Tandem American Eatery

It's UA basketball season and as fanatics we don't miss a game. But with a change in conferences this year, there is also a change in broadcast networks. Eight games are on ESPN+, which is the only ESPN we are missing at home. So we made a couple phone calls and found that Tandem has + on a big TV. Score!The hub and I arrived about 1:45 for a late lunch and the game. I really wanted wings (they are so good here!), but they ran out so I had to suck it up, lol, and have a really great chicken sandwich, hot and crispy and well-seasoned. It came with tomatoes, red onion, pickles, topped with a tangy slaw. The hub had one of the tastiest burgers in town: seasoned perfectly, cooked to order, garnished with tomatoes, red onions, pickles, and a wonderful aioli. And it's huge. The entrees come with the best housemade potato chips; I couldn't quite finish my yummy sandwich but did made the chips disappear. We won the game in a blowout and had a terrific lunch and great afternoon! Tandem is where you'll find us for the next ESPN+ broadcast, but I'm sure we'll be back before. I look forward to a hard decision between that chicken sandwich, burger, and the wings.

Nice neighborhood bistro with a small town feel. Typical comfort classics plus some additional items for our epicurean friends. We went during Tucson restaurant week and there was a special prix fixe menu offering for the occasion. To start, one had their choice of "toasts" as a starter. They didn't offer avocado toast ( thankfully) but instead offered a much more inspired selection including shrimp, lobster AND avocado, wild mushroom, roasted tomato & balsamic vinegar, sweet potato and feta and many more. Super cool! The shrimp/lobster was delicious and a very ample portion.For mains there was a choice from 4 pasta offerings that included spaghetti, tortellini, ravioli and more. One could also augment their dish with a protein at an additional cost. I went for the 4 cheese tortellini in a creamy Brie sauce and I added short rib as additional protein. This dish was so rich! It was literally death by cheese and the pot roast was a perfect accompaniment. Again, an ample portion. Then one had a choice of 5 different parfait dessert selections that included carrot cake, mocha torte and even bananas foster!All 3 courses for the unbelievable price of $25. Add a couple of beers and a couple could enjoy a complete feast for $75, all-in including tax and tip. All of the items on the special menu are available a la carte on the normal menu and the variety shows that the chef and management are running something far beyond a comfort food diner. Service was prompt, engaged and genuine. I'll definitely be back!

I came here for the Prixe Fixe menu for Sonoran Food Week's three course meal. I started off with tandem toast Lobster & Shrimp, Avocado, Aioli, Scallion as the starter dish. Main dish was a Butternut Squash Ravioli - Sweet Potato, Spiced walnuts, spinach, parmesan cream sauce with braised short rib. For dessert I had Salted Caramel Apple Pie - Pie Crust, Baked Apples, House Caramel, Ice Cream.The wait staff did a decent job and it was an overall decent experience. My only shortcomings was the ambiance. The place reminds me of a sports bar with tables around it. Maybe it was the cost and how elagant dishes where that just clashed with the ambiance. It was fine dining but in a bar. I think it could just be the Prixe. I will go back and try a burger and fries since that jives with the ambience and the food was delicious.

Still recommend... outstanding burgers at Tandem. Fries also are excellent. Might be the best in Tucson. Fast and friendly service.

Surprised at how good our food turned out. For apps, the baked brie was really yummy. It had apple three different ways and it just the spot. The other app we ordered was the beef wellington, it was okay but it felt more like a beef fritter and nothing like a proper wellington...for entrees, I really enjoyed the lobster and shrimp toast with the avocado, it was just the right amount and the seafood tasted fresh even though we're in the dessert. The lobster roll was pretty good too, it's not heavy and masked in mayo like some other places serve it. The ambiance of this place is nice and clean. It seems a great place for like lunch, mid-afternoon snack or happy hour. Though when we went in mid-afternoon, our server was talking so fast, seemed rushed but it was because it was shift-change and she needed to leave. Definitely coming back here to try more of their stuff.

Like to try new places when I travel for work so I decided to give this place a go. Boy was I surprised. I ordered the chicken fingers because I was kind of in a rush to get back to class. Some of the best chicken strips I've ever had. Super juicy and fresh out the fryer. The home made hot sauce that came with it was so good. I also orders a blood orange lemonade which was super refreshing and came with unlimited refills.Service was fast, I was in and out within 30 min. The decor was what to be expected for a place like this but that is the last thing I really care about.

Tandem offers tasty eats and excellent service. I've been there for both lunch and dinner, and it's great to see a restaurant like this thriving on the far east side of town. The savory toasts are distinct (fave = sweet potato, goat cheese, and walnuts), the pasta was well cooked (love the porcini), and a friend declared the short rib the best she's ever had. On top of that, the servers have been cheery and patient with every question. Excellent place to order a quick bite or sit with friends and enjoy several courses.

Do yourself a favor, and get the fries!! We came here for lunch on a Wednesday, it was busy, but the service was great. We got the truffle fries which were amazing, but they have many different types of loaded fries which I am so excited to try. I also had the mimosa flight, which included a green tea mimosa. IT WAS SPECTACULAR, I was pleasantly surprised and would love to get it again if they offered it!

Tasty dishes- we had pasta dishes with mushrooms and ravioli, with short rib and bacon added. A bit salty but very tasty, and good portions!

This was an interesting experience. We've driven by this location on numerous occasions and saw that it was open, so we decided to stop in for some lunch on a Saturday afternoon. Knowing they had a decent beer selection, it seemed like a great place after a wonderful hike up on Mount Lemmon.This restaurant wasn't particularly busy, and after a few moments of standing next to the "Please Wait To Be Seated" sign at the door, a very nice person came over and led us into the area with the tables. She said we could sit wherever we wanted. We sat down in a booth near the bar, she gave us a drink menu and a couple of food menus and immediately asked us if we knew what we wanted.This struck me as funny because the menus hadn't even made it to the table yet and she's asking me what I wanted. We suggested a glass of water each for the two of us, and in 30 seconds she brought that water and asked if we knew what we wanted.The beer menu says, "ask your server about our rotating taps", or something of that nature. I did just that and the server had no idea, looked like a deer that had been caught in the headlamps, and went over to the front door where she pulled out a piece of paper with apparently a list of illegible beer types. I skipped the illegible beers, though to be fair, she did mention something called "Hey Girl" a couple of times, and then ordered something that I could read.The beer arrived and she asked what we wanted. Enough time had passed for us to digest the contents of the menu, so we placed our order. Now this is where it gets a little more awkward.Now, I know we now have the technology to have a handheld doo-dad in the serving staff's hand so they can plunk in the order right there, gather the payment at the end right at the table, etc. But the server seemed to be struggling and I couldn't tell if she was texting a friend or entering our order. I'm all for technology, but extended, awkward interludes of tapping are indicative of technology that doesn't really fit the bill.The order was finally placed. I remarked, "I'll hold onto the beer menu in case I want another beer". She said collected the food menus and asked, "Oh, are you going to hold onto the drink menu?" I said yes.The food arrived. The portions were generous, the food was good, and other than an awkward vibe that lingered throughout the entire meal whenever the server came over, we did OK. Though, we weren't finished with our meal and she came over with the electronic doo-dad ready for us to pay. We just did and off we went.The only other remark was my companion noticing that iced tea is served in to-go cups right from the beginning, instead of a glass for in the dining room and perhaps the offer of a to-go cup at the end of the meal.