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    Nex

    4.5 (27 reviews)
    Open 4:00 pm - 1:00 am (Next day)
    Updated 1 month ago

    Nex Reservations

    Order Nex Takeout or Delivery

    Nex Photos

    NEX ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Intimate
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Nex

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    Reviews With Photos

    A V.

    We originally planned on going to Forbes Meat Company yesterday, but downtown Tucson was an absolute mess (as usual). Several roads were closed, maybe for a graduation or some other event, and parking was a nightmare. After driving around for a while, we finally ended up at NEX instead. We were planning on getting the steak frites at Forbes, so we decided to order the same thing here and do our own little comparison. NEX did not disappoint! I'm counting calories right now, so I swapped out the fries for the carrots. There was a small upcharge, but that's okay. I was expecting a pile of diced carrots, but what arrived was much more interesting. The carrots were served over a light white sauce that reminded me a little of goat cheese, but much lighter and smoother. There were roasted carrots along with what I think were crispy fried carrot shavings on top. It was a really cool dish. I'm not entirely convinced I saved any calories, but it was delicious nonetheless. My fiancée got the regular fries, and here's my recommendation: ASK FOR THEM EXTRA CRISPY. Trust me. Unless you're one of those people who doesn't like crispy fries. If that's the case, I hope our paths never cross. I was genuinely surprised by how well the steak paired with that white sauce from the carrots. It worked way better than I expected. Even the manager stopped by the table and said he was going to try that combination himself next time. As for the steak, we ordered it medium rare. Most of it was cooked perfectly, though there were a couple spots that were a little too rare for my liking. I put on my big-boy pants and powered through it, and it was still a very good steak overall. Great food, friendly staff, and a fun surprise when our original plans fell through. We'll definitely be back! We also got the POKE tostada. that was decent.

    Delicious Steak Frites - medium ($35) 5/2026
    Mike S.

    This was one of the biggest disappointments in quite some time. I had gotten us Sat night concert tickets at the Fox and she wanted to buy dinner for us beforehand. It was commencement wknd but she had secured 5:30 reservations a week earlier. Upon arrival our 2-top was the only open table and we were seated on time. So far an outstanding start. For those familiar (and missing) Ermanos like us, the inside is 95% unchanged. The host explained that their goal was to recycle as much as possible. He added that refabbing historical sites is a bureaucratic nightmare. Our waiter was witty and personable. We ordered the Brussels Sprouts ($14) and their Old Fashioned ($16) and Cucumber Crown ($14). Here is where the first wave of disappointments hit. The OF was too sweet (demerara syrup) causing it to lose its characteristic bite. And the latter was too weak to provide the "crisp relief" it self touts - weak in both alcohol and in any noticeable cucumber/citrus "relief." The Brussels arrived crisp but barely room temperature. Even the mini cast iron was barely warm (we could hold the pan in the palm of our hand). We were also not provided appetizer plates so we hockey-pucked the little pan back/forth. I decided to mention the tepid appetizer and he earnestly apologized and would bring it to the kitchen's attention for future benefit, but that was it. On a bright note, we were unaware of their happy hour (4-6p) which knocked $3 off of each drink and $4 off the Brussels. After an unusually long delay our waiter returned to take our entree orders but sadly they were already out of her first choice (at 5:30p?): the super intriguing Squash Mole Pasta. She pivoted to the standard Steak Frites ($35) and I made the leap for the ($50) Short Rib. Food arrived within 10-12 minutes... but again(!) both entrees were just barely above room temp. Her steak was almost "cold." It had a good sear and the inside was her requested "medium" so the steak must have either been "rested" for too long by the cooks or by the delayed wait staff. The Short Rib was the biggest disappointment though. It is my go-to in any restaurant so I am well familiar with this cut. As the pics show, it looked pale, as if merely poached or boiled. The meat was tough whereas normally it should be fall-apart-tender. Moreover, it appears to have not (yet?) been trimmed because it ended up being about 1/3 gristle, veins, and large pieces of fat (see pic). There is no way this could have been the finished short rib... especially at $50. The bed of grits that it sat on were properly cooked, but again, just luke warm, almost cold. We were both famished and had a concert schedule to keep so we didn't mention this to our waiter, especially after the non-solution to the whole Brussels experience. We had time for dessert and had spotted the Mexican chocolate cake. At $16 for a single slice we were intrigued. After about 15 minutes we caught our waiter passing by and asked if everything was ok. His eyes briefly widened and he said he would check on dessert. He returned moments later and said they're making it. Another 10 minutes went by and I simply caught the eye of our waiter again and shrugged. Without going to the kitchen he politely repeated that they were making it. About 5 minutes later a beautifully crafted cake with the two described creme's (corn chantilly and choc mousse) arrived. The cake was warm and had a subtle crunch to the edge. In hindsight perhaps it was baking? but if that was the case you HAVE to tell your dinner guests the nature and length of the delay and/or comp them a drink or... something! 25 minutes in limbo at this level is unacceptable. The dessert itself was a mixed bag - the cake was exceptionally dry for some reason and could truly benefit from a half-cup of light olive oil in the mix. It's warmth (hopefully not by accident of circumstance) was a nice surprise and blended symbiotically with the two creme's - the corn/chantilly was excellent, almost a subtle ube flavor, but scant in quantity. The mousse was deep chocolate with just the right bitter/sweet balance... and ample to rescue the dry cake. The bill took another 15 minutes (not an issue as we had set aside 2 hours for our pre-concert dinner) but we did want to walk to the Fox (5 blocks) with time to pause here/there. The final "miss" by this newer restaurant was the bill. Though minor in comparison to the really disastrous food errors, the cake was charged as $17 (I didn't catch that until reviewing the details to write this review). Oh and bear in mind, the handheld checkout device will INCLUDE tax as part of your pre-tipping total. It is really difficult for me to give less than 4 stars and viewing my history one can see that to be verified. However, this experience was demonstrably bad, on multiple metrics, particularly given this $150 price point for two. Tucson has become a wonderfully competitive culinary hotbed in that range. As a result, there are many better options.

    Dee P.

    This restaurant popped up on my IG feed and was immediately added onto my want to eat list. I went here for a late birthday dinner with my dad and we had a delicious meal. We ordered drinks and got the downtown wings with a dry rub and buffalo sauce (both versions were tasty but buffalo sauce will always be my boo), the Atlantic salmon and the steak frites. Everything was delicious! Our server was great- stellar personality- and provided great service. One of the better restaurants I've eaten at downtown and would absolutely both recommend and return.

    Mother's Day sweet treat ^_^
    sian t.

    Stop by after kids concert this Saturday noon. Not very busy. The inside is neat, clean and pretty big. Awesome food & drink. Great service. My husband like their tres leches, the bread is soft and fluffy. I ordered downtown wings. I like the dry rubs..it's chrispy outside, tender and tasty inside. And it comes with some kind of pickled vegs that is very good! My daughter love the kids mac and cheese...she said "very delicious" And the french fries is chrispy with enough saltines and have a bit garlic flavor...yummy! And I got a very pleasant surprise, because tomorrow is Mother's day, the chef gives me a delicious sweet treat . Thank you!! Bit tricky with the parking, but it's very understandable because it's in downtown area.

    Vegan steak and lions main mushroom
    Clare M.

    Came for the vegan steak! And glad we did. Also had the lions main mushroom on the side. So good. The steak was flavorful and a great steak like texture. The steak isn't on the menu, I wish it was. But they knew exactly what I was asking for. Vegan options were marked clearly in the menu. A great vibe and great service. Pricy but worth it. Sit by the window for nice lighting. The bar is also really nice.

    Ashley C.

    I was really disappointed by this restaurant. Upon glancing at it online, I thought it was this was a new really nice restaurant. Had I researched it a little bit more, I would have noticed it was on fourth Ave... which isn't a dealbreaker, but it did make me a little bit skeptical about the type of restaurant it was. My husband and I chose to go to this restaurant on the day that Arizona was playing the final four game... meaning all the TVs were tuned into that game, and people were OUT downtown. They have both a patio in the front of their restaurant as well as one towards the back, which was nice since that one is a little more private. It also has TVs out there. Our server was really kind and the best part of our experience. We tried to order a few things which were all sold out that night including the tuna Crudo. We ended up getting the Elote salad and the Nex burger. Both were lack luster . The burger bun was very dry and the burger itself was reminiscent of a basic burger you might get at a free neighborhood event.. definitely NOT a burger you would pay $21 for. I expected the salad to have this a elote spin on it, including the taste. However, it was a basic salad with some corn in it. Online, this restaurant comes across as a fine dining experience. The prices are also reflective of more quality food. However, in reality that is not the experience. The experience is more like your average American food/bar college quick stop . The $88 total (before tip) that we paid did not seem to be representative of the actual food we received (a burger, a salad, and two orders of 6piece wings).

    Nex Burger
    Jim J.

    Got here in time for the Late Night Menu ordered the Nex Burger and Brussels! Asked for the double patty! Filling and tasty! Ambience is great! Blasting 90s hip hop! Washed it down with an iced cold Coke Zero!

    N F.

    Chris, Amanda and Angie were amazing! We stopped by on St. Patrick's which i'm sure was busy enough and they all still provided fantastic service and were just cool in general! Chris made our group the BEST drinks ever and the atmosphere was just amazing can't wait to come back!

    Tasty champagne!

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    2 months ago

    Ryan was great! Cocktails were amazing! Poke tostada is delicious. Service was great! Cool vibe!

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    4 months ago

    Delicious food and the drinks oh my God fantastic! I had the steak frites and the old fashioned.

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    3 months ago

    the food was fantastic and the service was great i will be going back again with my friends

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    Ask the Community - Nex

    Is this where ermamos was?

    Yes... and we wish it was still Ermanos Lol

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Unicorn Zebra

    Unicorn Zebra

    4.4
    (29 reviews)
    0.4 mi

    I'm happy to have finally gotten a chance to visit Unicorn Zebra since it's been on my list from…read morethe time they opened. It's a fun and also elegant atmosphere with the zebra theme clearly exemplified across the space. I would have to say this is one of the coziest bars I've been to, the furniture and seating is really supportive of a long-term visit. There are other levels, lower and an upper level besides the main space, but be aware that if there are parties, they can typically take up different areas. Our bartender, Sarah was fantastic! The way that she handled all of the guests and the busy field was incredible, so calm and collected, and furthermore making some really incredible drinks. Heads up that the online drink menu is not the current drink menu, I couldn't remember all the names of our drinks and put those in the photo captions, so when I checked on the website, the menu was showing something different other than what I saw at the bar. Out of several places I've been to, I'd say the mixture of flavors and details in the drinks are quite unique. I'll be back for more one day

    It remains a favorite, alas no more a secret. We were hankering for a spontaneous post-ATC-theater…read moredrink and this venue popped back into my head. Same charms, different bartender, and new summer (May) craft cocktails that have become quite substantial (see pic of double-sided menu). Though we arrived at 4:10 (right after their usual 4p opening) on a Saturday, no happy hour, but we were first patrons and grabbed the big bay window. We are both on a mezcal discovery kick and ordered the Black Cathedral ($16) and the Girl Dinner ($16). Each was as described (pic) and delicious. We had dinner plans and needed to leave at 5:15 - just as things were picking up. We'll definitely be back sooner.

    Photos
    Inside seating
    Inside seating
    The interior of the bar
    The interior of the bar
    Unicorn Zebra

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    Nex - speakeasies - Updated July 2026

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