Maynards Kitchen & Bottle Shop - Tucson, Arizona

Victoria S.

Pros: The roasted beet appetizer ($13) was great -- the beets were silky and the flavors were strong and went together nicely. The cocktails we got (City Slicker and Harvest Moon, both $15) were also flavorful and fun. The service was consistently amazing -- our waitress was helpful, knowledgeable, and attentive without hovering. The atmosphere inside the restaurant was nice.

Cons: Unfortunately, almost everything else was mid. And it was way too expensive for almost everything to be mid. The beef tartare ($22) had a pretty good flavor and texture but came with the limpest French fries I've ever eaten. The oysters were $4.50 each, tiny, and generically fishy (though, to be fair, they had a great texture). The amuse bouche (complimentary) was a mealy, watery tomato over a grocery-store quality focaccia.

We got two entrees: the seared divers scallops ($43) and the mushroom steak with mole ($27). All three of the scallops were cooked well, but there was no seared crust on any of them and they were very salty. The mushroom steak itself had a good flavor and bite, but the mole was uninspiring and the accompanying squash was undercooked and unseasoned. Like, raw pumpkin.

But man. The dessert was so bad that it was funny. Maybe that's on us for getting a $12 deconstructed "cookies and milk" dessert, but even so. The "cookie milk" was the most offensive -- a generous pour of sour-smelling, clotting, unflavored milk. I got a chunk of soft floating milk fat in my last sip. We did not finish the milk. They definitely did something to it, but it didn't taste like cookies or anything. The "cookies" were a comically large pile of fine crumbs. Eating them was strongly reminiscent of the end of a nature valley granola bar, in both flavor and texture. The cookie was? Maybe a generic shortbread? The crumbs were paired with the tiniest smear of chocolate cremoso imaginable. This had a sad puddle of olive oil and some flaky salt on it. It was basically a tablespoon of pretty good chocolate ganache on the side of a mountain of, again, shortbread(?) cookie crumbs.

We initially tried to sit outside, but there were loud (LOUD) trains going by every 3-7 minutes, 30 feet from the entire outdoor dining area. You could not hear the person across from you. In their defense, they moved us inside promptly and graciously as soon as we asked to move.

Anyway, we used a gift card and had a good time laughing at the dessert. We won't be back unless someone else is paying and set on going here and nowhere else.

Jason B.

First time having dinner, make a note reservations are always best. We sat upstairs, very fancy, l felt a bit underdressed. Didn't really know what to expect, and when the host asks if you have questions, you should ask. I had the duck breast with root vegetables, it was delicious. My one friend had the chicken, and another friend had the mushroom risotto. Now when they said, "Would you like to add scallops?", they didn't say you would be paying 9.00 for each scallop. It should have said "each" on the menu. She said they were delicious, but it was a shock when the check arrived. We did receive a free mini panacotta before the meal and also had some roasted brussel sprouts. All and all it was delicious.

Juan M. R.

“We celebrated New Year’s Eve 2023 with dinner here and returned for a late dinner on Christmas Eve 2024. This place is truly unique in Tucson with a fantastic menu—everything is always excellent. The staff is welcoming and attentive, making it perfect for a romantic date night or even just enjoying drinks at the bar. Highly recommend!

Courtney L.

Love the historical setting and the way they have maintained the history. The menu had just recently changed, and everything was delicious. Our service was friendly and prompt. It was a lovely experience.

Holly B.

Maynards was recommended to me by a coworker, and it did not disappoint. The food was extremely flavorful and the portions were just right. We got to experience the first of their new summer menu. The atmosphere was intimate and neat since it’s located in an old train station. We got lucky to sit inside since we did not make a reservation, so I highly recommend making one in advance. My only wish was for the cocktails to be a tad bigger (sorry did not take a picture). Other than that it made for a perfect date night!

Liz L.

beautiful ambiance and environment. went for an evening date and the lighting was perfect! everything we ate was incredible, photos are of the pivot salad and butternut cream pasta- some of the best pasta i’ve ever had!

Sharyn M.

Wonderful flavors and beautifully presented. Best food I’ve had for a long time. This restaurant will be a repeat for me. Service impeccable. Can’t rave enough about Maynard’s.

Victor B.

This is an awesome place to eat and pick up some wine, but note that it is closed on both Monday and Tuesday !