Enoteca: Not Just that "Downtown Tucson Pizza Place" Anymore - The Dinner Entrees and Desserts Will Surprise You!

Enoteca is the place that I and hundreds of other downtown Tucson workers go to for a quick but delicious slice of pizza. It's right across the street from the Pima County Superior Court, and it's a favorite of employees and jurors alike. Though they serve wine and beer, you don't often see patrons partaking of the beverages in the middle of the day.

But at night, gone is the cafeteria-style pizza vending and magically, Enoteca is a charming cafe with competent entrees and desserts.

After being turned away at the busy Cafe Poca Cosa, my dinner partner and I ambled around downtown Tucson, hoping to stumble into something that we'd never noticed before. Downtown Tucson is like that-- while ambling I discovered a barber shop, thrift store, and patisserie I'd never noticed before (and I've been working in the downtown area for years). Walking toward Superior Court, we saw Enoteca charmingly lit up with tiny white lights, and less densely populated than other area restaurants. Even though I associate Enoteca with a quick slice, we thought we'd give it a try.

Enoteca has a small patio in the front, facing a busy downtown intersection. It was a beautiful night, so we chose the patio, and honestly never noticed the downtown traffic and pedestrian noise the entire meal. Inside, a steel blues guitarist played, providing a nice audio backdrop for those enjoying al fresco dining on the patio.

Enoteca sports a decent wine list-- I'm no sommelier, but my dining partner is a fan of wine and selected an Argentinian for herself and a Riesling for me (my pathetically undeveloped palette can only handle a sweet wine). We were brought garlic bread much like garlic knots, with oil for dipping. I usually try to avoid the bread basket, but these looked good enough to sample, and I did. Decent.