I have been going to Pastiche on and off for years dating back to pre-Yelp era. Back then ya have ta be cool to know where it's at. This place is one of those locally owned business that has a real chef and serves real food. One of the things i look for to judge a restaurant is how they serve their salads. It should come with fresh variety of greens (iceberg lettuce does not count) and the right amount of dressing (not drenched). Pastiche does this. On a recent visit, we were told that they had a new chef and the menu is changing a bit. Then the waiter proceeded to recommend the pasta with prawns while announcing that the prawns are fist-size. This got my attention. Two people at our table wear XXL gloves and we both looked at our fists. I ended up getting the"Big Ben Burger" and one of us got the Pasta with Prawns (fist-size prawns). There was another dinner ordered from our table but i forgot what it was. The burger was delicious and was everything a burger should be coming from a self-respecting restaurant. The fist-size prawns were ... shrimps (not even jumbo shrimps). Or was it because our fists were freakishly large? That's another discussion. Hate to say it but we were had. Despite that interesting little tale, I am still a fan of Pastiche. And it was our naivete to believe that shrimps come as large as our fists. Now that they just switched chef. I intend to go back soon and see how the new chef does. At which time, I may revise my rating. One more thing, i asked for a wine recommendation. Our server recommended a Shiraz that was supposed to be smooth. I was quite spicy and I told him that. So ... Pastiche deserves a 3.5-star but there is no such thing on Yelp so a 3-star it is.
(3)
Jason L.
One of my hood favorites, but no stars for being close to home. I've honestly never had a bad meal here, and always walk out very satisfied. Not the place to dine if you're in a hurry. You could, but it's a better experience if you go in, get a bottle of wine, have dinner, and turn to the desert menu. The deserts are absolutely outstanding, all from the in-house pastry chef. The bottled wine is about as good a deal you can get eating out. The food is pricey but it's truly a treat to take a night and dine at Pastiche.
(5)
Ryan S.
Ambience: 4/5 (trendy; good place to take a date) Food: 3/5 (good, but too heavy on the sauces; as is, my meal was drowning in what should've been a subtle, complementary dressing) Service: 3/5 (server was all right: a little too casual given the setting, food came out quickly, but otherwise server was not very attentive; huge bonus point for being open till midnight) Value: 1/5 (overpriced menu: everything is priced about 5 to 9 dollars higher than it should be). Verdict: I might take a date here for the ambience, but otherwise there are too many other restaurants in Tucson with more a more reasonably-priced menu to warrant a return.
(2)
Roberta L.
WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM? Only because friends felt they needed to eat here ( details unimportant), did I agree to go again. I have never enjoyed the "palate" of this chef. Well, last night, "palate" was not the issue. First off, the lighting was SO bad over our table that the waiter had to bring a small flashlight in order to read the menu. Secondly-I'll stop the counting at two- the waiter was a downright GRUMP and was not helpful at all. I wound up ordering a salad appetizer (which was delicious-baby greens, etc etc) and then small plate which I did not realize came with a side of the same salad. No big deal, but awake waitstaff would have pointed that out so I might have made a different choice. This guy was definitely not "present." One of us ordered a "rib-eye." HAH! I would never have accepted it-he did and I know he did not enjoy the 1/2 inch thin, miserably cooked piece of meat he got. Yeeech! He also requested mashed potatoes instead of one of the sides-he got mashed veggies of some kind, again he accepted it. (not me, I can tell you that). The bread that was served was strange, not bad, but strange-some kind of soft bread with sun-dried tomatoes in it-one of us could not, due to dietary problems, eat it, so one of the waitstaff, not our waiter, brought out some plain sour-dough bread in addition. I must say that, in addition to not liking the food very much, this kind of "service" is just not acceptable. I love being with my friends, but next time, I'm gonna give a little energy into suggesting a different restaurant.
(2)
Sherry P.
Pretty good but not great. We went for Thanksgiving dinner but we didn't eat turkey. It was crowded and the wait staff was pleasant but a little overwhelmed--really rushing around but trying not to look rushed. The hostess seated us at what is probably the worst table in the restaurant, directly under the air conditioning vent. It was cold outside and just as cold inside. I knew they were crowded but I just couldn't stand eating under the cold breeze so fortunately, they had no problem moving us to another table without having to wait. (I went by that table when we were about to leave and they didn't seat anyone else there fortunately.) We had salmon cakes for an appetizer--they were small and nothing special. Fishy like salmon can be but no interesting flavors to offset the fishiness. My husband had prime rib. It was a little overdone and not hot. I think it had been sitting out for a while before my dish was finished. The meat was not very tender. I had mac & cheese, which was really good and had a good amount of bacon and some spinach, which was a nice twist. It was one of the best mac & cheeses I've ever had. We had a berry crumb/crisp with ice cream for dessert. Very nice but not incredibly special. There aren't many restaurants open on Thanksgiving and serving entrees other than the traditional items. We were happy they had more to choose from and, all and all, we were satisfied with the experience.
(3)
Amy W.
I don't think I'm going to go back to Pastiche. I've eaten there twice now, and my experiences were very different from each other - the first time was positive and the second was disappointing. When I went with the intention of spending $20 or more for my meal, plus tip, I enjoyed myself. Notwithstanding, I thought it wasn't exactly well-priced for what I received and the service lagged a little. The second time, I went with the intention of not spending more than $15 plus tip, and I found the server to be a little rude about it (she basically ignored us after we ordered), not to mention the fact my burger tasted charred, like charcoal, when I ordered it to be pink. The fact is I could have spent as much money or less for a tastier meal and a drink, with a waitress who didn't make me feel unwelcome. The atmosphere is peaceful and elegant, and nothing stood out as overtly sub-par, so my grade reflects the fact it could have been much worse, though I still would not like to return.
(2)
Crystal L.
This place reminds me of a Denny's trying to be fancy. The service wasn't great, we sat for a while with empty glasses (water & soda), the busser/assistant walked by our table many times (at least 4) and didn't fill our water until he went around with a pitcher to every other table first, then still passed us to go to back and bring something out for another table before he filled our glasses. The Cajun pasta was ok. The chicken with prosciutto was dry and over cooked with hardly any cream sauce, the risotto was undercooked and had no flavor. The fried avocados were good. The busser/assistant looked lazy, wouldn't do anything until told by the waiter. The waiter would even hand him glasses and plates while he just stood there looking dumbfounded. The waiter looked like he got mad when he discovered the table across from us had spilled their wine accidentally. The busser/assistant put dirty silverware into his apron...gross! We will not be back.
(1)
Dave S.
Top shelf service and good solid food. Delicious!!
(4)
Mike M.
It had been several years since we had been to Pastiche. We stopped going because we found the service to pretty bad. My wife decided she wanted to give it another shot for her birthday. Again the food that we actually got was great, the service was not. To be fair to the waitress it seemed like she was the only one responsible for a large part of the dining room, which probably led to to the poor service. It took far to long to have our drink orders taken and even longer to have our orders taken. We ordered and appetizer as well as main courses. After 45 minutes we still didn't have our app and we couldn't even find our waitress to ask about it. The app was never brought to our table and we found out later that it was taken by a food runner to someone in the bar. She offered to buy us a dessert, but we explained that we already had a birthday cake at home and asked if she could comp a drink or something else. She said that she didn't have the authority to do that. Again, the food was good and that is why it got 2 stars instead of 1.
(2)
Maggie K.
I have liked Pastiche more each time I have gone there. The first time I went was years ago, and I sat at the bar. I think I had a mushroom souflee, which I enjoyed, but the atmosphere of the place didn't strike me. The next time I went was a year or so ago, and I had a bistro portion of a butternut squash ravioli, I think. I also drank a lot of wine. I enjoyed it much more, but left just thinking it was a pleasant place. The last two times I was there, I ended up there because it is open later than most every other non-fast food place in Tucson. The first of these two times, I was on a date, which went very nicely, so maybe that helped make a deeper impression. My date had been dreaming about the mac and cheese, and I had the mushroom souflee again. We shared one of the bottles of wine on special and followed with a couple of desserts. The bistro portions make it so much more reasonable to eat a tasty small meal and treat yourself to wine and dessert as well. The last time I was there was an impromptu late dinner with a close friend. We decided on fancy cocktails and bistro portions off the late night menu. Again, it was enough food to be wonderful without killing us. We decided we would have to return for a girls' night in the not-to-distant future, especially since Pastiche is walking/ stumbling distance to my house.
(4)
Kristen S.
I'm shocked at some of these poor reviews, I think this place is absolutely fantastic! I used to live in Tucson, and this place was my favorite restaurant. They have a beautiful menu, and their prices are very affordable for the quality of food you get. I really like how they offer a "bistro size" (smaller portion) for most of their items. They have a wonderful wine list, and their prices are unbelievable. (I work in the wine biz - and I know their marks ups are significantly less than other restaurants) The ambience inside is also great, very colorful and artistic. It's a great place to take a date! I love their bar, too - my friends and I would always meet up for a glass of wine and appetizers there.
(5)
Anne J.
Tried the prix fixe meal for Valentine's Day and was not disappointed! Had a reservation, was seated immediately. Whined about sitting in a cold spot and the waiter turned down the air, no questions asked. Nice. FANTASTIC wine list - apparently the wine geek here loves Riojas as much as I do, and their supply not only doesn't disappoint, but the markups are milder than the usual 300%, with plenty of good wines on sale. The mixed greens were terrific; the pork tenderloins were delicious and tender, and went beautifully with the Bright Star (chardonnay/albarino/gewurztraminer blend - I wanted chard, hubby wanted gewurz, I like albarino so there we are!) and the warm brownie sinday was delicious, but I was too stuffed to finish it. Young, enthusiastic waiter could have been more knowledgeable about the wine, but the list is immense and he's not a sommelier so that's OK. Large party nearby had kids there, but I would not take my kids (5 and 3 and this place has tablecloths). Yum yum yum - I am looking forward to a return visit!
(4)
Matt S.
The food and wine were great. The service the other night was dreadful. I've never felt so neglected. Like the another reviewer, I was with a group and felt the server knew they were getting 20% and just ignored us. In watching her other tables, I felt they got better service than us. The place wasn't even too busy (midweek) yet the everything took forever.
(2)
Leah R.
Pastiche is somewhere in Tucson I've been looking to try for some time. A few weeks ago I finally got the chance while on a double date. We started with homemade kettle chips that came with a blue cheese dipping sauce. These were amazing! The chips were light and fresh and the dipping sauce was something that I had never tried before. For the main course I ordered the potato crusted salmon. It was perfect. Perfectly cook, paired with fresh vegetables, and a delicious homemade rye bread, I ate the entire plate. My boyfriend ordered the mushroom steak, and I was a little disappointed with it. It wasn't as thick as I would have imagined, and therefore not completely filling, but still flavorful. For dessert we had the bread pudding. It was pretty good, but not as great as one I've previously had. It was still very enjoyable however, light, creamy, and flavorful. I enjoyed my meal at Pastiche, and am looking forward to trying it again!
(4)
Glenn B.
Back again - this time will be my last. One filet was sent back twice to get it cooked to even medium - not even the well done asked for... and by then it was too dry. One of the desserts was so dry we put a fork in it because they claimed it was a post fruity type desert.... maybe stone fruit. Never again. Great service but I had 5 people in from Houston and I was embarrassed things were so ordinary - to - outright bad! You are my only 5 stars to 1 star conversion.
(1)
Jeremiah P.
A bit pricey, but pretty good food, atmosphere. I don't actually go here much for dinner, but it's a nice place to stop for a drink and/or dessert or an appetizer in the evening. Decent beer and wine selection, most of the food is good. The dessert is generally really good.
(4)
J F.
On a Tuesday evening, we were seated around 5:30 pm for our party of five.. Our server, Josh had a table of seven ladies and no other tables. He also has an assistant. It took him over ten minutes to finally come over and greet us. He took another 10 minutes before he returned to take our drink orders. His assistant brought the drinks over. When I mentioned to place an order for appetizers, he stated as long as it was ordered before 6 pm. By that time, it was almost 5:55 pm. So, I am not entitled to my happy hour prices before you never came back to check on us. The calamari was terrible, and my Garlic Shrimp pasta dish was very small. Overall, the service was poor and the server had way too many tables and guests to take care off. Never again at this place.
(1)
Stephen Z.
Worst restaurant experience I have had was at Pastiche. And of all times it was in the summer in Tucson on a slow Tuesday night. I waited 15 minutes without being greeted with only one other table in the entire restaurant when I walked to the bar to ask for some help and found the manager getting smashed with the bartender and two servers. I asked him to send a server over to get some drinks and asked him to comp an app while he's at it because this situation is ridiculous. And let's just say the Pastiche Manager did not respond kindly. End of story we left and I will never eat there again. And not because of the sub-par overpriced food but because of the utter disrespect I was shown by the management, to which I chose not even to go into detail with. But all said and done I've been shown more respect trashed throwing beer bottles at O'mally's.
(1)
Zoey G.
I was excited to try this place out while in town visiting my sister since she said it was supposed to be good. Unfortunately my experience was far from it. We made a reservation but still had to wait a little bit, which isn't that big of a deal since I live in SF and I'm used to waiting. The food was mediocre but the prices weren't that bad. We were all having a pretty good time, though, so I would have given at least a 3 star until the RUDEST person I've ever met walked in. He wasn't our waiter, he wasn't a host, he just came out of nowhere and condescendingly told me not to ruin their glass. Granted, I was playing with the Maker's Mark red wax on the glass that my drink came in. But still, we were already done, no one had said anything before then, and I'm sure I'm not the first person to have done it. Furthermore, after he came out of nowhere to reprimand me, he mocked me under his breath while walking away and then went into the kitchen and came out a second later with someone else who works there to point and laugh at my table. I told the hostess when she walked by but, to my knowledge, she didn't do anything. I didn't even get an apology. I don't know what is entailed with the training at this restaurant but clearly manners are not. The entire mood of the evening was absolutely ruined and they lost not only me as a future customer, but the other 3 people I was eating with, who all live in Tucson, and I'm sure all of their friends, too. I just can't believe how incredibly poorly we were treated. I hope other people read this review and think twice before going to this horribly-run establishment.
(1)
Jim M.
I eat at this place many times while in Tucson.. It's consistenly good and interesting. Last night I had a nice falafel and grill chicken on garden greens, hummus and pita, and their wonderful in house chicken soup. I've never had a bad meal there., Give it a try, see what you think..
(4)
Kip R.
Didn't eat anything except the pazooki, which was delicious, but the drink and wine specials are definitely a highlight. The ambiance is great, especially around the bar area, and the staff was polite and competent. If they still have them, try a Maker's Collins!
(4)
B J.
The last time I was there the muffins were good!
(3)
Gary C.
We have been dining with Pat since 1994 Pastiche is a special place. The wine list is big and there is always bargain available. The menu varies with the seasons and the wait staff is efficient, helpful and friendly. The attached wine shop always has Pat's latest finds and reasonable prices. Pastiche is a great place to hang and for any special occasion. Also a special dessert chef with great choices. Always a great experience.
(5)
rachel w.
Pastiche is my Valentine's Day restaurant of choice. They're one of the only restaurants in the city of Tucson that doesn't charge some crazy per-person price for Valentine's Dinner. The restaurant has a great vibe to it, huge wine list, and selective menu. Everything I've ordered here has been delicious, and when I brought my family here for graduation night my dad even loved the hell out of it! (He's very had to please when it comes to dining out). Unlike others who have left reviews, my service (luckily) has always been very good and attentive. Make sure you make reservations if you plan to go for dinner on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night!
(5)
Maggie M.
Let me start this review with the food is absolutely delicious. The only place in Tucson that rivals how wonderful the seasonal wonderful food is Maynards. The really unfortunate part is how really awful the wait staff and management is. It took 20 minutes to get water, our appetizer came before we got drinks. It then took another 30 minutes to order, then after getting our food the waiter dropped everything and never came back. The buser took our desert order and only cause we asked for some service. The waiter just kept walking by eyeing us and walking back to the kitchen. Now I'm someone who absolutely understands being busy having a lot going on, but this place was dead. There was no one there! Beyond that if they hired someone with a personality who apologized or kept us in the loop that would be one thing, oh yes good customer service. Don't go here. The food is excellent, but most certainly does not make up for the crappy service. On top of all that as we waited in the front to pay our check after waiting another half an hour an employee who was barely a foot away from us kept talking on the resturant phone about how she couldn't wait to get off work and how she really needed a drink and then started cursing. I'm no prude, but seriously? Get professional.
(1)
PHIL g.
Like another of your reviewers I was shocked to read some of them. I couldn't tell if they were talking about a totally different place. The decor is "diner?" What's with this? I admit they may miss a time or two of the food, but our acquaintances all love the place. Great wine menu, love the bar, the burgers are great, the fries terrific, the mushroom souffle a sure-fire hit, the mushroom soup a winner. My wife loves the bistro portions. We've never had a problem with the servers and have been there as a couple and with a group of seven to eight. Always friendly. No, they don't dress in tuxes, but this is Tucson! Certainly the wait staff at Janos dresses better, but the food isn't as good and horrendously pricey. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
(4)
Leila R.
My mom and I came here for my birthday dinner, late night on a Friday, and though the place was pretty dead (we came in an hr before they closed and a band had just finished playing), I was very impressed by the food and the service. Our waiter took some warming up, but once he did, he was awesome! I had the baked mac n cheese, which looks like a small portion for the price, but your eyes can be bigger than your stomach because once I started in I could barely get through half of the serving! It was really good with nice proportions of bacon to cheese/pasta. My mom got the teriyaki skewers, which were good as well. The meat was cooked perfectly and the sauce/rice was very tasty. My mom had their version of the cosmopolitan, which was surprisingly good and boozy! It was better than the Malbec I ordered, which was either served too young or had been mildly corked because it was a bit off tasting, but it was right before closing, so I didn't want to send it back and have them open another bottle. Had it been earlier in the evening, I would have though. I quickly rectified my disappointed alcohol situation with a Rusty Nail, which they knew how to make and was a fantastically good pour! It had just the right amount of scotch to give you the nice warm buzz you want from this drink and the Drambouie to soften the scotch and linger in the ice cubes when you're done! The highlight, however, was what they did for my birthday! I got the Guiness Chocolate Cake (which was ridiculously rich and delectable!) served on an LED lit platter that sings "Happy Birthday"!!! Thank you Pastiche, for making my Friday the (March) 13th birthday so memorably delicious!
(4)
Maria G.
I will make this a quick review. I had dinner Monday night at Pastiche. It has been over two years since I have eaten in this restaurant. Nothing was anywhere near as good as it used to be. It was a Monday night so I didn't expect a full restaurant, it was almost empty. We were sat by the window the window sill was covered in dead flys, not a good start. Our server wasn't personable and she didn't tell us about the specials or make any suggestions. Monday night they have an $8.00 burger and beer special. When we asked her about it she said they did have the burger special. It looked good on the next table over. We should have had the special but instead we ordered a bowl of mushroom soup, Cajun pasta ($18), beet salad ($9), and a glass of wine ($7.50). The pasta was horrible. It was Cajun as in red hot sauce and just didn't taste good. Everything else was ok, but pricey. Our check, was almost $50.00. I will also say, I really miss the wine shop. I will probably not be coming back to Pastiche.
This is the first time we have been there since they remodeled. The place looks great and open changed the way the noise travels so it is good. The Bar is very open and big all in all a nice job. The food was wonderful started with the "Brie-schetta" the Tomatoes were perfectly ripe. For the main course I had the braised short ribs which was served with a creamy polenta and veggies, my wife had the Macadamia Crusted Mahi Mahi and she said it was perfect and oh so tasty. We had a couple small pours of wine which were both great. It is so nice you can pick wines for different parts of the meal and the do 3oz pours. A wonderful meal and evening.
(5)
Leah B.
My husband and I went on a Monday for the $8 burger and beer special. It's a high quality burger with excellent options for the side dish. You can chose any beer on their extensive beer list. The place was recently renovated, but its probably double the size it needs to be. We were one of only 3 tables there.
(4)
Erik H.
Pretty good food, some canned products and few vegetarian options. The place was clean, and interior was cool and the place had a good vibe to it. Our server was great and maybe that's what made our night go smoothly.
(3)
Ayla R.
I was always curious about this place. The location is nice and I have heard great and not so great things about it. Finally the hubs and I gave it a whirl! It was almost 10:00pm, which if you have been in Tucson longer than a week, you know that once it hits 10 the city falls asleep and food options are left to minimal options (Nicos, Los Betos, Taco Shop, Old Chicago and Dante's Fire). I checked on Yelp and realized Pastiche was open until 11! We hurried over. The restaurant was quiet with just a few tables in the corner beyond the bar. The interior was captivating enough. We both hurried to the bathroom when the bartender yelled 'Sit on this side! There are only two of us!' ... okay. Awkward. I told her we were using the restroom then we chose a seat at the bar. She informed us they closed soon (1 hour) so we hurried and ordered. I got the vegetarian flat bread with no pesto and no cheese and sweet potatoes fries and C got the Voodoo pasta. He debated between the bistro size and large. Our bartender told us that the large was massive and intended for sharing. He still ordered the large and anticipated left overs. My dish was pretty good and I was just happy they had something I was willing to eat. C enjoyed his, but was a little disappointed by the normal sized portion and ate the whole thing easily. Then again, we have big appetites so maybe it could be sharable (?) I was happy to find late night food and the only thing that knocked this down a star was the service. The bartender poured hot water down her drains and was cleaning her well for several minutes before we were offered drinks or food. I understand wanting to prepare to close, but we felt rushed. I would give this another go for happy hour or not quite so late.
(4)
Dylan M.
First time visiting Pastiche, as we had a $30 gift card from work to spend here. We were seated near the front window, and the service was friendly and low key. The interior was open and spacious, but had somewhat of a cheap vibe to it, especially for the pricey food + cocktails on the menu. We ordered the Lamb Chop, and Voodoo Cajun Pasta. While waiting, what was once an afterthought when we first entered became more and more of a nuisance as we sat chatting - a good dozen flies kept circling around us and wouldn't leave. I'd expect this out at a taco stand on the street, but definitely not inside a modern-casual American restaurant. We lived with it, and allowed our food to arrive. I had the Lamb, which was accompanied with risotto and asparagus - I usually love this type of dish, but theirs was noticeably over-salted across each food item...it would have been great otherwise! We let the manager know about the flies toward the end of our meal, to alert him to be aware and maybe not let new guests sit in that area for the evening. I was surprised to hear that they "usually take care of the flies in the morning", thus implying that this is an ongoing problem. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they let us dine for free because of the inconvenience, which they didn't have to do, but still underwhelmed by the whole experience. I guess we still have the gift card to use for another visit - we'll know not to sit next to the front window next time ;)
(2)
Augustina M.
I came here for a dinner meeting on a Wednesday night and assumed it wouldn't be too busy, but it was. The food is pricier, in my opinion, but they do give you decent portions of food. Their tacos are good. Their New England Clam chowder was good, but watered down... almost like they were running out and watered it down to stretch it out a bit. Just an observation from a self-proclaimed chowda connoisseur! ;) The decor was chic and the place felt very open, which I like in a restaurant. The wait staff however, not good at all. I waited forever for water, they continually messed up my order, but I'll chalk it up to being a busy night since I like to give places the benefit of the doubt. I'd like to try this place out in conjunction with Creative Juice Art Bar... they have painting classes hosted at Pastiche where you can paint and eat at the same time... so I'll probably be back!
(3)
Peter C.
We're longtime (as in many, many years) customers of Pastiche. We especially appreciate their contributions to the community, particularly Primavera. But our Valentine's experience wasn't up to par. My Boar Sausage, kraut and mashed-potato dish was fine, but the wife's Surf-n-turf was not good. The scallops were undercooked and stone cold (I confirmed it). The beef-medallion was ordered medium but was rare--and again, cold. When my wife told the waiter, he comped our desert. A diner at the neighboring table said her short ribs were cold as well. The ginger-molasses cake was first rate. This is such a nice place that we'll surely be back. Btw, the place wasn't even half full.
(3)
Michael R.
I have been here maybe 30 times and I can say this place is awesome I have never not once had a bad experience !! Food is always cooked perfectly !! I've tried most of the menu it's all outstanding especially the choppino !! San Francisco has nothing on this place! Service is always good. Owners take a lot of pride and are hands on ! It shows ! Great job
(5)
Kelly L.
love the new space - much more open and lovely. food is still awesome and the staff was very attentive but not pushy and were friendly - both with the other customers as well as the staff which created a really nice ambiance. Tables were far enough away from each other that you didn't feel like you were hearing everyone elses conversations which was awesome. the wine list is great and the warm brownie was an amazing dessert. The limoncello dessert was sold out so I'm heading back soon to give that one a go!
(4)
William L.
Food was very good and up to Pastiche standards. Unfortunately, service made the evening unpleasant. We waited over an hour for our food and had to leave for a concert without dessert. Not the way we planned. Too bad as we must limit our exposure to such situations in the future and consider service.a risk when it comes to Pastiche.
(2)
John R.
The food has always been quite good here. Today, the burger, with provolone on a brioche bun, was fantastic. The meat was juicy and cooked perfectly, the lettuce/tomato/onion was cold while the bun was warm and the patty hot. The sweet potato fries were also excellent, though I find that I prefer a yogurt or tzatziki to dip them in. The server was fast and noticed when I ran out of water and quickly offered a refill. The lunch was served fast and flawlessly and cleared fast as well. Now for the downside: - we were given heavily stained, wrinkled menus - our server was not warm or even smiley, and never even really greeted us except for saying she would be right back to take our drink order - the vertical portion of the bar (where patrons sit up to and might bump with their feet and knees) needs polishing badly and the light switch near our table had either dirt or old paint on it - the fake candle on our table had dirt and dust on it - they sat me at a table in the corner that looks right into the back of the house, near the well where the employees come to get their drinks. If you've read my original review of Cheesecake Factory, it is an epidemic for employees to think that this area is a hangout and that they are invisible there (but they aren't). So we were inappropriately entertained with server banter during our meal. - an employee started clanging silverware together behind my table on the other side of a half- wall, lasting 5 minutes as she was rolling silverware - our server wiped her eye several times, then went straight to making drinks for patrons without a glove or washing her hands (this is a NO NO) - when the bill arrived, the check-holder had lettuce and food stuck to the back of it from a previous client (yuck) Regarding the atmosphere: I like how they've renovated with only 3 concerns. 1) The lamps over the bar look like extracted teeth - I'm not sure what they were going for there 2) The servers wear aprons, button shirts, ties, and jeans - so you have 3 genres clashing at once 3) The music, as much as I like Louie Armstrong and Frank Sinatra, belonged in Sullivans, not this modern, floating-teeth bar place that they just modernized. Anyway, I would definitely go again, but the cleanliness and sanitation issues really need to improve and then the service should warm up. The food is solid, though.
(3)
Richard S.
Great value. Really good food at moderate prices. Happy hour wine prices at our dinner table - and the Pinot Noir offered was really good My evening special of short ribs for &19.00 was my best dining out deal of the month. For $22.00 M had the Sea Bass special. Combined with an excellent waitress we had a memorable evening.
(4)
Elaine P.
This is a good place to go to a "classy" strip mall restaurant when you are entertaining cheap friends who don't want to spend a fortune on a meal. I doesn't dazzle and it doesn't disappoint. It's 2.5 stars, but Yelp requires rounding up to 3.
(3)
Annie H.
When I walked in there did not seem to be a host at the stand to seat me but it was late so I understand. I was eating alone so I sat at the bar and the service was quite attentive due to my quick access seating. The food is quite pricey even though the portions are quite small. I did enjoy my meal brief as it was. I got the lamb chops in the bistro portion which was satisfying but not filling. The risotto that came with the lamb chops was what made the dish well rounded as it was creamy and had just the right amount of flavor. I finished the meal in a flat 5 minutes which is about a third of the time the meal took to get to me. I did opt to get dessert because it was tempting plus I could still eat so I decided on the creme brulee which was good but not fantastic. The caramelized portion was a little more burnt than I like it but otherwise good. The highlight of the night was definitely the service but the food was alright considering the price.
(4)
Sarah W.
After seeing favorable reviews of this place, my husband and I decided to give it a try. This was our first mistake. Our second mistake was not leaving after 45 minutes of waiting for our apps to arrive. My husbands triple threat sliders were inedible. They tasted metallic and old. Our entrees were just as bad. My veggie flatbread was soggy, the veggies were way undercooked and under seasoned, and the pesto was meh at best. Even my husbands BLT was subpar. The chipotle mayo overwhelmed the sandwich. The only tasty menu items were the salad and French fries. Our server was distant and rude. He seemed annoyed by our mere presence and barely spoke to us at all, except to ask "All set here?" when dropping something off. He did, however, insist on removing the items from our bill that we did not eat, which was thoughtful. Overall, we would never come back here. A manager never even stopped by to ask what was wrong with the food, which I felt demonstrated a lack of concern for the customers.
(1)
Walt R.
Excellent happy hour and burger Mondays! Great music, too. Lots of TV to see our Wildcats.
(5)
Kat M.
First Time here, was greatly looking forward to being here and experiencing the menu. Our Server was Donna, she was amazing, so for service, I rate a 4+, we wanted to sample the menu, so we ordered the panko crusted fried avocado.... The idea was unique and it was fried perfectly, however it lacked any basic seasoning. We then ordered the Chipoltle Mango BBQ chicken skewers.. The sauce was amazing, packed with flavor, the chicken itself was rubbery and lacked any basic seasoning. For our main course we ordered the San Francisco Ciopani... It was inedible, literally we could not eat it. The white fish was so overcooked my husband thought we were eating dry chicken, the sauce was cold and oily and lacked even basic salt and pepper. We paid for the apps and beers and left. I would love to give it a second chance, mainly because the service was so good, but not sure we will. Maybe stick to happy hour. Eat well, live well.
(2)
Beth A.
The food is very good here but the interior needs updating. They are trying to look modern but should get help from an interior decorator. I ordered the chicken caprese sandwich with a side salad and it was delicious. They serve complimentary sourdough bread before hand and it was fine. Another person at my table ordered the salmon and raved about it. The waiter was attentive and kept our drinks filled. It was a decent place to have lunch.
(4)
Richa S.
Haven't dined here except for one calamari appetizer (paired with sambal, not their sweet side sauce) over a glass of wine at the bar. With that said, it was an enjoyable experience. A Tucson original for sure.
(4)
Laurie C.
took my parents here for first time on mother's day. yelp reviews were mostly good and the fact that this restaurant has been in business for a while made me feel good about trying it out. what a disappointment. our server was absent for the better part of the experience, except when we asked for the check after which a fire got light under her butt. I would not recommend any dish that has chicken...the chef's motto must be "mo rubber, mo better". grossly over-cooked and hard. food presentation also leaves much to the imagination. everything on the menu is over-priced. there are way too many good restaurants in Tucson to ever give this place a second-chance. not worth it
(2)
Christian M.
Great central location, good food and service! AMBIENCE: 3.5 stars. Nice, comfy, open space, pleasant decor. SERVICE: 4 stars. We had a great couple of drinks at the bar served by a very pleasant bartender, and our server was excellent. Well-versed in the menu, good at juggling several tables on a busy weekend. FOOD: 3.5 stars. Good food, though nothing I would necessarily crave to go back and have again. They have this spicy french fry appetizer which is pretty good! The burger was thick and juicy, salads are fresh and tasty. ALCOHOL: 3 stars. They have some interesting drinks inspired by patrons, but they are not crafted particularly well. OVERALL: 3.5 stars. Definitely worth hanging out at, and we will be going back!
(4)
Mark S.
Great place for a nice meal. Was just recently in there for steak night and a beer and everything was perfect. This is a place you need to put on your list to occasionally eat at. Good food at some good prices and decently priced wine and good beer selection. win-win for me and the wife
(5)
Amanda B.
Second time around, and everything was just ok. Calamari, just ok. Salmon was cooked perfect, but the glaze was almost too sweet. Friends steak special was the opposite. The strip was slightly over cooked but the sauce was really good. The veggies and sides were all just ok. I wish I had another word to describe the experience. It was forgettable. More than likely I will be back again in six months because I will have forgotten what happened last time.
(3)
Rosanne C.
I hadn't been to Pastiche in a really long time. The interior has been redone and is beautiful. I had the Steak Frites salad and everything about it was perfect. Steak cooked exactly the way I liked it. Crisp little "pommes frites" (shoestring french fries). Very fresh greens. Delicious dressing. Amazing sourdough bread. The server was friendly and knowledgeable and attentive. Really recommend Pastiche!
(5)
Lauren K.
I am just not a huge Pastiche fan. I thought our first visit maybe was on off night for them, or that maybe we weren't in the right mind frame for the restaurant (my husband had a bad leg injury at the time), or something like that to make us not really enjoy it. But we went back again this past week, and it was basically the same experience. On our first visit, I got the Mac and Cheese, and my husband had a pork dish. The pork was the most unappetizing color of greyish brown. It tasted almost as bad as it looked. It was on the tougher side. And it was bland. Just like the mac and cheese was. On this visit, I had the Mickey Mantle steak, and my husband had the seared ahi dish. The Mickey Mantle sirloin, despite having bacon wrapped around it, was bland bland bland. The bacon was fatty and lacking flavor. I don't think the steak saw any salt whatsoever. The side potatoes with ginger and carrot were also terribly bland. Why don't chefs in Pastiche use any salt? Meh. They were also slightly cold. The broccoli was the best thing on the plate. My husband's ahi was seared to the correct temperature, but again, where's the seasoning? Usually when you sear ahi, the seared part is a deeper brown, and you can see seasoning on it. This looked like it was baked for just a few minutes. It was a light tan color. It tasted bland, too. The dish would have been so blah and boring if not for the tapenade on the side. Every bite needed it to add flavor. The quinoa was more of the same. No salt. And slightly cold. The service here has consistently been inattentive at best. Drink refills are scarce. I'm not sure why, either, because we've never been here when the restaurant had more than three tables total. When I'm paying $20+ per plate, I expect better service. Tips are higher due to higher prices, so I had better get service that doesn't suck. The ambiance is ok. The music was elevator music, which was a little obnoxious. The prices are far, far too high for the lack of flavor they put on their plates. I'm not going back to Pastiche any time soon. I walked out feeling a little ripped off, and very unsatisfied.
(2)
Manny C.
My wife, daughter and had lunch yesterday and unfortunates it was not a pleasant experience. The Quinoa chicken was rubbery and the accompaniments were just awful. My daughter had a chicken pasta dish which was worse. Too bad that this place has gone downhill.
(1)
Madison T.
The ambiance was nice and staff was attentive. However, I was marginally happy with the food in general and thought the voodoo pasta was really bad (tasted like the only sauce was Tabasco...not complaining about the spiciness).
(3)
Drew P.
I love this place I have taken my love there the past two Valentine day. There upscale retook at mac and cheese is great.
(5)
J W.
I had a truly fantastic brunch here. The service was perfect - the servers are friendly and they know their stuff. I had the French toast and it was the best I've had in years - sinfully delicious!!!!!
(5)
Julia H.
Connected to a wine shop --- always a good thing!! Had dinner here... POSITIVES: + Service was excellent + Menu is pretty diverse and creative (reminds me of Feast restaurant) + Open late late late + Free wine tastings in the shop on Friday nights + I enjoy the dark candle-lit, string of lights-lit ambience. NEGATIVES: - I didn't like my bacon wrapped scallop dish. The bacon was all fat so it wasn't cooked to a crisp that I was actually choking on it. Had to pull the string of fat outta my esophagus. Sorry for the visual details. This is a nicer restaurant so I was afraid to take my 4 month old in when I saw the inside of the restaurant but he ended up behaving really well.... Note to self: this is not a place to take babies!
(4)
Chelsea L.
Wonderful food! The owner pat always makes the visit amazing. With a great wine list and amazing meals you can't go wrong! Do yourself a favor and go there tonight!
(5)
Cheryl H.
a great place no matter what mood you're in! we've been here at least ten times and the service and food are consistently above average. the best part is their wine tasting and wine selection - la storia is my new favorite vineyard!
(4)
Nina P.
I went to Pastiche last week because I had won a $25 gift card at a work raffle, so I thought I'd take my coworker and check it out. We went at 1pm and the restaurant was very empty. I assume they are more of a dinner restaurant and don't get much of the lunch crowd. We were seated immediately by the bar, and I ordered the Vegetarian rustic flat bread with a side of Diablo fries. When I got my order I was a little surprised because I expected my order to be a flatbread type pizza, but it's actually a wrap. Nonetheless, it was very tasty and I was happy with my choice except for the diablo fries. I absolutely love spicy food, but these fried were just too hot. They were super dark red, having been totally smothered in spicy seasoning that you could barely see the original fry underneath. I had one and my mouth wasn't burning at first, but after an additional two fries I couldn't bear the heat any longer and had to give up. My coworker said she had had the fries before and they weren't that hot, so she tried a few and felt the same way. We felt bad having to leave a full plate of fries behind but we just couldn't have more than a couple. Overall it was a good lunch and we both got out of there for under $25 which was great!
(3)
Jennifer W.
Good service, well put together dishes but only average in taste. Trendy decor but manager & other staff set an unprofessional vibe that could be heard above the music levels.
(3)
June S.
The food and wait staff were fine. Cannot say the same for the host/hostess staff. As we live in Sedona we knew to make a reservation in advance for Valentines Day. When we got there they seemed unable to find our reservation but then seated us. After awhile the person that seated us came over to the table and asked if we had a reservation. What the heck! If your initial contact is not great it will reflect on the rest. You look for another excuse to critique. We come to Tucson once a year and have eaten at this restaurant every time. Disappointed.
(3)
Dan K.
So I'm going with the Friday fish tacos that are wrapped like cones, the fresh onion rings and topping off lunch with a large portion of malted milk cake. Today's lunch could not be any better if it served itself. I found the food to be hot, the taste exceptional and the service fantastic!! Pastiche is quickly becoming my Friday fave!! One of these days I'll have to try something other than the fish tacos--but so far I love them and will not deviate!!
(4)
Sarah B.
Awesome ribs mango BBQ sauce wow!,fries hot and perfect. Great service, love the colors and wonderfully renewed!
(5)
Nikki B.
Smaller than I expected inside, but it's cozy. Affordable beverages. Great burgers. You can have fun with the fries because there are three options (get the sweet potato with a side of ranch!). What won me over is the ladies room. Clean, name brand "emergency" supplies (if you know what I mean gals). And there was an orchid in there. Orchids are very hard to keep alive! The attention to details shows me they care. Good place to eat!
(4)
Darren T.
Positive: We were a party of 7 and everybody loved their food. Our server was very pleasant. The bistro portion is great for lunch. Negative: It was an hour after we arrived before we were served. The dining room was not busy and there was plenty of staff on, but this is the type of restaurant where the other servers (and surprisingly the manager/owner) walked by and didn't assist our server with refills or plate clear. Our lunch experience took an hour and a half, so unless you get a two hour lunch, you may want to find another lunch spot. Overall: An easy management fix could make this a restaurant I would rerun to.
(3)
Agustin O.
I love this place! Parking sucks but the food is worth it! I love the nights they have themes like wine nights or special menus. Great service and great food. Can't best that. It's centrally located so that's a plus too
(5)
Jenna R.
I came to pastiche for dinner a few saturdays ago for dinner. My boyfriend and I walked in, and the hostess immediately seated us in between a table of four loud, older women who were celebrating a birthday, and a dirty table. (There were tons of open tables, the place was practically empty.) The food was not great. My boyfriends pasta was bland, and the shrimp was undercooked (still somewhat grey and transparent). Only upside was that the server was very nice. However we probably will not return.
(2)
Jason H.
First impression was very nice... Wife was given a carnation at the door ... Nice touch!! We were seated and felt that it was nice inside... Nice vibe... As we looked around there was a nice mix of younger 30-40 something's on dates and older senior crowd... Waiter was great and made good suggestions.. Food came at a nice speed and our only input was that the portions were on the small side .. Food was good though.. The Cioppino dish was great.. The broth was awesome.. I just wish I got more.. The wine list was huge with a nice spread of price options... We definitely recommend this place!
(4)
Bob R.
Friday night jazz, excellent food and wine! Great urban feel with the remodeled space. Wow....
(5)
Sylvia M.
Awesome!!!! Half off bottles of wine??? Perfect!! Service from Nick was great- very attentive and friendly. Food was delicious.
(5)
Mary Y.
Service: 3.5 Food: 3 Ambiance: 3.5 The good news: when we informed our waiter that we were sharing everything, our appetizer came already split, on two plates. However, we were also sharing our entrees, and those we had to split up ourselves. The chipotle ribs were too hot for me, and I like heat. We quizzed the waiter on the spiciness factor, and true, it is individual, but he did say mild-to-medium heat. I would call it hot, so if you like that, go for it. The grilled Portobello was good, just not outstanding.
(3)
Robert M.
I'm late doing this, I'm trying fulfill my New Years res. for giving credit where credit is due. I love this place! great food and fair prices, I've taken my parents out to dinner here several times and have never left unhappy. Nice people, clean and nicely decorated with modern colors and original artwork. I know they have been under construction for a remodel for the past week or two so I cant wait to get back for dinner to check it out. ps. I have eaten lunch there and been able to get in and out and back to work without the boss yelling at me. Maybe Ill take my boss with me next time....on second thought, nahhh
(5)
Taylor M.
Thoroughly disappointed with my recent visit. I do give credit for how clean and open the place is. The huge variety of wine and whiskey is cool. We placed our order, then bread was brought out to us. The bread was stale... VERY STALE. It was to the point where it was extremely difficult to chew. Then the food was brought out. I had the mac and cheese and found it pretty enjoyable. Good flavor and cooked right. My complaint was the portion for the price. $15 for a portion of that size is ridiculous. My dad had ordered the ham steak and I would say calling it a "steak" is a far stretch. Way too thin to call a steak. Once again, it was overpriced for the portion given. Finally, another family member had gotten the quinoa crusted chicken. The idea of this was interesting but when I tasted it, I was disappointed. The quinoa had no flavor. It was a good idea but just a better idea on paper. The chicken was served with garlic mashed potatoes... This, by far, was my biggest complaint. I am not kidding when I say that these were some of the worst garlic mashed potatoes I have ever had. First off, there was no garlic in them... There was also no salt in them... And I'm pretty sure there wasn't any milk in them either. Absolutely NO FLAVOR. They were poorly mashed and still had lots of chunks in them. The best way I can describe them is... Picture giving a pot of potatoes to a three year old, adding water and boiling them, then draining the water, (never adding salt, garlic, milk or anything else) and handing him a fork and telling him to now mash the potatoes. I'm not kidding at all when I describe these. Overall, I was pretty disappointed with my visit and don't think I will return.
(2)
Dave K.
As Larry David says, "pretty, pretty, pretty good." I do like Pastiche and I don't have any problems with it. I just think that it is a place that is good food but it is not a place that I will ever run to. It isn't the kind of place you crave on a day that you are spontaneously hungry. The service is fine and the food is fine. The fish and chips were pretty good when I went here. Check it out if you are ever torn on what to grab for lunch or dinner.
(3)
Walter C.
Food was excellent. The Mango Chipolte ribs had great favor and my wife loved her bourbon salmon. The service left something to be desired. Maybe because it was Valentines Day and they were busy. It took way to long for the second glass of wine to arrive. I was well into my entree. The double expresso I ordered with dessert never arrived and I had to have it removed from the bill.
(3)
Caleb T.
Love this place!!! Has the friendliest staff and best food available in the old pueblo. O highly recommend you give it a try, you wont regret it!!
(5)
Lynne B.
Went for an early dinner (5:30) with friends; at first we were one of a few tables, but it soon filled up. Service was delightful, water glasses kept filled, meals arrived quickly and were hot, as they should be. I had the wild boar sausage and it was perfect! Everyone's food came to the table looking as though it was prepped for a photo shoot, and there were very few tidbits left at the end of the meal. Followed it up with 3 yummy desserts, which we don't normally do, but all were well worth it. Price for quality and quantity was excellent - we were quite surprised at the low cost. We will definitely return and try some of the happy hour appetizers listed as they all look great.
(5)
Amy M.
I had hoped, based on the reviews found here and on urban spoon that this was going to be a nice New American bistro to grab a casual bite. We arrived at 12:15, and found the parking area for the entire plaza to be lacking. There is nowhere near the amount of parking that is needed for this restaurant and the rest of the plaza. When we were seated, we were surprised they weren't busier for lunch. The reason became blaringly obvious however, quite quickly. Our drink order was taken within the first 2 minutes. Our waitress didn't return for our meal order for more than 10 minutes. It appeared she was bartending as well as waitressing. After 20 minutes, Our prosciutto crostini that promised house made mozzarella arrived. We were disappointed that the cheese was melted beyond being able to taste any discernable house made flavor vs store bought. It was another 40 minutes that passed between our app. and us receiving the Steak frites salad that we ordered. I'm not sure why it took more than 40 minutes to throw salad mix on a plate, top with steak and throw cheap shoestring French fries on top. There was no blue cheese, we had to ask for that, and the taste was nothing to 'rave' about. To further the debacle, we were originally brought 2 salads rather than 1. Our waitress didn't check up on us, didn't refill our drinks, and she was only servicing 6 tables. Each table had a max of 3 people. Don't waste your time or money coming for lunch. Lackluster food, very poor service, and SLOW!
(1)
L N.
This is one of my favorite restaurants in town. My family and I love the servers and the managers as they are all very knowledgable about their menu and wine list. My favorite part of Pastiche is you are able to stay and enjoy yourself. There is no one rushing you out the door, or trying to push the bill on you. Their wine list is amazing!!!! Prices are reasonable and if you need a recommendation, there is someone to suggest a pairing with your food. They sell wine too and it's a good price. As for food, I prefer their lamb chops or salmon. For dessert, you must try their cookie, order it ahead, it's made fresh!
(5)
Heather M.
The assorted cookie plate for dessert is always a good bet. It may seem a bit odd to order cookies as a restaurant dessert, but these are not your ordinary cookies. They have super hero powers which will rescue your taste buds from the evil grip of ordinary. And they come with chocolate fudge dipping sauce - think of it as the super hero cape. Both cookies and sauce are warm when they hit your table. The other day the assortment included macaroons that were amazing. Dip those in the chocolate sauce and, oh boy, I'm still thinking about that delicious decadence. The flavors rotate on a daily basis, but with 4 different sets of 2, everyone at the table will find a flavor they like. My experience has been consistently good quality food and good service. I'm typically there at lunch time so the bistro portions of their entrees are right up my alley. As of late I enjoy the roasted pork with butternut squash risotto topped with figs and goat cheese. This dish incorporates some of my favorite flavors in the world, and it is super yummy. I actually like sitting in the bar for lunch. The bartender is friendly and does a great job waiting the tables in there.
(4)
Andrea H.
WHY DON'T MORE PEOPLE GO HERE ON THURSDAY NIGHTS? Jeepers. We popped in on Thursday night because Sullivan's was a show. The drink and appetizer specials were fabulous. I really wish this place would get a "scene" like Sullivan's. Perhaps a little advertising would help? I'll definitely be back for lunch and dinner if the appetizers are any indication of the deliciousness of the meals....
(4)
Kamryn C.
I could take or leave Pastiche. I went for dinner the other day, and service was slightly less than attentive. It took a while to get our bottle of wine (though the wine was cheap and good) and even though we requested bread and butter our waitress didn't remember to bring it until after the meal arrived. My friend and I shared two dishes, a salad and pasta, and even though we said we were splitting to the waitress, the dishes came out and were sat in front of us as though I had ordered the pasta and my friend the salad. We had to request extra plates to break up the meals. Obviously, a lot of these things are not a big deal, but I tend to get annoyed when I have to constantly remind the waitress of things I've previously said. Onto the food, the baby greens salad was fairly standard. It's filled with apples, blue cheese, candied pecans, and thin shavings of sweet potato. We definitely enjoyed it, but it wasn't anything earth shattering, and honestly, if you mess up a salad you're probably getting less than a 3 star rating. The description said "fried sweet potatoes" and while the shavings were probably fried, I expected chunks from the description. We also had the rustic pasta. The pasta had roasted corn, garbanzo beans, green pepper, and tomatoes in it. Based on the description, I thought the pasta would be filled with way more vegetables than it actually was. The veggies were dominated by the pasta, which maybe would have been okay if anything else in the dish had flavor. I'm not sure if there was additional sauce on the pasta or if it was just the oil from the veggies, but this dish was bland. It also claimed that it was topped with jack cheese, which would have been a nice addition, but if it was, it was less than a tablespoon. I really wanted to like Pastiche, and I'm sad that I had such a sub-par experience, but as is I doubt I'll be heading back anytime soon.
(3)
Taylor L.
On any given night, you can find my favorite bartender, Molly, dutifully attending to her many bar patrons at Pastiche. You'll see there is no need for waving hands or futile attempts to make eye contact with your server because she's already there - artfully unobtrusive but also attentive. Her sincere sense of humor and skilled efficiency at tending the bar, and waiting on nearby bar tables, makes for a fun and seamless evening at Pastiche. Dinner - Sea bass is served beautifully cooked but under seasoned. I did not enjoy the oily caper/butter sauce underneath it which lends no additional flavor, only oil. White rice accompanies the sea bass which seems contrived since there is no flavor to it whatsoever. It is a less-than-beautiful presentation - and plain, unseasoned, bland, white rice has no place with this dish. They should change that immediately. It reminded me of a cafeteria where they shovel some rice on to your plate just to take up space. Next to the rice is a mixture of zucchini and corn, overcooked and mushy - more cafeteria food. Maybe it's my own fault for ordering the sea bass, but, I was sincerely disappointed. However, I must remain true to my favorite motto, "a restaurant is only as good as its worst dish." If you try Pastiche - you can't go wrong by sitting in the bar area and ordered a light bite - such as the fish tacos - which are very fresh and perfect for a summer evening - I love the tangy sauce on them and the flatbread they use to roll it all up. Although it seems odd that the best dish in an Italian restaurant is the fish tacos. Brie-chetta is also flavorful and fresh. The liquor selection is fabulous - a huge selection of whiskeys. The Manhattans are the best we've had in town. Drinks are very reasonably priced - especially the wine bottles they put on special each night - we had the Couple's cabernet which could be my new favorite! My friends enjoyed the wine and the appetizers but they ordered the steak special and found it to be a rather tough cut - even at fifteen dollars, I would skip it. At the end of the meal, the bottle of wine we had ordered could not be separated onto different bills which was a minor frustration and put a slight kink in the dinner service. Maybe they could upgrade their ordering systems to have that capacity. I will definitely be back to Pastiche to enjoy the unique ambiance at the bar - casual and fun with a lot of class - a great place to start out the night! .
(3)
ReVur A.
Watching the "train" of waiters was really comical! They were all a pleasure to speak with as well. Were some in train-ing? Perhaps. Aside from the great service, I ordered a portobello dish that was just excellent! My husband ordered the ceasar chicken salad and enjoyed that as well. I heard no complaints from others at our large table. Nice to see some changes at this almost mediocre restaurant. The remodel is excellent and the seating is not at all crowded. Acoustics are amazing -- makes me wonder why others are so bad!
(5)
Adrian F.
4 star quality food, 5 star prices.... in a 3 star restaurant... I found the food to be quite good but the restaurant itself is a different story. Everything about it from the furniture to the decor felt cheap. Regardless, I usually don't let that affect my dining experience and I thoroughly enjoyed the dish I ordered (the lamb chops mmmmmm) and the bottles of wine we ordered were priced pretty fairly! The service was VERY slow and unorganized and we were pretty frustrated when it took us forever to get the check. The food and wine was worth the price but the rest of the experience left a bad taste in my mouth.
(3)
Elyse P.
Pastiche's food was quite good, but the atmosphere was a little ... awkward. It felt sparse - definitely not warm and cozy - I know they're going for modern, but modern can still feel inviting. The service was very good, but it just wasn't enough to overcome the atmosphere for me. Bummer.
(3)
Corey D.
Pastiche has long been sort of a mixed bad for people, I think you either love it or you don't. I always get the same thing, the bistro portion of the fish tacos, and they're consistently good, so I've never had any complaints. I will say that the menu is a little disorganized, and I do wish they'd give some thought to the layout. But I find the interior pleasant, the wine list suits my needs and they have some pretty killer desserts. I've noticed that the menu is a little dated, and if there's one thing I'd suggest, it's rotating out a few of the oldies that have been around for a while. Keep the tacos though. Tacos should always remain ;)
(4)
S. M.
We had take out - the rustic pasta dish and a salad, both were excellent.
(4)
Isabella J.
I've eaten here a handful of times over the years and it's about time a write a review. I stopped in for a business lunch the other day the experience was quite pleasant. I'll agree with some reviews that the atmosphere is a little on the cold side, but the attentive and friendly service warmed things up right away! Pastiche's menu is diverse enough to please most palates and it certainly has some great salad options for salad lovers like me. I can't recall the name of the salad I enjoyed, but it was served over greens with orange segments, spiced walnuts and grilled chicken. The grilled chicken is would stood out the most. It was actually grilled and served warm! I find that most places in Tucson that offer chicken as an "add-on" pre-grill it and serve it cold. And the chicken was juicy as can be. I'll for sure be back for a salad. My buddy ordered the mac and cheese and shared some of it with me. I am happy to agree the many opinions I've heard over the years, that Pastiche serves the BEST Mac and Cheese in town. WOW, this was rich, creamy, a touch spicy and full of bacon goodness. I'm kind of a health nut, but this mac and cheese was heartwarming good, and the next time I'm in the mood to indulge, I'm coming here. Besides good food and solid service, Pastiche also has an awesome wine and cheese shop! I can't believe I don't come here for my cheese purchases. I'll be the first to admit that I end up at AJ's out of pure convenience, but next time I'm stocking up my cheese drawer, I'm coming here and supporting this local shop.
(4)
Ivette O.
Recent menu change! And to my disappointment have removed the chili lime crusted fries. These were consistently a favorite. At times, I would just visit and have a salad an an order of these fries for lunch and they are gone. My heart is literally broken. They have an awesome filet and their salmon is always cooked to perfection and never too fishy. I love frequenting the wine shop because the staff is always so friendly and knowledgeable. I am not a big wine drinker (lowers head in shame), but my friends are. So shopping for them is like looking for a needle in the haystack, in the dark, without my hands and my friends are always blown away from the recommendations and how spot on the staff is with their picks.
(3)
Pam W.
Wanted to write this one since we just ate here tonight... Things I liked...large wine menu and they are a wine shop that sells bottles, lots of different things on the menu to please all dietary wants and desires, lovely atmosphere, the girl who was refiling water and soda deserved all of her tip because she was on it. (Unfortunately our slow server probably received the money) Things I disliked...server was SLOW! Dinner took over 2 hours (Last time I checked this isn't Europe and I only had one course) They were out of several of the beers my friends asked for and they were also out of the seabass which was a main menu item. My husband had their Sunday night special which was paella and he described it as "bland and lacking flavor." I had a bunless burger and it was "ok" (Honestly I had a burger at Chilis that was better this weekend) Honestly I wouldn't purposefully eat here again.
(3)
James L.
For years we have heard great things about this place and finally had the chance to see for ourselves. Stick a pin in it. Rated as mediocre. There really is nothing special about it. Our server was friendy, polite and inattentive. Services for beverages was slow. Long wait for food to come out and forever to cash out. Food was just OK; not good, not bad just nothing to return for.
(3)
Jerome K.
Friday after work. How about a cool wine tasting experience to ease into the evening and then a move to a candlelit table for a tasty meal at reasonable prices? Sound good? Then stop by Pastiche Modern Eatery at Campbell and Blacklidge, making your first stop at the Pastice wine shop. Wine tasting runs each Friday from 5:00 to 6:30 PM with a $5.00 tasting fee. The tastings are generous, and nobody seems to keep track how many times you return to re-try the offered wines. If you find one you like, pay a small corkage charge of $5.00 over the very nominal retail price and, voilla!, you have a great wine for dinner. If you're not quite taken with the wines tasted, just take a look at the wine list, one of the very best and most economical in the Old Pueblo! Page after page of great choices over a wide range of prices. The same with the dinner menu, with most choices displayed at or below $20.00, with smaller and cheaper bistro portions available on many. Wine pairings are also presented from wines on the main list. The wait staff are always eager to help, providing honest suggestions or their own favorites for dinners seeking guidance. With their help, you just can't go wrong. Tempted? Then see you on Friday. Wonder what we will be be tasting? -- I'm Kingsize.
(4)
Jonathan B.
Pretentious and mediocre.
(2)
Miss Amy M.
I love Pastiche, especially their wine tastings in their wine shop (separate entrance to the right)! $5 every Friday night from 5-6:30. They pair their hand selected wines with some of their delicious gourmet cheeses and crackers. Amanda and Pete always rock the wine shop! :D Also their owner Pat has always been a great donator to the community. Great weekly event with an excellent following! On to the restaurant, their salads are delish. I also loved when they had their $3 Thursday specials (wine, cocktails, draft, desserts) for a summer special (sorry, no longer). I had the rhubarb & strawberry crisp with cinnamon ice cream- so delicious- I ended up trying my own version. :) Now they have a happy hour T-Fr which has street tacos that sound yummy. Great vibe and people who work there! (I also want to try their colossal cookies!)
(5)
Sharon C.
Fabulous restaurant! Everything on the menu is terrific! I especially like the fact that the owner sets aside certain months of the year where you can choose to give a portion of your bill to your favorite charity. He also does a lot of work for the Humane Society which is my favorite charity! The mushroom soup is to die for!
(5)
Greg L.
Hello everybody! Well honestly I have to say that I am dissapointed in Pastiche. It is not that often that we eat "the fancier meal". Since the better half has lost her job especially. Any way the occasion was very important to us, so we headed on down to Tucson as one of our best friends (Josh) was the guest of honor as he is going bravely into the new world of Portland. He loves it there and will do well. Lisa and I will miss him greatly. He is a great friend. All had a great time as our hosts gave us a great space for our party. As most parties of this type things moved along pretty slow as we all wanted our time with Josh. I think the waiters who accompanied us seemed to be getting frustrated because no one really wanted to order food. I was thinking that we all would order at the same time so we could for the most part eat at the same time. As things moved along and everyone began to order the service was very good. The first meals came fairly quickly and they looked fantastic. As they should. This continued for awhile but then things began to slow down. Not bad enough to say anything though. It was busy so this is expected. Lisa and I decided on the Hummus plate a garbanzo-tahini spread, pita bread...7.75 Vegetarian Rustic Flat Bread a rosemary pesto, grilled asparagus, grilled zucchini, grilled squash, marinated artichoke hearts, caramelized onions, roasted red pepper, blue, manchego and Jarlsberg cheeses...11 Ovila Abbey Dubbel Ale $17.50 Add in the government and the 20 % add in for the over 8 ish party and the total bill was $46.50 Ok review time! Curbage: 8 Good location and the space overall is very nice. Looks, feels, and smells good P factor: 7 Just a plain place to go Hospitality: 5 They were there but it seemed like they did not really care and I dont think they were all that knowledable about the food or the drinks. Ordering Time: 9 Good for a big group (once we got going) Waiting Time: 9 Not bad for our meal and it is my meal that im reviewing so I give them a 9 for mine. Others were not so lucky. Food: 6 If this is thier idea of hummus then WOOF! Nasty. That is not hummus. Way to much garlic, barely any garbanzo, and it tasted like some kind of burnt food. Those are supposed to pitas? Dry to tough, Trader Joes must be struggling selling thier pitas to Pastiche. The greens with it were good. The flatbread veggie sandwich sans cheese as we are vegan and we thank Pastiche for accompaning us was very good. We would of course ask for more vegan options, please. Seperately I would give just the sandwich a 9. the fruit that came with it was mostly melon that was not ripe, not cold, and had very little flavor. No fruit dip? Come on! Have you no Creme Fraische Skills? In a fancy place like this. No Bueno Pastiche! The beer was very good. It alone saves the meal. I commend Pastiche for offering a craft beer. $18 bucks for a $6 dollar beer is not the greatest but it is an attempt at offering a "real beer". If you would like to make your space better you should consider developing a "Craft Beer List" and have someone who knows about the beers that you offer. This trend is giong viral and you would be smart to jump on this wagon. Especially since this does not really exost in your area. Overall I am giving Pastiche 2 stars and I will tell you why. It seemed like the employees did not realy care about our party. I saw many mistakes on meals for others. Pasta that tasted like a garlic garden with torched shrimp and scallops. Overcooked chiken, undercooked steak, (if she asked for medium well that means a minimal amount of pink only in the center. NOT mainly bloody pink throughout. This is meduim rare at best) Maybe you should calibrate your thermometers. If you are running a restaurant like this then you should have the knowledge to cook the meal correctly. I do not think we will have reason to return. Honestly to much money for the quality of this meal. Thanks for reading! Late Gordo
(2)
Angela B.
I have been driving by (and wanting to try) Pastiche for some time now. Last night, we made a last minute decision to drop on in for dinner and I am glad that we did. It wasn't very busy inside, and initial service was quick and efficient. Actually, this was a trend throughout the entire visit. I LOVE their wine list. For one, it's fairly large. Additionally, it is divided not only by type of wine but by price. I have always wondered why more restaurants don't do this! Needless to say, we ordered a pretty cheap, er, inexpensive bottle of Sauv Blanc (don't judge me!) and then turned our attention to food. For apps, I decided to try a cup of the mushroom soup and Pete ordered the sliders. The sliders come in three varieties -- burger, chicken salad, or pulled pork. On a whim, we asked if we could have one of each since coincidentally, an order consists of three. Both arrived at the table quickly and with an order of bread. The mushroom soup is oh-so-good. I have been craving a soup of its kind since The Warehouse in Colorado. Other restaurants seem to make it too creamy (yeah, there is such a thing) or with not enough 'shrooms for my liking. In my opinion, Pastiche hit the nail on the head with this soup. I'll most certainly be back for more! The sliders were equally yummy. The chicken salad was not traditional. It had an Indian flair with a pretty decent amount of curry. The burger had a delicious amount Gorgonzola on it and the pulled pork was also very good -- juicy with some thick, sweet BBQ sauce. For our main dishes, I ordered the bistro size of the chicken tacos and Pete had the duck a la orange. I was almost full by the time my taco arrived but it tasted so good that I downed it anyhow. Pete's dish came with beet risotto and spinach, all of which were very good. When we had finished we exclaimed that we couldn't possibly fit in any more food...that was, until our server casually slipped us some dessert menus and walked away. Have I even mentioned my sweet tooth? Well, it's alive and well. The dessert menu at Pastiche served as a sweet little devil on my shoulder : "Oh, come on. They have bistro portions of the brownie and ice cream! Chocolate ganache! Who are you to turn that down?" We decided that just mayyybe we could split something so we ordered a blueberry/vanilla/ginger pound cake with a blueberry compote and homemade vanilla bean ice cream. Oh my, was it ever amazing. We were practically using our forks as weapons for the last bite. I'm sure neighboring tables thought us weirdos. Great food, service, wine list and a fun time overall. For the month of June, I believe that Pastiche donates 5% of every bill to a charity of your choosing. What's not to love?
(4)
Jide F.
So I stumbled into Pastiche because the roommate and I tried to eat somewhere nearby and it was closed (7 pm on a Sunday!). So Pastiche was within view and we said why not. I liked the mellow vibe when I walked in and was happy to see it wasn't crowded. We sat down and our server was extremely polite and talked through the specials. The service was outstanding, probably some of the best I've received here in Tucson. For my meal I ordered the mac and cheese with gouda, bacon and spinach. I don't mean to fill this review with superlatives but the mac and cheese was the most delicious mac and cheese I've ever eaten. Gouda and bacon can do some real wonders. I'll definitely have to come back and try the wine. What a fantastic place!
(5)
Evan B.
I went here on a first date. I did not know much about fine dining in Tuscon, good thing there was yelp. Tucked away in a non descript strip mall is Pastiche. My selection of this location impressed and excited my date, so I thought it would be pricier than it was. Our appetizer was $7 and meals were $14-20. Again I am not a big drinker when it comes to meals so this kept the cost down. For an appetizer we split the Roast Eggplant Caponata which was not a true caponata it was just a salad with eggplant and sliced mozzarella on top. Nothing to write home about, but maybe to write on yelp about. For dinner we each had the bourbon salmon cafe portions. I did not want to seem like a pig on the first date. It was a decently prepared salmon on a bed of well flavored veggies and rice pilaf. It was nice that the menu had many vegetarian options, usually I don't need to decide when looking at a menu as I have just one to two options here there were many and for that I give them nine thumbs up. Service was decent and there was no wait. Parking was fine however I can see how it would fill up on a busy night.
(4)
Gordon R.
Quite nice. I enjoyed my chicken/ham dish, although I found it a bit under-flavored. The risotto it was served with was quite nice. The service was a little awkward, but nice. My family found their meals to be fantastic. I certainly would come back again, but only for special occasions due to the price.
(4)
Carrie K.
This is my favorite American restaurant in Tucson. Great food, reasonable prices and consistent quality. For those with lighter appetites, they offer bistro portions. The salads and homemade soups are excellent. The entrees change with the seasons, but we have never been disappointed and always impressed with the freshness and perfection of the preparation. The atmosphere is casual and contemporary. The staff is very well trained; attentive but not overbearing. We return here often when we visit Tucson. I can't believe it was rated at 3 stars when I reviewed it!
(5)
Jeff T.
I got a Blackened Tuna Niçoise Salad and tried portions of my friends (ribs, scallops, Eggplant lasagna). While my salad was nicely balanced, that is nothing to write home about at these prices. The ribs were way dry, scallops overdone, and lasagna didn't really go anywhere. My friends are regulars here and they say this is par for the course at Pastiche. The savings grace(s) about this place? Nice wine list and cinnamon ice cream that will make your heart stop!
This place is very good! The homemade potato chips and dip was amazing. Fish tacos, you get a lot of food with that order. Lastly, the vegetable flatbread was fantastic. Overall this is a great place to have dinner because it's quiet. I will definitely come back to this place.
(5)
Timothy B.
Enjoyed the Fried Avacado, soft fish tacos and substituted fresh fruit in place of the french fries...everything was fresh and delicious...nice atmosphere for a late lunch. Wait staff was friendly and attentive...most tables were already reserved for dinner, so that is surely a good sign...
(5)
William S.
My wife and I went for the special burger and beer Monday special for $ 8. My wife asked for lemonade instead of beer since she does not drink alcohol . She was told no substitutions allowed. So she said she would just have water with the burger. We were presented with a bill for $ 8 for my burger and beer and $ 11 for her burger. The burgers were exactly the same. We complained to the waitress who said that was the policy and that we should have ordered a beer and had me drink two. The following day we were able to contact the owner who was rude and refused to see how silly it was to charge me an extra $3 for not ordering beer. This used to be a favorite of ours. Needless to say we are telling all of our Tucson friends this hard to believe story , and we ourselves will not go back. Should we have ordered a beer and let it sit ? Should we have ordered the beer and watered the plants with it? We didn't think of these rude options.
(1)
Alfonso L.
PROS: Reasonably quiet place, so it's not like it was that noisy Service, which was friendly and attentive "Petite Marguerite" --a small margarita which was good but I guess for some reason it's wrong to have a normal size one? CONS: Sides and main entrees underwhelmed. My salad was served with a load of green apple slices, barely dressed. My neighbor's salad had many elements and none of them really came together. Our filet mignon was tough. For some reason I was asked if I wanted mine butterflied. I agreed to it and that took all of the moistness out. Do good steakhouses ask this same question? In any case, it wasn't a great piece of beef My neighbor also agreed that the sweet mashed potatoes were tasteless and resembling a paste. In an attempt to make a more gourmet "modern" side, what is wrong with another more traditional potato and just get it right? Others at the table didn't care much for their ribs. They had sauce served with it and boy did they need it because they said the ribs were quite dry.
(1)
Saba B.
I think when meeting hungry friends after 10 pm in this part of town on a weekend, choices are limited. Pastiche can be relied on to sooth the soul with a jazzy, swanky vibe. The service, though, has taken minimalist aloofness to a new level. If the party isn't having wine, remove the napkin-stuffed balloon glasses pronto. Making eye contact through a sea of superfluous stemware is irksome. Please approach, even if we are talking. We'll stop long enough to order drinks, I promise. I hate to have to flag down a server who has walked by four times and hesitated to ask for our order because we were talking. No need to be phone kiosk aggressive, but please greet us at the very least. This time we tried he fried avocado, a sparse, albeit interesting appetizer. Thick slices of creamy avocado are lightly breaded and flash-fried until they melt in your mouth. The sauces, a piquant little remoulade and a sweet tomato vinaigrette, are reasonable compliments. The steak salad covered in shoestring fries is an odd amalgam that combines crunchy and chewy, although mixing ketchup and greens was disturbing. Sadly, empty dishes sit too long and the staff could seem happier to be here. I'm a veteran late night diner, and I hate to be made to feel that I am keeping the staff from a pressing engagement.
Went to a wine tasting and dinner with some friends at Pastiche last night... It was a totally fun experience, and four hours later we were nearly closing the place! My husband and I arrived at 5:30 to meet our friends. (The wine tasting is every Friday from 5:30 to 6:30 PM). The cost... a mere $5.05 per person. Last night, the genre was Pinot Noir. Five wines were tasted- organized from lightest to heavier, which with Pinots can be slight distinctions, as Pinot Noir is the lightest bodied of red wine grapes. The wine tasting takes place in a banquet room upstairs above the wine shop. It was a full house, but we found a nice table by the window, with a view of the mountains. The wines we tasted were: 1) Chanson Bourgone (France), retail $18.99 per bottle and my least favorite of all- flat, slightly fragrant, not much body. 2) Lai Lai (Chile), retail $12.99 per bottle- nice, slightly fruity notes, light body- a good value. 3) Steelhead (California), retail $14.99 per bottle- perfectly balanced with smokey under-tones. (This is wine we ended up selecting to have a bottle of with our meal). It's an exceptional value for the price. Plus it comes from a vineyard that gives money back to make the waters in California cleaner for fresh water fish. 4) Argyle (Oregon), retail $20.99 per bottle- perfectly balanced with a smooth finish and subtle fruity undertones. 5) Stoneleigh (New Zealand), retail $17.99 per bottle. This wine was my favorite of the five we tasted, as it was the most full bodied, yet still preserved the subtleties and distinctions of a fine Pinot Noir. We progressed from the wine tasting to the dining room. If you do the wine tasting, you can order a bottle that you tasted for the price of the bottle plus a $5 corking fee. A great value! We decided on the Steelhead, and were very happy with our choice. To be able to purchase an exceptional bottle of wine in a restaurant for only $20... it was a rare treat that made the experience all the more worth while. As a side note, they have an amazing wine list at this restaurant. I've only seen local wine lists that rival Pastiche's at Anthony's and Flemings. Our waiter, David, was intuitive and adept, and made our dining experience a true pleasure. Salads came promptly, but the dressing had too much vinegar and not enough oil, and although flavorful with pecans and goat cheese, it was too tart for my palate. I had a chicken dish, which for $19 was a good value, but a bit on the bland side, and reminded me of cream of mushroom soup. My husband had the lamb chops. He was very happy with them, and said they were cooked perfectly. A hazelnut tart (suggested by the waiter) did not disappoint. The consistency of cheesecake, but with a chocolatey hazelnut flavor, it was a wonderful complement to our meals. After dinner, we picked up a few bottles of wine in the wine shop, which is very well stocked with some excellent varietals from regions all over the world. All in all, a very fun evening. I only wish the food were a bit less bland.... I suggest trying Pastiche on Friday night, as the wine tasting is great fun & a very good value.
(4)
Jenna K.
Pastiche is one of my favorite date-night restaurants in Tucson. They serve late dinners and have a great wine selection. I especially love their "Monkey Business" wine, and Pastiche is one of the few places where I can find it. Because it has the wine shop connected to it, you can purchase a bottle after dinner if you liked it. I rented their private room for graduation and it was perfect! Our waiter was fabulous, and they did not require an outrageous minimum or rental fee.
(4)
Stewart C.
You know, it was kinda lame. I'm gonna try it again SOON so this 2 star might not hold but this go around was weak. The bartender was nice but never showcased any salesmanship or suggestions. She seemed kinda "over-it", at least for the shift. She had us in the palm or her hand right when we walked in but in the end just handed us the menus and left. Oh well. Trust me, in Tucson this is pretty common. We got the cheese plate. It was $14 or $15 dollars... a perfect price on an item like that. It gives the chef some dollars to play with so that he or she can get the most on that plate of cool stuff. I don't mind even being overcharged by a dollar or two as long as the cheese and accompaniments are memorable. This plate took the opposite approach. First of all, it was LOADED with a bunch of bread and apples. I think it had 5 cheeses! and then some olives. The cheeses were pretty ho-hum. I think I recognized 4 outta 5 and I'm not a total cheese buff. Maybe it's a personal preference but I want to be able to recognize... none of them. I WANT TO BE SURPRISED, at least by something on that plate but I wasn't. It was totally worth the money cause it was huge but I think an item like that should be a a sort of flagship at a place that prides itself on wine and it's wine list like Pastiche does. The entrees were so-so. I got a Cesar salad that would of taken me 24 hours to finish. Once again, charge the same price, reduce size while increasing cost of ingredients used... no one will care, in fact they'll love it. My wife got the pork. By entrees we were pretty full from the cheese plate that we didn't really get to far in the dish to say to much. Wine was good. They are doing some summer specials that are pretty smokin' on wine so check that out. I feel like i may have not of ordered right so I will try again real soon... fingers crossed. 'Cause it's a very nice restaurant, killer bar. See u soon!
(2)
Rick B.
A Tucson original, long-time Tucson favorite, and all-round exceptional restaurant. We've been dining at Pastiche for 20 years and have NEVER been disappointed by a meal, a wine, or a cocktail. The menu is creative and original, there are daily specials at great prices, the wine selection is the best in Tucson (and so are the martinis), and the atmosphere is casual and quiet. Great for romantic dining, family dining, or business meals. A+++ in our book. In the bigger scheme of things, Pastiche not only fulfills most everyone's dining desires, but is a strong Tucson community contributor - eat local, support local talent.
(5)
Judy M.
Excellent seabass The summer special is excellent. Fare price and delicious. The service was just the right amont of attention. We will come back.
(4)
Brennan M.
I'm not totally sure what kind of cuisine the chef is aiming for. I suppose it must be French, but if so... show me the butter! I had a really nice salad starter, but salads are never a reason to go to a restaurant. As an entree, I ate the red bird chicken wrapped in bacon (or was it prosciutto?). It was a sad, overly dry chicken breast. I ought to have ordered the mushroom souffle. I've heard that the souffle is wonderful. The end of the meal was delightful, though. I shared the apple/pear crumble with one of my fellow diners, and I found myself wanting it all for myself! It was delicious--though not in a French way. Which brings me back to my original question: What kind of cuisine is Pastiche giving us? Whatever it is, it's average.
(3)
Mary M.
This is only the third time I have fined there. Every meal has been a wonderful gastronomical adventure! Be sure to try the Mac n' cheese, really! Save room for dessert, or you will be sorry! Hats off to the chef!
(5)
joe y.
Awesome! Diverse menu, great wine list, nice simple atmosphere, great service. Do the routine with this place... Start at the bar and have a cocktail or beer, get a table and do the wine thing and app and salad and dinner. Everything paces really well and the food is knockout!
(5)
Peg P.
I was a bit disappointed for I had heard good things about this restaurant. For the $30+ it cost for 2 of us to have lunch (with no drinks), it should have been a dining experience but it wasn't. The place was pretty empty when we arrived and our wait person was OK in that she had a "disinterested" demeanor and wasn't real attentive. I ordered the pan-fried salmon sandwich. I think the fish was not fresh for it had a bitter taste and it fell apart when I bit into it. Not what i was expecting. A person could do some serious staining damage to clothes with such a dish as this. The tiny pepper-covered onion rings that came with it, however, were delicious. My friend ordered a garden salad with lime-cilantro dressing and found it very good. She had asked for the dressing on the side but our server put it in the salad instead. The corn-covered fries we ordered as an appetizer were cripsy and prepared perfectly. Prior to our meal arriving, we were given a plate with 3 slices of sourdough bread and butter. Nothing special about that. We tried it once, found the food just so-so, but the prices quite high. (Draft beer prices were twice what we usually pay.) Once was enough. We won't return.
(2)
syelp s.
We went here late night (for Tucson, it was 10:00 on a Sunday...) and had a great time! The food was delicious, I had the blackened bacon burger, my dad had the Salmon and my mom the pasta dish... Each one was flavorful and their meals came with a choice of the 'bistro' size or a regular portion. The beer selection was great, and the service was impeccable. What I loved the best was that it was GOOD food, at such a late hour...the other choices were miserable. I highly recommend it!
(4)
Jeff F.
Sigh. We'd been meaning to try this place for awhile and finally got around to it. We were not impressed. First of all, we booked a table for 7pm. When we walked in, we noted with alarm that there were maybe five or six tables in the restaurant. We were the last ones to be seated that night. At 7:00! The physical ambiance of the restaurant is somewhat lacking. It's extremely bright for one thing and the decor is kind of cheap-looking, more like a diner or coffee shop. I was expecting something much more upscale. We ordered the cheese plate as an appetizer and a bottle of wine. Great value on the wine - a nice southern Italian red for $22. The cheese plate was a nice selection but the execution was what you'd expect at a friend's house if you dropped in unexpectedly, not at a restaurant. All of the cheese was ice cold and it was served with slices of very mediocre baguette. I had the rib eye special and my wife had the cajun pasta. It was edible, but again, very amateurish execution. The Rib Eye was promoted as being super special Angus beef. What I got was, first of all, not a Rib Eye but another cut, which was cut too thin. It was essentially flavorless. $23. What was really weird was the "polenta" that it was served with. I'm not sure what it was, but it was unlike any polenta I've ever had (and I love polenta). It was a wedge of extremely mushy pudding with a really unpleasant off-flavor. Also, bizarrely, it was gray. This was accompanied by a pile of under-cooked broccoli with no seasoning. All in all, it was approximately the same as a not very memorable business class airplane meal. That's not a compliment. My wife's pasta was alright but the pasta was way over-cooked and had obviously been reheated. It was also extremely oily. The service was non-existent. Despite the fact that there was only one other table in the restaurant, our waiter opened the bottle of wine and never came back to the table. The waiters were all in their early 20s, somewhat unkempt and appeared to be pretty clueless. They walked around the empty restaurant talking loudly between themselves and ignoring us. We decided to try a dessert so we shared a cheesecake. It was good but drowning in a butterscotch sauce. What's odd about it is that it seems like it was actually made on premises (not bought in as it frequently is the case around here) but it was just kind of inept in terms of execution. I had the same thought I always have when I go to a "high-end" restaurant in Tucson, which is, didn't anybody here go to culinary school? I always have the feeling that the chefs are just winging it. $110 with wine and tip and we would never go back.
(2)
Alysia W.
This place is much more fancy than I was expecting! You can definitely dine here in casual wear but the feel of the place is more upscale bistro.. The menu isn't that expansive but they do have a nice selection to choose from.. The prices are on the higher end but not so high that you'll be seeing holes burned through your wallet.. Unfortunately I wasn't here to eat a big meal so my experience was incomplete.. I ordered a bistro portion of their caesar salad and my friend had their bistro fish taco.. I love how they offer different portion sizes for those who may be more or less hungry.. My salad tasted great but was smaller than I was expecting for the price of the bistro portion.. I wonder what the regular sized salad looks like.. I didn't order anything to drink besides water so the next time I dine here, which will happen (!!), I'll engage in the full experience to provide a complete review [:
(4)
Merry S.
Pastiche this past Saturday.... Saturday night with my hubby brought us to Pastiche. The bar had our favorites (house vodka for Mike, Jameson Gold for me) which we sipped while waiting for our table by the window. Tea lights flickering in red glass holders on each table lent a rosy ambience. We started with the cheese platter, (a favorite!) Mike's bistro portion of Rosemary Crusted Pork Tenderloin with butternut squash risotto, goat cheese, pine nuts and poached figs was delightful! I had the special: Certified Angus Beef Stroganoff. Melt-in-your-mouth beef with a silky, creamy sauce and perfectly cooked pasta was divine. We finished with sharing a generous slice of Banana Cake with sour cream frosting. Light, moist and flavorful, then visited their wonderful wine shop! One other note I MUST add. The always-watchful owner, Pat Connors, noticed that our order was taking a bit longer than usual. No problem, we realized that they were very busy. But he took the time to bring us extra slices of warm baguette to keep us fortified while we finished that delicious cheese plate. Personalized, caring service like that, keeps us returning again and again. When we left, it was raining, so we backtracked and visited their wine shop, where Amanda Lukas offered us a glass of currently-open wine. It was the perfect way to polish off our evening. By the time we finished our wine, the rain had stopped, so we headed home to savor our evening.
(4)
Eve S.
I've continually tried this place over the years, I really want to like it. I just don't. The worst experience I had was taking my parents there for their birthdays. I ordered a shrimp dish which tasted exactly like dish washing liquid. I never complain about food at a restaurant, but it was truly inedible so I quietly told the server I thought some soap had gotten into my food and was sorry to cause trouble. She was relatively nice about it and asked what I would like instead, I ordered something which wasn't memorable. When the bill came, I saw I had been charged for both entrees. I bit the bullet and just paid, not wanting to ruin my parents evening. I've thought that time was a fluke, and it mostly was but I've never really liked anything I've ordered. I'm pretty much done with this place.
(2)
Jodi J.
This is a wonderful date restaurant and I have been many times with my husband and my relatives. The staff are always polite and take care of us. The food is a little on the pricy side but well worth it since the portions are rather large and you can even order a smaller version of the meal if needed for smaller appietites. This is my number one place for St. Patty's Day celebrations since I love their Irish menu options.
(5)
Phil D.
Consistent, family-run and with family on-site and working. Nice wine list with reasonable prices. The menu is very good, Pastiche does not aspire to be an uppity fine-dining kind of place but rather to be friendly, contemporary and Tucsonan in personality. We bring our out-of-town friends here, and they haven't been disappointed.
(4)
Susan R.
Loved my lunch. The soups are outstanding. The beet salad was really special
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Tuyen C.
I have been going to Pastiche on and off for years dating back to pre-Yelp era. Back then ya have ta be cool to know where it's at. This place is one of those locally owned business that has a real chef and serves real food. One of the things i look for to judge a restaurant is how they serve their salads. It should come with fresh variety of greens (iceberg lettuce does not count) and the right amount of dressing (not drenched). Pastiche does this. On a recent visit, we were told that they had a new chef and the menu is changing a bit. Then the waiter proceeded to recommend the pasta with prawns while announcing that the prawns are fist-size. This got my attention. Two people at our table wear XXL gloves and we both looked at our fists. I ended up getting the"Big Ben Burger" and one of us got the Pasta with Prawns (fist-size prawns). There was another dinner ordered from our table but i forgot what it was. The burger was delicious and was everything a burger should be coming from a self-respecting restaurant. The fist-size prawns were ... shrimps (not even jumbo shrimps). Or was it because our fists were freakishly large? That's another discussion. Hate to say it but we were had. Despite that interesting little tale, I am still a fan of Pastiche. And it was our naivete to believe that shrimps come as large as our fists. Now that they just switched chef. I intend to go back soon and see how the new chef does. At which time, I may revise my rating. One more thing, i asked for a wine recommendation. Our server recommended a Shiraz that was supposed to be smooth. I was quite spicy and I told him that. So ... Pastiche deserves a 3.5-star but there is no such thing on Yelp so a 3-star it is.
(3)Jason L.
One of my hood favorites, but no stars for being close to home. I've honestly never had a bad meal here, and always walk out very satisfied. Not the place to dine if you're in a hurry. You could, but it's a better experience if you go in, get a bottle of wine, have dinner, and turn to the desert menu. The deserts are absolutely outstanding, all from the in-house pastry chef. The bottled wine is about as good a deal you can get eating out. The food is pricey but it's truly a treat to take a night and dine at Pastiche.
(5)Ryan S.
Ambience: 4/5 (trendy; good place to take a date) Food: 3/5 (good, but too heavy on the sauces; as is, my meal was drowning in what should've been a subtle, complementary dressing) Service: 3/5 (server was all right: a little too casual given the setting, food came out quickly, but otherwise server was not very attentive; huge bonus point for being open till midnight) Value: 1/5 (overpriced menu: everything is priced about 5 to 9 dollars higher than it should be). Verdict: I might take a date here for the ambience, but otherwise there are too many other restaurants in Tucson with more a more reasonably-priced menu to warrant a return.
(2)Roberta L.
WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM? Only because friends felt they needed to eat here ( details unimportant), did I agree to go again. I have never enjoyed the "palate" of this chef. Well, last night, "palate" was not the issue. First off, the lighting was SO bad over our table that the waiter had to bring a small flashlight in order to read the menu. Secondly-I'll stop the counting at two- the waiter was a downright GRUMP and was not helpful at all. I wound up ordering a salad appetizer (which was delicious-baby greens, etc etc) and then small plate which I did not realize came with a side of the same salad. No big deal, but awake waitstaff would have pointed that out so I might have made a different choice. This guy was definitely not "present." One of us ordered a "rib-eye." HAH! I would never have accepted it-he did and I know he did not enjoy the 1/2 inch thin, miserably cooked piece of meat he got. Yeeech! He also requested mashed potatoes instead of one of the sides-he got mashed veggies of some kind, again he accepted it. (not me, I can tell you that). The bread that was served was strange, not bad, but strange-some kind of soft bread with sun-dried tomatoes in it-one of us could not, due to dietary problems, eat it, so one of the waitstaff, not our waiter, brought out some plain sour-dough bread in addition. I must say that, in addition to not liking the food very much, this kind of "service" is just not acceptable. I love being with my friends, but next time, I'm gonna give a little energy into suggesting a different restaurant.
(2)Sherry P.
Pretty good but not great. We went for Thanksgiving dinner but we didn't eat turkey. It was crowded and the wait staff was pleasant but a little overwhelmed--really rushing around but trying not to look rushed. The hostess seated us at what is probably the worst table in the restaurant, directly under the air conditioning vent. It was cold outside and just as cold inside. I knew they were crowded but I just couldn't stand eating under the cold breeze so fortunately, they had no problem moving us to another table without having to wait. (I went by that table when we were about to leave and they didn't seat anyone else there fortunately.) We had salmon cakes for an appetizer--they were small and nothing special. Fishy like salmon can be but no interesting flavors to offset the fishiness. My husband had prime rib. It was a little overdone and not hot. I think it had been sitting out for a while before my dish was finished. The meat was not very tender. I had mac & cheese, which was really good and had a good amount of bacon and some spinach, which was a nice twist. It was one of the best mac & cheeses I've ever had. We had a berry crumb/crisp with ice cream for dessert. Very nice but not incredibly special. There aren't many restaurants open on Thanksgiving and serving entrees other than the traditional items. We were happy they had more to choose from and, all and all, we were satisfied with the experience.
(3)Amy W.
I don't think I'm going to go back to Pastiche. I've eaten there twice now, and my experiences were very different from each other - the first time was positive and the second was disappointing. When I went with the intention of spending $20 or more for my meal, plus tip, I enjoyed myself. Notwithstanding, I thought it wasn't exactly well-priced for what I received and the service lagged a little. The second time, I went with the intention of not spending more than $15 plus tip, and I found the server to be a little rude about it (she basically ignored us after we ordered), not to mention the fact my burger tasted charred, like charcoal, when I ordered it to be pink. The fact is I could have spent as much money or less for a tastier meal and a drink, with a waitress who didn't make me feel unwelcome. The atmosphere is peaceful and elegant, and nothing stood out as overtly sub-par, so my grade reflects the fact it could have been much worse, though I still would not like to return.
(2)Crystal L.
This place reminds me of a Denny's trying to be fancy. The service wasn't great, we sat for a while with empty glasses (water & soda), the busser/assistant walked by our table many times (at least 4) and didn't fill our water until he went around with a pitcher to every other table first, then still passed us to go to back and bring something out for another table before he filled our glasses. The Cajun pasta was ok. The chicken with prosciutto was dry and over cooked with hardly any cream sauce, the risotto was undercooked and had no flavor. The fried avocados were good. The busser/assistant looked lazy, wouldn't do anything until told by the waiter. The waiter would even hand him glasses and plates while he just stood there looking dumbfounded. The waiter looked like he got mad when he discovered the table across from us had spilled their wine accidentally. The busser/assistant put dirty silverware into his apron...gross! We will not be back.
(1)Dave S.
Top shelf service and good solid food. Delicious!!
(4)Mike M.
It had been several years since we had been to Pastiche. We stopped going because we found the service to pretty bad. My wife decided she wanted to give it another shot for her birthday. Again the food that we actually got was great, the service was not. To be fair to the waitress it seemed like she was the only one responsible for a large part of the dining room, which probably led to to the poor service. It took far to long to have our drink orders taken and even longer to have our orders taken. We ordered and appetizer as well as main courses. After 45 minutes we still didn't have our app and we couldn't even find our waitress to ask about it. The app was never brought to our table and we found out later that it was taken by a food runner to someone in the bar. She offered to buy us a dessert, but we explained that we already had a birthday cake at home and asked if she could comp a drink or something else. She said that she didn't have the authority to do that. Again, the food was good and that is why it got 2 stars instead of 1.
(2)Maggie K.
I have liked Pastiche more each time I have gone there. The first time I went was years ago, and I sat at the bar. I think I had a mushroom souflee, which I enjoyed, but the atmosphere of the place didn't strike me. The next time I went was a year or so ago, and I had a bistro portion of a butternut squash ravioli, I think. I also drank a lot of wine. I enjoyed it much more, but left just thinking it was a pleasant place. The last two times I was there, I ended up there because it is open later than most every other non-fast food place in Tucson. The first of these two times, I was on a date, which went very nicely, so maybe that helped make a deeper impression. My date had been dreaming about the mac and cheese, and I had the mushroom souflee again. We shared one of the bottles of wine on special and followed with a couple of desserts. The bistro portions make it so much more reasonable to eat a tasty small meal and treat yourself to wine and dessert as well. The last time I was there was an impromptu late dinner with a close friend. We decided on fancy cocktails and bistro portions off the late night menu. Again, it was enough food to be wonderful without killing us. We decided we would have to return for a girls' night in the not-to-distant future, especially since Pastiche is walking/ stumbling distance to my house.
(4)Kristen S.
I'm shocked at some of these poor reviews, I think this place is absolutely fantastic! I used to live in Tucson, and this place was my favorite restaurant. They have a beautiful menu, and their prices are very affordable for the quality of food you get. I really like how they offer a "bistro size" (smaller portion) for most of their items. They have a wonderful wine list, and their prices are unbelievable. (I work in the wine biz - and I know their marks ups are significantly less than other restaurants) The ambience inside is also great, very colorful and artistic. It's a great place to take a date! I love their bar, too - my friends and I would always meet up for a glass of wine and appetizers there.
(5)Anne J.
Tried the prix fixe meal for Valentine's Day and was not disappointed! Had a reservation, was seated immediately. Whined about sitting in a cold spot and the waiter turned down the air, no questions asked. Nice. FANTASTIC wine list - apparently the wine geek here loves Riojas as much as I do, and their supply not only doesn't disappoint, but the markups are milder than the usual 300%, with plenty of good wines on sale. The mixed greens were terrific; the pork tenderloins were delicious and tender, and went beautifully with the Bright Star (chardonnay/albarino/gewurztraminer blend - I wanted chard, hubby wanted gewurz, I like albarino so there we are!) and the warm brownie sinday was delicious, but I was too stuffed to finish it. Young, enthusiastic waiter could have been more knowledgeable about the wine, but the list is immense and he's not a sommelier so that's OK. Large party nearby had kids there, but I would not take my kids (5 and 3 and this place has tablecloths). Yum yum yum - I am looking forward to a return visit!
(4)Matt S.
The food and wine were great. The service the other night was dreadful. I've never felt so neglected. Like the another reviewer, I was with a group and felt the server knew they were getting 20% and just ignored us. In watching her other tables, I felt they got better service than us. The place wasn't even too busy (midweek) yet the everything took forever.
(2)Leah R.
Pastiche is somewhere in Tucson I've been looking to try for some time. A few weeks ago I finally got the chance while on a double date. We started with homemade kettle chips that came with a blue cheese dipping sauce. These were amazing! The chips were light and fresh and the dipping sauce was something that I had never tried before. For the main course I ordered the potato crusted salmon. It was perfect. Perfectly cook, paired with fresh vegetables, and a delicious homemade rye bread, I ate the entire plate. My boyfriend ordered the mushroom steak, and I was a little disappointed with it. It wasn't as thick as I would have imagined, and therefore not completely filling, but still flavorful. For dessert we had the bread pudding. It was pretty good, but not as great as one I've previously had. It was still very enjoyable however, light, creamy, and flavorful. I enjoyed my meal at Pastiche, and am looking forward to trying it again!
(4)Glenn B.
Back again - this time will be my last. One filet was sent back twice to get it cooked to even medium - not even the well done asked for... and by then it was too dry. One of the desserts was so dry we put a fork in it because they claimed it was a post fruity type desert.... maybe stone fruit. Never again. Great service but I had 5 people in from Houston and I was embarrassed things were so ordinary - to - outright bad! You are my only 5 stars to 1 star conversion.
(1)Jeremiah P.
A bit pricey, but pretty good food, atmosphere. I don't actually go here much for dinner, but it's a nice place to stop for a drink and/or dessert or an appetizer in the evening. Decent beer and wine selection, most of the food is good. The dessert is generally really good.
(4)J F.
On a Tuesday evening, we were seated around 5:30 pm for our party of five.. Our server, Josh had a table of seven ladies and no other tables. He also has an assistant. It took him over ten minutes to finally come over and greet us. He took another 10 minutes before he returned to take our drink orders. His assistant brought the drinks over. When I mentioned to place an order for appetizers, he stated as long as it was ordered before 6 pm. By that time, it was almost 5:55 pm. So, I am not entitled to my happy hour prices before you never came back to check on us. The calamari was terrible, and my Garlic Shrimp pasta dish was very small. Overall, the service was poor and the server had way too many tables and guests to take care off. Never again at this place.
(1)Stephen Z.
Worst restaurant experience I have had was at Pastiche. And of all times it was in the summer in Tucson on a slow Tuesday night. I waited 15 minutes without being greeted with only one other table in the entire restaurant when I walked to the bar to ask for some help and found the manager getting smashed with the bartender and two servers. I asked him to send a server over to get some drinks and asked him to comp an app while he's at it because this situation is ridiculous. And let's just say the Pastiche Manager did not respond kindly. End of story we left and I will never eat there again. And not because of the sub-par overpriced food but because of the utter disrespect I was shown by the management, to which I chose not even to go into detail with. But all said and done I've been shown more respect trashed throwing beer bottles at O'mally's.
(1)Zoey G.
I was excited to try this place out while in town visiting my sister since she said it was supposed to be good. Unfortunately my experience was far from it. We made a reservation but still had to wait a little bit, which isn't that big of a deal since I live in SF and I'm used to waiting. The food was mediocre but the prices weren't that bad. We were all having a pretty good time, though, so I would have given at least a 3 star until the RUDEST person I've ever met walked in. He wasn't our waiter, he wasn't a host, he just came out of nowhere and condescendingly told me not to ruin their glass. Granted, I was playing with the Maker's Mark red wax on the glass that my drink came in. But still, we were already done, no one had said anything before then, and I'm sure I'm not the first person to have done it. Furthermore, after he came out of nowhere to reprimand me, he mocked me under his breath while walking away and then went into the kitchen and came out a second later with someone else who works there to point and laugh at my table. I told the hostess when she walked by but, to my knowledge, she didn't do anything. I didn't even get an apology. I don't know what is entailed with the training at this restaurant but clearly manners are not. The entire mood of the evening was absolutely ruined and they lost not only me as a future customer, but the other 3 people I was eating with, who all live in Tucson, and I'm sure all of their friends, too. I just can't believe how incredibly poorly we were treated. I hope other people read this review and think twice before going to this horribly-run establishment.
(1)Jim M.
I eat at this place many times while in Tucson.. It's consistenly good and interesting. Last night I had a nice falafel and grill chicken on garden greens, hummus and pita, and their wonderful in house chicken soup. I've never had a bad meal there., Give it a try, see what you think..
(4)Kip R.
Didn't eat anything except the pazooki, which was delicious, but the drink and wine specials are definitely a highlight. The ambiance is great, especially around the bar area, and the staff was polite and competent. If they still have them, try a Maker's Collins!
(4)B J.
The last time I was there the muffins were good!
(3)Gary C.
We have been dining with Pat since 1994 Pastiche is a special place. The wine list is big and there is always bargain available. The menu varies with the seasons and the wait staff is efficient, helpful and friendly. The attached wine shop always has Pat's latest finds and reasonable prices. Pastiche is a great place to hang and for any special occasion. Also a special dessert chef with great choices. Always a great experience.
(5)rachel w.
Pastiche is my Valentine's Day restaurant of choice. They're one of the only restaurants in the city of Tucson that doesn't charge some crazy per-person price for Valentine's Dinner. The restaurant has a great vibe to it, huge wine list, and selective menu. Everything I've ordered here has been delicious, and when I brought my family here for graduation night my dad even loved the hell out of it! (He's very had to please when it comes to dining out). Unlike others who have left reviews, my service (luckily) has always been very good and attentive. Make sure you make reservations if you plan to go for dinner on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night!
(5)Maggie M.
Let me start this review with the food is absolutely delicious. The only place in Tucson that rivals how wonderful the seasonal wonderful food is Maynards. The really unfortunate part is how really awful the wait staff and management is. It took 20 minutes to get water, our appetizer came before we got drinks. It then took another 30 minutes to order, then after getting our food the waiter dropped everything and never came back. The buser took our desert order and only cause we asked for some service. The waiter just kept walking by eyeing us and walking back to the kitchen. Now I'm someone who absolutely understands being busy having a lot going on, but this place was dead. There was no one there! Beyond that if they hired someone with a personality who apologized or kept us in the loop that would be one thing, oh yes good customer service. Don't go here. The food is excellent, but most certainly does not make up for the crappy service. On top of all that as we waited in the front to pay our check after waiting another half an hour an employee who was barely a foot away from us kept talking on the resturant phone about how she couldn't wait to get off work and how she really needed a drink and then started cursing. I'm no prude, but seriously? Get professional.
(1)PHIL g.
Like another of your reviewers I was shocked to read some of them. I couldn't tell if they were talking about a totally different place. The decor is "diner?" What's with this? I admit they may miss a time or two of the food, but our acquaintances all love the place. Great wine menu, love the bar, the burgers are great, the fries terrific, the mushroom souffle a sure-fire hit, the mushroom soup a winner. My wife loves the bistro portions. We've never had a problem with the servers and have been there as a couple and with a group of seven to eight. Always friendly. No, they don't dress in tuxes, but this is Tucson! Certainly the wait staff at Janos dresses better, but the food isn't as good and horrendously pricey. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
(4)Leila R.
My mom and I came here for my birthday dinner, late night on a Friday, and though the place was pretty dead (we came in an hr before they closed and a band had just finished playing), I was very impressed by the food and the service. Our waiter took some warming up, but once he did, he was awesome! I had the baked mac n cheese, which looks like a small portion for the price, but your eyes can be bigger than your stomach because once I started in I could barely get through half of the serving! It was really good with nice proportions of bacon to cheese/pasta. My mom got the teriyaki skewers, which were good as well. The meat was cooked perfectly and the sauce/rice was very tasty. My mom had their version of the cosmopolitan, which was surprisingly good and boozy! It was better than the Malbec I ordered, which was either served too young or had been mildly corked because it was a bit off tasting, but it was right before closing, so I didn't want to send it back and have them open another bottle. Had it been earlier in the evening, I would have though. I quickly rectified my disappointed alcohol situation with a Rusty Nail, which they knew how to make and was a fantastically good pour! It had just the right amount of scotch to give you the nice warm buzz you want from this drink and the Drambouie to soften the scotch and linger in the ice cubes when you're done! The highlight, however, was what they did for my birthday! I got the Guiness Chocolate Cake (which was ridiculously rich and delectable!) served on an LED lit platter that sings "Happy Birthday"!!! Thank you Pastiche, for making my Friday the (March) 13th birthday so memorably delicious!
(4)Maria G.
I will make this a quick review. I had dinner Monday night at Pastiche. It has been over two years since I have eaten in this restaurant. Nothing was anywhere near as good as it used to be. It was a Monday night so I didn't expect a full restaurant, it was almost empty. We were sat by the window the window sill was covered in dead flys, not a good start. Our server wasn't personable and she didn't tell us about the specials or make any suggestions. Monday night they have an $8.00 burger and beer special. When we asked her about it she said they did have the burger special. It looked good on the next table over. We should have had the special but instead we ordered a bowl of mushroom soup, Cajun pasta ($18), beet salad ($9), and a glass of wine ($7.50). The pasta was horrible. It was Cajun as in red hot sauce and just didn't taste good. Everything else was ok, but pricey. Our check, was almost $50.00. I will also say, I really miss the wine shop. I will probably not be coming back to Pastiche.
(2)Christina L.
Came here with the hubby. Got to get my opentable reservation too! Saturday night at 7 was not too busy at all. Was seated early in a corner table. The ambiance is very relaxed. Love the baby lights on the ceiling to mimic the night sky. Very bare decorations but hey it's "modern" right? Staff was very friendly and helpful. Noise level very quiet for the weekend. Onto the food...the good: the wine list, the jumbo shrimp, and the deserts. The ok: the chipotle shrimp linguini and prime rib. The jumbo shrimp was wrapped in jalapeño bacon and stuffed with cheese. Yum!! Chipotle spicy. The main entrees were cooked well but really lacked anything that made them unique to the restaurant. My chipotle shrimp linguini was tossed a plain cream sauce with no chipotle, but again was cooked well. Portions were great. The prime rib was over cooked and all the seasoning was in the au jus. For desert was a nicely prepared creme brûlée. Overall a nice pleasant place but next time I'll stick to a happy hour app format.
(3)Samuel A.
This is the first time we have been there since they remodeled. The place looks great and open changed the way the noise travels so it is good. The Bar is very open and big all in all a nice job. The food was wonderful started with the "Brie-schetta" the Tomatoes were perfectly ripe. For the main course I had the braised short ribs which was served with a creamy polenta and veggies, my wife had the Macadamia Crusted Mahi Mahi and she said it was perfect and oh so tasty. We had a couple small pours of wine which were both great. It is so nice you can pick wines for different parts of the meal and the do 3oz pours. A wonderful meal and evening.
(5)Leah B.
My husband and I went on a Monday for the $8 burger and beer special. It's a high quality burger with excellent options for the side dish. You can chose any beer on their extensive beer list. The place was recently renovated, but its probably double the size it needs to be. We were one of only 3 tables there.
(4)Erik H.
Pretty good food, some canned products and few vegetarian options. The place was clean, and interior was cool and the place had a good vibe to it. Our server was great and maybe that's what made our night go smoothly.
(3)Ayla R.
I was always curious about this place. The location is nice and I have heard great and not so great things about it. Finally the hubs and I gave it a whirl! It was almost 10:00pm, which if you have been in Tucson longer than a week, you know that once it hits 10 the city falls asleep and food options are left to minimal options (Nicos, Los Betos, Taco Shop, Old Chicago and Dante's Fire). I checked on Yelp and realized Pastiche was open until 11! We hurried over. The restaurant was quiet with just a few tables in the corner beyond the bar. The interior was captivating enough. We both hurried to the bathroom when the bartender yelled 'Sit on this side! There are only two of us!' ... okay. Awkward. I told her we were using the restroom then we chose a seat at the bar. She informed us they closed soon (1 hour) so we hurried and ordered. I got the vegetarian flat bread with no pesto and no cheese and sweet potatoes fries and C got the Voodoo pasta. He debated between the bistro size and large. Our bartender told us that the large was massive and intended for sharing. He still ordered the large and anticipated left overs. My dish was pretty good and I was just happy they had something I was willing to eat. C enjoyed his, but was a little disappointed by the normal sized portion and ate the whole thing easily. Then again, we have big appetites so maybe it could be sharable (?) I was happy to find late night food and the only thing that knocked this down a star was the service. The bartender poured hot water down her drains and was cleaning her well for several minutes before we were offered drinks or food. I understand wanting to prepare to close, but we felt rushed. I would give this another go for happy hour or not quite so late.
(4)Dylan M.
First time visiting Pastiche, as we had a $30 gift card from work to spend here. We were seated near the front window, and the service was friendly and low key. The interior was open and spacious, but had somewhat of a cheap vibe to it, especially for the pricey food + cocktails on the menu. We ordered the Lamb Chop, and Voodoo Cajun Pasta. While waiting, what was once an afterthought when we first entered became more and more of a nuisance as we sat chatting - a good dozen flies kept circling around us and wouldn't leave. I'd expect this out at a taco stand on the street, but definitely not inside a modern-casual American restaurant. We lived with it, and allowed our food to arrive. I had the Lamb, which was accompanied with risotto and asparagus - I usually love this type of dish, but theirs was noticeably over-salted across each food item...it would have been great otherwise! We let the manager know about the flies toward the end of our meal, to alert him to be aware and maybe not let new guests sit in that area for the evening. I was surprised to hear that they "usually take care of the flies in the morning", thus implying that this is an ongoing problem. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they let us dine for free because of the inconvenience, which they didn't have to do, but still underwhelmed by the whole experience. I guess we still have the gift card to use for another visit - we'll know not to sit next to the front window next time ;)
(2)Augustina M.
I came here for a dinner meeting on a Wednesday night and assumed it wouldn't be too busy, but it was. The food is pricier, in my opinion, but they do give you decent portions of food. Their tacos are good. Their New England Clam chowder was good, but watered down... almost like they were running out and watered it down to stretch it out a bit. Just an observation from a self-proclaimed chowda connoisseur! ;) The decor was chic and the place felt very open, which I like in a restaurant. The wait staff however, not good at all. I waited forever for water, they continually messed up my order, but I'll chalk it up to being a busy night since I like to give places the benefit of the doubt. I'd like to try this place out in conjunction with Creative Juice Art Bar... they have painting classes hosted at Pastiche where you can paint and eat at the same time... so I'll probably be back!
(3)Peter C.
We're longtime (as in many, many years) customers of Pastiche. We especially appreciate their contributions to the community, particularly Primavera. But our Valentine's experience wasn't up to par. My Boar Sausage, kraut and mashed-potato dish was fine, but the wife's Surf-n-turf was not good. The scallops were undercooked and stone cold (I confirmed it). The beef-medallion was ordered medium but was rare--and again, cold. When my wife told the waiter, he comped our desert. A diner at the neighboring table said her short ribs were cold as well. The ginger-molasses cake was first rate. This is such a nice place that we'll surely be back. Btw, the place wasn't even half full.
(3)Michael R.
I have been here maybe 30 times and I can say this place is awesome I have never not once had a bad experience !! Food is always cooked perfectly !! I've tried most of the menu it's all outstanding especially the choppino !! San Francisco has nothing on this place! Service is always good. Owners take a lot of pride and are hands on ! It shows ! Great job
(5)Kelly L.
love the new space - much more open and lovely. food is still awesome and the staff was very attentive but not pushy and were friendly - both with the other customers as well as the staff which created a really nice ambiance. Tables were far enough away from each other that you didn't feel like you were hearing everyone elses conversations which was awesome. the wine list is great and the warm brownie was an amazing dessert. The limoncello dessert was sold out so I'm heading back soon to give that one a go!
(4)William L.
Food was very good and up to Pastiche standards. Unfortunately, service made the evening unpleasant. We waited over an hour for our food and had to leave for a concert without dessert. Not the way we planned. Too bad as we must limit our exposure to such situations in the future and consider service.a risk when it comes to Pastiche.
(2)John R.
The food has always been quite good here. Today, the burger, with provolone on a brioche bun, was fantastic. The meat was juicy and cooked perfectly, the lettuce/tomato/onion was cold while the bun was warm and the patty hot. The sweet potato fries were also excellent, though I find that I prefer a yogurt or tzatziki to dip them in. The server was fast and noticed when I ran out of water and quickly offered a refill. The lunch was served fast and flawlessly and cleared fast as well. Now for the downside: - we were given heavily stained, wrinkled menus - our server was not warm or even smiley, and never even really greeted us except for saying she would be right back to take our drink order - the vertical portion of the bar (where patrons sit up to and might bump with their feet and knees) needs polishing badly and the light switch near our table had either dirt or old paint on it - the fake candle on our table had dirt and dust on it - they sat me at a table in the corner that looks right into the back of the house, near the well where the employees come to get their drinks. If you've read my original review of Cheesecake Factory, it is an epidemic for employees to think that this area is a hangout and that they are invisible there (but they aren't). So we were inappropriately entertained with server banter during our meal. - an employee started clanging silverware together behind my table on the other side of a half- wall, lasting 5 minutes as she was rolling silverware - our server wiped her eye several times, then went straight to making drinks for patrons without a glove or washing her hands (this is a NO NO) - when the bill arrived, the check-holder had lettuce and food stuck to the back of it from a previous client (yuck) Regarding the atmosphere: I like how they've renovated with only 3 concerns. 1) The lamps over the bar look like extracted teeth - I'm not sure what they were going for there 2) The servers wear aprons, button shirts, ties, and jeans - so you have 3 genres clashing at once 3) The music, as much as I like Louie Armstrong and Frank Sinatra, belonged in Sullivans, not this modern, floating-teeth bar place that they just modernized. Anyway, I would definitely go again, but the cleanliness and sanitation issues really need to improve and then the service should warm up. The food is solid, though.
(3)Richard S.
Great value. Really good food at moderate prices. Happy hour wine prices at our dinner table - and the Pinot Noir offered was really good My evening special of short ribs for &19.00 was my best dining out deal of the month. For $22.00 M had the Sea Bass special. Combined with an excellent waitress we had a memorable evening.
(4)Elaine P.
This is a good place to go to a "classy" strip mall restaurant when you are entertaining cheap friends who don't want to spend a fortune on a meal. I doesn't dazzle and it doesn't disappoint. It's 2.5 stars, but Yelp requires rounding up to 3.
(3)Annie H.
When I walked in there did not seem to be a host at the stand to seat me but it was late so I understand. I was eating alone so I sat at the bar and the service was quite attentive due to my quick access seating. The food is quite pricey even though the portions are quite small. I did enjoy my meal brief as it was. I got the lamb chops in the bistro portion which was satisfying but not filling. The risotto that came with the lamb chops was what made the dish well rounded as it was creamy and had just the right amount of flavor. I finished the meal in a flat 5 minutes which is about a third of the time the meal took to get to me. I did opt to get dessert because it was tempting plus I could still eat so I decided on the creme brulee which was good but not fantastic. The caramelized portion was a little more burnt than I like it but otherwise good. The highlight of the night was definitely the service but the food was alright considering the price.
(4)Sarah W.
After seeing favorable reviews of this place, my husband and I decided to give it a try. This was our first mistake. Our second mistake was not leaving after 45 minutes of waiting for our apps to arrive. My husbands triple threat sliders were inedible. They tasted metallic and old. Our entrees were just as bad. My veggie flatbread was soggy, the veggies were way undercooked and under seasoned, and the pesto was meh at best. Even my husbands BLT was subpar. The chipotle mayo overwhelmed the sandwich. The only tasty menu items were the salad and French fries. Our server was distant and rude. He seemed annoyed by our mere presence and barely spoke to us at all, except to ask "All set here?" when dropping something off. He did, however, insist on removing the items from our bill that we did not eat, which was thoughtful. Overall, we would never come back here. A manager never even stopped by to ask what was wrong with the food, which I felt demonstrated a lack of concern for the customers.
(1)Walt R.
Excellent happy hour and burger Mondays! Great music, too. Lots of TV to see our Wildcats.
(5)Kat M.
First Time here, was greatly looking forward to being here and experiencing the menu. Our Server was Donna, she was amazing, so for service, I rate a 4+, we wanted to sample the menu, so we ordered the panko crusted fried avocado.... The idea was unique and it was fried perfectly, however it lacked any basic seasoning. We then ordered the Chipoltle Mango BBQ chicken skewers.. The sauce was amazing, packed with flavor, the chicken itself was rubbery and lacked any basic seasoning. For our main course we ordered the San Francisco Ciopani... It was inedible, literally we could not eat it. The white fish was so overcooked my husband thought we were eating dry chicken, the sauce was cold and oily and lacked even basic salt and pepper. We paid for the apps and beers and left. I would love to give it a second chance, mainly because the service was so good, but not sure we will. Maybe stick to happy hour. Eat well, live well.
(2)Beth A.
The food is very good here but the interior needs updating. They are trying to look modern but should get help from an interior decorator. I ordered the chicken caprese sandwich with a side salad and it was delicious. They serve complimentary sourdough bread before hand and it was fine. Another person at my table ordered the salmon and raved about it. The waiter was attentive and kept our drinks filled. It was a decent place to have lunch.
(4)Richa S.
Haven't dined here except for one calamari appetizer (paired with sambal, not their sweet side sauce) over a glass of wine at the bar. With that said, it was an enjoyable experience. A Tucson original for sure.
(4)Laurie C.
took my parents here for first time on mother's day. yelp reviews were mostly good and the fact that this restaurant has been in business for a while made me feel good about trying it out. what a disappointment. our server was absent for the better part of the experience, except when we asked for the check after which a fire got light under her butt. I would not recommend any dish that has chicken...the chef's motto must be "mo rubber, mo better". grossly over-cooked and hard. food presentation also leaves much to the imagination. everything on the menu is over-priced. there are way too many good restaurants in Tucson to ever give this place a second-chance. not worth it
(2)Christian M.
Great central location, good food and service! AMBIENCE: 3.5 stars. Nice, comfy, open space, pleasant decor. SERVICE: 4 stars. We had a great couple of drinks at the bar served by a very pleasant bartender, and our server was excellent. Well-versed in the menu, good at juggling several tables on a busy weekend. FOOD: 3.5 stars. Good food, though nothing I would necessarily crave to go back and have again. They have this spicy french fry appetizer which is pretty good! The burger was thick and juicy, salads are fresh and tasty. ALCOHOL: 3 stars. They have some interesting drinks inspired by patrons, but they are not crafted particularly well. OVERALL: 3.5 stars. Definitely worth hanging out at, and we will be going back!
(4)Mark S.
Great place for a nice meal. Was just recently in there for steak night and a beer and everything was perfect. This is a place you need to put on your list to occasionally eat at. Good food at some good prices and decently priced wine and good beer selection. win-win for me and the wife
(5)Amanda B.
Second time around, and everything was just ok. Calamari, just ok. Salmon was cooked perfect, but the glaze was almost too sweet. Friends steak special was the opposite. The strip was slightly over cooked but the sauce was really good. The veggies and sides were all just ok. I wish I had another word to describe the experience. It was forgettable. More than likely I will be back again in six months because I will have forgotten what happened last time.
(3)Rosanne C.
I hadn't been to Pastiche in a really long time. The interior has been redone and is beautiful. I had the Steak Frites salad and everything about it was perfect. Steak cooked exactly the way I liked it. Crisp little "pommes frites" (shoestring french fries). Very fresh greens. Delicious dressing. Amazing sourdough bread. The server was friendly and knowledgeable and attentive. Really recommend Pastiche!
(5)Lauren K.
I am just not a huge Pastiche fan. I thought our first visit maybe was on off night for them, or that maybe we weren't in the right mind frame for the restaurant (my husband had a bad leg injury at the time), or something like that to make us not really enjoy it. But we went back again this past week, and it was basically the same experience. On our first visit, I got the Mac and Cheese, and my husband had a pork dish. The pork was the most unappetizing color of greyish brown. It tasted almost as bad as it looked. It was on the tougher side. And it was bland. Just like the mac and cheese was. On this visit, I had the Mickey Mantle steak, and my husband had the seared ahi dish. The Mickey Mantle sirloin, despite having bacon wrapped around it, was bland bland bland. The bacon was fatty and lacking flavor. I don't think the steak saw any salt whatsoever. The side potatoes with ginger and carrot were also terribly bland. Why don't chefs in Pastiche use any salt? Meh. They were also slightly cold. The broccoli was the best thing on the plate. My husband's ahi was seared to the correct temperature, but again, where's the seasoning? Usually when you sear ahi, the seared part is a deeper brown, and you can see seasoning on it. This looked like it was baked for just a few minutes. It was a light tan color. It tasted bland, too. The dish would have been so blah and boring if not for the tapenade on the side. Every bite needed it to add flavor. The quinoa was more of the same. No salt. And slightly cold. The service here has consistently been inattentive at best. Drink refills are scarce. I'm not sure why, either, because we've never been here when the restaurant had more than three tables total. When I'm paying $20+ per plate, I expect better service. Tips are higher due to higher prices, so I had better get service that doesn't suck. The ambiance is ok. The music was elevator music, which was a little obnoxious. The prices are far, far too high for the lack of flavor they put on their plates. I'm not going back to Pastiche any time soon. I walked out feeling a little ripped off, and very unsatisfied.
(2)Manny C.
My wife, daughter and had lunch yesterday and unfortunates it was not a pleasant experience. The Quinoa chicken was rubbery and the accompaniments were just awful. My daughter had a chicken pasta dish which was worse. Too bad that this place has gone downhill.
(1)Madison T.
The ambiance was nice and staff was attentive. However, I was marginally happy with the food in general and thought the voodoo pasta was really bad (tasted like the only sauce was Tabasco...not complaining about the spiciness).
(3)Drew P.
I love this place I have taken my love there the past two Valentine day. There upscale retook at mac and cheese is great.
(5)J W.
I had a truly fantastic brunch here. The service was perfect - the servers are friendly and they know their stuff. I had the French toast and it was the best I've had in years - sinfully delicious!!!!!
(5)Julia H.
Connected to a wine shop --- always a good thing!! Had dinner here... POSITIVES: + Service was excellent + Menu is pretty diverse and creative (reminds me of Feast restaurant) + Open late late late + Free wine tastings in the shop on Friday nights + I enjoy the dark candle-lit, string of lights-lit ambience. NEGATIVES: - I didn't like my bacon wrapped scallop dish. The bacon was all fat so it wasn't cooked to a crisp that I was actually choking on it. Had to pull the string of fat outta my esophagus. Sorry for the visual details. This is a nicer restaurant so I was afraid to take my 4 month old in when I saw the inside of the restaurant but he ended up behaving really well.... Note to self: this is not a place to take babies!
(4)Chelsea L.
Wonderful food! The owner pat always makes the visit amazing. With a great wine list and amazing meals you can't go wrong! Do yourself a favor and go there tonight!
(5)Cheryl H.
a great place no matter what mood you're in! we've been here at least ten times and the service and food are consistently above average. the best part is their wine tasting and wine selection - la storia is my new favorite vineyard!
(4)Nina P.
I went to Pastiche last week because I had won a $25 gift card at a work raffle, so I thought I'd take my coworker and check it out. We went at 1pm and the restaurant was very empty. I assume they are more of a dinner restaurant and don't get much of the lunch crowd. We were seated immediately by the bar, and I ordered the Vegetarian rustic flat bread with a side of Diablo fries. When I got my order I was a little surprised because I expected my order to be a flatbread type pizza, but it's actually a wrap. Nonetheless, it was very tasty and I was happy with my choice except for the diablo fries. I absolutely love spicy food, but these fried were just too hot. They were super dark red, having been totally smothered in spicy seasoning that you could barely see the original fry underneath. I had one and my mouth wasn't burning at first, but after an additional two fries I couldn't bear the heat any longer and had to give up. My coworker said she had had the fries before and they weren't that hot, so she tried a few and felt the same way. We felt bad having to leave a full plate of fries behind but we just couldn't have more than a couple. Overall it was a good lunch and we both got out of there for under $25 which was great!
(3)Jennifer W.
Good service, well put together dishes but only average in taste. Trendy decor but manager & other staff set an unprofessional vibe that could be heard above the music levels.
(3)June S.
The food and wait staff were fine. Cannot say the same for the host/hostess staff. As we live in Sedona we knew to make a reservation in advance for Valentines Day. When we got there they seemed unable to find our reservation but then seated us. After awhile the person that seated us came over to the table and asked if we had a reservation. What the heck! If your initial contact is not great it will reflect on the rest. You look for another excuse to critique. We come to Tucson once a year and have eaten at this restaurant every time. Disappointed.
(3)Dan K.
So I'm going with the Friday fish tacos that are wrapped like cones, the fresh onion rings and topping off lunch with a large portion of malted milk cake. Today's lunch could not be any better if it served itself. I found the food to be hot, the taste exceptional and the service fantastic!! Pastiche is quickly becoming my Friday fave!! One of these days I'll have to try something other than the fish tacos--but so far I love them and will not deviate!!
(4)Sarah B.
Awesome ribs mango BBQ sauce wow!,fries hot and perfect. Great service, love the colors and wonderfully renewed!
(5)Nikki B.
Smaller than I expected inside, but it's cozy. Affordable beverages. Great burgers. You can have fun with the fries because there are three options (get the sweet potato with a side of ranch!). What won me over is the ladies room. Clean, name brand "emergency" supplies (if you know what I mean gals). And there was an orchid in there. Orchids are very hard to keep alive! The attention to details shows me they care. Good place to eat!
(4)Darren T.
Positive: We were a party of 7 and everybody loved their food. Our server was very pleasant. The bistro portion is great for lunch. Negative: It was an hour after we arrived before we were served. The dining room was not busy and there was plenty of staff on, but this is the type of restaurant where the other servers (and surprisingly the manager/owner) walked by and didn't assist our server with refills or plate clear. Our lunch experience took an hour and a half, so unless you get a two hour lunch, you may want to find another lunch spot. Overall: An easy management fix could make this a restaurant I would rerun to.
(3)Agustin O.
I love this place! Parking sucks but the food is worth it! I love the nights they have themes like wine nights or special menus. Great service and great food. Can't best that. It's centrally located so that's a plus too
(5)Jenna R.
I came to pastiche for dinner a few saturdays ago for dinner. My boyfriend and I walked in, and the hostess immediately seated us in between a table of four loud, older women who were celebrating a birthday, and a dirty table. (There were tons of open tables, the place was practically empty.) The food was not great. My boyfriends pasta was bland, and the shrimp was undercooked (still somewhat grey and transparent). Only upside was that the server was very nice. However we probably will not return.
(2)Jason H.
First impression was very nice... Wife was given a carnation at the door ... Nice touch!! We were seated and felt that it was nice inside... Nice vibe... As we looked around there was a nice mix of younger 30-40 something's on dates and older senior crowd... Waiter was great and made good suggestions.. Food came at a nice speed and our only input was that the portions were on the small side .. Food was good though.. The Cioppino dish was great.. The broth was awesome.. I just wish I got more.. The wine list was huge with a nice spread of price options... We definitely recommend this place!
(4)Bob R.
Friday night jazz, excellent food and wine! Great urban feel with the remodeled space. Wow....
(5)Sylvia M.
Awesome!!!! Half off bottles of wine??? Perfect!! Service from Nick was great- very attentive and friendly. Food was delicious.
(5)Mary Y.
Service: 3.5 Food: 3 Ambiance: 3.5 The good news: when we informed our waiter that we were sharing everything, our appetizer came already split, on two plates. However, we were also sharing our entrees, and those we had to split up ourselves. The chipotle ribs were too hot for me, and I like heat. We quizzed the waiter on the spiciness factor, and true, it is individual, but he did say mild-to-medium heat. I would call it hot, so if you like that, go for it. The grilled Portobello was good, just not outstanding.
(3)Robert M.
I'm late doing this, I'm trying fulfill my New Years res. for giving credit where credit is due. I love this place! great food and fair prices, I've taken my parents out to dinner here several times and have never left unhappy. Nice people, clean and nicely decorated with modern colors and original artwork. I know they have been under construction for a remodel for the past week or two so I cant wait to get back for dinner to check it out. ps. I have eaten lunch there and been able to get in and out and back to work without the boss yelling at me. Maybe Ill take my boss with me next time....on second thought, nahhh
(5)Taylor M.
Thoroughly disappointed with my recent visit. I do give credit for how clean and open the place is. The huge variety of wine and whiskey is cool. We placed our order, then bread was brought out to us. The bread was stale... VERY STALE. It was to the point where it was extremely difficult to chew. Then the food was brought out. I had the mac and cheese and found it pretty enjoyable. Good flavor and cooked right. My complaint was the portion for the price. $15 for a portion of that size is ridiculous. My dad had ordered the ham steak and I would say calling it a "steak" is a far stretch. Way too thin to call a steak. Once again, it was overpriced for the portion given. Finally, another family member had gotten the quinoa crusted chicken. The idea of this was interesting but when I tasted it, I was disappointed. The quinoa had no flavor. It was a good idea but just a better idea on paper. The chicken was served with garlic mashed potatoes... This, by far, was my biggest complaint. I am not kidding when I say that these were some of the worst garlic mashed potatoes I have ever had. First off, there was no garlic in them... There was also no salt in them... And I'm pretty sure there wasn't any milk in them either. Absolutely NO FLAVOR. They were poorly mashed and still had lots of chunks in them. The best way I can describe them is... Picture giving a pot of potatoes to a three year old, adding water and boiling them, then draining the water, (never adding salt, garlic, milk or anything else) and handing him a fork and telling him to now mash the potatoes. I'm not kidding at all when I describe these. Overall, I was pretty disappointed with my visit and don't think I will return.
(2)Dave K.
As Larry David says, "pretty, pretty, pretty good." I do like Pastiche and I don't have any problems with it. I just think that it is a place that is good food but it is not a place that I will ever run to. It isn't the kind of place you crave on a day that you are spontaneously hungry. The service is fine and the food is fine. The fish and chips were pretty good when I went here. Check it out if you are ever torn on what to grab for lunch or dinner.
(3)Walter C.
Food was excellent. The Mango Chipolte ribs had great favor and my wife loved her bourbon salmon. The service left something to be desired. Maybe because it was Valentines Day and they were busy. It took way to long for the second glass of wine to arrive. I was well into my entree. The double expresso I ordered with dessert never arrived and I had to have it removed from the bill.
(3)Caleb T.
Love this place!!! Has the friendliest staff and best food available in the old pueblo. O highly recommend you give it a try, you wont regret it!!
(5)Lynne B.
Went for an early dinner (5:30) with friends; at first we were one of a few tables, but it soon filled up. Service was delightful, water glasses kept filled, meals arrived quickly and were hot, as they should be. I had the wild boar sausage and it was perfect! Everyone's food came to the table looking as though it was prepped for a photo shoot, and there were very few tidbits left at the end of the meal. Followed it up with 3 yummy desserts, which we don't normally do, but all were well worth it. Price for quality and quantity was excellent - we were quite surprised at the low cost. We will definitely return and try some of the happy hour appetizers listed as they all look great.
(5)Amy M.
I had hoped, based on the reviews found here and on urban spoon that this was going to be a nice New American bistro to grab a casual bite. We arrived at 12:15, and found the parking area for the entire plaza to be lacking. There is nowhere near the amount of parking that is needed for this restaurant and the rest of the plaza. When we were seated, we were surprised they weren't busier for lunch. The reason became blaringly obvious however, quite quickly. Our drink order was taken within the first 2 minutes. Our waitress didn't return for our meal order for more than 10 minutes. It appeared she was bartending as well as waitressing. After 20 minutes, Our prosciutto crostini that promised house made mozzarella arrived. We were disappointed that the cheese was melted beyond being able to taste any discernable house made flavor vs store bought. It was another 40 minutes that passed between our app. and us receiving the Steak frites salad that we ordered. I'm not sure why it took more than 40 minutes to throw salad mix on a plate, top with steak and throw cheap shoestring French fries on top. There was no blue cheese, we had to ask for that, and the taste was nothing to 'rave' about. To further the debacle, we were originally brought 2 salads rather than 1. Our waitress didn't check up on us, didn't refill our drinks, and she was only servicing 6 tables. Each table had a max of 3 people. Don't waste your time or money coming for lunch. Lackluster food, very poor service, and SLOW!
(1)L N.
This is one of my favorite restaurants in town. My family and I love the servers and the managers as they are all very knowledgable about their menu and wine list. My favorite part of Pastiche is you are able to stay and enjoy yourself. There is no one rushing you out the door, or trying to push the bill on you. Their wine list is amazing!!!! Prices are reasonable and if you need a recommendation, there is someone to suggest a pairing with your food. They sell wine too and it's a good price. As for food, I prefer their lamb chops or salmon. For dessert, you must try their cookie, order it ahead, it's made fresh!
(5)Heather M.
The assorted cookie plate for dessert is always a good bet. It may seem a bit odd to order cookies as a restaurant dessert, but these are not your ordinary cookies. They have super hero powers which will rescue your taste buds from the evil grip of ordinary. And they come with chocolate fudge dipping sauce - think of it as the super hero cape. Both cookies and sauce are warm when they hit your table. The other day the assortment included macaroons that were amazing. Dip those in the chocolate sauce and, oh boy, I'm still thinking about that delicious decadence. The flavors rotate on a daily basis, but with 4 different sets of 2, everyone at the table will find a flavor they like. My experience has been consistently good quality food and good service. I'm typically there at lunch time so the bistro portions of their entrees are right up my alley. As of late I enjoy the roasted pork with butternut squash risotto topped with figs and goat cheese. This dish incorporates some of my favorite flavors in the world, and it is super yummy. I actually like sitting in the bar for lunch. The bartender is friendly and does a great job waiting the tables in there.
(4)Andrea H.
WHY DON'T MORE PEOPLE GO HERE ON THURSDAY NIGHTS? Jeepers. We popped in on Thursday night because Sullivan's was a show. The drink and appetizer specials were fabulous. I really wish this place would get a "scene" like Sullivan's. Perhaps a little advertising would help? I'll definitely be back for lunch and dinner if the appetizers are any indication of the deliciousness of the meals....
(4)Kamryn C.
I could take or leave Pastiche. I went for dinner the other day, and service was slightly less than attentive. It took a while to get our bottle of wine (though the wine was cheap and good) and even though we requested bread and butter our waitress didn't remember to bring it until after the meal arrived. My friend and I shared two dishes, a salad and pasta, and even though we said we were splitting to the waitress, the dishes came out and were sat in front of us as though I had ordered the pasta and my friend the salad. We had to request extra plates to break up the meals. Obviously, a lot of these things are not a big deal, but I tend to get annoyed when I have to constantly remind the waitress of things I've previously said. Onto the food, the baby greens salad was fairly standard. It's filled with apples, blue cheese, candied pecans, and thin shavings of sweet potato. We definitely enjoyed it, but it wasn't anything earth shattering, and honestly, if you mess up a salad you're probably getting less than a 3 star rating. The description said "fried sweet potatoes" and while the shavings were probably fried, I expected chunks from the description. We also had the rustic pasta. The pasta had roasted corn, garbanzo beans, green pepper, and tomatoes in it. Based on the description, I thought the pasta would be filled with way more vegetables than it actually was. The veggies were dominated by the pasta, which maybe would have been okay if anything else in the dish had flavor. I'm not sure if there was additional sauce on the pasta or if it was just the oil from the veggies, but this dish was bland. It also claimed that it was topped with jack cheese, which would have been a nice addition, but if it was, it was less than a tablespoon. I really wanted to like Pastiche, and I'm sad that I had such a sub-par experience, but as is I doubt I'll be heading back anytime soon.
(3)Taylor L.
On any given night, you can find my favorite bartender, Molly, dutifully attending to her many bar patrons at Pastiche. You'll see there is no need for waving hands or futile attempts to make eye contact with your server because she's already there - artfully unobtrusive but also attentive. Her sincere sense of humor and skilled efficiency at tending the bar, and waiting on nearby bar tables, makes for a fun and seamless evening at Pastiche. Dinner - Sea bass is served beautifully cooked but under seasoned. I did not enjoy the oily caper/butter sauce underneath it which lends no additional flavor, only oil. White rice accompanies the sea bass which seems contrived since there is no flavor to it whatsoever. It is a less-than-beautiful presentation - and plain, unseasoned, bland, white rice has no place with this dish. They should change that immediately. It reminded me of a cafeteria where they shovel some rice on to your plate just to take up space. Next to the rice is a mixture of zucchini and corn, overcooked and mushy - more cafeteria food. Maybe it's my own fault for ordering the sea bass, but, I was sincerely disappointed. However, I must remain true to my favorite motto, "a restaurant is only as good as its worst dish." If you try Pastiche - you can't go wrong by sitting in the bar area and ordered a light bite - such as the fish tacos - which are very fresh and perfect for a summer evening - I love the tangy sauce on them and the flatbread they use to roll it all up. Although it seems odd that the best dish in an Italian restaurant is the fish tacos. Brie-chetta is also flavorful and fresh. The liquor selection is fabulous - a huge selection of whiskeys. The Manhattans are the best we've had in town. Drinks are very reasonably priced - especially the wine bottles they put on special each night - we had the Couple's cabernet which could be my new favorite! My friends enjoyed the wine and the appetizers but they ordered the steak special and found it to be a rather tough cut - even at fifteen dollars, I would skip it. At the end of the meal, the bottle of wine we had ordered could not be separated onto different bills which was a minor frustration and put a slight kink in the dinner service. Maybe they could upgrade their ordering systems to have that capacity. I will definitely be back to Pastiche to enjoy the unique ambiance at the bar - casual and fun with a lot of class - a great place to start out the night! .
(3)ReVur A.
Watching the "train" of waiters was really comical! They were all a pleasure to speak with as well. Were some in train-ing? Perhaps. Aside from the great service, I ordered a portobello dish that was just excellent! My husband ordered the ceasar chicken salad and enjoyed that as well. I heard no complaints from others at our large table. Nice to see some changes at this almost mediocre restaurant. The remodel is excellent and the seating is not at all crowded. Acoustics are amazing -- makes me wonder why others are so bad!
(5)Adrian F.
4 star quality food, 5 star prices.... in a 3 star restaurant... I found the food to be quite good but the restaurant itself is a different story. Everything about it from the furniture to the decor felt cheap. Regardless, I usually don't let that affect my dining experience and I thoroughly enjoyed the dish I ordered (the lamb chops mmmmmm) and the bottles of wine we ordered were priced pretty fairly! The service was VERY slow and unorganized and we were pretty frustrated when it took us forever to get the check. The food and wine was worth the price but the rest of the experience left a bad taste in my mouth.
(3)Elyse P.
Pastiche's food was quite good, but the atmosphere was a little ... awkward. It felt sparse - definitely not warm and cozy - I know they're going for modern, but modern can still feel inviting. The service was very good, but it just wasn't enough to overcome the atmosphere for me. Bummer.
(3)Corey D.
Pastiche has long been sort of a mixed bad for people, I think you either love it or you don't. I always get the same thing, the bistro portion of the fish tacos, and they're consistently good, so I've never had any complaints. I will say that the menu is a little disorganized, and I do wish they'd give some thought to the layout. But I find the interior pleasant, the wine list suits my needs and they have some pretty killer desserts. I've noticed that the menu is a little dated, and if there's one thing I'd suggest, it's rotating out a few of the oldies that have been around for a while. Keep the tacos though. Tacos should always remain ;)
(4)S. M.
We had take out - the rustic pasta dish and a salad, both were excellent.
(4)Isabella J.
I've eaten here a handful of times over the years and it's about time a write a review. I stopped in for a business lunch the other day the experience was quite pleasant. I'll agree with some reviews that the atmosphere is a little on the cold side, but the attentive and friendly service warmed things up right away! Pastiche's menu is diverse enough to please most palates and it certainly has some great salad options for salad lovers like me. I can't recall the name of the salad I enjoyed, but it was served over greens with orange segments, spiced walnuts and grilled chicken. The grilled chicken is would stood out the most. It was actually grilled and served warm! I find that most places in Tucson that offer chicken as an "add-on" pre-grill it and serve it cold. And the chicken was juicy as can be. I'll for sure be back for a salad. My buddy ordered the mac and cheese and shared some of it with me. I am happy to agree the many opinions I've heard over the years, that Pastiche serves the BEST Mac and Cheese in town. WOW, this was rich, creamy, a touch spicy and full of bacon goodness. I'm kind of a health nut, but this mac and cheese was heartwarming good, and the next time I'm in the mood to indulge, I'm coming here. Besides good food and solid service, Pastiche also has an awesome wine and cheese shop! I can't believe I don't come here for my cheese purchases. I'll be the first to admit that I end up at AJ's out of pure convenience, but next time I'm stocking up my cheese drawer, I'm coming here and supporting this local shop.
(4)Ivette O.
Recent menu change! And to my disappointment have removed the chili lime crusted fries. These were consistently a favorite. At times, I would just visit and have a salad an an order of these fries for lunch and they are gone. My heart is literally broken. They have an awesome filet and their salmon is always cooked to perfection and never too fishy. I love frequenting the wine shop because the staff is always so friendly and knowledgeable. I am not a big wine drinker (lowers head in shame), but my friends are. So shopping for them is like looking for a needle in the haystack, in the dark, without my hands and my friends are always blown away from the recommendations and how spot on the staff is with their picks.
(3)Pam W.
Wanted to write this one since we just ate here tonight... Things I liked...large wine menu and they are a wine shop that sells bottles, lots of different things on the menu to please all dietary wants and desires, lovely atmosphere, the girl who was refiling water and soda deserved all of her tip because she was on it. (Unfortunately our slow server probably received the money) Things I disliked...server was SLOW! Dinner took over 2 hours (Last time I checked this isn't Europe and I only had one course) They were out of several of the beers my friends asked for and they were also out of the seabass which was a main menu item. My husband had their Sunday night special which was paella and he described it as "bland and lacking flavor." I had a bunless burger and it was "ok" (Honestly I had a burger at Chilis that was better this weekend) Honestly I wouldn't purposefully eat here again.
(3)James L.
For years we have heard great things about this place and finally had the chance to see for ourselves. Stick a pin in it. Rated as mediocre. There really is nothing special about it. Our server was friendy, polite and inattentive. Services for beverages was slow. Long wait for food to come out and forever to cash out. Food was just OK; not good, not bad just nothing to return for.
(3)Jerome K.
Friday after work. How about a cool wine tasting experience to ease into the evening and then a move to a candlelit table for a tasty meal at reasonable prices? Sound good? Then stop by Pastiche Modern Eatery at Campbell and Blacklidge, making your first stop at the Pastice wine shop. Wine tasting runs each Friday from 5:00 to 6:30 PM with a $5.00 tasting fee. The tastings are generous, and nobody seems to keep track how many times you return to re-try the offered wines. If you find one you like, pay a small corkage charge of $5.00 over the very nominal retail price and, voilla!, you have a great wine for dinner. If you're not quite taken with the wines tasted, just take a look at the wine list, one of the very best and most economical in the Old Pueblo! Page after page of great choices over a wide range of prices. The same with the dinner menu, with most choices displayed at or below $20.00, with smaller and cheaper bistro portions available on many. Wine pairings are also presented from wines on the main list. The wait staff are always eager to help, providing honest suggestions or their own favorites for dinners seeking guidance. With their help, you just can't go wrong. Tempted? Then see you on Friday. Wonder what we will be be tasting? -- I'm Kingsize.
(4)Jonathan B.
Pretentious and mediocre.
(2)Miss Amy M.
I love Pastiche, especially their wine tastings in their wine shop (separate entrance to the right)! $5 every Friday night from 5-6:30. They pair their hand selected wines with some of their delicious gourmet cheeses and crackers. Amanda and Pete always rock the wine shop! :D Also their owner Pat has always been a great donator to the community. Great weekly event with an excellent following! On to the restaurant, their salads are delish. I also loved when they had their $3 Thursday specials (wine, cocktails, draft, desserts) for a summer special (sorry, no longer). I had the rhubarb & strawberry crisp with cinnamon ice cream- so delicious- I ended up trying my own version. :) Now they have a happy hour T-Fr which has street tacos that sound yummy. Great vibe and people who work there! (I also want to try their colossal cookies!)
(5)Sharon C.
Fabulous restaurant! Everything on the menu is terrific! I especially like the fact that the owner sets aside certain months of the year where you can choose to give a portion of your bill to your favorite charity. He also does a lot of work for the Humane Society which is my favorite charity! The mushroom soup is to die for!
(5)Greg L.
Hello everybody! Well honestly I have to say that I am dissapointed in Pastiche. It is not that often that we eat "the fancier meal". Since the better half has lost her job especially. Any way the occasion was very important to us, so we headed on down to Tucson as one of our best friends (Josh) was the guest of honor as he is going bravely into the new world of Portland. He loves it there and will do well. Lisa and I will miss him greatly. He is a great friend. All had a great time as our hosts gave us a great space for our party. As most parties of this type things moved along pretty slow as we all wanted our time with Josh. I think the waiters who accompanied us seemed to be getting frustrated because no one really wanted to order food. I was thinking that we all would order at the same time so we could for the most part eat at the same time. As things moved along and everyone began to order the service was very good. The first meals came fairly quickly and they looked fantastic. As they should. This continued for awhile but then things began to slow down. Not bad enough to say anything though. It was busy so this is expected. Lisa and I decided on the Hummus plate a garbanzo-tahini spread, pita bread...7.75 Vegetarian Rustic Flat Bread a rosemary pesto, grilled asparagus, grilled zucchini, grilled squash, marinated artichoke hearts, caramelized onions, roasted red pepper, blue, manchego and Jarlsberg cheeses...11 Ovila Abbey Dubbel Ale $17.50 Add in the government and the 20 % add in for the over 8 ish party and the total bill was $46.50 Ok review time! Curbage: 8 Good location and the space overall is very nice. Looks, feels, and smells good P factor: 7 Just a plain place to go Hospitality: 5 They were there but it seemed like they did not really care and I dont think they were all that knowledable about the food or the drinks. Ordering Time: 9 Good for a big group (once we got going) Waiting Time: 9 Not bad for our meal and it is my meal that im reviewing so I give them a 9 for mine. Others were not so lucky. Food: 6 If this is thier idea of hummus then WOOF! Nasty. That is not hummus. Way to much garlic, barely any garbanzo, and it tasted like some kind of burnt food. Those are supposed to pitas? Dry to tough, Trader Joes must be struggling selling thier pitas to Pastiche. The greens with it were good. The flatbread veggie sandwich sans cheese as we are vegan and we thank Pastiche for accompaning us was very good. We would of course ask for more vegan options, please. Seperately I would give just the sandwich a 9. the fruit that came with it was mostly melon that was not ripe, not cold, and had very little flavor. No fruit dip? Come on! Have you no Creme Fraische Skills? In a fancy place like this. No Bueno Pastiche! The beer was very good. It alone saves the meal. I commend Pastiche for offering a craft beer. $18 bucks for a $6 dollar beer is not the greatest but it is an attempt at offering a "real beer". If you would like to make your space better you should consider developing a "Craft Beer List" and have someone who knows about the beers that you offer. This trend is giong viral and you would be smart to jump on this wagon. Especially since this does not really exost in your area. Overall I am giving Pastiche 2 stars and I will tell you why. It seemed like the employees did not realy care about our party. I saw many mistakes on meals for others. Pasta that tasted like a garlic garden with torched shrimp and scallops. Overcooked chiken, undercooked steak, (if she asked for medium well that means a minimal amount of pink only in the center. NOT mainly bloody pink throughout. This is meduim rare at best) Maybe you should calibrate your thermometers. If you are running a restaurant like this then you should have the knowledge to cook the meal correctly. I do not think we will have reason to return. Honestly to much money for the quality of this meal. Thanks for reading! Late Gordo
(2)Angela B.
I have been driving by (and wanting to try) Pastiche for some time now. Last night, we made a last minute decision to drop on in for dinner and I am glad that we did. It wasn't very busy inside, and initial service was quick and efficient. Actually, this was a trend throughout the entire visit. I LOVE their wine list. For one, it's fairly large. Additionally, it is divided not only by type of wine but by price. I have always wondered why more restaurants don't do this! Needless to say, we ordered a pretty cheap, er, inexpensive bottle of Sauv Blanc (don't judge me!) and then turned our attention to food. For apps, I decided to try a cup of the mushroom soup and Pete ordered the sliders. The sliders come in three varieties -- burger, chicken salad, or pulled pork. On a whim, we asked if we could have one of each since coincidentally, an order consists of three. Both arrived at the table quickly and with an order of bread. The mushroom soup is oh-so-good. I have been craving a soup of its kind since The Warehouse in Colorado. Other restaurants seem to make it too creamy (yeah, there is such a thing) or with not enough 'shrooms for my liking. In my opinion, Pastiche hit the nail on the head with this soup. I'll most certainly be back for more! The sliders were equally yummy. The chicken salad was not traditional. It had an Indian flair with a pretty decent amount of curry. The burger had a delicious amount Gorgonzola on it and the pulled pork was also very good -- juicy with some thick, sweet BBQ sauce. For our main dishes, I ordered the bistro size of the chicken tacos and Pete had the duck a la orange. I was almost full by the time my taco arrived but it tasted so good that I downed it anyhow. Pete's dish came with beet risotto and spinach, all of which were very good. When we had finished we exclaimed that we couldn't possibly fit in any more food...that was, until our server casually slipped us some dessert menus and walked away. Have I even mentioned my sweet tooth? Well, it's alive and well. The dessert menu at Pastiche served as a sweet little devil on my shoulder : "Oh, come on. They have bistro portions of the brownie and ice cream! Chocolate ganache! Who are you to turn that down?" We decided that just mayyybe we could split something so we ordered a blueberry/vanilla/ginger pound cake with a blueberry compote and homemade vanilla bean ice cream. Oh my, was it ever amazing. We were practically using our forks as weapons for the last bite. I'm sure neighboring tables thought us weirdos. Great food, service, wine list and a fun time overall. For the month of June, I believe that Pastiche donates 5% of every bill to a charity of your choosing. What's not to love?
(4)Jide F.
So I stumbled into Pastiche because the roommate and I tried to eat somewhere nearby and it was closed (7 pm on a Sunday!). So Pastiche was within view and we said why not. I liked the mellow vibe when I walked in and was happy to see it wasn't crowded. We sat down and our server was extremely polite and talked through the specials. The service was outstanding, probably some of the best I've received here in Tucson. For my meal I ordered the mac and cheese with gouda, bacon and spinach. I don't mean to fill this review with superlatives but the mac and cheese was the most delicious mac and cheese I've ever eaten. Gouda and bacon can do some real wonders. I'll definitely have to come back and try the wine. What a fantastic place!
(5)Evan B.
I went here on a first date. I did not know much about fine dining in Tuscon, good thing there was yelp. Tucked away in a non descript strip mall is Pastiche. My selection of this location impressed and excited my date, so I thought it would be pricier than it was. Our appetizer was $7 and meals were $14-20. Again I am not a big drinker when it comes to meals so this kept the cost down. For an appetizer we split the Roast Eggplant Caponata which was not a true caponata it was just a salad with eggplant and sliced mozzarella on top. Nothing to write home about, but maybe to write on yelp about. For dinner we each had the bourbon salmon cafe portions. I did not want to seem like a pig on the first date. It was a decently prepared salmon on a bed of well flavored veggies and rice pilaf. It was nice that the menu had many vegetarian options, usually I don't need to decide when looking at a menu as I have just one to two options here there were many and for that I give them nine thumbs up. Service was decent and there was no wait. Parking was fine however I can see how it would fill up on a busy night.
(4)Gordon R.
Quite nice. I enjoyed my chicken/ham dish, although I found it a bit under-flavored. The risotto it was served with was quite nice. The service was a little awkward, but nice. My family found their meals to be fantastic. I certainly would come back again, but only for special occasions due to the price.
(4)Carrie K.
This is my favorite American restaurant in Tucson. Great food, reasonable prices and consistent quality. For those with lighter appetites, they offer bistro portions. The salads and homemade soups are excellent. The entrees change with the seasons, but we have never been disappointed and always impressed with the freshness and perfection of the preparation. The atmosphere is casual and contemporary. The staff is very well trained; attentive but not overbearing. We return here often when we visit Tucson. I can't believe it was rated at 3 stars when I reviewed it!
(5)Jeff T.
I got a Blackened Tuna Niçoise Salad and tried portions of my friends (ribs, scallops, Eggplant lasagna). While my salad was nicely balanced, that is nothing to write home about at these prices. The ribs were way dry, scallops overdone, and lasagna didn't really go anywhere. My friends are regulars here and they say this is par for the course at Pastiche. The savings grace(s) about this place? Nice wine list and cinnamon ice cream that will make your heart stop!
(3)Monica E.
Love this place. I will never eat in the dining hall again -- far too pretentious -- but the bar is excellent. The staff is knowledgeable and attentive. I have never been disappointed at the bar -- or the wine shop. Great selection of wines; fantastic meats and cheeses. As for the food, the calamari, El Diablo fries, mushroom soufflé and burgers are delicious, and reasonably priced. And pleased to see the restaurant's annual support of local organizations.
(4)Aviva C.
This place is very good! The homemade potato chips and dip was amazing. Fish tacos, you get a lot of food with that order. Lastly, the vegetable flatbread was fantastic. Overall this is a great place to have dinner because it's quiet. I will definitely come back to this place.
(5)Timothy B.
Enjoyed the Fried Avacado, soft fish tacos and substituted fresh fruit in place of the french fries...everything was fresh and delicious...nice atmosphere for a late lunch. Wait staff was friendly and attentive...most tables were already reserved for dinner, so that is surely a good sign...
(5)William S.
My wife and I went for the special burger and beer Monday special for $ 8. My wife asked for lemonade instead of beer since she does not drink alcohol . She was told no substitutions allowed. So she said she would just have water with the burger. We were presented with a bill for $ 8 for my burger and beer and $ 11 for her burger. The burgers were exactly the same. We complained to the waitress who said that was the policy and that we should have ordered a beer and had me drink two. The following day we were able to contact the owner who was rude and refused to see how silly it was to charge me an extra $3 for not ordering beer. This used to be a favorite of ours. Needless to say we are telling all of our Tucson friends this hard to believe story , and we ourselves will not go back. Should we have ordered a beer and let it sit ? Should we have ordered the beer and watered the plants with it? We didn't think of these rude options.
(1)Alfonso L.
PROS: Reasonably quiet place, so it's not like it was that noisy Service, which was friendly and attentive "Petite Marguerite" --a small margarita which was good but I guess for some reason it's wrong to have a normal size one? CONS: Sides and main entrees underwhelmed. My salad was served with a load of green apple slices, barely dressed. My neighbor's salad had many elements and none of them really came together. Our filet mignon was tough. For some reason I was asked if I wanted mine butterflied. I agreed to it and that took all of the moistness out. Do good steakhouses ask this same question? In any case, it wasn't a great piece of beef My neighbor also agreed that the sweet mashed potatoes were tasteless and resembling a paste. In an attempt to make a more gourmet "modern" side, what is wrong with another more traditional potato and just get it right? Others at the table didn't care much for their ribs. They had sauce served with it and boy did they need it because they said the ribs were quite dry.
(1)Saba B.
I think when meeting hungry friends after 10 pm in this part of town on a weekend, choices are limited. Pastiche can be relied on to sooth the soul with a jazzy, swanky vibe. The service, though, has taken minimalist aloofness to a new level. If the party isn't having wine, remove the napkin-stuffed balloon glasses pronto. Making eye contact through a sea of superfluous stemware is irksome. Please approach, even if we are talking. We'll stop long enough to order drinks, I promise. I hate to have to flag down a server who has walked by four times and hesitated to ask for our order because we were talking. No need to be phone kiosk aggressive, but please greet us at the very least. This time we tried he fried avocado, a sparse, albeit interesting appetizer. Thick slices of creamy avocado are lightly breaded and flash-fried until they melt in your mouth. The sauces, a piquant little remoulade and a sweet tomato vinaigrette, are reasonable compliments. The steak salad covered in shoestring fries is an odd amalgam that combines crunchy and chewy, although mixing ketchup and greens was disturbing. Sadly, empty dishes sit too long and the staff could seem happier to be here. I'm a veteran late night diner, and I hate to be made to feel that I am keeping the staff from a pressing engagement.
(3)Laura F.
Just 3 stars? Really?? I'm shocked! While visiting friends in Tucson over the weekend, they took my boyfriend and I to Pastiche for dinner. Not even a second wait for our reservations for a table of 6.... Taken to our table immediately. The atmosphere was very nice and quiet, even though they were pretty busy. The service was OUTSTANDING! Attentive, friendly, knowledgeable, and excellent timing between ordering to presentation of appetizer, entrée, and desserts. I had the seared scallops, which were cooked perfectly. Everyone at the table enjoyed their dishes-- calamari appetizer, pork tenderloin, osso busco, shrimp & pasta, and hamburgers. The desserts were amazing!! I would definitely go back!
(5)Sarah L.
Went to a wine tasting and dinner with some friends at Pastiche last night... It was a totally fun experience, and four hours later we were nearly closing the place! My husband and I arrived at 5:30 to meet our friends. (The wine tasting is every Friday from 5:30 to 6:30 PM). The cost... a mere $5.05 per person. Last night, the genre was Pinot Noir. Five wines were tasted- organized from lightest to heavier, which with Pinots can be slight distinctions, as Pinot Noir is the lightest bodied of red wine grapes. The wine tasting takes place in a banquet room upstairs above the wine shop. It was a full house, but we found a nice table by the window, with a view of the mountains. The wines we tasted were: 1) Chanson Bourgone (France), retail $18.99 per bottle and my least favorite of all- flat, slightly fragrant, not much body. 2) Lai Lai (Chile), retail $12.99 per bottle- nice, slightly fruity notes, light body- a good value. 3) Steelhead (California), retail $14.99 per bottle- perfectly balanced with smokey under-tones. (This is wine we ended up selecting to have a bottle of with our meal). It's an exceptional value for the price. Plus it comes from a vineyard that gives money back to make the waters in California cleaner for fresh water fish. 4) Argyle (Oregon), retail $20.99 per bottle- perfectly balanced with a smooth finish and subtle fruity undertones. 5) Stoneleigh (New Zealand), retail $17.99 per bottle. This wine was my favorite of the five we tasted, as it was the most full bodied, yet still preserved the subtleties and distinctions of a fine Pinot Noir. We progressed from the wine tasting to the dining room. If you do the wine tasting, you can order a bottle that you tasted for the price of the bottle plus a $5 corking fee. A great value! We decided on the Steelhead, and were very happy with our choice. To be able to purchase an exceptional bottle of wine in a restaurant for only $20... it was a rare treat that made the experience all the more worth while. As a side note, they have an amazing wine list at this restaurant. I've only seen local wine lists that rival Pastiche's at Anthony's and Flemings. Our waiter, David, was intuitive and adept, and made our dining experience a true pleasure. Salads came promptly, but the dressing had too much vinegar and not enough oil, and although flavorful with pecans and goat cheese, it was too tart for my palate. I had a chicken dish, which for $19 was a good value, but a bit on the bland side, and reminded me of cream of mushroom soup. My husband had the lamb chops. He was very happy with them, and said they were cooked perfectly. A hazelnut tart (suggested by the waiter) did not disappoint. The consistency of cheesecake, but with a chocolatey hazelnut flavor, it was a wonderful complement to our meals. After dinner, we picked up a few bottles of wine in the wine shop, which is very well stocked with some excellent varietals from regions all over the world. All in all, a very fun evening. I only wish the food were a bit less bland.... I suggest trying Pastiche on Friday night, as the wine tasting is great fun & a very good value.
(4)Jenna K.
Pastiche is one of my favorite date-night restaurants in Tucson. They serve late dinners and have a great wine selection. I especially love their "Monkey Business" wine, and Pastiche is one of the few places where I can find it. Because it has the wine shop connected to it, you can purchase a bottle after dinner if you liked it. I rented their private room for graduation and it was perfect! Our waiter was fabulous, and they did not require an outrageous minimum or rental fee.
(4)Stewart C.
You know, it was kinda lame. I'm gonna try it again SOON so this 2 star might not hold but this go around was weak. The bartender was nice but never showcased any salesmanship or suggestions. She seemed kinda "over-it", at least for the shift. She had us in the palm or her hand right when we walked in but in the end just handed us the menus and left. Oh well. Trust me, in Tucson this is pretty common. We got the cheese plate. It was $14 or $15 dollars... a perfect price on an item like that. It gives the chef some dollars to play with so that he or she can get the most on that plate of cool stuff. I don't mind even being overcharged by a dollar or two as long as the cheese and accompaniments are memorable. This plate took the opposite approach. First of all, it was LOADED with a bunch of bread and apples. I think it had 5 cheeses! and then some olives. The cheeses were pretty ho-hum. I think I recognized 4 outta 5 and I'm not a total cheese buff. Maybe it's a personal preference but I want to be able to recognize... none of them. I WANT TO BE SURPRISED, at least by something on that plate but I wasn't. It was totally worth the money cause it was huge but I think an item like that should be a a sort of flagship at a place that prides itself on wine and it's wine list like Pastiche does. The entrees were so-so. I got a Cesar salad that would of taken me 24 hours to finish. Once again, charge the same price, reduce size while increasing cost of ingredients used... no one will care, in fact they'll love it. My wife got the pork. By entrees we were pretty full from the cheese plate that we didn't really get to far in the dish to say to much. Wine was good. They are doing some summer specials that are pretty smokin' on wine so check that out. I feel like i may have not of ordered right so I will try again real soon... fingers crossed. 'Cause it's a very nice restaurant, killer bar. See u soon!
(2)Rick B.
A Tucson original, long-time Tucson favorite, and all-round exceptional restaurant. We've been dining at Pastiche for 20 years and have NEVER been disappointed by a meal, a wine, or a cocktail. The menu is creative and original, there are daily specials at great prices, the wine selection is the best in Tucson (and so are the martinis), and the atmosphere is casual and quiet. Great for romantic dining, family dining, or business meals. A+++ in our book. In the bigger scheme of things, Pastiche not only fulfills most everyone's dining desires, but is a strong Tucson community contributor - eat local, support local talent.
(5)Judy M.
Excellent seabass The summer special is excellent. Fare price and delicious. The service was just the right amont of attention. We will come back.
(4)Brennan M.
I'm not totally sure what kind of cuisine the chef is aiming for. I suppose it must be French, but if so... show me the butter! I had a really nice salad starter, but salads are never a reason to go to a restaurant. As an entree, I ate the red bird chicken wrapped in bacon (or was it prosciutto?). It was a sad, overly dry chicken breast. I ought to have ordered the mushroom souffle. I've heard that the souffle is wonderful. The end of the meal was delightful, though. I shared the apple/pear crumble with one of my fellow diners, and I found myself wanting it all for myself! It was delicious--though not in a French way. Which brings me back to my original question: What kind of cuisine is Pastiche giving us? Whatever it is, it's average.
(3)Mary M.
This is only the third time I have fined there. Every meal has been a wonderful gastronomical adventure! Be sure to try the Mac n' cheese, really! Save room for dessert, or you will be sorry! Hats off to the chef!
(5)joe y.
Awesome! Diverse menu, great wine list, nice simple atmosphere, great service. Do the routine with this place... Start at the bar and have a cocktail or beer, get a table and do the wine thing and app and salad and dinner. Everything paces really well and the food is knockout!
(5)Peg P.
I was a bit disappointed for I had heard good things about this restaurant. For the $30+ it cost for 2 of us to have lunch (with no drinks), it should have been a dining experience but it wasn't. The place was pretty empty when we arrived and our wait person was OK in that she had a "disinterested" demeanor and wasn't real attentive. I ordered the pan-fried salmon sandwich. I think the fish was not fresh for it had a bitter taste and it fell apart when I bit into it. Not what i was expecting. A person could do some serious staining damage to clothes with such a dish as this. The tiny pepper-covered onion rings that came with it, however, were delicious. My friend ordered a garden salad with lime-cilantro dressing and found it very good. She had asked for the dressing on the side but our server put it in the salad instead. The corn-covered fries we ordered as an appetizer were cripsy and prepared perfectly. Prior to our meal arriving, we were given a plate with 3 slices of sourdough bread and butter. Nothing special about that. We tried it once, found the food just so-so, but the prices quite high. (Draft beer prices were twice what we usually pay.) Once was enough. We won't return.
(2)syelp s.
We went here late night (for Tucson, it was 10:00 on a Sunday...) and had a great time! The food was delicious, I had the blackened bacon burger, my dad had the Salmon and my mom the pasta dish... Each one was flavorful and their meals came with a choice of the 'bistro' size or a regular portion. The beer selection was great, and the service was impeccable. What I loved the best was that it was GOOD food, at such a late hour...the other choices were miserable. I highly recommend it!
(4)Jeff F.
Sigh. We'd been meaning to try this place for awhile and finally got around to it. We were not impressed. First of all, we booked a table for 7pm. When we walked in, we noted with alarm that there were maybe five or six tables in the restaurant. We were the last ones to be seated that night. At 7:00! The physical ambiance of the restaurant is somewhat lacking. It's extremely bright for one thing and the decor is kind of cheap-looking, more like a diner or coffee shop. I was expecting something much more upscale. We ordered the cheese plate as an appetizer and a bottle of wine. Great value on the wine - a nice southern Italian red for $22. The cheese plate was a nice selection but the execution was what you'd expect at a friend's house if you dropped in unexpectedly, not at a restaurant. All of the cheese was ice cold and it was served with slices of very mediocre baguette. I had the rib eye special and my wife had the cajun pasta. It was edible, but again, very amateurish execution. The Rib Eye was promoted as being super special Angus beef. What I got was, first of all, not a Rib Eye but another cut, which was cut too thin. It was essentially flavorless. $23. What was really weird was the "polenta" that it was served with. I'm not sure what it was, but it was unlike any polenta I've ever had (and I love polenta). It was a wedge of extremely mushy pudding with a really unpleasant off-flavor. Also, bizarrely, it was gray. This was accompanied by a pile of under-cooked broccoli with no seasoning. All in all, it was approximately the same as a not very memorable business class airplane meal. That's not a compliment. My wife's pasta was alright but the pasta was way over-cooked and had obviously been reheated. It was also extremely oily. The service was non-existent. Despite the fact that there was only one other table in the restaurant, our waiter opened the bottle of wine and never came back to the table. The waiters were all in their early 20s, somewhat unkempt and appeared to be pretty clueless. They walked around the empty restaurant talking loudly between themselves and ignoring us. We decided to try a dessert so we shared a cheesecake. It was good but drowning in a butterscotch sauce. What's odd about it is that it seems like it was actually made on premises (not bought in as it frequently is the case around here) but it was just kind of inept in terms of execution. I had the same thought I always have when I go to a "high-end" restaurant in Tucson, which is, didn't anybody here go to culinary school? I always have the feeling that the chefs are just winging it. $110 with wine and tip and we would never go back.
(2)Alysia W.
This place is much more fancy than I was expecting! You can definitely dine here in casual wear but the feel of the place is more upscale bistro.. The menu isn't that expansive but they do have a nice selection to choose from.. The prices are on the higher end but not so high that you'll be seeing holes burned through your wallet.. Unfortunately I wasn't here to eat a big meal so my experience was incomplete.. I ordered a bistro portion of their caesar salad and my friend had their bistro fish taco.. I love how they offer different portion sizes for those who may be more or less hungry.. My salad tasted great but was smaller than I was expecting for the price of the bistro portion.. I wonder what the regular sized salad looks like.. I didn't order anything to drink besides water so the next time I dine here, which will happen (!!), I'll engage in the full experience to provide a complete review [:
(4)Merry S.
Pastiche this past Saturday.... Saturday night with my hubby brought us to Pastiche. The bar had our favorites (house vodka for Mike, Jameson Gold for me) which we sipped while waiting for our table by the window. Tea lights flickering in red glass holders on each table lent a rosy ambience. We started with the cheese platter, (a favorite!) Mike's bistro portion of Rosemary Crusted Pork Tenderloin with butternut squash risotto, goat cheese, pine nuts and poached figs was delightful! I had the special: Certified Angus Beef Stroganoff. Melt-in-your-mouth beef with a silky, creamy sauce and perfectly cooked pasta was divine. We finished with sharing a generous slice of Banana Cake with sour cream frosting. Light, moist and flavorful, then visited their wonderful wine shop! One other note I MUST add. The always-watchful owner, Pat Connors, noticed that our order was taking a bit longer than usual. No problem, we realized that they were very busy. But he took the time to bring us extra slices of warm baguette to keep us fortified while we finished that delicious cheese plate. Personalized, caring service like that, keeps us returning again and again. When we left, it was raining, so we backtracked and visited their wine shop, where Amanda Lukas offered us a glass of currently-open wine. It was the perfect way to polish off our evening. By the time we finished our wine, the rain had stopped, so we headed home to savor our evening.
(4)Eve S.
I've continually tried this place over the years, I really want to like it. I just don't. The worst experience I had was taking my parents there for their birthdays. I ordered a shrimp dish which tasted exactly like dish washing liquid. I never complain about food at a restaurant, but it was truly inedible so I quietly told the server I thought some soap had gotten into my food and was sorry to cause trouble. She was relatively nice about it and asked what I would like instead, I ordered something which wasn't memorable. When the bill came, I saw I had been charged for both entrees. I bit the bullet and just paid, not wanting to ruin my parents evening. I've thought that time was a fluke, and it mostly was but I've never really liked anything I've ordered. I'm pretty much done with this place.
(2)Jodi J.
This is a wonderful date restaurant and I have been many times with my husband and my relatives. The staff are always polite and take care of us. The food is a little on the pricy side but well worth it since the portions are rather large and you can even order a smaller version of the meal if needed for smaller appietites. This is my number one place for St. Patty's Day celebrations since I love their Irish menu options.
(5)Phil D.
Consistent, family-run and with family on-site and working. Nice wine list with reasonable prices. The menu is very good, Pastiche does not aspire to be an uppity fine-dining kind of place but rather to be friendly, contemporary and Tucsonan in personality. We bring our out-of-town friends here, and they haven't been disappointed.
(4)Susan R.
Loved my lunch. The soups are outstanding. The beet salad was really special
(5)