Cafe A La Cart

Enjoyed lunch before exploring the Tucson Museum of Art. I had the chicken salad, iced coffee and the soup of the day– curry cauliflower — yum! The weather was great in April so sitting outside was lovely.

After searching out spots to dine at in Tucson, and seeing their gorgeous patio and delicious looking menu, Café A la C’Art was quickly on my list of places to stop.
I had two thoughts while entering this café. The first: without the use of google maps and a keen observation skill, Café A La C’Art might be undetectable. The only distinguishing factor is the café logo painted on a white wall next to the front door. My second thought was: Café A la C’Art is aptly named. Not only is this café directly next to Tucson’s Museum of Art, the intricate designs and artwork throughout the entire café creates a beautiful, art-​y atmosphere.
It’s a little confusing when you first walk in, do you sit… wait to be seated… wait for someone to take your order… or order somewhere in particular. This café is… shall I say… café style: you are free to choose wherever you’d like to sit, and you also go up to the front to give your entire order, as well as to get your waters refilled. Also, if you walk a bit further into the hallway, there is a little sign that will ask you to order up front.
My party was worried about the heat outside, so we didn’t experience the gorgeous patio, instead we nestled into one of the many art-​based rooms. After looking over the menu, a few of us decided to share entrees. I was split between trying 2 options, thus I shared 2 entrees with my mother. Our decided entrees were: The Bistro Salad & Portobello Sandwich with the salad of the day (in this case, it was Asian Noodle).
The Portobello sandwich was a delicious combination of mushroom (duh), goat cheese, caramelized onions, red pepper and pesto on focaccia bread. Overall, it’s a pretty standard-​style portobello sandwich, but I’m seriously not one to complain here. It mixes my favorite type of cheese and veggies into one delicious sandie, and this café did not disappoint. However, their salad of the day: the Asian noodle, was sub-​par. Though the name says straight up what it is: a noodle salad… I felt like it was sorely lacking in veggies and any other flavor other than sesame seed oil. I picked at it a little, but in all reality I was extremely excited about the second amazing looking entrée I had to attend to at least half of: The Bistro Salad.
The Bistro Salad is, in essence, a goat cheese salad. Again, I’d say this dish was rather unoriginal in what it adds to a general idea of goat cheese salad (maybe it’s just me, but I make this type of salad all the time), but again, I found it to be very tasty. The salad consisted of a bed of mixed greens, grapes, dried cranberries, apple chunks, onion and of course the star of the show: goat cheese. Note: I did have them remove the walnuts for the sake of my health — maybe that’s the added kicker. What I especially loved here was the generous amount of goat cheese provided a top the delicious mixture. This is rare at cafes.
When we had previously gone up to order, we of course looked at the display case of beautiful desserts, knowing that by the time we were done eating our entrees, a sweet dish was going to be a necessity. After we finished our meals, it was decided we’d try the Italian Espresso torte — a slight take on tiramisu with a delicious chocolate cake body, coffee flavors throughout, topped with a pretty (and extremely yummy) icing layer.
Overall, the experience had at Café a la C’Art was a great one. I loved the atmosphere and art decorum, and the food we had was excellent, with generous portions, and overall, very worth the price of a great meal. In future visits to Tucson, I plan to make additional stops in this adorable café, especially utilizing the exquisitely designed and shaded patio in the back.

The food looked good coming by, but we never had the chance to try it due to such poor service.
We were seated and sat waiting while 2 other tables were seated after us. Those other two tables received service and had their drink and food order taken while we sat and watched. Not so much as an offer for water came our way.
We eventually got up and walked out since no one even bothered to come to our table.
HORRIBLE SERVICE.

Love the food, the service, and the atmosphere. I have always loved coming here. Today was the florentine frittata and wow!!! Can’t wait for the next time!

Love love this little gem of a restaurant. My husband and I love coming here for breakfast. The green eggs and ham is so delicious! And the banana cream French toast on the Saturday brunch menu is heavenly. I especially love the awesome service we have constantly received. Just a few weeks ago a girlfriend and I stopped by for a late coffee and pastry, they were about to close but the manager (or owner?) and the rest of the staff were super sweet. They never rushed us or made us feel uncomfortable. Love it!

It should be noted that I came here only for dessert. I had a light dinner elsewhere and it was the last night of my vacation — and this requires something decadent for dessert! I found this café easily and when I told the hostess that I just wanted something sweet, she took me right away to the dessert case where my eyes feasted on the decadent delights before me. Wow — giant layer cakes, a lemon torte that I just wanted to lick, mint chocolate torte, raspberry bars — it all looked heavenly, but not as much as did the Chocolate Bomb. I read about the bomb here on Unilocal and didn’t think it possible that it could look as good as other reviewers had mentioned. But oh yes, it did — and it was so cheap! Less than $ 5 for too-​much-​chocolate (I can’t believe I said that but alas, it was so rich and fudgy that I couldn’t finish it all!). This bomb was a layer of dense chocolate cake, topped with chocolate ganache, topped with a mound of mousse, all covered in more chocolate and chocolate curls. I’m a hardcore chocoholic and this was exactly what I was looking for when I thought of having a dessert that night.
I placed my order — one chocolate bomb, one glass of champagne — and proceeded to their patio. I love eating outside and when you have ambiance and décor like this, I cannot imagine sitting anywhere else. It had a very secret-​garden feel, so charming and welcoming — I could imagine having an afternoon tea with the girls out there.
Back to the bomb — I cut it in half to get a photo of the inside and savored my way through the first few bites. So rich, so sinful, luscious and smooth. It was hard not to inhale the entire thing but again, it was too much for this girl to tackle on her own.
If I lived in this area, I know I would be back again and again — not just for the heavenly dessert but for the food — the menu has plenty of appealing options. I’m so glad to have found this place!

Wonderful place, wife had the Apricot Chicken Salad Sandwich and two delightful lattes — save room for dessert, alas we did not

Tried to come here on Sunday for lunch by myself at 1:03pm. The lady taking reservations told me that they aren’t taking anymore customers for the rest of the day? Really? Their hours say they are opened until 9pm, and this isn’t like a 5 star place.
Pretty disappointed. I I won’t be coming back to try this place out. The effort to come here just for the chance to be told, «Sorry» isn’t worth it. I can’t comment on the food because I have never eaten there. Maybe other people have better success.

Awesome awesome brisket salad! Everyone else’s food looked good too…

We met up with a friend. This was way better than we had expected. Great ambience and desserts!!! The chocolate bomb was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! The place looks very artsy and casual. Loved it!

***Best outside dining in Tucson.*** (I don’t know why we don’t have more, and better, outside options, given the fact that people move here for the weather! But that’s a rant for another time.) As for Café A La Cart, every time I hit this place, I like it even more. I’ve been here for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner, for coffee, for a drink, for dessert. .. you get it! I’ve liked everything I’ve ever ordered, and my only regret was that I couldn’t eat more in one sitting.
I like their indoor seating, too. They offer an open, airy, light-​filled main room, or your choice of smaller, intimate spaces that are perfect for conversation.
Highly recommended for food, ambiance, and value.

Food was delicious as was the strawberry lemonade. I ordered the frittata florentine. Everyone was super friendly and felt like a mix of a hipster/​cottage style ambience. Medium to large food portions. Highly recommend.

The café skillet is very good, as are the mimosas. The patio is my favorite part and absolutely beautiful!

My husband, mother and I went in for lunch on a Wednesday after visiting the art museum. We were quite surprised how busy it was for a weekday but that always seems to be a good sign that the food is really good, not to mention the promising reviews.
My husband ordered the achiote pork sandwich on wheat bread rather than focaccia, my mother ordered the rothschild with daily quinoa salad and sausage soup, and I ordered the gingered apricot chicken sandwich on wheat bread rather than on a croissant. Although the food was good it seemed a bit inconsistent compared to other plates we saw come out. My husband and I both ordered the salad on the side and while good, our portion size seemed much smaller than other plates passing by. My husbands salad also had peas while mine did not. Unluckily for him, he hates peas, so wasn’t very pleased by that. I’m also not quite sure whether they forgot his top piece of bread on his sandwich or that it was meant to be open faced. It doesn’t specify «open faced» on the menu. He still enjoyed it but it didn’t seem intentional. The gingered chicken salad sandwich I had was delicious but again the portion size didn’t seem to do the $ 10 price justice. I’m used to taking half my portion home with me at other similar cafes but not in this case. My mother enjoyed her sandwich very much. Her only complaint was that the meat to ciabatta ratio wasn’t quite right and that there was too much bread.
The service was also a bit sluggish when it came to delivering our food. And although we did come in just before the lunch rush we waited a good 15 – 20 minutes before our food arrived. The lunch rush could explain why they may have forgotten my husbands top bun!
Overall I’m happy we tried them for lunch but it’s not someplace we’d specially go downtown for.

Put me in the «me too» category as one who truly loves this place. It’s a pretty long drive from our Oro Valley home, but it’s worth the time it takes to get there. My favorite lunch there is the Cubano sandwich; my mate is a salad person, and has, I think, tried them all. And desserts? Wonderful, distinctive, and reasonably priced. Parking can be a challenge, but who cares. Tucson’s credit card-​accepting parking meters make paying easy and mean that there’s always someone driving away from a spot soon. And while you may not see a celebrity there, today we ate a table or two away from Tucson’s mayor.

What can I say about this place that you havent already heard? Hmmm…
I work downtown, so this is the go-​to for an unscale girlie lunch date for us. Lets be honest you go for the out of this world deserts and stay for the fantasic food!
The garden and art setting keeps your head looking around the enitre time you are there. You can go multiple times and sit in new places each time. Work for the wise though, if you are going for lunch get there before 11:30, this place is hoppin! They are open for brekafast as well, so make it a brunch if you are in for a time crunch. The service is awesome but moderately paced, the reward is worth it.
The menu offers something for everyone and more. Try the in house made lemonades or the delicious warm soups. The portions are worth the price. They even have some local brews too! So if you are downtown walking to check out the artist studios or happen to be there to pay a speeding ticket check it out.
Faves: butternut squash and bacon soup, salmon BLT, anything in the desert case!

Absolute FAVORITE breakfast spot in Tucson, hands down, no competition. The food is unbeatable and very reasonably priced. One thing I will caution you of is that it is nearly impossible to avoid the desserts. Even if it’s 9 a.m. and I’m over stuffed on delicious food, the desserts still call to me. The giant chocolate bomb cake they have called to me for months before I caved and it was everything I ever hoped it would be. Besides the food, the ambiance is great! It is connected to the art museum and the inside looks museum like, with several dining rooms to choose from. The outside patio is really neat also. Just writing this review is making my mouth water, I can’t wait to go back!

The food here is really good. The coffee is really good. The desserts: RAR! SO GOOD. The thing that makes this place wonderful? The atmosphere! The patio is so beautiful. A glass of wine after a tour of the art museum? YES PLEASE.
This place is beautiful, a great place for a lunch with friends, a casual meeting in the evening over wine or coffee, a romantic date for dinner. Its so elegant and the old barrio is the perfect setting.

Desserts are amazing! I had a chocolate bomb and brownie! They were large and had to be shared — not had to but my eyes are always bigger than my tummy when it comes to desserts! Their patio joins the Tucson Art Museum courtyard and is a very relaxing place. Everyone I have met on staff are so friendly and helpful. I saw other guests bring their dog and relax on the outside patio. I would like to come back and try their brunch if it’s anything like the desserts we had I know it will be fantastic!

This restaurant is a hidden gem nestled into the grounds of the Tucson Museum of Art. The restaurant grounds are a little strange as the dining area takes shape in separate rooms of a hundred year old housing complex. The feel is cozy, but it can take a minute to get used to. The atmosphere is of family and the same servers will greet you each time. The owner is a gracious and caring woman who stops by the tables as they dine.
Onto the food… there are really two menus: lunch and dinner. Their club is one of the best in town – delicious bread and fresh ingredients. Fresh lemonade in rotating flavors is my favorite way to wash it down. My husband likes the portobello sandwich, which has a plump mushroom and creamy goat cheese. I’m not a burger fan, but I really like the burger here. It is seasoned well and juicy on a delicious soft bun. It’s worth ordering for sure. The Rothschild sandwich is a unique and amazing sandwich stuffed with wine-​braised brisket and chipotle aioli. The meat is melt-​in-​your-​mouth tender.
Dinner is a totally different animal. A few of the selections from lunch are available, but the rotating dinner menu departs there. As the options are ever-​changing, I can only recount some of the best meals we’ve had, such as the perfectly prepared, succulent prime rib for Valentine’s Day (a package deal with wine) or the simply amazing cheese tortellini in garlic cream sauce loaded with fresh veggies. Side dishes have a habit of being simply outstanding, such as blue-​cheese polenta cakes or – my all time favorite side dish in the history of the universe – French onion potatoes au gratin. Gooey cheese and that French onion flavor pair expertly with the roasted potatoes. The flavor is rich and delicious. Oh, and start with the fried avocado appetizer paired with their spicy aioli. The avocado is sliced, coated in a seasoned and tasty batter, and fried to perfection! It’s a nice and light appetizer to start the meal!
As good as dinner is, dare I say the dessert here is the best in town. Everything is expertly made by their own pastry chef. I don’t even know what to say other than you must try the chocolate bomb, key lime *anything*, cakes, and cookies, and everything in between. As the selection rotates you will find room for new favorites alongside your tried and true loves. My husband waits for the vanilla-​cherry scones. We’ve even tried a version of that scone that was made with Sriracha, which definitely added a punch at the end of each bite! I personally love their cakes and cupcakes. Heck, we drop in just for dessert sometimes!
Overall you won’t find many places with fresh, creative, and rotating menus. Certainly not prepared and offered with such care and love. There is no equal in desserts in town. Try it!

Great breakfast!
Chill atmosphere.
Pets allowed:)
Love the outdoor area.
Wish they served breakfast all day.

I came here for dessert and a drink, and that was a fantastic choice. I ordered something that was layers of brownie and chocolate and some kind of whipped spread. It was topped with pistachios. I don’t know the name but wow. That had to be the best dessert I’ve had since a nostalgic trip to Traverse City that my boyfriend and I took years ago. My martini was exactly what a martini should be. I will definitely be back :) Also, I thought the staff was charming.

REALLY cute café décor, i’m sad this review was just for a take out experience. the ladies working are so fun & nice i can imagine dining here must be a great experience
i was craving dessert (as per usual) and asked for suggestions
—Buttermilk Berry cake: this was recommended as one of the favorites. however, it was more dense like bread pudding than fluffy like cake, it was okay, although i did like the cream cheese frosting. if you love blueberries they are generous with them in this cake
i’ve got to make it back for a dine in meal!

I was a little disappointed with my chicken sandwich: the chicken was very dry. I would have appreciated a lot more pesto on it, because it could use the moisture and the flavor. Gluten free bread was OK, though a bit heavy; the salad was creative and fresh. The menu has a lot of interesting options, so I would be willing to try other things in the future, although I’m not much of a sandwich and salad person. I definitely want to try the dinner menu.
The space of this restaurant is great, though. In addition to the gorgeous patio there are several indoor rooms of various sizes. I got to sit in a window seat full of cushions. Service is pretty good. We ordered at the counter and got a number. Food came to us. Drinks were refilled and plates cleared away at the end of the meal. Casual chic.

I am an avid fan of Café a la C’Art. I go there at least once a month for brunch or lunch. The café sits underneath a green trellis that spans the entire patio section. Inside, you’ll find tables throughout a historic adobe mansion. It’s very beautiful. Plus, you can bring your dogs.
I can’t say enough about their brunch. It’s hearty, filling, and savory. I recommend the Café Skillet, portobello sandwich, and portobello omelette. The breakfast potatoes and crispy and herby. Their desserts and pastries are a treat!
I docked a star because of two things that I’d like to change:
1) FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE GET BETTER COFFEE. It tastes bitter, burnt, watery, and just plain unpalatable. You can’t even save it with two creams and a packet of sugar. Coffee is part of everyone’s waking-​up ritual. It’s hard to get through a brunch when you’re repulsed and still half-​asleep.
2) I don’t like the extra-​virgin olive oil that is layered on the toast. It’s a really strong flavor that does not pair well with everything. Why even give us the option of strawberry jam if extra-​virgin is already on the bread? These are two competing flavors that are mutually exclusive.
I’m not usually picky, but these characteristics really throw me off everytime I visit. It makes me not want to go sometimes, because there are these two things I don’t look forward to…

New favorite place. Great happy hour. Good main dishes but also a selection of reasonably priced sandwiches /​salads.
Awesome dessert selection. Try the chocolate bomb!

very good. Im going to crave the mushroom sandwich now! too bad I don’t live near by. I will try and visit this place everytime I’m in town. The desserts are delicious too!

The absolute best thing Café a La Cart has going for it is its absolutely gorgeous patio.
Goodness, the patio is the perfect romantic later-​in-​the-​evening getaway when the nighttime temperatures hit the 60s and 70s. I have not yet come across another patio in the city that is as reverent with as much Tucson soul as this.
Love, love, love.
I have has less luck with the food.
The portions are massive. Great cost-​to-​offering ratio. But I simply have been underwelmed, whether by the simple eggs, the Arizona omelet, the skillet or salad.
Tell you what, next time I arrive I will be ordering the frittata. I hear the frittatas are golden here, dripping with all the gratifying flavor queues you seek in a brunch.

This place is cute. Full of charm especially on the back patio on a nice tucson winter afternoon (as its 73).
For food I ordered the café burger. Overall the solid beef they use is from a local farm and tasted amazing. I think they could have actually seasoned the meat just a bit more and add more than half a slice of bacon for the salt needs alone. However, I am not complaining. The food was good! I would definitely come back.
The one thing that I noticed is that there was no clear idea of whether or not there was a wait staff. So we went a bit thirsty until we figured out we had to head inside. (Still not sure about how that works).
The cake that I ordered to go is absolutely creamy and soft and oh so delightful.
So if you can brave the parking situation, stop on in. They have meters off most the streets around here.

Hidden away with an entrance at the side of the museum of art, this airy spacious café will leave you finding yourself ready to let the fat kid inside come out to gorge.
The staples they serve sound so very simple, eggs with vegetables and toast, and specials just as quaint: some varied assortment of drink with a twist or seasonal crop (it was prickly pear margaritas and pumpkin pecan pancakes for us).
The façade belies the taste, everything is exploding with flavor and savory taste but not in an overly decadent way like cup café.
I can’t wait to go back.

This place is like a hidden gem! I live in Tucson for about 5 years now and I can’t believe I never found this place before! We entered through the side street instead of through the museum. Their assortment of desserts were amazing! We had the Chocolate Raspberry cake first! (I’m a «dessert first» type of person) And for our breakfast we ordered their Café Skillet with egg whites and white toast. Absolutely delicious! The only thing keeping me from giving them 5 stars is the ginger they used in their potatoes. I personally just wasn’t fond of the taste of ginger.
Their restaurant is a very casual sit down setting; however, you do have to order your food upfront at the registers first. I would recommend sitting on their patio! Its gorgeous and serene.

I had a leisurely early lunch at Café a la C’Art today when I met up with an very old family friend who was visiting Tucson. The café itself is lovely when beautiful little dining rooms spread throughout the restaurant, each with a small amount of tables except for the larger dining room where the counter/​dessert case catches your eye.
We arrived around 11:00amish and noticed the menu said the burgers weren’t served until after 12:00pm. M was craving a burger so I double checked with the waitress on the menu notice and she said that since they weren’t terribly busy, she was sure we could still have the burgers. Lovely! My Angus burger was topped with gorgonzola and avocado and was cooked to perfection. The whole plate was beautiful along with the field greens salad. We both enjoyed the mango iced tea and managed to drink quite a bit of the tea.
We were both pretty stuffed and had to decline dessert. Based on the reviews here on Unilocal,I now realize this was a mistake. I definitely should have picked something to share. Well that will have to be on the next visit. I’m reserving that final star for that particular visit!

I adore Café a la C’Art. It is tucked inside the Tucson Museum of Art, and serves lovely food. The café is quite small and often spots a long line during lunch hours. But for some reason, I have never felt the need to rush through the line or my meal. The café feels like a natural extension of the museum itself: art is on your plate and in the air. Sandwiches are simple, and desserts are decadent. The contrast and the combination make this place a master of balance. Time seems to go a lot slower here, and one absolutely needs to have the cake AND eat it. too.
It is not one of those sandwich shops where you go to grab a meal. You go there because you feel the strong urge to keep an enormous piece of cake all to yourself, or share with someone, or steal one or two or more bites. You go there because it is a great place to have a romantic date or a work lunch. I am always amazed at how versatile the café is, for people of all ages and backgrounds. While today’s restaurant philosophy is all about aggressive marketing and provocation of the senses, you can find your inner food peace at Café a la C’art.