Cafe Santa Rosa

First time and the food was amazing! Had Popovers for the first time and they were delicious! Our server was especially polite and welcoming! My wife and I had the Red and Green Popover meals. Totally worth it

Stopped in to try their fry bread taco. I ordered the red Chile sauce. I was pleased with the size & flavor. The fry bread was soft and just the right thickness.

Such a great experience overall. The food was fantastic and the service was perfection. So glad to have been able to try out this local spot. I heard a lot of great things about the popovers and I WAS NOT disappointed. I will go again!!!!

Our server was super friendly but foods weren’t special enough and the tiny & basic Steak Taco was $7…

Staff seated me quickly nice young woman took order quickly and service also fast (water silverware napkins plus extra for tacos). Came for Taco Tuesday! I ate all six!

Food came out hot and fresh, well seasoned. The fried bread taco was plenty. The sampler plate was the perfect amount. Loved the chips and salsa. Will have to return to try other items on the menu.

We didn't have to wait which was good we were seated quickly. The waiter was great he was on top of his job checking on us refilling our drinks. I ordered the fried eggs red chilli &bean plate with popover it was very good needed a little more salt in the beans and chilli but was still appetizing. The cinnamon tea was great as well. I really like the taste of the salsa👌

The customer service was great. The food was amazing. A couple things that I didn't enjoy was that they serve orange juice in a small kids cup instead of a regular sized cup. Yet, they served the water in a regular sized cup...weird...Also, when you order any fried bread (pop over), it comes almost like uncooked dough so be sure to ask them to make it crispy. The waitress' are super amazing and nice so they will accommodate your every need 🤩

I seriously love this place and always stop by when I'm in town. On this trip, I enjoyed the bean and cheese Indian taco, and wow - I'd had a bite of my mom's last time through while I enjoyed the dessert fry breads - and this was some seriously good eating. I had already demolished the chips and salsa, and the extremely attentive and friendly server refilled my salsa - yum, GARLIC - absolutely delicious. I was wearing a piece of attire that caught his eye so I gratefully accepted his offer of a complimentary dessert fry bread. This place is so awesome! Hopefully I'll be back in Tucson sooner than later so I can indulge...again.

Really LOVE their food but DREAD their service. The servers there are so rude, and make u feel really unwelcome. We've had the same server a few times so I know she Isn't new, she talks to rude to us. When she came back with our food she asked us what we got and then seemed annoyed as she was handing out the plates by saying "well u guys all got the same" even though we didn't, as if we should just take any plate. They're just not very friendly. But the food is FIREEEEEE

My husband was looking for some fry bread while we were out in Tucson and found this place on Yelp. We came on a Sunday morning and were sat almost immediately. We knew what we came for, so we ordered almost immediately. I got the fry bread sampler which came with three different flavors and my husband got the large ground beef plate fry bread. I don't know if this is a Tucson thing, but I became a fan of chili style food. Everything was either red or green chili in tacos in Tucson, and this included the sampler that I had. It was delicious. The fry bread reminds me of an elevated Chalupa, with a more authentic taste. If you haven't had fry bread before, try it!

Service was good. Cinnamon tea is always a fave food was okay, nothing too awesome. I don't think I would come back though. The price was totally not worth it.

My friends and I got good food and friendly service in this Tohono O'odham restaurant. The food is pretty similar to Mexican food. Prices were reasonable.

Delicious and homey fry bread. I love that there's a brick and mortar store to get my favorite dessert fry bread & the taco plates. Highly recommend the chili combo with squash - it is simply delicious! There's also a lot more options here than the stands at festivals around town. There's plenty of seating but limited waiters, which can lead to a bit of a wait by the door before you're at a table. Very much a diner feel to the space, which is cozy.

Hey, you've got to try the red chili pop at this place! It's seriously amazing, I guarantee it. If you're in the mood for a delicious breakfast, this is the spot you absolutely can't afford to miss. Seriously, you won't be let down! Plus, the staff here is super friendly.

Went in for breakfast with high hopes. Food was ok I feel it was overpriced. Apparently when it says eggs any style is not true. Portions were a little small too. Service too was just ok the kids in front of the house and waitress spent a lot of time talking in the corner. I will say it was clean and the place was a lot bigger than it looks. I probably won't be going back.

This place is very rudimentary. Nothing fancy; rundown decor with a touch of flies. Salsa was good; service slooooooooowwwwww. The door sits to the side of the parking lot which is mostly blocked off. Definitely needs a remodel. Came for the fry bread; it was greasy and the amount of powdered sugar was very sparse. Just a snore.

I loved this spot so much! The food is made from scratch and you can taste the quality in the fry bread and tortillas and everything else. The portions are big and everything tastes so fresh! The night we went, the kids ate free which was a super cool and unexpected perk. They also do corn hole tournaments here which I thought was fun! Our drinks were tasty and food was delicious. That honey fry bread is ahhmazing! would definitely recommend it!

Amazing food, great service, extremely flavorful and plentiful portions as well. Would very highly recommend.

Red Chile Popovers are absolutely delicious. Staff is friendly and attentive. Restaurant was very clean, neat and organized. I highly recommend Cafe Santa Rosa if you're looking for really good Native American cuisine.

Amazing breakfast and clean restaurant. I recommend you try the Carne con Chile. The portions are huge.

So happy to see this place still opening when venturing back in December 2021. It was pleasantly decorated in Christmas Holly Jolly Spirit! When you walk in... There is a host/hostess station.to the left and bench waiting area to the right. You notice the old wooden decor that looks like this restaurant should be up in the mountains, but it is located right in the city. Have been here a handful of times from to-go and dine-in orders and the staff has been friendly and not to mention the food quality/taste has not wavered. There was one occasion that service was extremely slow and the restaurant was near empty... but there might have only been one server at the time of our arrival for the entire restaurant... One of the last places in Tucson to get authentic Mexican/Indian Flat Bread. They have a small variety of options as well as a smaller trio platter that you can order to try all 3 different meats. My favorite is still the bean taco. These are huge and pictures are not deceiving... if you are wanting to try more than one, the sampler is your best option. My son absolutely loves this place as well as friends I've come here with or taken food to-go. The downfall when getting it to-go and depending on how far your drive is.... the Flatbread tends to get soggy in the middle... But it is still delicious... just might want to utilize a fork or have one handy nearby! Can't wait to come back and eat some more Indian tacos!!! Give this place a try if you are passing through, Tucson definitely has some great restaurants and this is one of them! Not sure if yelp check-ins reset... but I've checked in more than twice, I've definitely been here three (3) times in the past year.

I've been here twice and both times good food. Great to see a Native American restaurant in town. I went with a group of co-workers and some were Native American. They told us about how fry bread became a Native American food. When the US Government gave supplies for "the Long Walk" of 1864 Native Americans made fry bread. This place has great pop overs as called by Tohono O'odham folks, which is what some folks call fry bread. Cool place and good food.

Passing through Tucson on my way to Anaheim (coming from Orlando), and we are stopping at local restaurants to sample the local flavor. This place did not disappoint. Conveniently located off I-10, the food, ambiance, and service was exactly what I was hoping for. Recommended for anyone who is interested in sampling the local fare in a cozy sit down restaurant.

Fry bread was thin and gross. Over price and not worth getting the Indian burger. Didn't really try anything else. But hope other items are better than the fry bread they made. As for the service it could be better. They were to busy talking amongst themselves.

Came here and ordered an orange juice and the BC1 as an entree which comes with chorizo, eggs, potatoes beans and your choice of tortilla or popover. They mix the chorizo in with the eggs if you want and is a nice touch. The potatoes are different in a very good way! Service was nice and friendly. The patrons are always wearing masks and thoroughly clean surfaces. Bathrooms were clean. Parking is limited in the front but just on the side of the north wall is plenty of parking which is not an issue. The interior of the restaurant is clean and well kept and has a tasteful flair of the southwest feel.

Don't judge a book by its cover. This restaurant serves up some darn delicious food! I tried their Indian fried bread with red chile and loved it. The portions are huge, so sharing is definitely an option here. We were a party of 5 and not one of us finished our meals. The service was very friendly and efficient. The waiter was a young man, with tattoos on his hands, but we didn't catch his name. Whoever he was, he's a great waiter who made us feel welcomed. Their chips and salsa is very tasty and spicy. We will definitely return.

Food is great, service is iffy at best. Definitely enjoy the savory fry bread more do than the sweet but my kids can contest to that.

Beans, chorizo and beef chili were all good. The popovers were too oily. Service was ok since the food didn't take long but we didn't get any waters the entire time even after asking for some. The couple next us us looked annoyed over the service too.

This Southwestern cafe meets all expectations. Good food. How can I describe it? This is local homemade Native Arizona food. Big, thick tortillas. Fresh salsa. Big portions. We ate breakfast: burritos, eggs, potatoes, and corned beef. And near the interstate too! Friendly waitress. Pleasant inside.

My boyfriend and I walked in and asked if they had flour tortilla tacos, lightly fried like I'd seen in pix, Sonoran style and the waitress, with an immediate condescending attitude, said, "We don't fry tortillas." My boyfriend asked, "What are these Indian Fry Bread Tacos?" and waitress said, "Yes, we do fry those." I don't need to try to have a dining experience akin to Thanksgiving with people I hate. I would give this place zero stars- please read other one star reviews. This Place is known for one thing: rudeness.

Delicious food and great service! Will be back:) wife had blueberry pancake which was great and I had the fry bread taco. Can't wait to come back.

I first want to talk about the service. Our server seem to always act as if we were inconvenient to her. It took a long while to get simple things like extra salsa, or refills on water. My family ordered the fry bread - was good and authentic, we ordered the sampler with three different types, all the sauces were delicious. Nachos were a bit dry. Margaritas were tasty.

I had a Indian burger , which is normal burger fixings served in frybread instead of a bun. Frybread, savory or sweet, the soul food of the Southwest ..... eat it here because you can, it is not a common item, even in AZ & NM. Cinnamon sweet tea. interesting and different. The Covid protocols were reasonable for the recommendations in effect at the time of my visit. Why not 5 stars - burger served only well done. I get the 165 degree rule on meat but still.... She told me it would take about 20 minutes... yes it did. So lunch was 45 - 50 minutes - budget accordingly. I will return.

Saw a review in Tucson Foodie saying the popovers/Indian fry bread was the best in Tucson so we had to try it and were not disappointed. We had the Indian Tacos with Red and Green chili as well as the desert popovers sampler. All of the popovers were perfectly fried at just the right temperature to keep the dough from being greasy and with clean oil so the oils did not alter the flavors of the food. Both chili's were very good with meat that had no gristle or fat. The beans and salsa were flavorful and with mild heat. The ambiance was nice, southwestern, and clean. The staff were very friendly and helpful making you feel at home. They have a variety of other menu options we will try when we go back. That is right we will be back! Update: We tried their new location and we still loved it. We had guests in town and they loved the popovers with red and green chili. We tried some of their regular Mexican food like the burros and they were made with the same care. The place is much larger with lots of room for large parties of people and the bar in the back.has karaoke on some nights. We were lucky and it was a karaoke night and we stayed a coupe more hours. They had very affordable drink special.and a great selection of music. They have taken a great place and made it better!

Had dinner here with our small group in the middle of the week. We arrived about 5:00 pm and initially we were the only customers there. We were greeted immediately and seated. Our waitress was very helpful and friendly and we got our drinks and salsa and chips quickly. The salsa was good and the chips were warm. We placed our orders and our food was served in a timely matter. Three of us ordered the Indian Taco (flatbread). Two with the red chili and one with the green chili. All of us found the tacos just ok, not a lot of flavor. Another in our group ordered the rolled chicken tacos with the squash. She said the squash was terrible and the chicken tacos had no flavor at all. Overall not impressed.

We have gone here for years, but lately with the price hike on some items. (Ordered a side of beans and rice, cost - $9) The poor service and mediocre food. We have decided no more. Certainly have changed for the worse. No thanks!

Read this review!! I'm not sure why this place only has 84 reviews! Listen forget the number of reviews. This restaurant is authentic as it can be. I ordered a To Go order tonight. I have a regret. I completely regret only ordering one thing. I walked into the restaurant to pick up my To Go Order and was blown away by the smell of the restaurant. Seriously, just pack up this smell and I'll buy it. The gentleman welcomed me and we discussed it was my first time to try Fry bread. He even made sure I knew Gates Pass was a must see. We ordered a Red Chili Fry Bread. We didn't eat it fresh in the restaurant. The fry bread sat in its box for 30 minutes before we ate it. We opened the box. Ohhh the smell. So yummy. It was so delicious. I can not recommend the Popovers, aka Fry bread enough. Forget there aren't a ton of reviews. Go here. You won't regret it. And for goodness sake write a positive review. Maybe I should go back before we leave.

Food was amazing and service was really good. Tried both their samplers and loved the red chili and honey the best but everything was great. And the Grape Kool-Aid my husband got was made just perfect he said! :)

Great little restaurant with a great little bar in the back. This place has amazing fry bread and a good selection of meats to complement it. Try the red Chile and beans on the fry bread, excellent. They also have a pork carne adovada that's also hits the spot. The make fresh chips on site that go well with any of their dishes. The owner offers beer specials in the bar, and also runs a frequent corn hole tournament! Go check it out!

Several Tucson locals recommended this restaurant and I can see why! We ordered the Indian taco with ground beef, Indian burger, and the popover with honey. By far the best fry bread (popover) I've ever had. I recommend coming on an empty stomach because it's extremely filling.

I'm writing this review because I personally work in the service industry and I am completely not okay with biting down on my food (ended up going with the nachos) and bit down on legit shards of glass in my meal, chicken was dry, legit canned refried beans on our nachos, sad jalapeños. I had to spit it out into a napkin and I just couldn't believe what I was eating. Bartender was amazing though I hate to give this a 1 star review because we've heard amazing things here but honestly the kitchen you guys have is extremely questionable. I understand you guys have received awards but with everything we got (fry bread was ehh alright) we really didn't understand this crazy hype. Extremely disappointed. Being Native American I really expected a true authentic experience, I don't recommend this place.

We came here on a Saturday night before an event at the U of A. When we arrived, there was one larger party in one room and we were seated in the other room. It took a while for our order to be taken and even longer for or order to come out of the kitchen. We came specifically for the popover, and although tasty, and the only place in tucson with popovers on the menu, I'm not sure I'd come back.

If you live in Tucson and have never tried a red chile popover, you're missing out on some great local cuisine! Popovers aka frybread topped with stewed red chile beef. Cafe Santa Rosa is one of the best brick and mortar places in town to find them. You can also get green chile, red is the standard and more popular. I've also tried their Indian taco and burritos, all really great comfort, Tohono O'odham food. Cafe Santa Rosa is a staple in the community and they recently opened up another shop at San Xavier Mission. Check it out and support a great, local O'odham business.

No comfortable family style restaurant located in old downtown Tucson. I ordered the red and green chili breakfast served with eggs and beans and either a tortilla or fry bread. The fry bread was delicious. The meat is only beef in both the red and green chili. It's diced very small and both chilies are very mild. Personally I prefer a deeper red Chile and more green Chile with the meat. It was good just not great and the mail was served warm not hot. What shocked me was the bill for two breakfasts and no drinks it was $30, and I believe that if you're going to be charged for something extra the waitress should tell you. Buyer beware if you order honey with your pop over its 2.50 !

If I could give less than 1 star I would! Absolutely ridiculous to order LUNCH and have to be waiting 45+ minutes. With only being told "sorry we have a party in the back" unacceptable and why did I have so ask what the hold up was? If you were going to be behind then let the customers know upfront so we could venture elsewhere...What was ordered? 2 fry breads and order of 3 tacos...and it wasn't even good. Also to add fuel to the fire, how does a Mexican restaurant not even offer/serve chips and salsa?? On to the food-Canned beans, sprinkle cheese, and salsa that tastes like tomato sauce + oregano. A complete waste of time & money... but hey, I'll give them 5 stars in Disappointment....

We went to Cafe Santa Rose on our way out of town on a Sunday. They were packed but efficiently seating customers. I was very pleased with how brightly lit the new location is with wonderful window letting in the Tucson natural light. After we were seated though it was a wait before they came to take our order. The good thing is the gave us water and salsa. Please note I was surprised by the salsa since this is a Native American TO restaurant so technically salsa is more Mexican?!?!! But I have say it was tasty and I was super hungry by then. The menu. It was a challenge for me being vegetarian here. It really limits my choices but I ordered beans and cheese hope ng they do not cook it in lard. When I asked the waitress she looked at me puzzled not understand "lard". I took my chances and ordered it. The food took a very long time. I understand they were very busy but still be prepared. Once the food arrived it was good. Not fantastic and I was so hungry. Service here was delightful. The wait staff works as a team. No one said let me tell your waitress. They got me my extra lime. They all responded to my requests and questions. I fully appreciated that.

Really excellent frybread (popovers). A MUST TRY!!!! Anyone who is visiting Tucson or the southwest coast for the first time and is looking for authentic food, try this place! The staff was extremely polite and friendly, even when my son was being not so good!!!! Their bacon is great and potatoes yummy!!!! Check this place out!!

This was the only restaurant on my Tucson list! We called in our order for take out. The order was made quickly and the staff was so friendly when I arrived to pick up my order. We got a Red Chili and Bean popover, an Indian Taco with Red Chili popover, and a side of chorizo. This was my first time having Fry Bread and I never want a taco any other way! The Red Chili was a little salty, but had so much delicious flavor! The food was delicious and like nothing I had ever had!

We ate here right after we arrived in Tucson on vacation. The food was amazing! We got a sampler of the fry breads with 3 different toppings. Both meats were fantastic. We did find that you have to use a fork... you can't really pick them up. We also got two tacos and a roll taco. The potato taco with peas was my absolute favorite. The flavor of fresh herbs made it a pleasure to eat. We tried squash on the side and it had green peppers and tomatoes - out of this world flavor. We would go back here for sure if we lived in Tucson. The service was a little slow but very friendly and warm. The booth we were seated in is ready for repair/replacement soon. But aside from that, highly highly recommend this place.

We loved this place! Amazingly friendly staff, wonderful chips and salsa with unique flavors we had never tasked before - all served with a smile and delicious sweet cinnamon tea! The squash dish served with our entrees was amazing! Our entrees was absolutely delicious. We loved the 'rustic and real' feel of the place, like a favorite well worn pair of jeans. We highly recommend this place and hope to visit here again.

Even not being familiar with South Tucson, we easily found Cafe Santa Rosa's new location on the southeast corner of 36th Street and Sixth Avenue. The restaurant is bright and open and crowded; even at a quarter after one on a Tuesday. When we were seated about twenty minutes later, we were starving. Our waitress took our drink order, left the menus, and said she'd be back. I asked if they have chips and salsa; she apologized and said no. Misunderstanding that chips and salsa weren't complementary, I asked if we could order some. She again apologized and explained, "Chips are not part of native cuisine." I then understood that Cafe Santa Rosa serves native, rather than Mexican food. We were excited to try new and different, so decided to share a green chile beef and bean fry bread and flat enchiladas. Both were delicious. The fry bread was covered with a mixture of smashed and whole pinto beans, the meat was plentiful and tender, and the sauce was flavorful. The masa harina corn patty for the flat enchilada - I would call it a torta - was lightly crispy and beautifully soft and moist inside. The enchilada sauce was gently spicy and applied judiciously rather than covering the enchilada completely like we are used to with traditional Mexican enchiladas. The tangy sauce and almost-sweet masa are a perfect base for the warm meat and cold cheese, tomato, lettuce, and black olives. Ambrosial. We splurged and finished by sharing the popover sampler dessert: three mini fry breads, super crisp and powder sugared; one drizzled with raspberry sauce, one with chocolate glaze, and one with traditional honey. Stuffed and thoroughly satisfied, I realized our meal completely evaporated my initial discontentment over no chips and salsa. That's okay. I can enjoy chips and salsa in lots of places.

I have been to this resturant multiple times due to the amazing food it offers. However, I don't think I've experienced a server as bad as I had this afternoon. It took 1/2 hour to take our order and then i asked twice for extra napkins and more salsa. I had to get up and get hand towels out of the bathroom for my mom and I. I never got the salsa or tea refilled. I've had experienced bad service here before, so I don't go often.. However, I should not be experiencing it almost every time I go. Its so sad that the service is absolutely horrible!

They have a nice bar in the back that we didn't realize was here! My husband wanted to watch the football game, so we had breakfast in the bar.

Okay first off the service was amazing !! Keep the great work. Also the food was very good and my mom loved her food as well!

Very good Fry bread! We loved the sampler so we could try all of the chili options. The only thing I would say is the dessert fry bread was very soft/soggy. But maybe that's how it is traditionally? I was expecting kinda crispy like a sopapilla.

We are red chili and fry bread aficionados! We ordered the Indian taco which comes with everything and we also ordered a white menudo. This place did not disappoint! Their menudo was great not greasy at all. That's how I like it. The Indian taco was very good with lots of flavor. Especially their red chili which was on top. They brought us chips and salsa at the beginning. The salsa had a little kick, it was definitely good. We also ordered some food to go for our daughter and they separated it so it wouldn't get soggy. (We had ordered red chili with fry bread and a bean burrito to go). I might add the tortillas are handmade too. The service was great. Our cup of tea was always refilled, we did not have to wait. There is bar at the back which we definitely would love to visit next time we are in town. I highly recommend eating here if you know what great Tucson native food tastes like. We will return!!!

Hey there! Do you enjoy some delicious red or green chile? Have you had it twice this week in a burrito or chimichanga and wonder to yourself "is there more out there I'm miss out on?" Heck yes there is! Santa Rosa Cafe is here to open your world to frybread possibilities. SRC offers some of the traditional mexican dishes you'll see other places but the star of the establishment is the frybread plates. The first time I visited I tried the gigantic double burger they have. Way too much for one person to finish. Basically a burger with all the fixings but a frybread instead of buns. It was good but nothing great as the meat wasn't seasoned well and overcooked for my tastes. I went back a second time and went to the highlight of their menu, the red chile frybread (green chile option as well). I can see why people rave about this dish. The frybread was fresh and soft enough to tear yet thick enough that it didn't become soggy is the chile sauce. Topped with cheese and lettuce and salsa. The frybread really gives it a different element than with a tortilla. Large portions so you won't leave hungry, yet we still ordered the dessert sampler frybread because you only YOLO once! More frybread but with powder sugar and sweet dessert sauces. No regrets. Would definitely go back for those dishes again. Perhaps the only draw back is the service both times has been slow. Friendly and helpful and nice, but slow. It is a busy place but food did take longer than I thought. When it does come out, it is hot and feels it was just made so I think I'd take that over quick food that got heated in microwave. Definitely worth a visit. 4/5*