Bumsted's — Restaurant in Tucson

Bumsted's is a restaurant / lounge combination, so we got an opportunity to sample them both.

They have a contract to provide breakfast for guests of the motel next door, so that's how we got acquainted with them.

The motel provides you with tickets which allows you to get the complimentary breakfast which is served from 6:30-10:00 am. daily.

It's a regular, sit down restaurant, like you would have like Denny's....and a surprise to us, cause you usually have a buffet style breakfast when breakfast is provided.

You have a selection to choose from their menu and a choice of a' la carte options if you choose to supplement your breakfast at your own expense.

The breakfast menu was adequate. The biscuits and gravy were very good but you better like spicy.... that's for sure.

We had one dinner during our stay....the meatloaf was an excellent choice and you can order it open faced, which I thought was a better option, at least for me anyway.

My significant other had a burger and it was humongous as was the amount of tator tots on the plate.

Fries, Tator tots, etc.. are given in great aboundence, that's for sure.

After attending a Mariachi concert, we stopped at the lounge for Karaoke and supper which is served until midnight..

I had a traditional BLT and a salad, both which were good. My significant other had a "Geen Lady," a vegetarian sandwich which was very good.

As for Karaoke....the bar was packed and rocked all night... If this is your kind of thing and are in Tucson, definitely check them out ...I think you'll be glad you did.

As an added note....

We were in Tucson for several days attending the Mariachi Festival..... During our stay, we got to experience the night scene of downtown Tucson.

All I can say is....I think it's a city ordinance that if 35 years of age, or younger.... you're required to be downtown Tucson on Friday nights....

Downtown Tucson makes Phoenix, Tempe, and Scottsdale seem like church picnics.....they know how to throw a party....no wonder they're the Wildcats!!

We met the Yachtly Crew at breakfast and were invited to their concert in downtown Tucson so we went....they were very good and their fans mostly dressed up, at least with their ships captain hats on. Afterwards we went across the street to the Congress Hotel Lounge to their live DJ and dancing until closing...

We're die hard Sundevils fans, but Downtown Tucson has it's moments....and we enjoyed being wildcats for an evening of fun and...

Bumsteds is back!!!! YAHOOOO!! Still the same amazing food and desserts. Sandwiches the size of your head and sweet potato fries topped with the best meatloaf I've ever had that wasn't my Mom's. If you've never had the pleasure of eating here you're going to want to change that immediately. They use to be on 4th Ave and now are located in the Best Western on the corner of Stone and Speedway. So what that means is you have an awesome meal, a slice of pumpkin cheesecake or a King Kong Dingdong, and then go through one door to Wonderwall and sing karaoke for the rest of the night. Allow me to get back to the food because that truly is what makes this place special. The food is not only the bee's knees but it also has equally awesome names, burgers aren't called burgers they are called mullets. They have a Michael Bolten Mullet, I've never ordered it but I just love to read it on the menu, my favorite is the Grape Ape which is a burger, I mean mullet, with a fried egg. Their salad are huge and it's hard to boast about a salad but that's how good they are. My favorite is the " You Go Girl", they make their own croutons for goodness sake and you have never had a salad until it's been topped with buttery rye bread croutons. Their desserts are made in house and rotate so you never know what's going to be in dessert display, it could be the world's largest peanut butter cup, the King Kong Ding-dong I mentioned before which is exactly that, a HUGE homemade ding-dong, or their eclairs. I really could make this review 3 times longer just talking about the food but I'd be afraid I would leave out the best part, the owners Barb and Scott. I might have said the food is what makes this place special but I might have been wrong, Barb and Scott put so much love and heart into Bumsteds, that's what always brought me back. Bumsteds is a place where I would take anyone who was visiting from out of town and where I regularly gathered with family and friends to share a great meal in a great place. This spot is so special to me that I had a hard time taking anyone I was dating because if we broke up I didn't feel like seeing them in my magic place. I'm not sure why you are still reading this review and not already there!!! I...

I was interested about this place as I remember it being on 4th and never got to try it. I wanted to like it from all the things I had heard from it on 4th, but here are my issues:

Before going, my wife and I checked out their website to see what was on the menu. I was expecting a more elegant food selection. I'm certain the photos on their website are stock photos and do not accurately portray the food that is served there which is fairly misleading.

The place is hard to find, as it's in a hotel and across from the hotel there is a park where people appeared to be on drugs and yelling at each other. I know they can't help who's in the park, but we didn't feel secure. Folks were hollering from across the street and appeared inebriated.

Finally, and probably the biggest turn off, I saw they were hosting karaoke at this establishment. (I just saw the setup, but did not hear or see anybody singing). As a retired medical professional, this concerns me in our current pandemic. For one I don't believe this is yet sanctioned by the health department here in Arizona (although I could be wrong). But the act of singing contributes to transmission through emission of aerosols, which is affected by loudness or vocalization. Loudness and vocalization are the key components to karaoke. Particles can last in the air for an upwards of three hours (per multiple studies). You take off your mask to sing, go up and sing, breath in the last person's aerosols, and boom you're infected. Furthermore, it can spread from the stage through the air to where you are sitting without a mask while you eat, thus you breath it in. So I find holding karaoke in an enclosed space such as this is a highly risky predicament.

The food is okay. I don't know if it was just a perfect storm but I don't believe I will be returning to try it again...