Cushing Street Bar & Restaurant

This is a lovely little spot! My friends and I went here before an Ice Cats game because it’s right across from the arena. This is a nice option for happy hour drinks at the bar or even a party (there’s a nice back patio).
I ordered the small plate selection of chèvre, grapes and ciabatta and the spinach salad. The bread was crusty, cheese perfectly savory and creamy and the grapes crunchy. Nicely complimented by their sangria. I have tried sangria all over town at a variety of restaurants and this is by far my favorite.

We held my daughters wedding here two weeks ago. This review is a bit overdue. The staff at Cushing Street is amazing!!! I could not have asked for a better group to handle such an important event. They thought of every detail that we didn’t. They took time to go over the menu extensively with us, and give us tips on what has worked in the past. They went above and beyond to provide items for a S’more bar that my daughter wanted, and to pick up last minute ice cream on the day of the wedding. They were completely attentive ensuring everyone got all the appetizers they wanted, and made everyone feel comfortable. They provided their personal cell numbers and emails so we could iron out last minute details, and the food was just fabulous! Salmon with poblano chili pasta and prime rib with their to die for mashed potatoes. It was a historic and beautiful setting with lots of life and character. Suzie and Doug are the best! So professional — they just have this down to a science! We couldn’t have been happier!

Love this place, especially for Saturday night jazz. Food is delicious, makes sense because it can get pretty pricey. I love that it’s a historical landmark, but not being able to separate checks is just not okay for this day and age. We had a $ 400 check (birthday party) and it was a huge hassle to try and figure out what everyone ordered. Aside from that, try the side car for a drink, stuffed mushrooms for an app and the surf & turf for an entrée. Our server was amazing.

High end but worth stopping by for a few drinks. Great place to watch the 4^th of July fireworks!

Dinner for four last night. The setting and ambiance are spectacular here — we sat out on the patio and it was absolutely perfect.
The meals were OK. We started with a charcuterie plate which had a nice asparagus-​prosciutto wrap. The meatloaf had a nice crust and flavor, but the veggies were pretty non-​descript. The chicken curry dish was OK, but a char on the outside would have been nice. The surf & turf elicited no comment from the consumer.
Overall this seems like a great place to go for live music and ambiance, but is not a foodie destination in and of itself.

The best drink to get is the mojito. The happy hour is a pretty good deal for really good appetizers. My only complaint is they open at 5pm.

Well service, food, drinks and atmosphere are above and beyond standard. Very happy we will be back anytime we are in Tucson!!! This goes on my too 10 restaurants. I wish there was a section on Unilocal for that!!! Salud!

We walk by this place and decided to kill some time before we met up with others for another event. We decided to get an appetizer and a meal to share. The Ahi appetizer was cook almost to perfection and the Cajun style meatloaf was great! The server was kind enough to bring both plates out together. My girl enjoyed a couple Mojitos and myself a couple beers. We went there with no reservations but was seated promptly on the patio, with the heaters it was comfortable. As for parking, I cannot make comment as we paid for parking at the Civic Center to attend another event. All in all, the service was great, the food was great and most of all the drink and atmosphere was great. Will certainly try to come here again!

What a lovely surprise to happen upon this «find» directly across from the newly updated Tucson Convention Center! All 5 of us found the food and service were wonderful — only major complaint… we were seated in one of their «out-​back» buildings that is usually used for private parties. Cold and drafty, (one of the waitresses did turn up the heat and try to keep the door closed) no ambiance, NO MUSIC, no soul. To enter their main restaurant/​bar (wonderful) then to be shuttled off to this other room — very disappointing and let down… will definitely try again when we are back in town — but will make reservations for the main restaurant/​bar!

Chorizo stuffed mushroom caps? Wha? Delicious. Full bar. Absolutely. The food is always good. The courtyard is magical. Currently listening to some live, easy jazz, drinking 12 year old scotch and wondering why life can’t always be this enjoyable and easy.

I surprised my husband for a date night here. I called up ahead for reservation to sit close to the jazz band.
The staff was very friendly, ask for the free bread. They dont bring it to you. Food is off the hook. Salmon with cous cous is great… Drinks are delicious.
The band was super cool too.

I went with a large group of co-​workers for a staff lunch back in May, and I was very impressed. They were able to accommodate our large group inside, the restaurant’s staff and ownership were friendly, and the service was prompt. Even having submitted our lunch menu choices beforehand, the service was impressive for a group of 40+ people.
I had the Sueno Burger from the menu and was very impressed. This is what tipped my review to 5 stars; it was a great burger with what seemed like homemade ketchup on the side. Homemade or not, it was excellent — a nice change from fast food-​style meals with what always seems like generic ketchup from a jar. I got the sense that the meal was carefully prepared, and everybody else I talked to from our group enjoyed our lunch.
Very good experience, and I would go back.

Every single star is for server Michael, and all residual starlight is just for the restaurant’s ambience.
Londoner Michael, our server, should start a hospitality school. Having managed several restaurants as a young, young woman, I wish I had him to train my front-​of-​the-​house staff, and to train myself. I would have made a lot more money and maybe stayed in the industry because Michael reminds you that people can be bona fide fun. Any restaurant would be privileged to have him on staff. He is amicable, funny, and charming, and actually enjoys his job. He knows wine and could recommend what pairs with red meat and meaty fish, though my friend selected a Sauvignon Blanc, which would not by my go-​to (it’s fine — it was her night). For dessert, though we were the last straggling table at the wee hour of 10:30, he brought that same friend a surprise raspberry sorbet to honor her opening night in a play.
The ambience is charming and classier — yet more eclectic, a difficult balance to strike, I think — than most comparably priced establishments I can think of in Tucson. The setting honors the Barrio Viejo while not being a Mexican cliché, and the flow matches the structural architecture. Entering the building is kind of like entering a wormhole: you go through a teeny tiny door and suddenly you’re in a hypnotic library-​like setting: Alice in Wonderland with the freedom to decide where to eat. The large twinkly patio is a good choice. It would be a nice place to have a party.
The food let us down though. Medium rare translates to medium well for both meat and fish, at least when you are the last table of the night. The menu is uninspired anyway, as far as I can tell. We didn’t have much time to look at it. Even though I called to see when the kitchen closed (10 p.m.), and we arrived at about 9:20, we were rather rushed to order. Not «rather.» We were RUSHED.
The wine list is so-​so.
I would like to have been more impressed by the rest of the usual experience — you know, food, wine … but it is the service that does it. No report for ya on the bathroom.

I was part of a group of 14 who dined at Cushing’s last night. Several of us ordered the Cajun Meatloaf with mashed potatoes. The plates came to us with country fires instead. When we protested, the waiter stated that the kitchen made the switch and they did not have mashed potatoes. When asked why the waiter had not told us ahead of time so that we might have made another choice, he said that he did not know that there would be a switch.
The country fries were dry and burnt, clearly «yesterday’s» food, and the meatloaf very dry.
We have come to expect better from this restaurant, and were clearly disappointed. I can no longer recommend this place.

I arrived at Cushing Street bar and immediately felt like I was taking a step back in history as I walked through the tiniest front door and saw a huge legal bookcase, unique glass chandelier and a bronze status of Cleopatra. My friend and I were instructed to seat ourselves, and we were lucky to find a table because the restaurant was packed with concert goers grabbing dinner before a concert at the TCC. We were immediately given water when we sat down, but then out waitress never returned. After a short wait, a waiter came over with menus. We had to flag him down again to order a bottle of the Havenscourt Pinot Noir, but when he returned with the bottle he took our main course order. He looked very flustered and must have been running around to get everyone’s checks before the concert started, because when our appetizer, the Chorizo Stuffed Mushrooms (yum!) arrived, almost half of the restaurant had cleared out. For my main course, I had the Asparagus salad, which is a romaine and kale salad with three huge bacon-​wrapped asparagus stalks on top. It was delicious. My friend had the Cajun Meatloaf. It is definitely a spicy and uniquely delicious version of the comfort dish. We still had some wine to finish, so I ordered Housemade Chocolate Mousse Pie for dessert and it’s amazing. All in all, it was a great dinner experience, especially because the music is kept low, so it is a great place for conversation. Next time, I’ll try to make sure I don’t come in with the TCC dinner crowd.

This place has a very a good brunch on Sundays. My favorite is the BLTOE. It is a unique and delicious twist on the classic BLT. They also have great breakfast drinks like Bloody Marys, Mimosas, and Freshly squeezed juices. They have a beautiful courtyard to sit outside for breakfast, its perfect.

Love what they’ve done with the inside of this historic house. We don’t go downtown frequently, and I had not been at Cushing Street for decades, so it was high time. The eclectic decorations are fun conversation pieces while you are waiting for food, or for your dining partner to catch up.
Conversation can really get lively if you engage Doug, the Bartender. It is worth sitting at one of the tables by the bar to talk to him. Be sure to ask him about the falcons!
We had a Mediterranean appetizer plate of hummus and pita and olives, etc. The server had warned us that it was a large dish, and it was. I love Kalamata olives, but there were enough there for four people. For entrees, my husband had the portobello mushroom burger with sweet potato planks (oblong slices) and a mayo sauce on the side. It came on a bun with the usual tomato and lettuce and a big dill pickle. He liked it but neither of us thought the sweet potato added much. The potato wedges were no crispy.
I had shrimp and grits which made a nice combo. The shrimp is very spicy and the creamy smooth grits provided a nice contrast.
For dessert he ordered a chocolate mousse pie which was very good – but how can a chocolate mousse not be good?
I would like to go back and sample more things off the menu, and particularly would like to sit on the patio in slightly less toasty weather, and hear the Saturday night Jazz.
Don’t forget to ask Doug about the falcons.

AVOID THIS PLACE. Pretentious and rude staff and owner.
We went here for dinner after a show and after we paid our bill we were asked to leave becuase they had a reservaton for our table even though there were open tables. we told the hostess we were staying for the jazz and she left. a few minutes later, the owner came to our table and asked if the hostess explained that the table was needed for reservations (we made reservations too). when we asked about the open tables, she said that we have overstayed our reservation and kept reminding us what time our reservations were for. For 3 of us, the bill, with tip, came to $ 170 so it wasnt like we dropped only $ 10. As we were rising from the table, the owner continued to berate us about overstaying our welcome and insisted that we «need to understand» that you can’t stay for jazz at 7:30 for a 4:30 reservation. My friend said she didn’t need to understand anything because she would not be returning and shockingly, the owner said good, don’t come back. We were so embarrased to be asked to leave a restaurant. we are 3 professional women who went after a show so it wasn’t like we were college kids acting rowdy. The owner actually followed us out into the street continuing to explain her reason for asking us to leave. The way the owner should have acted was to explain to us that they had reservations waiting and offer to move us to the bar and even offer to buy a drink for our troubles (although we would have declined a free drink becuase we had already had 2 glasses with dinner). I am simply amazed that the owner and hostess asked us to leave instead of offering to relocate us. I will never return and I will make sure to spread the word to avoid this place.

Good food. The quality of entrees coming from the kitchen at CS is on par with finer dining establishments in town. Small details like perfectly blanched veggies, grilled chicken that are still moist, etc … The only downside is that their menu is rater limited. But this may be a way that allows them to do those few things well. Also, I have always had the best Mojitos here. Drink prices here are a little steep so beware.
Try it. You won’t be disappointed.

Right now it’s just A– OK I’m going to have to back and properly eat at a table and not at the bar to really feel the experience. We had gone there for a last minute dinner before heading over to the TMH for a show.
The bartender was nice, but I felt that he had to much on his plate to really handle everyone’s order. I kind of felt like we were bothering him from doing whatever he does.
I had ordered the Quesadilla with just cheese no shrimp, and it did taste good =) I didn’t have bite of my friends Salmon salad and the Salmon wasn’t to bad I must say.

our party of four hit up cushing street bar before a concert on a friday night.
the service was a little bit slow for my liking, but he made up for his slowness with his politeness.
their happy hour menu (tuesday-​friday) was excellent! a selection of drinks to choose from (lemon drops & house wine $ 4 margaritas $ 5 well liquor & imported beer $ 3 domestic beer $ 2) as well as an array of appetizers all for $ 3.
we ordered a bunch of everything and split them between us.
i would love to go back!