Claire’s Cafe & Art Gallery

Stopped in for lunch after visiting Biosphere 2. Read the reviews and decide to give it a try. We all loved it… lots of choices on the menu. all day breakfast… homemade soups… even veggie options.
There was quite a bit of artwork that was displayed in the restaurant, that were all from local artists.
The food was great and the staff was pleasant and friendly.

This is a great place for breakfast at lunchtime. It’s quirky in a very good way. The breakfast we ordered at noon was great. There really is a Claire and she was there. The menu had the items and the prices of the kind of café every little town used to have, a friendly, unpretentious place for locals but travelers are welcomed too. We found Clair’s with a Unilocal search earlier this month while traveling through Catalina on our way to Payson. Breakfast for two with tax and tip — $ 33.24.

My first visit was in 1989. Each and every meal has been deliciously from scratch! Yes, it is a drive. But sooooo worth it!

I love this place! Every time I visit relatives in AZ I go here. The food is great, the service friendly, and the jewelry and arts & crafts very nice. I never leave empty-​handed.

I purchased a
certificate for Claire’s. She would not honor it has she never agreed to participating. She was quite rude and not at all going to accommodate us.
Before we ordered our breakfasts, I asked if I could get the gluten-​free menu. When I ordered I asked if we could get fruit instead of potatoes. She said yes but never told me it would be an extra cost. She also said I could get the breakfast without meat if I so desire. I did not have the meat with the eggs. NO discount for no meat but uncharge for fruit instead of potatoes.
When we got the bill the total for 2 breakfasts with 2 eggs, toast and fruit. $ 25.97 That included coffee at $ 2.50 each. That is outrageous. We will never go there again or recommend it.

If you’ve ever driven past Claire’s in Catalina… STOP! This little gem is amazing!
I moved to the area a few years ago and I actually do my laundry at the laundromat behind this old strip mall. I never went into Claire’s because I incorrectly assumed it was just going to have the usual greasy diner food so popular in this area.
I was wrong.
Claire (who is an amazing woman!) buys all her stock from local growers and farmers. Direct farm to table, baby!
Are you going to find baby micro greens on a bed of polenta in a fine duck comfit? Heck no! But you will find well made, healthy, organic, gmo-​free, homestyle cooking! Claire cares about what she puts on her menu! And she’ll sit down with you at your table and get your immediate feedback. I love this woman! And she’s a member of the Tucson Originals… an alliance of independently owned local restaurants, purveyors and partners working together to raise awareness of the rich and vibrant culinary community in Tucson.
My man and I had breakfast there last week and it was as good as it gets. Fluffy, homemade waffles, incredible fresh made salsa for my Mexican Frittata, nothing was greasy… NOTHING! To be fair I had the Patty Melt there once and there was grease… but it’s a Patty Melt! It should have a proper amount of yumminess! And it did!
Don’t drive by next time! Pull off Oracle, take a break from the road construction, and enjoy a well made meal!
And tell Claire that Mo sent ya!

We visited Claire’s today for the first time in 15 years — we used to be regulars. Here’s how it went:
— I walked in and was told to take a seat wherever I’d like (cool, so I take a seat at a booth around back).
— My dad comes in a minute later and joins me.
— We sit for almost 10 minutes with no menus or service whatsoever (mind you, a neighboring table was seated and order taken during this time while my dad tried to get the server’s attention — this didn’t work)
— Server seats another table behind us and notices us and says sorry and she’ll be right back
— She came back a few minutes later holding two menus and took our drink orders (she failed to leave the menus)
— We finally order our breakfasts (at this point, I’m pretty excited — Claire’s food used to be GREAT!)
— Our food is taken to the wrong table, then back to the kitchen so the server can get the order to the right table (another few minutes — while our food sits at the pass)
— She FINALLY brings our now significantly cool plates to us (the table that had their order placed while we waited was now PAYING for their meal and leaving)
— FOOD DESCRIPTION: poor, bland, and a strange greasy yet dry consistency. My chicken fried steak was now a chicken fried croûton (dry AND greasy). My accommodating biscuit was DRY and was more like a very dense cake than the fluffy biscuits of the past. Hash browns were greasy, oily, over cooked, cold, and DRY all at the same time. I don’t know what kind of cooking this is, but it was strange.
— Server asks us how it is. I say fine because I just want to salvage any ounce of nourishment before leaving this place for good.
Overall, everything was terrible. Food was NOTHING like I remembered, service was NOTHING like I remembered. It was a total let down. I know Claire has a lot of friends and regulars in the community that will give the restaurant good reviews to help her out, but if today’s example was the norm and not an anomaly, I’d run for the hills.

Homemade awesome cooking for nearly 30 years. A must stop for every resident and visitor. Thank you for the great service from the same people. Great music, too. It’s always a treat coming here. Come here and shop. It’s also an art gallery.

Looks like a hole in the wall run down place from the outside but it is way more than that. This is a place to try if you find yourself in the area wanting a great breakfast.
I have driven by this place many times and never gave it a second thought. It is located in a small center with an Ace Hardware store and a few other things. The parking lot has curbs that are falling apart and the whole center looks dated while passing by.
We decided to give it a try. Upon entry again it looked dated however a feeling of comfort and a certain charm started to appear. We were seated in a booth and the drink order was taken right away. We ordered and began to walk around. This place has several rooms with local artists displaying their wares for sale on the walls. OK so the décor was starting to grow on me.
For the food we went with the chicken fried steak and eggs. It was a feast and hard to finish it all. The chicken fried steak was different from what we had ever had before (ever… anywhere). The entire meal was great and we both enjoyed it.
The owner came over and introduced herself and sat at the table across from us and spent a few minutes with us having pleasant conversation. It was a truly great experience and we were glad we tried it.

I was unexpectantly surprised the other day to discover a café on the fringes of Tucson that is absolutely delightful! At first I was attracted to its advertisement that it is not only a café, offering homemade meals, but it is also a gallery of native works of art, showing exquisite local pieces from pictures to photographs to pottery and trinkets that are inexpensive if you wish to purchase.
Then the Food! The food was indeed homemade, like right out of your mother’s kitchen. I had the Roast Beef au Jus, which was perfectly cooked, and with it came an order of their ‘famous’ French fries, hand cut and a pickle that reminded me of the Jewish delis in NYC. Even the ice tea was a delicious home brew.
The service and staff were exceptional and the owner, Claire, even came out to greet me personally. A very warm & friendly place. I can’t wait to go back to Claire’s Café again, and this time with some friends. I can’t say enough great things about it! You really have to go there and try it! I recommend it to everyone. The menu also offers homemade gluten-​free items!

Could be considered a hole in the wall. But it’s a cozy, local, hole in the wall. The food is good. Nice selection of the usual breaksfast staples and they are very acoomodating your special requests. Staff is friendly Breakfast all day! And an art gallery. In Catalina. I’m a fan. We’ll be back.

Planned to on that side of town today and was looking for something other than fast food. Boy did we find it. I had read the reviews yesterday for Claire’s and it sound like what we wanted.
We got there and were greeted by several owner & workers, the place looked small but once inside we found it roomy and comfortable.
The menu was full of great sounding meals, I knew thing would be good when I took a sip of my coffee. It only got better from there I had a corn beef Ruben that was very good with a cup of NE calm chowder that was also very good (and I am from the East) my friend had a waffle and they brought a container of warm syrup that was a nice touch. She had tea and they brought her a basket of varied tea to choose from.
While I live way west I will be making the trip at least once a month as there are many more things I want to try.
Try it you will not be sorry.
Woody Smith

Claire’s is my favorite breakfast spot and has been since I discovered this little hole in the wall. I try to order something different every time but I look forward to my usual, avocado and sour cream omelet with a side of home fries. Their breakfast is the best and imported coffee a bit pricey but so worth it.

We had the very best Reuben Sandwiches here. My husband had a vegetarian and I had the real thing. We will be returning to try the breakfasts. Service was friendly and atmosphere was pleasing.

We decided to stop here while driving back from the Biosphere 2. Cute little place to eat. Art hanging on the wall. This place is obviously a local favorite… everyone knew each other by name. Not being locals… we felt a bit out of place. The food was A-​OK. I had a salad with chicken in it. Very ho-​hum salad and nothing to rave about. My husband enjoyed his Omelette with cream cheese, tomatoes and olives in it. Very unusual from most omelettes and he loved it. Service was A-​OK.

Good food, fast service. We will be back for sure. Great salsa and yummy corned beef hash.

Very cozy establishment with at least four separate dining areas. There are lots of nice pictures on the walls, sometimes covering the whole wall. My granddaughter said, «This place is pretty.» The booth we sat in had a very high back, too high to see over when I was standing, but then I’m only 5’6″ The other patrons were friendly to us which I really liked and confirms my desire to live in a small town.
She ordered the kid’s grilled cheese with chips and I ordered the Philly Cheese Steak with fries. They were some of the best fries I’ve ever had! Cooked to perfection; not too salty. The sandwich was good, a little bit heavy on green peppers but easy to pick a couple off to my taste. The chips were kettle cooked but thicker than store bought, more like home made.
For dessert we share a slice of homemade cherry pie with whipped cream. My granddaughter loved it and I thought it was excellent. This was the first time she tried and liked cherry pie. I was amazed she ate it being an extremely picky eater and lover of chocolate.

Great mom and pop restaurant to the far north of Tucson in a small suburb. Friendly service. Great spot for breakfast in the morning, portions are large and the price is fair. Been there three times while visiting Tucson and will certainly visit again. If you love eggs, pancakes, or a decent corned beef hash, Claire’s has it.

While on vacation visiting my mom, we had to visit her very favorite Sunday breakfast spot. Claire’s, run by Claire herself, is a wonderful experience no matter what time of day, though; we’ve stopped in for lunch on past visits and been no less delighted than we were by today’s breakfast.
Custom orders are okay; we all requested egg-​white omelets and were happily accomodated. The veggies in the omelet were fresh and tasty, and the fruit bowl was fantastic — fresh-​made that morning, as evidenced by the pristine apple slices and still-​firm bananas. It certainly wasn’t your standard made-​last-​night refrigerated bowl of half-​hearted melon (though melon was featured and enjoyed).
As other reviewers mention, Claire’s serves a lot of organic food (though not strictly so), and when you get tomatoes in-​season they’re generally from her garden!
This Tucson lunch/​breakfast stop is not to be missed!

You would never know this but Calires Café is Organic food locally sourced home cooked food. she’d never say that cause some times she cant get every single item organic and doesn’t want to tell a lie.
Claire and her man run this joint like it is their home. They give a hug and say «now you to get in the back» if you feel like talking she will talk. if you want privacy you’ll get that. Its cheaper than a psychiatrist and tastier than a howard johnsons or denny’s
I had the eggs and homefries one day and my wife and I shared a steak and cheese the next. I am happy to say the food was exactly what we wanted Tasty and Filling (with no ill side affects)
a side note… if your a jerk, who can’t make friends, complain about everything, don’t go here… we nice folk don’t need you.