Substance Diner — Restaurant in Tucson

"Substance Burger: The Ultimate Vegan Diner Experience Worth the Wait"

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Substance Diner, a charismatic diner cart anchored in front of the Moto Sonora Brewery in Tucson, Arizona, is more than just a food destination; it's a memorable culinary adventure. This delightful vegan food haven sets a gold standard, with its offerings being an absolute revelation to the palate.

At Substance, you'll find an unparalleled representation of the vegan Beyond Burger. Having sampled countless variations of Beyond Burgers across the country, I've found none that measure up to the Substance Burger. This made-to-order delight is in a category of its own, with the recommended additions of vegan cheese and beer-sautéed mushrooms and jalapeños creating an explosion of flavors that even the most discerning food connoisseur will appreciate.

Substance Diner also serves up a remarkable Kale Caesar salad, adorned with a homemade sea kelp-infused dressing. This is a mouthwatering marvel that turns the challenge of eating leafy greens into an eagerly anticipated dining experience. And if you're craving something sweet, their chocolate peanut butter malt milkshake is a delectable treat that perfectly rounds off the meal.

One thing to note, though, is that the Substance Diner experience may require some patience, particularly during peak dinner hours. As all food is lovingly made to order and the diner cart is quite popular, be prepared to wait a little bit for your order. However, the anticipation of the meal is part of the overall experience, and rest assured, the food is well worth the wait.

To optimize your dining experience and minimize your wait time, I would highly recommend taking advantage of the online ordering system via their website. Planning ahead in this way allows you to leisurely enjoy your meal, perhaps accompanied by a beer from Moto Sonora Brewery, as soon as you arrive.

Despite the potential wait, Substance Diner offers generous portions that ensure you won't leave hungry. Its deliciously different menu and wholesome, satisfying offerings create an endearing allure that promises to draw you back again and again. This culinary jewel in Tucson is not to be missed. Take a bite, savour the flavor, and you'll be daydreaming about your next visit before you've even...

Amazing food. Terrible service. We were so excited to visit the Substance Diner. As vegans visiting Tucson all the way from Canada, it is always exciting to find a vegan spot in a new-to-you town, and the food at Substance Diner came highly recommended. We patiently waited an hour for our “food is ready” text, which admittedly seemed like a very long time, even though their first FAQ on their website is a note about their food taking time to prepare. After 45-minutes of waiting for our food, I hesitantly went out to check on it, thinking maybe my order didn’t go through (Canadian phone number + credit card, maybe there was an issue?) I didn’t want to be pushy, but I thought I should ask. I was met with immediate rudeness and a quick “we’ll text you when it’s ready.” I didn’t have the chance to give my name or truly check in, because the person working seemed annoyed that I was even standing there in the first place. We finally got our food, which was very good, but maybe not wait for an hour and be treated rudely good? They had forgotten one of the dips we ordered (which you’re charged extra for), so I nervously went back out to retrieve it, knowing I would not be greeted with a smile. At the end of our meal, being newbies to this whole process, we returned to the truck (from inside the brewery) with our tray and garbage thinking we needed to dispose of our food packaging and return the tray to the truck. But, as I approached the food truck with my tray and said “thank you for our meal” awaiting some instruction on where to put the garbage and tray, I was met again with supreme rudeness: “can you maybe not leave your trash here” to which I asked where to toss it and place their tray I used. Again, very rudely was told “I don’t know, maybe inside?” Overall, the food was good, the wait time was long, but the real disappointment was the way we...

We were very excited to try the vegan offerings. We are always in search of vegan restaurants. Upon arrival we were not greeted at all. As we were reviewing the menu the cook said “ can I just give him his order” as there was a gentleman standing behind us and we didn’t realize. I said “ yes of course “ and we stepped to the side. We placed our order, he asked if I could provide a Phone number to text when our food was ready. I said “of course” and provided the number. We stood in the lot and waited for the text advising our food was ready. We were standing there talking and didn’t notice the first text so there was a second text. The food did come out fairly quick. We went the window he opened the screen and handed the food out. Me and my wife both said thank you. We received no response back and he just shut the screen and walked away. First I thought that it was weird and unprofessional that he didn’t acknowledge us or thank us at all during our visit. We did leave a 20% tip. Not that, that should’ve garnered anything special. But a nice greeting and a thank you goes a long way when you’re in the customer service business. Now for the actual food review. The cheezesteak was very good. There was abundance of fried pickles and they were good. The fried pickles were probably our favorite part of the meal. The roast peace sandwich was dry and could’ve used some more sauce. The fries were good but, there could’ve been a few more. We gave a 2 star because the food was pretty decent. However the service was poor and we felt he was very rude. There’s so many vegan options in Tucson (see my other reviews) I’m not sure we will be giving substance diner...