Best Outdoor Seating '96

Best Outdoor Seating

Blue Willow Restaurant & Poster Gallery
2616 N. Campbell Ave.

READERS' PICK: The whole concept of patio seating is to maximize the glory of being outside while minimizing nature's little annoyances. Thus, you can enjoy the stars and the stirring night breeze, while avoiding bugs, gnats, and other creepy crawlies. The Blue Willow's patio is a testament to man's ability to cheat and reap the benefits. Spacious and airy, the entire section is roofed off with mosquito netting. During the day a tarp shields the sun from melting your cheesecake, but at night you can look up from your loved one's eyes and catch a glimpse of the universe beyond your little table. Great for grand perspective.

READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: A small but comfortable patio nestled beneath the edifice where Dillinger was (more or less) captured, the patio at The Cup Café, next to the Congress Hotel, at 308 E. 10th St., is a great place to soak in the ambiance of old Tucson while soaking up some caffeine, booze or calories. Trains rattle through the gloriously decaying station just yards away; and in the afternoon, high-school kids from nearby Ronstadt Transit Center parade by wearing the absolute latest. At night the adjacent nightclub provides even more local color. All this and good food; plus, this is one of the premier spots in Tucson to dine with your pet--an assortment of four-footers are usually shackled just within tossing distance of the outdoor tables.

STAFF PICK: Mix a well-shaded arcade, comfortable chairs, and quality food and drink, and you have the patio at Milagro, 3073 N. Campbell Ave., a civilized oasis amid the bustle of the dense strip malls along North Campbell. By day the air is thick with the clicking of laptop computers, by night with the conversation of moviegoers and neighbors, and at all times with the aroma of ground coffee and freshly baked pastries and the music of Milagro's burbling fountain.

1998 Winner: Cup Café
1997 Winner: The Blue Willow