This spacious restaurant on Tucson's East Side attracts many visitors from out of town with its authentic Mexican-Sonoran cuisine and beautiful, colorful decor. The recipes are imaginative, but the best things here are the margaritas, considered by some to be the best in town. Sonoran specialties such as tacos, burritos and chimichanga combination plates are all very popular. Domestic and Mexican beers are available at the bar. Reservations are advisable. Other locations are at Macayo Tucson del Norte, 7630 North Oracle Road.

It's the salad and soup bar that makes this big buffet restaurant on Tucson's east side worth visiting. On top of tasty salad selections and dressings there are hot pastas, pizza focaccia and a yogurt bar with several toppings. The decor is pleasant, bright and vaguely Southwestern. There is a 10% senior discount. No alcohol is served. Another location is at 4420 North Stone Avenue.

If Tucson locals rated their cafes in stars, they would award this spot a small planetarium. This Northeast neighborhood favorite delights customers with first-name greetings, outstanding coffee including White Mocha, and a cornucopia of pastries, quiche and other tantalizing food items baked fresh on location each morning. Be certain to try the Peach Galette. Come early to get a good seat in this cozy, popular cafe with indoor/outdoor dining options. Whimsical decor, vibrant colors and soft music bring France to the desert. Owners Dennis and Margaret make visitors feel they have neighbors in Tucson, and that's the best buzz of all.

This popular restaurant is part of a growing franchise of quirky, Northern Italian-style cafes. Tasteful trinkets and artwork adorn the walls. It seems that the architects and engineers have a lease on the sun so that it perfectly illuminates the secondary dining room at exactly 1:45p every Sunday. Food and drink are equally idiosyncratic. For breakfast, one can have a Mediterranean Vegetable Omelette, Eggs Florentine, Cinnamon Raisin French Toast or even Pot Roast and Eggs. The lunch menu includes a BBQ Turkey Burger, 'Roll Your Own' Soft Tacos and a host of salads. Also at 4420 North Oracle Road, near the Tucson Mall.

Making "Fresh Homemade Food Since 1956," Mama Louisa's is the old hat among the handful of traditional-style Italian restaurants in Tucson. The recipes for the pasta and various sauces have remained unchanged since 1956, proudly made from scratch daily. The restaurant attracts a diverse afternoon patronage. The lunch crowd typically consists of Air Force servicemen from nearby Davis Monthan Air Force base, groups of business professionals, blue-collar workers from the industrial section of south Tucson, and elderly folk-who have probably eaten there since before most of the clientele were conceived. The lunch menu is extensive, and the portions are immense. Baked Ziti, Chicken Parmesan, Sausage and Pepper sandwiches, and other Italian staples are available. Open daily 7am onwards.

This pleasant Middle Eastern restaurant is nestled at the rear of a small plaza one block away from the University of Arizona. The place is roomy and airy, with dim lighting and shady windows. Groups of two or three UA students can often be found here, or some studying alone away from the din up the block. The food is light, often cooked with lemon and olive oil. The appetizers include hummus, a garbanzo bean dip popular these days among vegetarians, and falafels. The favorite entrees are an assortment of marinated meat dishes, including "The Sinbad," a combination of kabab, shish kabab, hummus, dolmathes, falafel, tabouleh, kibbe and rice.

This popular venue is a classy, elegant Italian restaurant on the northwest side of town. Upon entering, to the left is a small dining room with plush leather booths and the bar. To the right you'll find a larger, lavish dining room and a shady outdoor patio, complete with a marble Italian water fountain, offering shelter from the often oppressive desert heat. The menu is abundant and original. The chicken and veal Parmesan dinner, served over a healthy bed of spaghetti and Sicilian Marinara Sauce, and the Pesce Platter, a massive combo of shrimp, clams, mussels and linguine.

Kon Tiki is truly a departure from the abundance of Mexican and Continental American restaurants around Tucson. It's the only major restaurant in Tucson featuring Hawaiian cuisine. Two flaming torches and a wooden tribal figurine guard the front entrance and the interior walls are fashioned with bamboo sticks, as expected. The lighting is subdued and intimate. Traditional Hawaiian cuisine is served including plentiful teriyaki chicken dishes, with vegetable medleys and pineapple garnishes. And yes, the restaurant serves a variety of fruity alcoholic beverages with paper umbrellas.

This recently-remodeled restaurant is a favorite among foothills residents. It has subdued lighting and large, comfortable leather booth seats. After recent refurbishing, the interior is impeccably maintained. The menu is pricey but worth it for a large meal. The dinner Porterhouse steak, served with a side salad and choice of potato and vegetable, but the steak is 20 ounces. The "Texas Tea," comprised of a half-liter of Smirnoff vodka, gin, rum and a splash of cranberry juice. That's one cheap potent potable to you and me.

When morning touches the desert sky in Tucson, you'll find more than a bright sun rising to greet you at this popular cafe. Snuggled simply against a scenic mountain backdrop, this small, contemporary bakery tugs softly at your senses with the aroma of freshly baked breads including Asiago Cheese with Cracked Pepper, or Rosemary Olive and are reasonably priced as well. Sandwiches, espresso and coffee are served daily.