Raptor Canyon Cafe — Restaurant in Tucson

Excellent experience here. Small, "hole in the wall" style placed, with a family-owned atmosphere and no-pretense, friendly service. Survey the giant menu of breakfast and lunch on the crowded white board or ask for the printed menu. Take your time to look it over and the go back to the counter to order and pay.

There are a bunch of baked goods next to the register which are all scratch made there. When you order banana or pumpkin bread, you're getting the whole mini-loaf. We tried the seasonal apple snickerdoodles and they were soft inside and full of crunchy cinnamon-sugar on the top. Terrific.

Most of our group of six ordered breakfast at 11am. Burritos and breakfast fries were great, including the vegetarian option. The Avocado toast with bacon would make a great breakfast by itself for a lighter appetite.

The one issue we had is that the breakfast quesadillas are made with a taco-sized tortilla so (in my opinion) are seriously undersized for the price. I think it would be better to serve those with a burrito-sized tortilla or make it two of the smaller ones. This is a small complaint among a fantastic experience here at the café.

I tried the pulled-pork sandwich and fries which were on the menu as a seasonal special. Wow! Terrific meat slow cooked and then crisped up on the flat top. Covered with pico de gallo and cabbage then placed on the what I think is the best bun I've had in a year. Crunchy and soft interior, the bread matched the excellent quality of the filling. Amazing. Get extra pico if you like your sandwich a bit wetter than they serve it. I'd come back to this place just for this sandwich.

Drinks include canned and bottled sodas, coffee, teas, juices for sale. There is plain and infused-flavored water at no charge. No issues for us and the coffee drinkers were happy with the right pacing of refills on their drinks.

Meal price was about what you would pay if you went to a chain place, but this small-business is worth your patronage instead

It's a downtown Tucson location, so you you have to pay to park. There is a $5ish lot directly behind the building or parking garages nearby. This is not a deal breaker as the visit is worth it.

If you are travelling with someone who needs a handicapped bathroom space, this is not a good location. The older building and seating is accessible.

tl;dr: Good food, easy service, a lot of variety. Service is attentive and there is enough food variety for your whole group. Parking is something you'll pay (minimally) for. You'll be happy with this choice in...

(Update added to the bottom 25 June 2019) Y'all. You need to grab lunch here sometime. I certainly can't speak for breakfast, but I can for lunch, and let me tell you: it's absolutely amazing.

The customer service is the best I've ever experienced (I've gone to many, many places around the country), and the food is fantastic.

At the front next to the register, there are menus that include all the ingredients, so if you have particular preferences, needs, or restrictions, you should be able to check there. One of the first things the cashier (Dennis, I believe) told me was that they could adjust anything to fit my needs.

I had a honey bbq wrap with fries and a strawberry lemonade. The wrap was very different - it had corn salsa, onion rings, and what I think was coleslaw. It was freaking fantastic. The wrap itself was crisped up, too, which was a very nice touch, and really added to the experience.

The fries were super crisp and delightful, and the drink was great. I love strawberry lemonade to begin with, but more often than not it is disappointing. This was not - it was well made and the balance between lemon and strawberry was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

They have a handful of house-made drinks, like iced teas (one of which has a bit of mint) and lemonades, and they house-make crisps and various kinds of baked goods.

I got my food quickly despite it being 12.30, and the environment was lovely. It has both booths and tables, and music playing in the background. It isn't loud, and is definitely there for background music, not foreground.

The view isn't great, being in the middle of town, but they've combated that with trays of desert plants next to the windows (see photo).

The prices are absolutely reasonable, to boot.

I am 100% going back the next chance I get. Y'all. It's so good, and it's properly friendly. Despite having never been there before, I felt like a regular. I highly, highly recommend it.

UPDATE i've been many times now, and after having been to most of the places in the area, determined that it is my favourite.

Everyone continues to be friendly, and provides excellent service.

I actually found out it's four people who own and run it - two parents and two adult children. I have no idea how they manage it, but I continue to highly recommend it here.

No place else really hits...

As you walk in you immediately get that familiar cozy Tucson drab ambience. Random pieces of desert art serving as decor, outside patio has space heaters and a lovely view of parked cars lining a small back street downtown.

The table is stocked with random hot sauces, ketchup, and jelly. Each settings gets their own succulent or plant which is a nice touch. The table’s finish is well worn, hopefully from many regulars frequenting the place.

You order at the counter…it is a cafe! The menu splayed out on several whiteboards. For breakfast you can choose between your classic breakfast sandwich with a choice of meat and eggs on freshly baked biscuits, kaiser rolls or baguette, you can even get whole grain toast if you wish. You have your basics, omelette with addins, a breakfast platter, avocado or guac toast, biscuits and gravy, and for a southwest flare you got your burritos, quesadilla and breakfast tacos.

No fancy coffees here, you have your standard drip and soft drinks. There is a smattering of baked goods and a pork roll (I wasn't brave enough to try this time). You can also help yourself to some cucumber lime water. I ordered a chorizo omelette with green chilies and cheese, topped with avocado and pico, served with a side of home fries, ranch and a biscuit.

The omelette was a touch too salty from the hearty chorizo portion, but the pico and avocado balanced it out. The home fries were perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The ranch would make a Midwesterner weep tears of joys. The biscuit wasn't super light, but clearly fresh baked. The staff is super friendly and charming, they did forget my coffee, but gave me two free chocolate chip cookies! Overall a very...