This review was for a dinner on December 14, 2023. Ambiance Dining at "The Monica" was reminiscent of eating at a food court in a mall, - noisy with lots of through traffic. Need I say more? The Food Keto Chicken Skewers: $11.95 Tasty, but skimpy on the chicken. Seared Ahi Tostada: $17.95 This salad was served *ice cold* which dulled what would have otherwise been a blast of flavors. The ahi was unceremoniously dumped on top of the salad into partially cut squares needing separation at the table. "Responsible" burger: $16.95 A friend who joined us had one of the burgers, which was supposed to be the responsible thing to do. The patty was cooked well done on the outside and was RAW in the middle. NOT rare, but RAW. Needless to say, he had to send it back. How hard is it cook a hamburger--responsible or not? French fries Pathetic. Limp and barely warm. Aren't French fries supposed to be hot and crispy? read more

The Monica is a quick serve place with a ton of options. As a vegan, I was able to get a tofu scramble with potatoes and chickpea soyrizo for breakfast and I really enjoyed it. My husband got an omelet and it was so huge he couldn't finish it. The place is huge and had fun games to play while you waited and some cute retail items. Nice bar as well. read more

The place is quite cute, very instagram ready. Nice patio area as well perfect for our great spring and fall weather. The food was interesting nice flavor however some of the plates were a little pricey for the portion. This is not sit down and order kind of restaurant, instead you order at the register. The service was mixed some staff members were very nice, while others made it obvious they were annoyed by a large party presence. The menu also seems to be outdated as we were told some items are no longer carried. Overall its a cute place to go with a small party, good for drinks during a brunch session (their drink menu has a pretty generous selection). The food is a fusion american meets latin, some of their items are premade so the service is pretty quick. I might give it another chance but debatable since I am all about customer service and well it did leave me lacking more than anything. read more

See all

Checked out this new place a few months ago. The outdoor space has a really nice ambiance. It would be great for brunch or happy hour. I ordered the corner market burger with fries and had a refreshing drink, the gem show. read more

The Monica - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Such a great experience! I love this restaurant because it's casual and fun. I went by myself before a concert at the Fox and it was the perfect place to go. The pizza was amazing - so crispy and the flavor combos are spectacular. The decor is so beautiful - even if you can't get a spot on their huge patio, it's open air so you feel like you're outside even when you're inside. I can't wait to go back with friends! read more

The Monica - Pepperoni and Hot Honey Pizza and the Watermelon Lime Fresca - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

The food here is not good. Over complicated food that could be good if it was so simple

I've been at the The Monica a few times and I must say, it is one of my favorite spots to study, finish up some work, or meet with some friends. Sitting in the patio area takes the reality out of downtown. It gives you a bit of peace and quiet. The concept is a bit different when ordering your food. Heading to the register feels like a cafeteria. Nothing wrong with that though You get to see some of their popular dishes. I love it!! I've gotten their salmon and The Jules burger. I highly recommend those dishes! The salmon is very filling for being a small fish. As for the burger, their patty is made with 70% grass fed beef and 30% mushroom!! It's perfect Can't wait to go back for another work session and some Prosecco! Thanks so much for the great experience! :) read more

See all

First off, let me start with their fantastic bartender, Britany. She greeted me with a great smile, provided good suggestions for food and drink, then crafted 2 marvelous cocktails for me. The first was the Prickly Pear Margarita, and the second one was the Pineapple Mojito. The flavors were great, and neither one of them were watered down (I had to knock back at least a quart of water to keep that buzz in check!). I'm not biased because of her great service, either. I tell you that because I heard 2 other people alongside the bar marvel about how great she made Margaritas. They know a well-made cocktail when they drink one too! The bar was clean, modern, open and in a great downtown location just an easy walk from the Amtrak train station downtown. Another thing that I always give props to are the restrooms. Modern private stalls for men and women are kept clean for the customers. Food-wise, Britany told me that the brunches there on the weekends were great. So, I'm going to time my next train trip there so I can jump off the Amtrak, walk over and indulge! I went during happy hour, and thought the prices were fair for going out. 2 excellent un-watered down Happy Hour cocktails, and a light, but filling chimichanga appetizer for under $25. I'm definitely making this a regular stop when I come into and head out of Tucson. You'll be really happy if you do the same. read more

Tried this spot for the first time this morning. We were greeted at the door by two very nice workers they asked if it was our first time there, they guided us through the process of ordering. one of the employees stood near us to make sure he was available for people who had questions about the ordering process. They have two ordering options. You can either order off of the window options of food or order items on the menu or both! We decided to go with the menu items, I ordered the Monica croque,a michelada with a modelo beer and my boyfriend ordered a La bandera omelette with a dulce de leche macchiato. You order, get a number and sit down anywhere you would like they have plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. The Monica croque was a croissant topped with an egg and carnitas with a side of very delicious potatoes. The portions were fair but it's not shareable. I am usually very picky with my micheladas but u was impressed on how delicious this one was made they offer two options of beer I got modelo, it was slightly spicy. My boyfriends food was a thing long slice of bread with omelette on top, soaked in three different sauces, they had a kick to it but not too spicy. It also came with a side of potatoes. The dulce de le he macchiato was very well presented and it tasted delicious it wasn't too sweet, just sweet enough!! I highly recommend this place to anyone! We payed about 45 dollars after tip which wasn't bad at all!!! read more

See all

I give The Monica a solid 3.5 for food, 4.5 for drinks, and 4.5 for decorations. Honestly I was kind of confused when I first stepped inside. I didn't realize that it was a self serve cafeteria style establishment until after I was seated for about 10 minutes. It felt rather disjointed, and I was unsure if I had to get utensils for myself vs ask a server. For the food, I had the papa and pesto pizza and a small side salad. They did have a large selection of pizzas as well as a decent menu. The pizza I got was rather greasy, but for ~$4 during happy hour, I thought it was a good deal. Otherwise, their other menu items seemed a little pricy. My friend paid $12 for three meatballs (although she did say they were pretty delicious). I think the star of the show at The Monica is the drinks and decor. It is a great place to order drinks during happy hour and sit outside with friends and chat. The atmosphere is great for that! The cocktails I ordered were nice and refreshing, and with the HH deals, I think worth it! Overall, I will probably return for the drinks but not necessarily for a whole meal. read more

The Monica - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Had a horrible service experience on Saturday night and wrote an email to management and got a refund plus an invite to come back for a dinner on the house which was unexpected and really appreciated. The food here is excellent. The appetizer of bread with goat cheese and honey is a 10. They did change the checking process so people can't just flood in and so you don't get completely missed which was an awesome improvement. we will go back again now! thank you Garret for listening to customer feedback and taking changes for the good of your customers and staff. Shout out to employee Sofia (Sophia?) she took care of us and was outstanding! read more

I have come here many times and had problems with the same bartender over and over again. she always has an attitude and has denied my passport as an ID. I am a bar manager and know that legally she has to accept it. I provided a second form of ID and she still said she wouldn't accept it. She rudely informed me that she's in charge and she's right and i'm wrong. Lost a very loyal customer just because she has a stick up her ass read more

This might be the only restaurant review I've ever written.... but I left the Monica so frustrated that I felt my experience needed to be shared. It was a busy night, but the hostess found us a table right away. We asked about bar service and were told it would be faster to go up to the bar to order rather than ordering through the app. After placing our order online, my husband stood at the bar for 10+ minutes before our order was filled. When the food came, everything that should have been hot was lukewarm or cool, including the sweet potato fries. I had ordered the roasted vegetable salad, which was supposed to have, wait for it, roasted vegetables, namely, butternut squash. What arrived was basically a chopped salad with tons of cucumber, onion, some peppers, "charred" corn (likely poured out of a bag), cheese, and sauce, but no butternut. No avocado, also listed on the menu. When I inquired with one of the sort-of servers, she was gracious and took my meal back to the chef. She returned with another serving of exactly the same thing, except a couple of avocado slices had been added to the top. Under normal circumstances, I would have refused the meal and asked for my money back. But I'd already paid, so how was I to do this? All I know was that we were out for a special meal, and pretty much everything went wrong. I'm usually up for different approaches, but the downsized service and poor presentation left me thoroughly disappointed. read more

We went for a family brunch and we really loved it! The vibe was on point! The drinks were fantastic! And the food was cooked perfectly

Cool concept and lots of beautiful indoor and outdoor dining space - easy to see why The Monica is so popular! You choose from the "pantry" (aka ready to eat food) or "plated" (ready to made food) menu and order at the counter. We came here for brunch and opted for the plated menu and grabbed a vanilla pudding from their fridge items for dessert. I had the chicken and fries - the chicken was lightly breaded with corn flour and the fries were thin cut and crunchy. My husband had the croque la monica - a southwestern twist on the croque madame made with carnitas. Overall, a solid meal! read more

The Monica - Croque de Monica - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

See all

The food seemed to be less quality than expected since people usually speaks highly of the Monica's . Maybe because we came later after 8pm. read more

The Monica - The day after Christmas at the Monica's with family from Texas - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

See all

Margarita pizza was great, service was attentive, ambiance was great. A little confusing on how to order when you first walk in.

I was expecting to be a wonderful new restaurant but the food wasn't that great. We ordered a Margherita pizza and it the cherry tomatoes were sour with too much oregano (overpowering). The dough was the only thing that saved my pizza (Barrio bread). My partner ordered a pulled pork sandwich that the cashier recommended, it was okay but the side of salad was so small that we laughed so hard the minute we saw it on our table. Service was good, atmosphere a little loud and busy. read more

See all

Just came in for a quick meal before Hassan Minhaj. This place was packed on a Thursday night. There was a musician playing in the courtyard. We lucked out & found seats at the bar, all three bar staff were kept very busy. We shared a fig & goat cheese pantry pizza and mini chimis. Both were good, but I could've totally eaten that pantry pizza on my own. read more

The Monica - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

See all

Cause everything!!!!!!!!!! #food #staff #ambience and great bar! Pantry Pizza fav I recommend to everyone!!! read more

The Monica - Girl Power Yo!!! #the Monica celebrates and supports #women and #womenshistorymonth - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

I've been here a few times for brunches. This restaurant is great for meeting with a medium sized group. I prefer to eat outside on their patio area. The food is ordered at the counter and then they bring it to you. The servers are always really nice and check in through the meal. The food I've ordered is always good but nothing amazing. Their drinks are good as well. I wish they had a bottomless option!! read more

Stayed across the street at Hotel Congress. Found The Monica and was hooked during my stay. The servers and bartenders go above and beyond. I posted up for a day doing my work. Had breakfast and lunch at the bar. Absolutely loved the ambience and food. Come hither if you're looking for a dope, casual spot! Excellent food and drinks. read more

See all

Service, as much fan fare as The Monica got before it opened, I'm so disappointed in their service procedure. You have a nice restaurant, in a great spot in dowbrown Tucson and you have to get in-line to order my food, oh please... with as many employees you have, change the darn process to a normal restaurant, once you do that, I might go back... Adios Monica!! read more

Tried for the first time on a weekend night and it was pretty busy. Food and service was awesome but kinda pricey. Rose was good! Decor inside was well done-perfect for Instagram pics! A good place for big or small groups. Street parking is limited nearby but there are also affordable parking garages nearby. read more

See all

My friends really enjoyed their pizzas, but I though the vegan burger was too salty and greasy. Aside from that though, the focaccia bread was delicious. read more

The Monica - Vegan burger - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Overall, the food I ate was great but the experience was eh. I got poblano corn soup, which arrived cold. I also got the Tucson is Melting burger and fries with a responsible burger. SUPER delicious, I would definitely eat that again. My toddler got the pepperoni pizzetta, which they brought out about 10 minutes before the rest of our food. Not helpful because that then meant he would finish eating before us and be bored. My husband wanted a chicken dish but they were sold out. He got the NY steak entree, which was cooked well done. She never asked how he wanted it cooked and it was missing the sauce. The lemonade had baby flies or gnats surrounding it and it wasn't working either. I also got a cafe de Olla tiramasu which was delicious! I liked the food but the experience wasn't great. When I asked for assistance and to offer feedback, I was met with rude altercations and like I was a bother. read more

Knowing that The Monica was a part of the Si Charro group, I was excited to try this place out! The restaurant itself is gorgeous and it looks like a great place to have lunch, work with your laptop, or play games with friends (they have games and a lounge area). It is an order-at-the-counter kind of restaurant where you get given a number for your table, and then your food is brought out to you. There is a bar in the center of the restaurant, but I went mid-week for a lunch break during work so no drinks were had. The sides they put on display in the window as you wait in line look delicious. I thought I'd be able to order some of those sides with the sandwich I wanted but it was not an option (maybe for an upgrade but it was busy and I got nervous to ask!). For the mains on the menu, it looks like your side options are fries or a spring salad. I got the short rib dip sandwich with a salad. The sandwich was delicious. It was served on a huge loaf of barrio bread, rather than sliced sandwich bread so keep that in mind if you're not into thick bread. I thought it was delicious! It's not a traditional "dip" sandwich in that you're not getting just plain ol' au jus. It's an ever-so-slightly thicker, sweeter sauce. I thought the sandwich tasted amazing with or without the dip. It has ample seating and is such a fun, airy option for lunch downtown. I enjoyed my lunch, but I was not blown away so I'll have to come back for some of the other dishes! read more

The Monica - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

See all

Super cute brunch/dinner spot. I went for brunch and was pleasantly surprised with all of the options for vegans and meat eaters. Didn't try a drink but they looked super good! read more

I think they would be better represented by a pastry chef that doesn't think dry croissants are ok to serve customers, dry and burnt croissants are not enjoyable. The lemonades are great. I wish there was as much attention to food quality as there is to visual presentation. read more

The Monica - Almond Croissant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Food is great! Setting is a vibe but - Service is terrible. I wanted to leave this review months ago when the new cook was extremely rude and condescending about a remake of an order that was wrong (and still got the order wrong after he cut me off when I asked if it was correct). But I didn't leave the review at the time, because I figured it wasn't worth it. But after today being on hold for 15 minutes to order food and then being hung up on, I rather take my business else where. I'm only one person- but I truly hope the management team reviews importance of good customer service with all employees (even when they have to have challenging conversations) and get more people to help on the phone or get online order service. And lastly - learn to be kind. read more

Fun, fast and yummy. Nice vibe, located in the heart of downtown. Outdoor seating is cool.

This restaurant is so cute! It had great service and our food came out quickly. I ordered the grilled cheese with tomato basil soup and the grilled cheese is exactly what you would want (soooo much cheese) and the side of soup was the perfect size for dipping the sandwich in (not too much, not too little). Would definitely come back. read more

The Monica - Outside seating mural - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

See all

I came back again!! But this time for a Sunday brunch. Let me just say, brunch here is stellar! I had the croque and also tried the vanilla pancakes. Both were INSANE and I will totally be returning to eat them again. Our friendly bartender Lauren also made us some awesome drinks. Overall, I've had two great experiences here and I can't wait to keep coming back. read more

The Monica - Tia's pasta - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

See all

Easily my favorite spot downtown. The breakfast burrito with bacon and avocado is my religion.

Casual breakfast/brunch spot with a bumping evening dinner/drinks scene. Open-air market with grab-and-go counter or order a hot meal to enjoy on their patio or inside. The vanilla bean pancakes (with manzanilla syrup & horchata whipped cream) were a delicious splurge. The breakfast burrito was massive and could easily have been a shared meal. Added the chickpea chorizo which was a good call. Personally, I thought the potatoes needed to be smaller. The chunks were so huge that I kept getting a potato-only bite which is honestly not what I'm here for. So a bit too much filler for me. Drip coffee was decent, and they brought out some oat milk for it from behind the bar since the self-serve station had only plain dairy and flavored creamers. Friendly staff made good recommendations. Not bad. read more

Too crowded and waiters don't take your orders you have to order at the cashier. Some people were getting full service from waiters but not my wife and I!! read more

This place has potential. The food is average. This is like a cafeteria. You pick up your food and fend for yourself after. Not to mention me and my friends used the scan and pay & ordered alcoholic beverages and they didn't ID us. My friend orders another drink & the manager comes to ask for his ID. I simply said "that's weird" as the manager walks away and the manager turns around very confrontational to ask me what I said. Will never recommend this place. read more

We arrived on Mother's Day to enjoy their brunch menu and while it was extremely busy, the wait wasn't that bad at all. In fact when you weigh the 25 minute wait versus the quality of the food, well it was absolutely worth it and then some. The entire staff, for as busy as they were was smiling, attentive and greeting everyone with a happy mother's day! Now to the food, boy it was delicious. Today we had a Vanilla Pancake breakfast, the Tamales Egg Benedict, their Pozole Rojo and their 40 East eggs. Each dish was delivered hot and looked delicious. Turns out looks are not deceiving, each dish was tasty and left you ready for the next bite. Starting with the pancakes, the Vanilla stands out but isn't overbearing on the flavor and just tastes awesome. The Tamale Egg Benedict was in my opinion one of the best egg benedict dishes I've had in town and was amazing. Now the Pozole Rojo, that was perfection.. it was cooked long enough to just bring all of the flavors together and make the chunks of pork just melt in your mouth. The only thing here is I should have ordered the tortillas with it or add a second slice of bread... Because either way it was the star of the show for me. Ultimately the food and the ambiance make the place a standout in Tucson but the added touches on their Bloody Mary Bar, the presentation of each dish all contributed to another wonderful visit. And today they added an additional gesture of every mother receiving a fresh cut rose... Now that is classy to say the least and we will be back! read more

See all

Worst service ever, never even got a table. I've been here many times and it doesn't not make up for the worst service I've ever experience in Tucson as a local. read more

Wide array of modern food choices served by friendly staff, in an attractive setting. I had a spicy chicken sandwich a bowl of corn poblano soup, both of which were great. Highly recommend this place! read more