NEW RESTAURANTS OPINION: The best newer restaurants to check out this year

BY KATE HERRERAS-ZINMAN @DailyWildcat

With the new semester bringing us into 2023, there are lots of new restaurants to check out around Tucson!

All of these places opened recently, and lots of them are different from foods and vibes you might be used to. They’re a great sampling of what Tucson has to offer.

5. The Monica

The Monica has become so synonymous with Congress Street to me that it feels weird to list it as a restaurant that opened in 2022. Yet, it absolutely did!

The Monica opened last March, delivering a cool take on downtown breakfast: You can choose to order cafeteria style or off a menu. That convenience means a lot.

Combined with the ultramodern aesthetic, The Monica is a must-stop downtown.

4. Bubbe’s Fine Bagels

Bubbe’s Bagels now has two locations, one out east on Wilmot Road and the other location, the new one, up north near the

Foothills.

I’ll admit my own biases are what got me so excited for Bubbe’s. Specifically, I’m Jewish, and I remember driving by with my mom shouting “A real bagel place!”

The important part of Bubbe’s is that the bagels are really good and honestly worth the trip away from the University of Arizona campus.

3. Tran’s Fats

Local art-showcasing hotel Hotel McCoy houses a new permanent food truck. I was there for a friend’s birthday party, and I just needed something to eat, but I was blown away by chef Jackie Tran’s dumplings!

Since Tran’s Fats focuses on dumplings, it’s also a cool opportunity to try something that might be new to you. I had only really had bao with dim sum, so it was nice to have bao as the main course rather than just part of the dim sum.

2. Ni Hao Tea

Local boba spot Ni Hao Tea has very cool flavors of boba that you might not be used to, and that’s what keeps me going back there.

Look at the menu! Personally, I can say Ni Hao introduced me to cream cheese boba, which was something I’d never even heard of, and I loved it.

These exciting varieties of boba you’re not used to are still drinks you’ll love.

1. The Blacktop Grill

The Blacktop Grill has my favorite quesadillas in Tucson, and, for a city with so many quesadillas to choose from, that’s a high bar, but they’re just so good.

I’d call them “hipster greasy” if that makes sense.

They’ve just opened up their Fourth Avenue location, and the flavor is so quintessentially Fourth Avenue: fancy, cool ingredients that taste like something you still would have loved when you were 9 years old. They’re also known for their hot dogs and they have wonderful vegan options (I always opt for their delicious soyrizo), so give Blacktop a shot.

—Kate is a sophomore at the University of Arizona. She loves improv comedy and comic books

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The song “Changes (Stay the Same) is, “about things that tend to stay the same even though everything is changing around you,” Driver said.

The band began in Goode’s basement during the COVID-19 pandemic and has since released its first EP, Long Stories Get Short

They have performed at the DUSK Music Festival and have played at several local venues within the Tucson community and elsewhere.

“We are amazed by how supportive of a community Tucson is for local artists and have tons of gratitude for all the people that have helped us along our journey,” Goode said.

The members of The Basements said they are ecstatic to continue performing throughout Arizona and revealed that they have many exciting opportunities coming up in the next few months.

Their next show will be at The Nile Theater on Feb. 10, at 7 p.m.

Goode joked that for people who want to see them live, he hopes they acquire, “permanent hearing damage, the urge to dance and be inspired to be themselves and do what they want.”

To learn more about The Basements you can find them on Instagram and TikTok, both @thebasementsmusic and on most streaming platforms.

The Sinks

The Sinks is a four-member band consisting of Jackson Kimball, the singer and guitarist, Gabriel Noriega, the bassist, Harrison Cable the drummer and Aidan Ochoa, the guitarist.

Kimball, Noriega and Cable have known each other since middle school. They decided in high school they wanted to start a band. “We started playing some jazz together at Tucson High, but we decided we wanted to play rock music,” Cable said.

Kimball joked that “Back then we all played bass. But we kind of switched to guitar and drums. We realized we couldn’t have three bass players in a band.”

They mainly focus on creating alternative rock music but have since been trying to incorporate country western influences into the music they play. The members of the band explained that they love to go heavy on the guitar — attempting to build it up and break it down throughout their songs. “If we make a really good song, we want people to lose their minds over it,” Cable said.

More information about upcoming shows and music can be found on Instagram @thesinksband and on YouTube.

Many of these bands regularly attend live performances throughout Tucson. Many of us, but especially the younger generation, have undergone devastating impacts from growing up during the COVID-19 pandemic and being secluded from live social activities.

Parada from New Misphoria relates to a lot of what we are feeling right now. “After this pandemic, it’s so hard to navigate everything [...] the way that we are so consumed with being online, it’s hard to connect with people your own age in person,” Prada said. Now with the return of live music, it is important to encourage ourselves and others to get involved to build up our Tucson community and connect with others in person again.

—Sophia is a sophomore studying family studies and human development and global studies. She loves to write about politics that affect Tucson and the UA community