The food was just not good. Service was great. Had a good Margarita. Ordered Caesar salad. Absolutely no flavor. Had Diablo pasta. Curried shrimp with the tails left on in the sauce. I could never go back or recommend this restaurant. My girlfriend had chicken Marsala. Sauce was terrible. The Parmesan foam does not make up for flavor.
Marshall G.
We ll come tonight for salads and sandwiches. We have reservations for four. Should be nice. Highly recommended.
Anna Dolak
We love this place. We usually go for happy hour. All of the bartenders have been attentive. We love the drinks, good food, and great desserts .
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christina F.
We stopped in for a drink and appetizer and our expectations were exceeded! It's a great spot. On the smallish side but there wasn't a wait. Our bartender, Josh, was FANTASTIC! Super passionate about his job, and loves working there. He said all the staff feel the same way. I went with the cocktail he recommended even though I was doubtful (it had whisky in it and I don't do whisky) but, as promised, it didn't taste like whisky, it just tasted delicious. They give you complementary bread with this delicious flavored oil to start. We had the southwest deviled eggs and they were great. The menu is small, but according to Josh everything is delicious. I believe the place is owned by a chef. Do yourself a favor and get over there asap, belly up to the bar and ask for Josh!
Jason S.
Do not go anywhere near this place on the nights they have "magical murder mystery theater" or whatever. Maybe they're good other nights but holy cow just don't. We were really excited to try it having watched the chef win Iron Chef Tucson a while back. Our experience was a disaster from start to finish. We had a 6:30 reservation. Apparently so did ~40 other people for the "show". You could tell from the moment that we were greeted that things were already sideways. The poor "host" (who was host, server, and bartender at points) was clearly already panicked. We sat down and observed utter chaos as all these people streamed into the back room. Sometime later we ordered with a harried server. It took 10+ minutes to get drink orders in. And then they took 20+ minute to arrive. (I liked the green chile margarita. See photo.) She was nice. We didn't fault her at that point. At some point much later she took our dinner order. She sort of apologized for the absurd delay on our drinks but didn't offer to make it right. We ordered salad, apps and mains. Fast forward a solid 30 minutes. I don't dare order another mixed drink. The salads and eggs eventually came (salads were weird but the eggs were good, see photo). Still no second drink. Staff are running around on fire. No one ever clears the salad or apps plates or empty drink glasses for the entire meal. See photo. Eventually we get our mains. My pappardelle was pretty good all told. My wife's entree was the hanger steak special. It was dramatically undercooked and I mean literally submerged in sauce. See photo. She didn't eat it. We sort of picked at the meal. No one checked in on us. Server eventually returns. Asks if we want anything else "right now". Doesn't note that my wife has hardly touched her entree. (Even a half-awake server in a decent joint should have noticed this.) Doesn't note that we're out of drinks. Doesn't ask about dessert. I reply "we're good." Ten minutes later, some other server brings us the check. (Did I mention that we want wanted dessert?) We paid (some other server) and gtfo. Look. I think there's creativity in the menu and I think the general vibe of food and bar is great, but someone please inform the management that you cannot handle events like this and keep up a regular service at the same time. The owner was nowhere to be seen on probably their biggest night. You have no dedicated bartender, your expedite window is IN THE BAR, and your kitchen is tiny. These are not bad things in and of themselves but you're trying too hard. Every single staff member was in the sh*t for the entire time we were there. This is no way to run a restaurant. I genuinely want to return. I think this is one of the most unique menus in Tucson. But omg it's gonna be a while and not on magical murder mystery night. Two stars because I saw some promise in the food.
Lorenz Schuerch
I really wanted to love the food because this place came recommended by so many. Alas, the risotto was flat and under seasoned. Chicken was good but because the risotto it sat on was bland it kind of fell flat. Service and atmosphere is great though. Maybe I got the wrong dish?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: New England Clam Chowder
Pete Pleban
Wow. After reading some of the past reviews of a week or two ago. I concur! My one observation was scattered! Low staff, disarray everything, no friendliness. 1st and last time for us. Dante’s needs to refire the Fire!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Mark Ballis
What a disappointing experience! We made reservations 2 weeks ago and arrived a few minutes before. We have never been to this restaurant and have been wanting to go for a long time! We walk into a very frazzled individual who tells us she just arrived and all of the tables for 4 are taken, many of them with only 2 guests. We are a party of 4. There are other 2-tops open. She tells us she does not know what she is going to do, and that we need to wait a few minutes. People are lining up, behind us she is running around and is very scattered. She then tells us it will be at least 45 minutes to an hour, and we decide that we are going to leave, as it simply does not look like it would be a good experience if we were to stay and get seated. I kindly let her know we were leaving and told her it was our first experience and unfortunately our last. She had nothing to say. When choosing where to go have a great dining experience, choose one of our other great local spots. Others turned and walked out after we did. They seemed short-staffed and chaotic, and did not seem to care. The chef is supposed to be very talented, yet perhaps needs a lesson in business and customer service.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Kyra Anastopoulos
My family and I had heard such great things about Dante’s Fire and made a reservation for a Saturday evening. After calling to say that we will be 15 mins late for our reservation, we arrived to a very disorganized and frazzled reception. There was no table available to seat our party of 4, but there were multiple 4 tops seated with parties of 2. After a few minutes of waiting and observing, we noticed that the parties arriving after us, also with reservations were unable to be seated, many customers seated at tables were only sitting with drinks, and there was a line of order tickets near the kitchen. The waitress who greeted us was struggling to keep up with the demand of waiting tables, preparing and delivering drinks and fielding arriving customers. It seemed as though they were seriously understaffed and unorganized. Disappointing experience and will mostly like not return.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Rachel L
Came here with my partner last night for the Valentine's Day Special. It was $75 per person, not including drinks. Highly recommended by a good friend who has been there several times. The server was great and very apologetic for the wait. After being seated, we received a plate of bread and our amuse' came out shortly after. Then we waited over an hour for our first course. We were honestly getting bored, and noticing that other tables that were seated just before us received their first and second courses before we even received our first. The first course was good, but very very small portions, so that was disappointing after an hour of waiting. The main course, was delicious I had the salmon which was very flavorful and everything was fantastic. My partner has the beef cheeks which were extremely disappointing, not only tiny, but there were 2 mini potatoes and 2 small carrots, and 2 spam sized beef cheeks literally smothered in over bearing zinfandel gravy.... That's it?? That's not a meal worth $35 (broken down on the bill). He didn't even want to eat it but we did because we paid for it. Fantastic desserts, really well flavored and super yummy.Seating was extremely crammed and loud, I was hoping for a peaceful quiet and semi private ambiance (though I had never been to Dante's Fire and didn't know the lay out). It would have been more comfortable if there were 25% less tables and people around, everything was very loud. I scooted my chair back right into the next table over.Anyway, I will not be going back for any special priced "all inclusive" evenings, unless it is worth $75 via bigger portion sizes and less wait times.
This was such a disappointing experience overall on so many levels. It was our first time going to the restaurant with out of town family, We have wanted to try Dante's Fire for quite some time as the chef is quite popular in Tucson! We made reservations two weeks prior, and arrived on time to quite a chaotic and dysfunctional setting. We were told that there are no tables available- there were many parties of 2 seated at tables for 4. We were a party of 4. She then told us she just arrived to her shift having no idea of how this happened and said it would be at least an hour before we could be seated. Other guests were arriving, not greeted, also had reservations, and she continued running around frantic. You could just see that this was not going to end well at all, so we decided we would leave. We kindly let her know and she literally had nothing to say. WOW! When choosing a restaurant to dine at, remove Dante's Fire from your list and choose another one of our fine places here in the 'ole pueblo. Not sure how a place like this stays open!
T G
First time at this restaurant. It was not busy but service was slow and food was medicore. Drinks were good though. I wanted to like this place more but most likely will not be returning.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
MicheleB
Waited 30 minutes for our table in reservation as others walked right in. All servers were running around so much it was hard to get anyone. THEN they gave us a limited menu which by the way we triple checked website to make sure my husband had something to choose from like a steak only to get there and it was $75 a person for thin slices of bread, tiny salad, either salmon, beef cheeks, turkey saltimboca or roasted eggplant and a dessert that looked like a sample. So we opted to leave and because it was Valentine's Day we had nowhere to go so we went to Brooklyn pizza and sky bar. Thank god! Now on a positive note. I went to the iron chef and the food was amazing so I hope I can convince my husband to go on a normal night
NicoleB
It's always a pleasure to eat here! The drinks are great and pretty reasonably priced, and the food is wonderful! There are some entrees that are always available, but the handful of seasonal rotating mains makes it hard to get bored. I like that you can choose your own adventure of a meal - there are options that are super down to earth (burgers, sliders, sexy grilled cheese), but also some plates & presentations that approach haute cuisine. It's a gem of a restaurant in Midtown Tucson, and I highly recommend it!
LynnK
This was our second visit here. The Parpardelle is DELICIOUS and plentiful as is the Marsala! I tried the burger and it was very good. Very flavorful and big beef patty. The fries that came with the burger were not as crispy as expected so that was a little disappointing. Jalapeño poppers are good but the peppers could have been roasted a bit more. Overall, I like Dante's and will definitely return.
The food was just not good. Service was great. Had a good Margarita. Ordered Caesar salad. Absolutely no flavor. Had Diablo pasta. Curried shrimp with the tails left on in the sauce. I could never go back or recommend this restaurant. My girlfriend had chicken Marsala. Sauce was terrible. The Parmesan foam does not make up for flavor.
We ll come tonight for salads and sandwiches. We have reservations for four. Should be nice. Highly recommended.
We love this place. We usually go for happy hour. All of the bartenders have been attentive. We love the drinks, good food, and great desserts .
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
We stopped in for a drink and appetizer and our expectations were exceeded! It's a great spot. On the smallish side but there wasn't a wait. Our bartender, Josh, was FANTASTIC! Super passionate about his job, and loves working there. He said all the staff feel the same way. I went with the cocktail he recommended even though I was doubtful (it had whisky in it and I don't do whisky) but, as promised, it didn't taste like whisky, it just tasted delicious. They give you complementary bread with this delicious flavored oil to start. We had the southwest deviled eggs and they were great. The menu is small, but according to Josh everything is delicious. I believe the place is owned by a chef. Do yourself a favor and get over there asap, belly up to the bar and ask for Josh!
Do not go anywhere near this place on the nights they have "magical murder mystery theater" or whatever. Maybe they're good other nights but holy cow just don't. We were really excited to try it having watched the chef win Iron Chef Tucson a while back. Our experience was a disaster from start to finish. We had a 6:30 reservation. Apparently so did ~40 other people for the "show". You could tell from the moment that we were greeted that things were already sideways. The poor "host" (who was host, server, and bartender at points) was clearly already panicked. We sat down and observed utter chaos as all these people streamed into the back room. Sometime later we ordered with a harried server. It took 10+ minutes to get drink orders in. And then they took 20+ minute to arrive. (I liked the green chile margarita. See photo.) She was nice. We didn't fault her at that point. At some point much later she took our dinner order. She sort of apologized for the absurd delay on our drinks but didn't offer to make it right. We ordered salad, apps and mains. Fast forward a solid 30 minutes. I don't dare order another mixed drink. The salads and eggs eventually came (salads were weird but the eggs were good, see photo). Still no second drink. Staff are running around on fire. No one ever clears the salad or apps plates or empty drink glasses for the entire meal. See photo. Eventually we get our mains. My pappardelle was pretty good all told. My wife's entree was the hanger steak special. It was dramatically undercooked and I mean literally submerged in sauce. See photo. She didn't eat it. We sort of picked at the meal. No one checked in on us. Server eventually returns. Asks if we want anything else "right now". Doesn't note that my wife has hardly touched her entree. (Even a half-awake server in a decent joint should have noticed this.) Doesn't note that we're out of drinks. Doesn't ask about dessert. I reply "we're good." Ten minutes later, some other server brings us the check. (Did I mention that we want wanted dessert?) We paid (some other server) and gtfo. Look. I think there's creativity in the menu and I think the general vibe of food and bar is great, but someone please inform the management that you cannot handle events like this and keep up a regular service at the same time. The owner was nowhere to be seen on probably their biggest night. You have no dedicated bartender, your expedite window is IN THE BAR, and your kitchen is tiny. These are not bad things in and of themselves but you're trying too hard. Every single staff member was in the sh*t for the entire time we were there. This is no way to run a restaurant. I genuinely want to return. I think this is one of the most unique menus in Tucson. But omg it's gonna be a while and not on magical murder mystery night. Two stars because I saw some promise in the food.
I really wanted to love the food because this place came recommended by so many. Alas, the risotto was flat and under seasoned. Chicken was good but because the risotto it sat on was bland it kind of fell flat. Service and atmosphere is great though. Maybe I got the wrong dish?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: New England Clam Chowder
Wow. After reading some of the past reviews of a week or two ago. I concur! My one observation was scattered! Low staff, disarray everything, no friendliness. 1st and last time for us. Dante’s needs to refire the Fire!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
What a disappointing experience! We made reservations 2 weeks ago and arrived a few minutes before. We have never been to this restaurant and have been wanting to go for a long time! We walk into a very frazzled individual who tells us she just arrived and all of the tables for 4 are taken, many of them with only 2 guests. We are a party of 4. There are other 2-tops open. She tells us she does not know what she is going to do, and that we need to wait a few minutes. People are lining up, behind us she is running around and is very scattered. She then tells us it will be at least 45 minutes to an hour, and we decide that we are going to leave, as it simply does not look like it would be a good experience if we were to stay and get seated. I kindly let her know we were leaving and told her it was our first experience and unfortunately our last. She had nothing to say. When choosing where to go have a great dining experience, choose one of our other great local spots. Others turned and walked out after we did. They seemed short-staffed and chaotic, and did not seem to care. The chef is supposed to be very talented, yet perhaps needs a lesson in business and customer service.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
My family and I had heard such great things about Dante’s Fire and made a reservation for a Saturday evening. After calling to say that we will be 15 mins late for our reservation, we arrived to a very disorganized and frazzled reception. There was no table available to seat our party of 4, but there were multiple 4 tops seated with parties of 2. After a few minutes of waiting and observing, we noticed that the parties arriving after us, also with reservations were unable to be seated, many customers seated at tables were only sitting with drinks, and there was a line of order tickets near the kitchen. The waitress who greeted us was struggling to keep up with the demand of waiting tables, preparing and delivering drinks and fielding arriving customers. It seemed as though they were seriously understaffed and unorganized. Disappointing experience and will mostly like not return.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Came here with my partner last night for the Valentine's Day Special. It was $75 per person, not including drinks. Highly recommended by a good friend who has been there several times. The server was great and very apologetic for the wait. After being seated, we received a plate of bread and our amuse' came out shortly after. Then we waited over an hour for our first course. We were honestly getting bored, and noticing that other tables that were seated just before us received their first and second courses before we even received our first. The first course was good, but very very small portions, so that was disappointing after an hour of waiting. The main course, was delicious I had the salmon which was very flavorful and everything was fantastic. My partner has the beef cheeks which were extremely disappointing, not only tiny, but there were 2 mini potatoes and 2 small carrots, and 2 spam sized beef cheeks literally smothered in over bearing zinfandel gravy.... That's it?? That's not a meal worth $35 (broken down on the bill). He didn't even want to eat it but we did because we paid for it. Fantastic desserts, really well flavored and super yummy.Seating was extremely crammed and loud, I was hoping for a peaceful quiet and semi private ambiance (though I had never been to Dante's Fire and didn't know the lay out). It would have been more comfortable if there were 25% less tables and people around, everything was very loud. I scooted my chair back right into the next table over.Anyway, I will not be going back for any special priced "all inclusive" evenings, unless it is worth $75 via bigger portion sizes and less wait times.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
This was such a disappointing experience overall on so many levels. It was our first time going to the restaurant with out of town family, We have wanted to try Dante's Fire for quite some time as the chef is quite popular in Tucson! We made reservations two weeks prior, and arrived on time to quite a chaotic and dysfunctional setting. We were told that there are no tables available- there were many parties of 2 seated at tables for 4. We were a party of 4. She then told us she just arrived to her shift having no idea of how this happened and said it would be at least an hour before we could be seated. Other guests were arriving, not greeted, also had reservations, and she continued running around frantic. You could just see that this was not going to end well at all, so we decided we would leave. We kindly let her know and she literally had nothing to say. WOW! When choosing a restaurant to dine at, remove Dante's Fire from your list and choose another one of our fine places here in the 'ole pueblo. Not sure how a place like this stays open!
First time at this restaurant. It was not busy but service was slow and food was medicore. Drinks were good though. I wanted to like this place more but most likely will not be returning.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
Waited 30 minutes for our table in reservation as others walked right in. All servers were running around so much it was hard to get anyone. THEN they gave us a limited menu which by the way we triple checked website to make sure my husband had something to choose from like a steak only to get there and it was $75 a person for thin slices of bread, tiny salad, either salmon, beef cheeks, turkey saltimboca or roasted eggplant and a dessert that looked like a sample. So we opted to leave and because it was Valentine's Day we had nowhere to go so we went to Brooklyn pizza and sky bar. Thank god! Now on a positive note. I went to the iron chef and the food was amazing so I hope I can convince my husband to go on a normal night
It's always a pleasure to eat here! The drinks are great and pretty reasonably priced, and the food is wonderful! There are some entrees that are always available, but the handful of seasonal rotating mains makes it hard to get bored. I like that you can choose your own adventure of a meal - there are options that are super down to earth (burgers, sliders, sexy grilled cheese), but also some plates & presentations that approach haute cuisine. It's a gem of a restaurant in Midtown Tucson, and I highly recommend it!
This was our second visit here. The Parpardelle is DELICIOUS and plentiful as is the Marsala! I tried the burger and it was very good. Very flavorful and big beef patty. The fries that came with the burger were not as crispy as expected so that was a little disappointing. Jalapeño poppers are good but the peppers could have been roasted a bit more. Overall, I like Dante's and will definitely return.