1st (And Only) Puerto Rican Restaurant Is Opening in Tucson

The very first Puerto Rican restaurant is opening soon.Photo byDaniel ReyesonUnsplash

If you look around the Tucson restaurant landscape, it’s rather surprising at the lack of overall Latino diversity. The vast majority of eateries around the Old Pueblo are Mexican. The nation of Mexico is well represented, with food from nearly every state appearing somewhere. It doesn’t matter what kind of Mexican food you’re hungry for, chances are you’ll find it on a menu in town. And yet if you want something from a Central or South American country, there are relatively few choices. The same is true for the Caribbean. While that won’t change overnight, there is a new Puerto Rican restaurant coming to Tucson that, surprisingly, will stand as the only brick-and-mortar restaurant serving food from the Caribbean island in the city. 

If you had a craving for Puerto Rican food here in Tucson, your only true option was to track down the Boriken food truck. However, the truck doesn’t offer delivery, and it’s closed on Saturday, so unless you want to physically head out to the truck and eat outside (something that’s nearly impossible in the summer), the closest alternative would be Mojo Cuban Kitchen. 

There is a Salvadorian restaurant in town, a smattering of Jamaican restaurants, and a few questionably titled “Latin” restaurants with Mexican food menus. That is why it’s such great news that Batey Puerto Rican Gastronomy is officially opening at the end of the month. The restaurant will serve nothing but Puerto Rican dishes, so you’re not going to stop by for a quick taco. There are plenty of other options in town for that. 

Located at 4230 North Oracle Road, the restaurant was officially announced months ago, but at that time little was known about when it would officially open and begin serving customers. Last week the restaurant had a soft opening, allowing the owners to make any tweaks to the eating experience before it goes live. This was the second soft opening test period, so hopefully everything clicks and it will be ready to open before November. 

While the restaurant’s Facebook page does not yet have images up for display, its Yelp profile does. Some of the options on the menu include paella, sorullos (fritters made of cornmeal), various kinds of plantains, pernil (roasted pork), flan, mofongo with Camarones (shrimp), rice and beans, and all kinds of other options. So, if you’re looking to try a new restaurant out that brings an entirely fresh culinary style to Tucson, make sure to visit Batey Puerto Rican Gastronomy when it opens in the coming weeks.