Bodega Kitchen & Wine

We came to Bodega on a week night with another couple and really enjoyed ourselves. The ambiance is absolutely stunning– chic, luxurious, and a great outside area. St. Phillips plaza is a nice spot in Tucson, especially when the weather is pleasant! Our waitress was extremely bubbly and helpful, though she did promise us a few things (extra chile salt, more limes, etc) and forget to bring them. The cocktails were delicious– I would definitely recommend the margarita, as it’s spicy and refreshingly not sweet at all! We ordered the cheese and meat boards, and as in previous reviews, they were indeed underwhelming. Super small portions and the blue cheese crumbles… kinda not ok. But overall, we would come back for a drink and the friendly service.
Also, definitely visit the ladies room– it’s beautiful! Haha!

Bodega Kitchen and Wine is a solid option if you want something different from Union right next door.
I’ve only been once thus far, but I was impressed from my single visit. The ambiance is just stunning — this is definitely a versatile place in that you could meet a group of your girlfriends for a well-​crafted drink, or have a romantic date. The wine list is well chosen and the bartender my husband and I had serve us was very talented.
We split a flatbread that had goat cheese and chicken on it, and it was delicate and the balance of flavors was perfect.
I prefer this location to Union if only for the fact that I can hear myself talk to my husband, and the crowd that comes is a little more… elegant…than over at Union. Overall the impression is just a tad more upscale.
I will definitely be back, and update my rating if it stays consistent/​improves even more up to that elusive 5 stars!

Nice atmosphere, good food and good drinks. Glad we found this place! My girlfriend and I were recommended it by our limo driver. Nothing beats word of mouth (or was he paid to recommend it? Hahaha, doesn’t matter).
We tried a couple of their specialty drinks, and those were great. The sweet potato soup was delicious! I wanted to eat that for days. The braised beef and grass fed burger were also quite good. I’m glad it’s grass fed; you can definitely taste and feel the difference.
The ambiance was good except that the music was kind of loud. We were pretty comfortable, too. Of course, that could have been the drinks’ warmth and the warm food.
I guess I give it four stars because, while I’m a fan, and will return, I didn’t get that down home feeling that it’s a place I want to hang out at and eat regularly. I like a place where I can settle in for a while if need be. But their food and drinks are definitely worth trying!

Went here on a Saturday night and ordered a bunch of small plates. Normally I would go to a place a few times before reviewing it but this one was obvious from the first impression.
While it’s striving for a Mediterranean bar/​restaurant experience nothing whatsoever about it is dialed in to the level of detail that needs to be to pull this off. I know of what I speak because I am from the capital of places just like this in California. No, not LA, a much snootier town than LA with more restaurants like this per square inch than anywhere in the world outside of Ibiza.
We ordered four or five small plates including flatbread, phyllo, and others that we can’t remember (the menu has changed in the last month). The flatbread and phyllo were bland and I noted at the time that the flatbread had a number of fresh ingredients and that it seemed impossible that one could not make something good tasting out of them. I wondered if the chef or whoever was cooking may have an impaired sense of taste. The ingredients were there and everything seemed made from scratch but nothing tasted like anything.
Our server was incredibly nervous and checked in with us about 20 times. It was awkward because there was only one other table on the side of the patio we were on and that table had its own server. So the servers had not a lot to do but harass the few diners there. It felt like a place where the manager was blaming the lack of customers on the servers not being aggressive enough.
Where I was sitting there was a string of hugely distracting ants on the stucco wall at my back that made me a bit worried as to whether or not they’d deem my small plates worthy of a scouting trip. No such luck as it turned out.
Finally the live band in the center of the courtyard adjacent to the restaurant was one of the best live jazz bands I’ve ever heard! They were playing a Reinhardt/​Grappelli song as well or better than Reinhardt and Grappelli! That band salvaged what otherwise would have been a grim experience. I regret that I didn’t ask for the band’s card if I should ever need to hire a band. If anyone knows, please post the name of the band and where they play around town.
BUT even though it seemed that Bodega had hired the band to play, the canned music inside Bodega was so loud that it was competing with the live music for those sitting closest to the live music on the patio. And the servers with nothing to do didn’t notice this. And neither did whoever was in charge that night.

Went here last night for my 1^st time with a group of great people and had heard wonderful things.
Service was horrible. The gentleman who was waiting on us had a snooty demeanor and even interrupted us as we were speaking and make it clear that he did not like to repeat himself on a description of an Appetizer that he HAD to go to the kitchen to get because he did not know what it was.
He described two other dishes entirely wrong which is a shame because I would have ordered one of those dishes and been very happy.
All of the other food was OK and the patio was just lovely, but the service really ruined everything.

I absolutely LOVE this place… everything about it! We managed to score the prime patio seat next to the fireplace and couldn’t have been happier. The patio is pet friendly, so we brought our furry friend with us. The wine selection is extensive and quite amazing and the meat and cheese board we paired with our wine was perfect. Great atmosphere, great service, great food and great wine… what more could you want? Quite honestly a perfect way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon!

I really want to like Bodega, but so much is left to be desired.
Pros:
1. Amazing ambiance outside. Great fire place, cabanas, and couches.
2. Very pretty décor inside.
3. Nice Bartenders.
4. It’s not Union.
Cons:
1. Lighting is WAAAYYYY too bright inside.
2. Place is begging for some chill, lounge, music that’s just slightly too loud.
3. Need candles inside — if they’re there I can’t picture them now… maybe I didn’t notice them because it’s so bright inside.
4. Food is not that great and meat and cheese board has really gone down hill.
5. ½ bottles of wine night are now limited to only certain (cheaper) types of wine?! Kidding me? you’re a wine bar! Offer the discount or don’t.

Refreshingly European Café Style Experience!
We dined last night and felt like we had stepped back into one of our favorite cafés in Paris! Simple, elegant, classic, and comfortable.
The berry kale salad was healthy but delicious and the purée sweet potato soup was exceptional.
We had the apple empanadas we had for desert were very average and not fresh but the soup, salad, and ambiance won this treasure a 5-​star rating!

Went to Bodega and I have to say their food is much better and I’m a definite fan of their drinks. From my last review, I can tell that they’ve worked on their kinks and are doing excellent. Will frequent as their staff is attentive and polite and have revamped their menu.

Came here on Tuesday for a cocktails and a cheese board. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed with the cheese board. It featured standard cheeses, nothing out of the ordinary which is what I look forward to when I order a cheese board. In addition to the cheese board, I ordered the risotto cakes. They were unique and came with fantastic braised onions. For my cocktail I was deciding between the Cucumber Splash and the Ancho Chili Margarita, and the waitress recommended the margarita saying that it was the best seller from the cocktail menu. I’m so glad I follower her recommendation because it was delicious. It has a spicy salt rim which really added a kick to the mint infused margarita. Yum! I highly recommend it.

I have been visiting this establishment for a few months now, and the never cease to impress me. It is a Fairly new restaurant and they are constantly evolving and adapting to better serve the customer with new weekend events, wine Wednesday, and new menu items.
If you visited this restaurant in its early stages and weren’t impressed, I really recommend going it another try.
Happy eating!

I love this place for their desserts and excellent wait staff service. Their outdoor seating is classy and comfortable, especially on a nice summer night! So if you want to impress a hot date, or go for some desserts with a group of friends, this is the place to be!
Highly recommended:
House churros handsdown. They have amazing chocolate and caramel sauces that come with them that yes, give you an orgasm in your mouth. They were so addictive, I wanted to take the sauces home with me, and the manager for the night was extremely nice and let me take home their serving ware since they didn’t have any small to-​go (ketchup size) containers for them! He went above and beyond and I am highly appreciative of that!
Apple empanadas. Also one of my top favorites. I had gone with a group of gals one night where the manager had offered us each complimentary desserts that night (again, excellent service). The breading was warm and crisp, the sweetness just right.
They change their house selection of gelato regularly, and I was torn between their blackberry sorbet vs. the churros! Anyways, I’m absolutely certain it would have been a very refreshing choice for a warm summer night!
Really you can’t go wrong with any of their dessert, as I have heard others rave about their Flourless chocolate cake as well!
Eat it up!

After a few months of being open, Bodega is even better than it was before.
On one occasion, the bartender worked with me to create a custom cocktail based on my flavor preferences. On a return visit, he remembered both my preferences and how to make the cocktail he came up with.
Separately, I came with a friend during (late) late night and ordered from the late night menu. The chef had just left but the manager told us not to worry. He worked with some of the other staff members to get the food out.
It is rare to find this level of service at any other venue. Everyone at Bodega works hard to create an upscale and personable atmosphere, and this shows through in their interactions with customers.
Rich’s second recommendation: everything from my first recommendation.

Second time in and as good as I remembered. I like this place. Ryan does a great job at the bar with attentive service, communication and representing the menus. Top notch in my book.

I hate to do this, but it had to be done.
Been back here a couple of times since I reviewed. This last time inspired this gem of a write-​up.
After previous visits I had decided that the local and ambiance of this place makes it a great spot for drinks and maybe a light snack. But after this last visit, the staffing and customer service makes me walk next door.
It was a Thursday evening. Beautiful Tucson weather. The patio was packed, however there was some room at the bar on the inside. (To be fair there was some room at the outside seating but boxes were on the bar making it seem like they didn’t want you to sit there).
Okay, sitting at the bar. Waiting for my friend, waiting for a menu. Five minutes later, still no menu, no «Hello there» from the bartender, but my friend arrives so that is great. Then the bartender asks if we want menus. Sure. She hands us one. Okay no big deal. I am with a good friend, we don’t mind getting close to read a menu. We sit chatting. Ten minutes go by. No order to be taken nothing. At this point we are looking at the bartender.
Mind you… ONE BARTENDER. She is going a little crazy. Orders are coming in from her tickets, and the bar is packed. Yet she is the only one there. I feel bad for her and blame management. I watched as six drinks she made sat during those ten minutes so servers aren’t much better. However, we also witnessed her swearing and yelling when she messed up some drinks. For that, she gets blamed.
Anyway. There is a manager (?) I think standing at the end of the bar. The bartender screams in his direction that she needs more lemon juice, but he is busy talking to someone else. She leaves the bar and runs to the back then returns.
At some point I look at my friend and shrug, the manager see’s it. He comes over and asks if we have had our order taken. We tell him no and he takes our order. Then he proceeds to tell the bartender our order and goes back to his standing area. Looks at his laptop.
Needless to say, after 15 mins no drinks we got up and left and went to Union.
Here is my takeaway. Management needs to staff more bartenders during peak times. You have a patio and are in St. Phillips Plaza, you are going to be busy. Second, they need to train on customer service. I will wait another two months or so before I go back, hoping that something changes. If it doesn’t’, I will walk over to Union.

Bodega is a beautiful new restaurant in town, diagonal from Union Public House at Saint Philips Plaza. It is a great alternative to the Whiskey Wednesday party scene. You can actually get in the door and get drinks ordered in a few minutes, rather than waiting in line for 45 minutes only to continue to wait another 25 minutes for your first drink. They have ½ pice bottles of wine on Wednesdays and have a great happy hour!
Outside of being an alternative for your Wednesday night this wine bar has the best ambiance I have experienced in awhile. There are cozy booths with cute chandeliers and candle light in the main dining room and an atrium with two tops, four tops, and couch seating on both ends. The atrium is perfect for date nights since it is private and the lights dim to give the room a starry night atmosphere. The patio seating is super cute with little lights around all of the tree trunks, an amazing fire-​pit with secluded lounge seating on both sides, and an indoor, outdoor bar.
The cocktails here are exceptional and unique and the wine selection is unbeatable. There are even beers on draft which is a must in my book! The fun and unique part about this indoor, outdoor bar is that the bartop is also a chalkboard. Just ask for some chalk and the bartender let’s you play! (Don’t worry, they keep it clean so your sleeves don’t get dirty!)
The food at Bodega is quite diverse so there is something for everyone and at least what I have tried is very yummy. There are burgers, steak, salads, boards, and vegetarian options with reasonable pricing.
Having worked in the restaurant industry for the past few years I am pretty impressed with this new spot. I loved my experiences at Bodega and would definitely go back again!

I was very excited to try this place. We spy’d it from across the plaza at Union and decided to give it a try for drinks. I love the ambiance. Outside they have a lovely pavilion with a fireplace that is a great place to go and grab some drinks with friends.
Unfortunately, when I came back to sample their food it went all downhill. We called ahead to ask if it was possible bring a group of 8 to eat in front of the fire, and they said no problem. Unfortunately when we arrived it was obviously impossible to eat a meal where they reserved us a spot since they just had sofas with tiny cubes for tables. Since there wasn’t another space for everyone, we made do and pulled some tables close. Half of us ate at the tables while the others made do with plates on laps. If they had a large board to put over the cubes to make a table, this would be an excellent group seating.
The food was disappointing as well. They already have a limited menu and were out of several options. It looks like they’ve trimmed down their menu even more since then. Between all of us, we sampled most everything on the menu. No one was impressed with their order when it came, everything was just ok. Plus we had to track down our waiter several times to get everyone’s food and then when it was time to pay.
That being said, we had a great time enjoying some drinks afterwards. They have half-​off wine bottles on Wednesday, and it was a great chance to try some lovely wines. Their cocktails are also very delicious! I’d definitely suggest the Pear Prosecco!
I hope they revamp their menu here. It’s an awesome place to grab drinks with friends and the ambiance can’t be beat. I’ll just be grabbing dinner somewhere else.

The restaurant is very beautiful and I liked the food. I ordered the brick oven chicken though and it was delicious. It was flavorful and moist. For dessert, I had the flan. That was very good also. My only problem with the restaurant was that we had a reservation for 8:30 and they couldn’t seat us until 16 mins later. Also, there were crumbs all over the seats.

I love the décor and ambiance– the patio is set up beautifully with couches around a massive fireplace, romantic seating tucked away into the space, and flattering lighting (great for dates ;)).
The bar tender was really nice– helpful with the beers and cocktails on offer and happy to pour whatever we wanted (even my interesting beer creations that I still insist are really quite tasty). We managed to snag one of the couches which I guess are prime real-​estate at this place. The sever/​hostess was super over the top friendly until she realized that we were only ordering drinks and not planning on getting any food. I wouldn’t say she was rude, but there was a definite change in attitude. We all had at least 2 drinks, so it’s not like we weren’t throwing down cash.
I would come back to try their food because it looked really nice from what we could see. Their prices for food are a bit high, but without trying anything I can’t say if this is warranted or not.
If you’re looking for a cozy place to chat with friends and enjoy the great weather we’re having, stop by.

Well we couldn’t be happier that this beautiful spot opened up in our new neighborhood!
First, the design is just gorgeous. Chandeliers everywhere, cozy booths, slate and oak tables, inside/​outside bar, and an incredible 50+ seat patio complete with double-​sided fireplace.
You’d expect to see high prices and teeny portions based on the look, but prices are surprisingly reasonable («small» plates for $ 6 – 12 and mains around $ 15 – 20). Drinks were not overpriced either.
Food was really great. We loved the ribs, empanadillas, and croquettes. My favorite dish was the vegetable pave… kind of a delicate veggie lasagna. Super satisfying for a vegetarian dish (can easily be made to be vegan). I can’t wait to go back and have it again!
This is all made that much more fantastic when you realize they’ve been open less than a week. I see a bright future for this adorable spot. Check them out!