Elvira's Restaurant — Restaurant in Green Valley

We have no pictures of Elvira's because we always go for dinner and by then the restaurant is so dimly and yet dramatically lit it's virtually impossible to get good photos in there. That said, the ambiance is amazing. No matter how many times we go, we can't quite get over it.

We've gone there many times, usually for special occasions. Our very first visit was when they were still in Mexico, just over the border. Since moving to Tubac they have really grown in sophistication and technique.

All of their food is generally delicious, so we can't think of going wrong with much on the menu. Of note is their mole negro (unique to the restaurant). It is complex and wonderful (though this last time it seems they overdid it slightly on the cocoa because it was a little too dark and a little too bitter, paired with slightly dry chicken, so not quite as good as previous times). The guacamole, served with pepitas, pomegranate seeds and cheese is truly original and excellent. Their special rolled tacos were excellent as well. The simple cheese quesadilla is way better than most. Our dining companions both had the rib eye and said it was fantastic. Sides (especially the very fresh vegetables and the delicious rice and beans) are great. They also have a large variety of margaritas and other specialty cocktails. For dessert we had flan and the molten chocolate cake with ice cream. The cake was fabulous. The flan itself was pretty good, but they ruined it by putting a thick caramel sauce (like you get out of a jar) around it instead of the traditional burnt caramel that cooks with the flan and is a liquid that coats it. That sauce makes the flan dessert, so we're not sure why they would tamper with it. But that was the only bigger misstep. It's absolutely lovely and the food is great. Service is good overall and we thoroughly enjoy going each time. Plenty of parking.

Update - we got...

Great venue for lunch or dinner together with friends.

Summary: Good bar menu and fully-stocked bar with experienced staff for good cocktails. Food is fundamentally Mexican. Make a reservation.

Drinks: The Margarita Classic was good, though a little too sweet for us. The Margarita Xalapeno (no, really it’s spelt that way) was the right balance of fresh cucumber and jalapeño with Tajin and Sea salt on the rim). The Delbac classic single malt whiskey was surprisingly smooth and good.

Appetizers: We had Queso Fundido and added Chorizo, and Guacamole (Hass avocado mixed with xalapeño, white onions, red tomatoes, cilantro topped with roasted pepitas, dried cranberries, pomegranate seeds and queso cotija) for appetizers.

Entrees: We had Aztec Ribeye steak. Good presentation with rub on steak and cooked to perfection. Required the supplied sauted, pickled, onions and jalapeños each mouthful for fullest flavor

Also had a couple of the Mole dishes. The Mole Poblano was the more traditional recipe and the sauce was rich without being overwhelming. The chocolate was more subtle than I expected. The other was Mole Coloradito Oaxaqueno; this had much more heat and deeper range of flavors reminiscent of more traditional Oaxacan cuisine.

Though this is definitely a little pricey, the service was exemplar, the food sublime and the drinks excellent.

Cannot recommend highly enough. The Stables restaurant at Tubac Golf resort did us an unexpected favor by their incredibly poor service today, pushing us toward Elvira’s for a...

First things first. This restaurant gets 5 stars for decor. It's fabulous. The food is very good and although I didn't choose to have an alcoholic beverage today, they sounded amazing. Now we come to the reason I could only give 3 stars. My friends and I finished our meals, paid & then I went to the ladies room. It was locked. While I waited outside the door, 2 employees looked at me, smiled & turned away. I continued to wait. A third employee told me that the bathroom was closed & to go to a different one which is not in the main restaurant. It's beyond their waiting area. When I went to walk back through the restaurant to greet my friends, I found that the door to the restaurant was locked & I was stuck, alone, inside the waiting area. I knocked & knocked on the door to no avail. I hollered & even kicked the door. I then heard a clicking sound. It was an employee locking another entrance. I went back to the first door and pounded, yelled and kicked. I could hear people inside asking each other if they could hear pounding on the door and wondering if someone was out there. The door finally opened but no one was there to take responsibility for opening it. I was furious and told the manager all that had happened. He gave me a half-hearted apology, told me he'd locked the doors & then he walked away. I do not choose to spend my dollars there again. Nor will I suggest this restaurant to anyone. There were a lot of missteps here. Moral of this story... You're going to lose out if you don't put your...