There is one reason that I have always found dating to be so exciting: an excuse to eat. The best way to get to know someone is over good conversation, a little wine, and a delicious meal. That’s why I’m here. Tucson is rich of unique, one-of-a-kind restaurants and it would be a shame if every date night dinner you shared with your significant other was at the local pizza joint down the street. Pizza is good, but not that good. My goal is to locate these potential date night spots so that all you and your man have to do is jump in the car and go.
A typical date night could be grabbing ice cream at a place down the road or just the usual dinner. But why not do both at the same place? Yes, the same place! You can do just that at Hub Restaurant and Ice Creamery located in Downtown Tucson. As soon as you walk in, a cheery hostess greets you with a smile and you are instantly overcome with the unique and stunning décor. The floor to ceiling brick walls, worn wooden floors, and tufted grey booths create an urban feel. While waiting for a table, a welcoming lounge and bar area provides seating where you can easily order a drink and an appetizer before being seated. And trust me, you will definitely want to order an appetizer. You can start off with anything from wings to antipasta skewers, which are made up of pastrami, green olives, fresh mozzarella, and spinach. The table next to me ordered the bacon ranch fries and I instantly filled up with regret as my mouth began to water at the very sight of them.
For my main course, I ordered the Tuna Noodle, which is seared ahi tuna, pearl onions, peas, and carrots on a bed of orecchiette pasta with a creamy butter and wine sauce. It was delicious! One of my roommates ordered their classic hot dog, which was served with fries and my other roommate ordered the salmon, which was served with rice pilaf, vegetables, and lemon garlic butter. Excuse my poor manners, but I was that girl who picked at their plates at every opportune moment, so I can assure you that their meals were tasty as well. I promise I don’t do that when I’m the one on a date! What I loved most about this menu is that not only was their a large selection to choose from, but the prices are extremely reasonable! The most expensive item on the menu is 15 dollars.
Here comes the best part: ice cream! In the middle of the restaurant you can find a case full of ice cream flavors that I didn’t even know were possible or edible. And don’t worry- you can test as many flavors as you want. I know this, because I did. They have flavors from Birthday Party to Blood Orange Sorbet, White Chocolate Razz Cherry to Honey Ginger, Banana Butterfinger to Chai Latte. After testing about 15 different flavors, I ended up with choosing the Oatmeal Cookie Dough and S’mores. Best combination ever.
Hub Restaurant and Ice Creamery is located at 266 E. Congress Street and is open for lunch and dinner. Their business hours are Sunday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to close and Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. And most importantly, Happy Hour starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. where you can get draft beer for four dollars and draft wine for six dollars. Enjoy and happy eating!
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Arizona chapter.