This past week, James Beard Award-wining chef Chris Bianco opened his newest property in Tucson, an extension of his wildly successful Pizzeria Bianco. Chris opened his first place in Phoenix in the back of a neighborhood grocery in 1988. Today, he has become one of the best known pizza makers in the country with people waiting for hours to get into his restaurants.

The Tucson location was supposed to open a year ago, but ended up being delayed with Bianco waiting until after the birth of his first child. “When my wife got pregnant, I slowed things down a bit. I hate letting people down and I’m a man of my word and I show up everyday for work, but I’ve missed a lot of birthdays and I’ve missed a lot of friends’ birthdays and loved ones’ parties.”

Pizzeria Bianco Tucson is located in a historic space in downtown’s Heritage Square. Why Tucson? “It’s always kind of like the luck of a puppy. If you go out looking for a puppy, it is hard to find one. We weren’t looking for a deal. But I spend quite a bit of time in Tucson. We are close to Tucson, we buy a lot there and there is a little wine country there too. It’s an incredible little city with a great art scene and a great music scene and architecturally it is one of the last cities, definitely in the Southwest, not to knock down its original infrastructure.”

Chris says the Tucson restaurant is pizza-focused, featuring the original Pizzeria Bianco menu with six pizzas, two salads and a featured dish like lasagna or short ribs or lemon-seasoned herb chicken made in their “massive wood-burning oven. We’ll fool around with pasta and things like roasted lamb.”

In Phoenix, you can visit three of Chris’ places. In addition to Pizzeria Bianco and Bar Bianco in downtown Phoenix, there is a Pizzeria Bianco in Town & Country and a Pane Bianco in Midtown. “We do other things than pizza, we are making fresh pasta. We use all Arizona-grown durum, which is milled here and made here. For me, it is always about the ingredients and being close to incredible ingredients. Farmers are the new rock stars and deserve to be.”

You can find Chris Bianco’s Phoenix and Tucson recommendations in the Find. Eat. Drink. iPhone app - download it here.

Eat | Restaurants

Falora

“For really good Neapolitan style pizza.”

3000 E Broadway Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85251

T: 520.325.9988 |  www.falora.com

Penca

“This is a great Mexican restaurant with beautiful architecture. The owners have a very clean palate. The food is Nouveau Mexican. You’ll see a mole on the menu and eclectic things. They have a great breakfast on Sundays with local eggs and hand-made tortillas. It’s also a very cool cocktail bar.”

50 E Broadway Boulevard, Tucson, AZ

T: 520.203.7681 | www.pencarestaurante.com

Diablo Burger

“Killer burger with custom-ground beef.”

312 E Congress Street, Tucson, AZ 85701

T: 520.882.2007  | www.diabloburger.com

Proper Tucson

“Originally from Flagstaff, they serve a seasonal New American menu in a very cool space.”

300 E Congress Street, Tucson, AZ 85701

520.396.3357 | www.propertucson.com

Time Market Deli & Pizza

“Come here for great sandwiches. They have wood-burning brick oven pizza and really great breads.”

44 E University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85705

T: 520.622.0761

Drink | Beer

Tap & Bottle

“Come here for a beer, they have tons on tap.”

403 N 6th Avenue #135, Tucson, AZ 85705

T: 520.344.8999 | www.thetapandbottle.com

Drink | Coffee

Sparkroot |  Exo Roast Co | Cartel Coffee Lab

“For great coffee.”

Sparkroot | 245 E Congress Street | T: 520.623.4477 | www.sparkroot.com

Exo | 403 N 6th Avenue | T: 520.777.4709 | www.exocoffee.com

Cartel | 2516 N Campbell Avenue | T: 520.225.0437 | www.cartelcoffeelab.com

Cartel | 210 E Broadway Boulevard | T: 480.432.8237 | www.cartelcoffeelab.com

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