cup cafe

john dillinger is turning over in his grave. the last time i went to hotel congress, unfortunately i had a bad experience with the creole dish. this time, besides getting potatoes that weren't cooked enough and bacon that was too fatty & greasy, and when you're having trouble just getting acupof decaf coffee with steamed milk (which was sent back 3 times and still not right, even though i paid for 3 extra espresso shots), you really don't want to complain about the potatoes or the bacon. the omelet, too, was more or less scrambled eggs, with little pieces of bell peppers & chilies, which i paid extra for. don't you just hate miniscule pieces of anything?

the waitress was nice enough but obviously too busy. she may have been the only waitress for both inside and out. if there was another one, i didn't see her. and she couldn't remember to bring me an orange juice. so it wasn't a very good experience. she did refund me on the coffee that i had already got. but with my former experiences at hotel congress, it's always hit or miss on most of the items. i don't think there is enough quality control. the fish & chips i got there once was mostly bread crumbs and little fish inside. i think this was my last visit to hotel congress, unless they do some advertising and say "under new management."

sunday brunch is excellent. we ordered: warm brie sandwich, cast iron baked eggs (x2), huevos rancheros and all were fabulous.

the special limeade was also bueno.


-----23 jul, 2011-----

we have known christina perri since she was an undiscovered waitress at montesano bros. the second stop of her nationwide headlining tour was club congress. before her show we tried thecupcafe.

i tried the special pomegranate mojito and it was perhaps the worst drink i have ever experienced.

the thompson automatics (chicken blue cheese egg rolls with celery root salad) was interesting and tasty. nice spicy zing.


-----14 jan, 2011-----

before the marianne dissard.... show we visited. all the tables were taken so we were offered a table outside under a heater but it was still too cold to linger for long. we had drinks and fabulous tortilla soup and some great chocolate cake.

teased us. we'll be going back for the complete menu.

best breakfast in tucson. in general, the hotel congress is full of rich history and stories, but thecupcafe adds an additional spoon of sugar.
the service was attentive and friendly, the pricing was fair and reasonable, and the food was fresh and delicious. you cannot go wrong with breakfast at this place, regardless if you don't like the often stereotyped "hipster" atmosphere. give it a try if you're downtown.

still good....cupcafe has been here forever. i like it now almost as much as i liked it 20 years ago. the food is not off the charts, but it satisfies. it's great to sit out on the patio when the weather is not too hot.

one of my favorites!. i love thecupcafe! anytime of the day or night!

sitting in the window ofcupcafe with acupof double chocolate pudding watching the sun peek over the catalina mountains was just delightful. i can’t think of many nicer ways to start a day. it will be a {very} long time before i forget my first big breakfast adventure in tucson.

harkening to said glory days, the cocktail menu at thecupfeatures specialty cocktails such as dillinger sidecar, and public enemy no. 1, but the el camino is what called out to me.

a sentimental favorite.. creative, fresh food out of a pirate kitchen. i am biased -- i had the great pleasure to work in that kitchen for taelyn lang back in 2004-5. i loved cooking there, and the fun the cooks have is reflected in the great food. not for nothing is this place known across the country -- i get lots of questions from strangers when i wear mycupcafe t-shirt, in places as diverse as portland and vancouver bc, kansas city and boston.

on our last night in tucson, we went to thecupcafe at hotel congress in downtown for drinks and dinner. hotel congress is a really cool place, with funky decorations and dark, private nooks scattered about. built in 1919, john dillinger & his crew hung

went to thecupcafe with a couple of friends before catching a show at club congress. the angus burgers are some of the best burgers that we have tasted. the service was attentive but not obtrusive.

started out good. our first trip tocupcafe started out promising but left us with a mixed review. we started out with two great cocktails, one being the mexican ice water and an appetizer of brie, roasted garlic and fresh cut apples. all were very good. for the main course i ordered a seafood dish that boasted to be slow cooked calamari, prawns and scallops served over risotto. now while i admit to being a tough critic when it comes to risotto, this was very disappointing. it was bland at best and left a lot to be desired. the seafood was not much better and lacked much if any taste. my spouse had the lamb also served over risotto and although he did like the lamb he had the same reaction with his risotto. i don't think we will be back, just to far to drive for so so food.