Zona 78, West Tucson

On vacation a few weeks ago, our innkeeper recommended Zona 78. It's close, and it's Italian, so we said, "Why not?" Little did we know what a treat we were in for!

Zona 78 makes most, if not all, of their cheeses and noodles in house. How sweet is that? Plus, they try to use local produce. It might not all be organic, but they sure seem to be health-conscious to those who are trying to make good choices. Beyond that, the aesthetic value was pleasing. While it's located in a strip of stores, which first made me wonder about the atmosphere, we were greeted at the door and shown right to a seat without a wait. They have a bar area, tables, or booths, whichever your preference. We sat at a booth, and the lights weren't too bright, but they weren't too dim either. (I personally hate it when it's so dark that I can't see the food I'm eating. Read: What are they trying to hide?) Families as well as couples filled the restaurant, and I could quickly tell that it was a popular place, even for a Thursday night.

When ordering, we decided to try their BBQ chicken pizza, by recommendation of our server. We soon found out why:  a thin crust with chicken, crispy bacon, caramelized onions, and fresh mozzarella cheese in perfect combination. We easily ate the whole thing!!

But I get ahead of myself. We enjoyed an appetizer too- Local Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta. They have a different take on it, because the slice the cheese and tomato, and bring out this great creamy balsamic vinegar sauce. It was tasty!!

On our way out, the door was open for us again, and the attendants were very conversational. As we were about to pull away, the manager came up to give us a coupon for a free appetizer when we returned the next time. We explained that we were just vacationing, but really enjoyed ourselves, and left.

Well, well, two nights later, we easily decided to go back. And guess what? The manager actually remembered us and made a point to come to our table and say thanks for coming back. Now that is good customer service, right? I was impressed. So we used our coupon to order the Bianco Pizza, an appetizer, and then split the Rigatoni Bolognese. It was plenty for both of us, and the homemade ricotta was very good. I only wished I lived in Tucson so I could make it a regular stopping point!!