Borderlands Brewing Sam Hughes — Restaurant in Tucson

The ironic thing about this, was our indecisiveness, my wife and I, prior to wanting to try something extremely close to home, instead of her beloved Red Garter Bar and Grill. Tucson's newest "trendy" restaurant is quite deceiving.....it's pretty much designed more like a coffee shop, with very little parking space and more actual space being on the patio than the inside. A cool mural on the wall, a record player with a few retro classics doesn't make it hip. I, a native Angeleno, my wife a native Tucsonan and we do the beer fest and all that at the other Borderlands....but this place is just a money grab. And it's sad, because out of the literal freezer frozen Delimex taquitos my wife ordered for 14$ (listed on the menu as "rolled taquitos", they were straight up out of the freezer section) or the tacos deceived more by the amount placed on a tortilla than actual quality, which were completely unable to be picked up and held.......were the napkins we had to request from the waiter/cashier at a "restaurant". We are talking the cheapest brown paper towels that you would find in your HS bathrooms. The cashier/waiter, bless his heart, was pretty much the most unenthusiastic person we ran into all month, and he got his 15% tip for not much of anything, to say the least. He handed us bathroom paper towels for napkins, that's it. No how is everything, no nothing. On an over $70 meal. I've lived in bougie West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, and we at least got what we paid for. This space that should be used for a beautiful, comforting neighborhood coffee shop that's NOT Starbucks, instead of some kind of place calling itself a restaurant, with very uncomforting dining area, 6 parking spaces and of course the disguised intriguing menu......needless to say, we left there and went straight to to the Red Garter.....avoiding the Hollister boys in fli...

Alright, let me just say, this place is my favorite out of all the Borderland breweries. It’s just a nice little bike ride away from home, the perfect spot to sit back, talk about the week, and catch a glimpse of the sunset while you sip on a cold one. The beer here is solid, consistently good. If you’re into that kind of thing, it’s like a dependable old friend—nothing fancy, but it’s always there for you.

Now, the food? Well, I’ve seen it come out of the kitchen, and let’s just say it’s a little... skimpy. If you’re looking to get full, you’re better off drinking your calories and skipping the food. Save your money and your stomach—because what they serve up here isn’t exactly worth the chew. Trust me. I mean, you could probably get more nutrition out of the napkin they serve it on.

But hey, it’s all good. You’re here to drink, not to solve world problems. The place is chill—perfect for zoning out with your beer, laughing at the awkwardness around you, and being left alone. Days are busy with the sports crowd, but nights? It’s practically your own little private club, just you and the beer. The Wi-Fi? Solid. So if you’re here trying to get some work done (or, you know, reading this review), you’re set.

So yeah, grab your beer, avoid the food, and try not to stare too long at those wide-eyed counter guys. They're just doing their thing, trying to figure out how many whiteheads they can pop without someone noticing. But in the end, this place doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not—it’s just a spot to chill. And that’s all we really...

I was really happy about this new tap room opening and was even more excited to try Maria Mazon’s menu but unfortunately was very disappointed with my dining experience. The space is lovely, large with lots of indoor and outdoor seating but the indoor area is kept quite cold. I ordered a sour beer (Citrana is one of my favorite tea) and a $14 salad. When the dish came out it lacked the queso fresca and pistachios listed on the menu. I was disappointed and also concerned that perhaps I was eating the wrong food! I brought the salad back to the bartender who conversed with the kitchen about the ingredients, asked ME if the salad was supposed to have cheese in it and then offered me a bowl of cheese on the side to complete the dish. I accepted this and voiced my disappointment in the experience as I closed out my tab. A sloppily dressed manager(?) looked up from his texting as I was closing out and informed me casually that they were “out of pistachio”. I already knew this because I didn’t get any in my salad. I was told “sorry” by all staff members who seems to care very little. Nothing was done to rectify my complaint. I do not appreciate that your establishment is advertising a well known chef’s plates with no apparent interest in serving...