Northwest residents have a new breakfast and lunch option with the opening of Baja Café's third location.
Owners Kim Scanlan and Gerard Meurer opened their first location on Broadway and Kolb in 2014 because of their desire to share their love of cooking and good, fresh food with the community. After a couple of years and an enthusiastic response from their customers, they opened a second location on Campbell, in April 2016. And now, by popular demand, they are set to open the new location at Ina and Thornydale at the end of this month.
"We have had quite a few people who have asked us to open in Marana or Oro Valley," Scanlan said. As for the magic of why Baja Cafe works? "We really let the food speak for itself, and it really shines."
A six-page menu of scratch-made and Southwest-inspired dishes at Baja Cafe keeps hungry customers coming back for more. The most popular items on the menu are specialty pancakes and innovative eggs benedicts.
"I have had grown men almost in tears over pancakes," said Scanlan, whose Snickerdoodle pancake—featuring a dusting of cinnamon and sugar along with a vanilla-bean glaze—is Baja Cafe's most popular.
The momentous King Kong—a towering dish that features hash browns, ham, sausage, bacon, cheese, more hash browns, jalapeno bacon, seared pulled pork, green chili, two eggs and gouda cheese sauce—is another dish that Scanlan has fun serving up.
"I have no idea how people actually eat it all," she said.
The new location has a similar menu that will include all of the favorites, including mimosas and Bloody Marys for those who enjoy a little extra punch with their breakfast.
Baja Cafe is loved by a variety of people around town including students and locals. Scanlan and Meurer have created a special for nurses who hit up the Campbell location when their shifts end at the same time the cafe opens. The Broadway location, not far from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, offers military discounts.
"We really want to build a relationship with this side of Tucson as well, and people are excited," Scanlan said.
She's already reached out to Northwest Medical Center on recommendation of the nurses at Banner who want their friends to know all about the great pancakes of Baja Cafe.
Even the waitstaff is excited about the new location.
"We have servers who are quirky, fun individuals, and they really love having guests come in who are regulars," Scanlan said. "They know their names, and they know that Joe is going to want his coffee black."
Scanlan and Meurer have been eager to get the grill fired up and the flapjacks flipping at the new location.
"We're really ready to get rocking and rolling," Scanlan said.
