I became a vegetarian toward the end of 2020 so when Dom and I are traveling, we always try to find restaurants with good vegetarian options. We immediately found good vegetarian food in Tucson, AZ, which was really exciting since some cities can be hit or miss. This post goes over our favorite foods from our time there. I tried to give a good overview of the foods we tried, service, parking, and seating options. At the end of this post, there’s a summarized guide of the restaurants and the parts of Tucson that they’re in that you can save for reference.

Keep in mind while reading that I call my ratings “Vegetarian Ratings” because often, the menu options with meat get more focus from the restaurant, so I don’t feel like it’s totally fair to judge them off of just their vegetarian options. My “Vegetarian Ratings” include everything though – so it is based on the foods we tried, the service, and the ambience (aka vibes).

Mexican Food

La Chaiteria – West of Downtown

Top Recommendations: Breakfast Burro; Coffee
Vegetarian Rating: 5/5 stars
Cost: About $40 for 2 meals and one coffee

This was our first stop in Tucson – we woke up on our first morning, went for a run on The Tucson Loop, and then stopped at La Chaiteria for brunch. It had amazing reviews on Google and Yelp and the reviews were completely deserved – it was obvious that everything they made was very fresh. They have a huge list of vegan tacos which was great to see, and it seemed like all of their breakfast options could be made vegetarian. They also have smoothies and coffee / espresso drinks.

I had a deconstructed Breakfast Burro with a side of corn tortillas, and Dom had the Huevos Rancheros with scrambled eggs (you could get it with any kind of eggs or tofu). Dom also ordered a cup of black coffee and as soon as they set the mug on the table, we could tell it was going to be amazing (and I don’t even like black coffee, it just smelled that good).

It’s a little pricey but the portion sizes are good, and again – everything was super fresh and delicious. The employees were also incredibly nice. They have indoor and outdoor seating, and you order at a counter when you arrive. There is plenty of free parking.

Tumerico on 4th Ave – Between Downtown Tucson and the University of Arizona

Top Recommendations: Cuban Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos
Vegetarian Rating: 5/5 stars
Cost: About $35 for two vegetarian taco platters

Tumerico was only a couple blocks from our Airbnb but we didn’t end up trying it until our last night in Tucson. It ended up being one of my favorite places we ate in town – the Cuban Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos were absolutely amazing. Dom ordered the other taco option, the Pastor Jackfruit Carnitos Tacos, but neither of us liked the Pastor flavor as much as the Cuban. Both platters came with a small salad, rice, beans, and pico; the tacos had an amazing guac on them.

The inside is really small – there were maybe only 6 tables, but plenty of outdoor seating if you’re stopping by when the weather is nice. One of the most interesting things to me about Tumerico is that all of the food is prepped in a food truck (permanently?) parked outside the building. The three people that we saw working that night were all super nice and took the time to ask everyone how their food was; I heard one person ask about the tortillas they use and one of them spent a few minutes talking about tortillas with them. Tumerico is near downtown so there wasn’t a parking lot, but there is street parking around – just watch for “permit only” signs – some were 24 hours.

Agave House – Near the University of Arizona

Top Recommendations: Sweet potato taco, calabacitas taco, black beans, peanut salsa, standard house salsa, Tata’s Hot Sauce, Salsa Verde
Vegetarian Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Cost: About $45 for two vegetarian taco combos and chips with three salsas

We walked by Agave House when we were exploring the University of Arizona on our first weekend in Tucson – we decided to try it a few days later since it had great reviews on Yelp and was a short walk from our Airbnb. It was so close to getting a 5/5 star rating from me but the chips were incredibly salty, which I don’t say lightly because I grew up in a family that salted tortilla chips from restaurants. The salsas we tried were all amazing, though – I just would ask for unsalted chips next time. Our tacos were incredible – I absolutely loved the calabacitas (a zucchini / squash taco filling) tacos and Dom said his sweet potato taco was even better. We ordered the vegetarian combos, so they came with two tacos, refried black beans, and cilantro rice – the refried black beans were really good, and the rice was good but not anything too special. Dom said he saw the charro beans at another table and they also looked delicious – they just may not be vegetarian since the vegetarian combo specifically swaps the refried black beans for those.

Since it’s still winter break, the restaurant was pretty much empty even though it was dinner time – it made it a really peaceful dinner. Our waitress was super nice, the food came out really quick, and I would go back but ask if they had unsalted chips. It’s on the smaller size with 10-15 tables on the main floor, 10 chairs at the bar, and more tables upstairs but I don’t know exactly how many since I didn’t make it up there. There was also some outdoor seating that was closed since it was a chilly night. Parking can be tricky near the university – there are some metered spots but not a ton, and you can also park on the residential streets about a quarter mile west of the university on weekends and after 5pm on weekdays.

Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen – Northeast of Downtown

Top Recommendations: Veggie Burro
Vegetarian Rating: 4/5 stars
Cost: About $45 for two meals and two margaritas

Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen came up as a top rated Mexican restaurant on a few searches we did, and it was relatively close to the hikes we did in the Sabino Canyon Recreation area so we tried it on our second night in town. They had listed veggie options on almost all of their food types, so Dom tried the veggie tacos and I ordered the veggie burrito. The veggie tacos were refried beans, rice, and fajita veggies – Dom was pretty disappointed since it didn’t say that on the menu – it implied they would be cilantro, veggies, and onions like normal street tacos. My veggie burrito was amazing, though – we both agreed it was 5/5 stars. We each ordered a classic margarita and they were really good and reasonably priced.

The restaurant is pretty small with only about 10 tables inside, 5 or 6 tables outside, and a small bar with about 8 seats – we sat outside because they had heaters and we were comfortable. It wouldn’t hurt to make a reservation, though – I heard someone else had done that. The service was good and it’s somewhere I would definitely go back if I wanted a burrito again. Parking was easy and free in the lot in front of the restaurant.

The Quesadillas – East side of Tucson

Top Recommendations: Bean tacos, rice, veggie quesadillas, salsa bar
Vegetarian Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Cost: About $25 for two quesadillas with bean tacos, two sides of rice, and bag of chips

We drove over to The Quesadillas for lunch one day because it had great reviews and veggie quesadillas – it’s on the east side of Tucson and the location was a little sketchy, but we really liked everything we had there. The quesadillas each come with a bean taco which was nice, we both ordered a side of rice – probably the largest sides of rice I’ve ever gotten at a Mexican restaurant, which was nice – and we got a bag of chips to easily try the different salsas at the salsa bar.

There was plenty of seating, but parking was trickier than I expected for the area – we ended up parking behind the building (again, a little sketchy). Everyone was super nice and the food came out really fast, even though it was busy with the lunch crowd when we got there.

CharroVida – between the Catalina Foothills and Casas Adobes

Top Recommendations: Chips and salsa trio; Vida bowl
Vegetarian Rating: 4/5 stars
Cost: About $45 for two meals + chips & salsas

We stopped at CharroVida after an evening hike in the area – it’s in a super cute area of Tucson and had a lot of other cute places around it, like a busy gelato place and a really nice Whole Foods. We loved the chips and salsa trio – it was a mix of tortilla chips and amazing plantain chips, and one of the salsas had almost a mustard flavor, which was unique and delicious. Dom really liked the Vida bowl he ordered – you can build your own bowl from their huge variety of options. I had a burrito that was pretty good, but I didn’t like the flavor as much as the burrito flavor from authentic Mexican restaurants; CharroVida describes itself as “Mediterranean and Sonoran Desert” cuisine, instead. The people next to us ordered some amazing-looking dessert; we weren’t hungry enough to order them but I wish we had been.

Since it’s so cute inside the restaurant, dining in was fun – but they also offer take-out. There was free parking around the building strip of shops connected to it, and our waitress was super nice. We were there kind of late so it wasn’t very busy, and there are a lot of tables in the space. You can also make reservations online.

Other Cuisines

Istanbul Tucson – Near Downtown

Top Recommendations: Falafel Plate; Side of rice
Vegetarian Rating: 5/5 stars
Cost: About $50 for two meals and two sides

Dom has always loved mediterranean food, and falafel has really grown on me since I became vegetarian. We found Istanbul Tucson because it was close to our Airbnb and had great reviews, and it absolutely didn’t disappoint. It definitely had the largest pieces of falafel I’ve ever seen, and they were fried in some kind of amazing batter with seeds in it. The other highlight for me was the side of green beans that came with the plate – they were in some kind of tomato-based sauce and were absolutely incredible, so I may spend some time at home trying to make something similar. Dom ordered a side of rice which was incredible, and I ordered a side of french fries which were also really good. It also came with a small mediterranean salad. Unfortunately, it was entirely too much food – we easily could have split one falafel plate and the side of rice – but we weren’t mad about it because we took it home and had an easy and delicious dinner for the next day. The only other thing I would do differently next time is ask for a different side of sauce for the falafel instead of the hummus it came with.

The restaurant was busy when we got there because it was about 6pm on a Friday night, but by the time we left it had emptied out. The service was great and even though they were really busy, our food came out in about ten minutes. Parking is free but the lot was pretty full when we got there since it was busy. They have indoor, outdoor, and bar seating.

Jimmy’s Pita & Poke – 2 locations; near the University of Arizona or Northwest Tucson

Top Recommendations: Falafel, Hot rice bowl, Honey Hot Garlic Sauce
Vegetarian Rating: 5/5 stars
Cost: About $15 for one bowl with added falafel

On our way out of Tucson, we had to stop and charge the Tesla we’d rented (accidentally – they upgraded us to it because they were out of normal cars) at a shopping center; we wanted to grab a snack before we drove to Phoenix for dinner and decided to try Jimmy’s Pita & Poke. Ironically, their other location was right next to our Tucson Airbnb, but we never stopped by. We were really glad we went before we left town, though – it was absolutely delicious. We split a hot rice bowl – the rice and all of the toppings were great, but the stars of the meal were the really unique falafel and the honey hot garlic sauce. Falafel wasn’t on the menu as an option for rice bowls and they seemed unsure at first when I asked if I could add it, but I was so glad I did since it was so good.

The location we went to in Northwest Tucson is a little small and there isn’t any outdoor seating because of it’s location, but I think it was a good size for the type of place it is (quick lunch / to-go place). Everyone that worked there was super nice (especially since I complicated my order when I asked for the falafel). It’s in a shopping center so there is plenty of easy parking.

The University location is really close to campus, so the best bet for parking is metered street parking or the parking garage; we didn’t go inside while we were there.

Lemongrass Tucson – between Downtown and the University of Arizona

Top Recommendations: Vegan fried rice, naan
Vegetarian Rating: 4/5 stars
Cost: About $20 for one entree and one side of naan

Lemongrass is an Eastern Asian-style restaurant really close to our Airbnb, so we picked it up on a colder night when we didn’t want to stay out. It has a really interesting backstory (posted on their website) for how the restaurant came to be – the owner is a geologist who opened a first restaurant in New Mexico before moving back to Tucson and opening Lemongrass. We ordered the vegan fried rice and naan, which were both really good. They did forget an extra side of naan that we ordered, but since we only ordered one entree I feel like it’s an easy mistake to make.

It has tables inside for dine-in orders and no outdoor seating. I believe I met the owners when I picked up my order and they were really nice. Since it’s in the area north of downtown, it’s mostly metered parking nearby.