We really enjoyed this cafe! The service was great the food too! Watched the Daytona 500 race on one of the five or more screens...fun place! read more

We go to Tuscon twice a year. We had tried Hit Rids in the past and thought their service and food was dreadful. We vowed to never go there again. However, on our recent visit we were told that they were under new management. So we decided to give them one last try. We were not disappointed. The food and service was great. Well done Hot Rods. read more

Cool joint. A lot of fun. The food was good, the portions were huge! Fun place for the family.

It's a bar. They serve alcohol and bar food. If you go into it knowing that you're at a bar, and the food is just good bar food, you'll be satisfied.... Calm down people. Have a cold beer. Sit back and relax. Enjoy the cool cars and cool atmosphere... I think Hot Rods is a nice addition to the community... You just have to stop comparing it to Chilis or Applebee's. read more

Food is good but the waiters are inattentive and act like they've got better things to do. Not sure if I will be back any time soon.

Actually quite upset with Hot Rods. There was a car show last night for a 13 year olds birthday and it's obviously busy of course and we had a big table but our service was terrible. We were all so hungry and we waited almost an hour for our food and at that point we weren't even hungry anymore. The kids that were with us should have gotten their food first but they came afterwards. To make matters worst my boyfriend either left his debit card in one of the check folders (the folder they give you with the receipt) or the waitress never gave it to him. My boyfriend has been trying to find out if his debit card is there and he keeps getting the run around, either the manager is in a "meeting" or they keep telling him they will look and call back. So, not only was our service terrible but we have a missing debit card... YAY! We will not be going back. Oh and it's a little pricey for the mediocre food you'll get. So not worth the money. ***********UPDATE******** After a few hours of calling them..They did in fact have my boyfriends debit card, so my boyfriend drove 45 minutes to HotRods and we didn't get a sorry for the inconvenience or anything, they handed it to him and walked away. So needless to say HotRods will not be getting anymore business from my family, friends and I. read more

One star is generous. For such a nice concept it was one disappointment after another on our first and only visit here. Food was cold and mediocre at best. Service was slow and servers were indifferent. Place was dirty and no soap in restroom. Will not ever be back. read more

We had been meaning to try this place for a while. Went upstairs and enjoyed the sunset on the patio. Her burger was cooked as ordered. I tried the fish, which was done in a nice beer batter. Service was friendly and the place is unique. We will return ! read more

Such a fun dining room experience, old cars being restored and a road painted on the floor, dirt bikes and race car seats decorating. Great bar area, and great dining room. Staff is very friendly and a great place to watch a game with friends. I always feel like we are getting a steal when the bill comes. The portions are generous, the prices are reasonable and the food has never been less than great. I usually get one of their huge salads and the kids always have leftovers from the kids meal. Great family place. read more

I'm here at bike night and one girl is bar tending and serving I couldn't even get a beer. I blame management. I waited for quite a long time and couldn't get served. Get it together read more

We are a casual classic car club from the Sierra Vista and Benson area. We cruised to Hotrods Old Vail on Saturday, Dec. 1 for a group lunch. We had called ahead to be sure our group could be accommodated. When we arrived, we were greeted in most friendly way and escorted to our table for 18, located right at the window into the shop. The wait staff were all friendly, efficient and attentive. Our orders were taken in a timely manner, and our food arrived in good time. Our members ordered burgers, sandwiches and salads, and all got great reviews. We felt comfortable lingering at our table for awhile after eating. And to top it all off, each classic car driver (we had 10 cars) received a complimentary Hotrods t-shirt! Thanks to all at Hotrods Old Vail, and to the manager JJ, for making our holiday lunch cruise a real success! We'll be back again! read more

Went to hotrods recently for the bike show, loved the music playing outside, the food was good as were the drinks! A little expensive, but overall a nice way to spend a night! read more

What a hidden Gem!!! Good food and you can watch a working custom shop! Dance floor upstairs for adult entertainment at night! Very cool!

Tried Hotrods again, still not impressed. Overpriced food, small portioned, bland and tasteless.

Great looking place with friendly staff. We ordered the sampler appetizer platter, the potato skins were hard as rocks, chicken wings and fried pickles were cold. Also had the BLT and the bacon was really burnt. So if your going there for a beer it's a really cool place to hang at the bar and look at the hot rod garage, but I'll never eat there again which is a shame since we live really close and we're excited to have a restaurant in town. read more

Heard it was a cool place with good food..... It was a cool place. Took a while to get seated when they had open tables. Food took forever to come out, and when it did the burgers were well done not medium, the bread was hard as a rock on top of the burgers. The Ruben was the size of a pb&j and I was told I couldn't have half turkey and half pastrami because the kitchen was so behind. The fresh fruit had freezer burn, the potato salad was warm and not tasty. We were really disappointed, not sure if a second visit will be made. read more

Was there for the second time tonight and once again terrible service. Bald trashy server dude refused my Mexican passport after asking for it to eat. First time that's ever happened to me throughout the US and even foreign countries. I mean common I travel with that, its an international form of ID. Ridiculous. Never again ! read more

Admire the entrepreneurial spirit of this place to try something new with a unique theme but if the food isn't any good what is the point. Any golf course grill and most company cafeterias offer better food. My "hatch green chili" burger had diced, canned, and not from Hatch NM chilies nor did it have pepper jack cheese as promised. Wife asked about the fresh fruit side, as in what kind of fruit is it, and the waitress proudly proclaimed that it was cut up fresh yesterday! She was right! It looked just like the stuff in Tupperware the day after the party. We gave it a second chance today after a disappointing experience when they opened. I doubt there will be another visit read more

Just stopped in on a cruise to Tombstone. The crew here was really accommodating to our large party! Food and cocktails were great too! The bar server was awesome! read more

Pretty solid food with amazing staff. Good waiter as well. The bartender also gave my little 2year old bro a candy cane and one of the staff gave us a stuffed animal. read more

I had read about this place in the paper and told my husband that we needed to go there. It is a restaurant that is all about food and the automotive world. Service was great and so was the food. While you are eating your meal you can watch the mechanics working on restoration and custom projects. The shop manager stopped by our table and answered all of our many questions. Highly recommend a visit. read more

Bad food, bad service. Waited an hour for our food then when it came the sides were missing and they forgot to make my brothers girlfriends food so she got to sit and watch everyone else eat. By the time they brought the missing sides we were already done and couldn't wait to get out of there. That's not the end because i was up all night hugging the toilet relieving myself of that horrible burger from both ends literally! D not waste your time and money, this place is a joke! read more

This place has been mediocre since It opened but things look like they might be turning around. They have started new BBQ menu items and it is the best BBQ I have ever eaten. Super smokey flavor with great sauce. There is a new manager there that has brought Carolina BBQ to Tucson! Keep up the great work read more

My rueben had no sauerkraut, Neither did my grandpas. The atmosphere is cool but they never have cars in the shop for anyone to watch (this is my third time here and I've never seen a car). Also I waited 20 minutes for my food to arrive because they were "behind" yet there is only 7 people here in the dining area. This place is an example of the saying "well, it looked good on paper..." read more

I recently visited this place. I really like the atmosphere and how unique it is. This will be my second time and found it to be ok. The service is pretty slow, but it isn't bad service. The food is mediocre. It isn't too bad, but not the best. I would visit again if I was in the area, but I rarely am out by the east side. read more

Love their gluten free options and tasty salads and fries too. The guys always love the Mac n cheese big portions and watching what is being restored . Very convenient location read more

Mediocre service, waited at the entrance for easily 5 minutes before a hostess sat us. I could understand if we had went at prime time hours or if it were even busy for that matter. Asked for a medium well burger and got a burnt burger and it was well done. The manager needs to learn how to schedule or take some of the load off of his few employees he had scheduled. read more

My family, friends and I have been to Hot Rods more times than I can count. We eat out a ton and when we want to stay close by this is the spot. I have read many of the reviews here and mainly chuckle. First off you can't please everyone, that's a given. Secondly its a hot rod bar then a restaurant. Before I get started eat the shrimp poppers, just do! I started working in the food industry at 14 and moved up to cooking in the finest restaurants in Tucson, most are closed now unfortunately. The food here isn't the greatest in Southern Arizona but it has a cool vibe and I have never had a terrible experience. Sometimes we get servers that you can tell are new to their job but that's no reason to complain, they all have to start out somewhere and from someone with a food service back ground I can understand, you just need to be a little more patient. I am no longer in the service industry because customers are too damn rude and just all around a pain. As I said before I worked in some amazing restaurants and even there no matter how perfectly the food was prepared and presented people still found some reason to complain. Yeah sometimes employees have a off night, maybe lost a pet, a loved one, had a break up or just felt like crap and your dining experience wasn't perfect. Customers never even give that a second thought, its just about them. I will stop because I could go on forever. Just remember that this is a bar and they serve pretty decent food, if your food is over cooked or you don't like it let your server know nicely and you will be taken care of. Get a attitude and well good luck. I hope this place takes off like crazy and franchises start popping up, its super cool and laid back. As far as the mechanic shop side goes, I'm not sure many of the people posting here have even have service done here, nor have I. I do all of my own automotive work and also restore classic trucks and bikes so I have no need for their services but I have seen some sweet builds come out of the shop. Read the reviews, be a tad more human and give them a shot. I have been to some supposedly terrible places (according to pissed off complaints) and had a excellent meal and service. We all now the old saying "you can't judge a book by its cover", same goes for all the poor ratings here. read more

This place is fantastic....we have been going there regularly now and it seems they are improving service, food, and even the beer (colder). We typically go with a group and sit upstairs...Alex is a great barkeep/server. They have live music on Saturday nights....staring at 9 PM. read more

We have been here a few times and always had a good time. It is open late and the only place in the Rita Ranch area that has a bar that is open late. They have plenty of seating inside and outside. read more

We go to hot rods from time to time throughout the year and this I have to say is the worst experience we have had. The food was great the portion sizes were great, however when you have to go up to the bar to get your own drinks because the waitress won't come check on you that's when the service turns bad. Now don't get me wrong I understand that when you have a table full of people drinking you really want to go check on them as often as possible because obviously the more they drink the more they spend, but I'm sitting there were 2 3 year-olds and my wife and we had to go up more than once to get our drinks. The first time I can understand you're busy the second time that's when we realized that we were being ignored. read more

Great place, new management and my server Kayla was awesome!! Had shrimp poppers and the kids had amazing chicken strips - came with 5 large ones! read more

Hotrods Old Vail - American Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

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Great idea and good location. That being said, the food was barely warm and flavors were not there. Located on the southwest border you would expect a bit more flavor out of their food. Checked the garage for new and exciting projects and was disappointed when I saw no work being done and absolutely no Hot Rods in the shop. With the exception of the muscle cars and bikes driven by the customers, the name didn't seem to live up to its expectations. I truly hope they bring it up to a new level. This side of Tucson, we really need some cool businesses to thrive. read more

I've always experienced terrible wait times and service the times I've been here.. and the food was just ok..

What a great concept! As a car guy I was excited when I walked in for the first time. Velocity car shows on the TVs, a great view of a real restoration shop, and lots of NASCAR memorabilia everywhere. Unfortunately as a restaurant it is horrible. Waited well over an hour at the table sipping free soft drink refills when our waitress finally admitted that the kitchen is under staffed and it will be a long wait. She brought complementary chips and salsa which were stale. Thirty minutes later and no food, no more drink refills, and no waitress updates. I noticed that the tables around me were also waiting and waiting on food, with some people just walking out. We decided to leave $9 on the table and bail out as our car was in a show and judging had begun. Not sure how the place stays in business as a restaurant as my car show colleagues had warned me that the restaurant was really bad. I'm so disappointed because I really like the concept. read more

I really did enjoy the atmosphere and the food was delicious. However, the noise level just was SO high after a while I just couldn't take it anymore. Our service was extra long, but we did hit the peak time. Hopefully this is just growing pains that will work itself out. read more

This was our third visit in the one year Hotrods has been open. Our initial visit shortly after their grand opening was a little disappointing. Our sandwiches and fries were below average in taste and small in portion. Our second visit was about six months later to try their breakfast and it was pretty good. Again, the portions was small but this time they were enough to satisfy us. Our third visit was today and I ordered the wrap which had grilled chicken, bacon, jack cheese, romaine lettuce, ranch dressing, tomato wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. It was ok and I couldn't figure out what was missing that it didn't taste good considering all the yummy ingredients. I never figured it out and just ate it. I chose fries as my side and they were a little undercooked but not enough to send them back. My love ordered the bbq brisket sandwich which was the daily special. It was delicious! And, his onion rings were very good. As for the service, on all our three visits, it was slow and the restaurant was less than half full. AND, there is always people waiting to be seated when there are empty tables! Doesn't make sense! We will go back because the food is decent and because it's one of the few choices in the Rita Ranch area. read more

We love Hotrods! The service was slow when they opened but they pulled it together. The food is good and the atmosphere is great. It is super fun to watch them work on cars. read more

This place is a great place for the family! The atmosphere is fun with the view of the hotrods in the garage and the cool decor. The food is all really fresh and tasty. My hubby loves the pizza, which has the cheese that strings for miles. You don't see that on very many pizzas anymore... The sandwiches are pretty amazing. I like the tacos. They fry up the crispy taco shells fresh and it's obvious. The Mac and Cheese on the kids menu is actually fresh mac and cheese and not something out of a box with powdered or pasty cheese product. I'm a fried pickle eater, so if they're on the menu I'm going to order them...I can't help it. I love the fried pickles at Hotrods. The only complaint that I have is that they don't have a beer menu for patrons. This would be a helpful addition. read more

Saturday night, walk in wait 30 min. Seated at table with napkins on floor, waited over one hour for dinner. Both rest rooms with paper towels running over. They never even tried to pick up mess. Food was good. read more