced very fair for the amount of grub you get.
As mentioned earlier there is a breakfast nook because, yep, The O serves up morning time eats that are served all day. Not just boring eggs and some dry toast, because if you’re there to watch the Wildcats (fingers crossed) beat the Sun Devils, food is just food, right? No. For $8.75 you should get the Chef O’s Big Breakfast and by big they mean “holy crap!” Two eggs any style, choice of meat ranging from burly cuts of bacon to a spicy chorizo pile, a ton of hash browns or smashed potatoes and a variety of bread from local bakeries. You’ll need a post-game nap after this dish. At lunch when the Diamondbacks are up, you should try the Cobb Salad because for $8.50 you get a heaping plate of fresh greens, perfectly cooked chicken, crispy bacon and tangy blue cheese. When it’s time for the Cardinals to give it another try, the burgers are a juicy half pound and start around 6 bucks.
There are also the usual suspects of snacking fare, such as onion rings and poppers, although it’s the wings that you need to tackle. For under $10, you get a dozen and these things are seriously meaty, crispy and fall off the bone. The So Hot option is quite the tongue destroyer, so if you are not a fan of long-lasting mouth pain, get the Sweet Hot Chili. It has a bite, but the mild citrus element helps balance it out.
The O has a patio so when your team isn’t doing so great you can watch the mellow bustle of Oracle instead as you sip a craft cocktail on a warm summer night. Once things pick up, Tami says she plans on getting the nightclub function back up which is perfect because the main dining area is situated on a funky old dancefloor. Another attribute that makes this place pretty cool.
This article appears in Jun 1-7, 2017.
Mark! This review is a huge step in the right direction! Thank you for being receptive to your readers, you rock!
It’s still just a press release.
HumanBean, its been a bumpy road with you but I appreciate the feedback. Getting more comfortable with the honor and responsibility of being the Chow writer and allowing myself to relax a bit while sticking to guidelines.
Above all…thanks for reading and your support!
You are doing a great job Mark!
HumanBean:
They ground you down. Sigh.
For those WHO …
The Big O
would be better…
Not one comment on the actual restaurant. Has anyone actually gone there ?? $8.75 for 2 eggs/bacon/hashbrowns…$8.50 for a salad ????? Good Luck in that desolate part of Oracle.
The prices are not out of hand. As soon as minimum wage went up, food prices followed. You cannot even get a decent breakfast burrito anywhere in town for less than $6 dollars now and most of them are closer to $7.
$8-something for a sit down breakfast plate is close to the bottom of the barrel price-wise and I can’t think of any places with a decent breakfast for less. Sure you can get an early bird special someplace for around 4 or 5 bucks but it will be very skimpy and leave you wanting more…
Hey, HumanBean:
Take a look at the breakfast menu at Frank’s Restaurant on Pima:
http://www.franksrestaurant.com/untitled-c1xpz
Thanks for backing me up Food Maven!
For $8.75 from The O: Two eggs any style, choice of meat ranging from burly cuts of bacon to a spicy chorizo pile, a ton of hash browns or smashed potatoes and a variety of bread from local bakeries
How much for that at Franks? Well, the two egg breakfast is $4.90 and that does not include any meat. How much for a side of bacon? An additional $3.50. What does that add up to? $8.40 How about the Egg Sandwich at Franks? $8.60! Or the Chorizo breakfast plate? $8.75 Those are the comparable dishes at Franks.
I eat at Franks. The portions would not be described as big and you get what you pay for. The early bird special is tiny and has no meat with it. Add a side of bacon to the early bird and you are suddenly paying over $5.
The point it, if the servings are large, then the prices at The O are not out of the norm and may actually be a good value if the portions are as large as Mark says they are.
I really hadn’t made the connection to the minimum wage increasing, but meals all over town seem to be up 20-40%. I remember others warning that would happen. I guess I just didn’t think it through. Should have known better after watching the damage it caused in Seattle.
Is anybody better off?
HumanBean:
Check Frank’s menu out at the link I gave you above. Bacon plus two eggs, home fries or hash browns, biscuit, toast or tortilla —-$6.45. Same crap as the O but over two bucks cheaper.
HumanBean, the very good breakfast burritos at Paco’s on Grant are $4.70 (up from $4.35 in February) to $5.45 (same as February, for steak/egg/cheese so your statement doesn’t hold water. Thirty-five cents is a pretty modest increase, seems to me.
@Staying home to eat: got any actual data for your figures?
Food Maven,
I eat at Franks. The $6.40 bacon, eggs, browns meal is not a big plate of food. None of the adjectives Mark used about The O would apply to Franks. The bacon at Franks is see-through thin and in order to actually get a normal portion of bacon you have to order a side, so that is why I priced it the way I did. Have you actually eaten at the O? Because the way you are talking about Franks makes me question if you even eat there! Next thing you’ll be telling us about the amazing high quality breakfasts at Brawleys! At the end of the day Franks is just a divey, dirty, greasy spoon with cheap food. You get what you pay for there and I am ok with that. If I want more, I will pay for it elsewhere.
Donkiyoti,
I will check out Pacos and see if I like it. Paco’s does not seem to have breakfast burritos or chorizo on their online menu… I will have to go in. Maybe Pacos has smaller burritos or is cutting corners somewhere else, but if they end up being as good as the other places I like, and just as big, I am going to be all in. Thanks for the tip!
My main spot was/is/has been Taqueria El Pueblito but my chorizo breakfast burrito went up to $6.40 after the minimum wage hike. They told me that is why they raised their prices.
I have noticed the same trend all over town, prices have gone up since Jan. I guess to prove it we would have to access historic and current data from an online menu aggregation site to see if our anecdotal experiences are reflective of a real world trend. However, some restaurants have made other changes to cut costs and avoid raising prices. I know that a few have switched to a fast casual model in order to cut down on employee expenses by eliminating serving positions, 1702 is one example. Other restaurants have changed ingredients or portion sizes to avoid a price hike. Some are just operating with less staff and expecting more from the employees they keep. This is all coming from people I know who work in a variety of restaurants/bars. Again, it is all anecdotal because the data is not exactly publicly available to do the statistical analysis necessary to prove it.
If I were paid as a reporter you bet I would tackle this. There is an interesting story to tell and one where the personalities and people behind the food would be really important. I don’t know if the Weekly has the muscle to do that kind of statistics heavy investigative journalism but it could be a great read.
I am a CPA with several restaurants/bars as clients, Yes, they have all had to raise prices. It is not an exact science, though, on how much to raise them, and selectively on which items.
Those who want to slam the establishments and owners for raising those prices have NO clue, that most are not that profitable and that the owners and their families many times are still in the EITC range of income on their tax returns. Just because you own your own business doesn’t mean you are wealthy or even making a good living.
However, on the flip side, several of my clients who are bartenders/waiters/waitresses have said that for the first time, they are actually getting paychecks for more than $0, and haven’t had to disgorge some of their tips to pay the Social Security/medicare on their tip income.
@donkyoti
Pacos sucked. The chorizo was dry and flavorless and the burrito was 80% potatoes. I would rather pay $6something at El Pueblito. I guess you get what you pay for! Thanks for the tip either way.
@HumanBean, I grow weary of your idiocy.
Mark, just what are the guidelines these days. Used to be a plac had to be open three months before we wrote about it.
What’s a plac?