Crying Onion Cafe

Ok, for the good– the food is great and I love any mom and pop business, so I’m already biased there.
The bad– service can be rough unless you have the gorgeous Melissa helping you out.
The honest– you wait until they are ready for you.
They won’t overload their kitchen and you won’t get a cold meal, but they won’t take your order until the kitchen can take you on.
Here is my tip– have them pour you a cup of coffee, get off the phone and enjoy the person or people you are sitting across from at the table! It’s a thing folks used to do before cell phones
The huevos rancheros with the green salsa and pork are delicious and well worth the wait.

To start with I had a wait as my girlfriend was running late. Which was fine at first. During this time I watched the tables being cleaned with the same rag he used on the chairs and several at a time without any sprays. The people behind me were seniors and shivering standing at the door. Three tables were open and the waitress tried sitting them at the table near the door. They requested another table (which was open and ready) she wouldn’t allow that to happen. Maybe if she was kind that would count. Now to my service, I have places to be and whether my friend shows up or not I need to eat and leave by a certain time. I told her I was ready to sit and order and the rude attitude and lecture was uncalled for. I explained the above (with or without her I’m placing my order now) she almost didn’t let me sit. I’ve eaten here plenty of times and the food is good. However, I’ve never witnessed such sloppy staffers. We also never had a refill on drinks. Made my meal very dry. Hope the owners start watching closer how their staff treats others and how they clean tables.
PS
Since I’m on a roll; the couple next to us complained about a roach in the bathroom

I used to love this place. Last two times the service was terrible. I figured I would give it one more chance. Sure enough, they didn’t disappoint. Strike three. I came in alone today and waited for 15 minutes because nobody would clean off the empty tables. Finally I’m seated and it takes another 10 just to get a cup of coffee. Ordered a simple eggs over easy, hash browns, bacon and toast. Despite the place only being about half full, it took 20 minutes for my food to come. Oh and that was minus the toast. The toast took another 5 minutes which by that time everything else was cold. After finally getting my toast, I managed to finish my entire meal without a single water or coffee refill. Sorry crying onion. I will shed no tears for you and will not be back.

Great, friendly and quick service. My dad ordered the spinach and tomato eggs Benedict (first time trying it) and said they were a bit different from other places but overall great. I chose eggs Benedict with Canadian bacon (first time trying then) and they were delicious. Home fries are good but a little too salty for my taste. If I ever pass by Tucson I would definitely stop by again.

We ate here a couple of years ago. I guess it wasn’t memorable since we haven’t been back until today.
I went with my wife and my son visiting from Texas. I got the huevos rancheros. It was excellent. The pork green chile sauce was tender and flavorful. Not hardcore Hatch sauce, but very tasty. My wife got the veggie scramble and said that it was excellent. My son ordered the country fried steak and loved it. I like that you can get your bacon cooked the way you want it – soft, regular or crisp.
It’ll definitely become part of the breakfast rotation.

Mediocre food. Hostess told everyone it was a 10 minute wait (as we were hitting 25 minutes) after also being told that. Our food took about 45 minutes to come out. All things considered I was unimpressed. Wouldn’t bother.

First time there and breakfast was exceptional. Great service, good coffee and all around fresh food and clean place.
Not much more to say but we will be making this our regular spot for the times we go out on Sundays for breakfast.

First time visit, but we’ll be back. Good food, a complete menu with lots of delectable choices, ample portions, good prices, a friendly wait staff, and busy, all measures of a good restaurant. We had breakfast here, and I had the special (pecan, French toast, egg and bacons and it was delicious. I’d prefer a bit stronger and more flavorful coffee, but that’s no complaint, just a coffee addict’s taste.

Tucson’s greatest kept secret. I ordered the banana pancakes what a treat. My husband ordered an omlet it was wonderful as well. I high recommend this restuarant. I’m looking forward to lunch.

This was my first time there. It was very busy but the service was fast and the waitress was very friendly. The food was amazing. I got the early bird special (which was only $ 3.99) and it was filling fresh and delish! My husband had the walnut pancakes. They were amazing and huge! This is a must to try!

I recommend Crying Onion for the great food, service, and prices. We are visiting Arizona from California and we really like breakfast restaurants. This place prepared everything perfectly.
The only problem was that the side of grits were made with water and very little salt. I didn’t know anyone eats them this way but maybe? I put margarine and half and half in them and it didn’t help. It’s not something that affects my overall review as it is not inconsequential. Just don’t get the grits of you like them creamy.
The biscuit special with sausage and gravy was fantastic. The biscuits were really fluffy and the gravy was really tasty. The chicken fried steak was really great too. It was crispy and tasty and did not have too much breading.

We were traveling across the state and stopped in for breakfast… found it by using Unilocal.Yummy place for delicious breakfasts, hot coffee and friendly cozy café. We had egg wraps and scrambled eggs with chopped green chile peppers. Beans and potatoes were very good. Plenary and great tasting. Appears to be local hotspot.

Worthy of four stars. Not spectacular, but solid for a breakfast restaurant. Homey with a pleasant staff and decent food. Great parking and a nice mix of clients. Worthy of four stars. Not spectacular, but solid for a breakfast restaurant. My wife and I enjoy the food, the mix of patrons, the staff, and the ambiance. Prices are okay. It’s not worthy of five stars or regular weekly visits, but we do and will continue to frequent this establishment. Calling it mediocre would be unfair. Calling it excellent would also be a stretch. Solidly good is my best description for this restaurant. We expect to return soon.

Good food! Standard greasy spoon type stuff, but a noticeable step up from the likes of Jerry Bob’s, Waffle House etc. I’ve ordered an omelette both times I’ve visited, and it was tasty and reasonably priced.
Atmosphere is very casual, and gets cramped during peak hours. They also are very insistent on not seating you if your entire party has not arrived. Like, I’m talking even if someone in your party is in the parking lot and visibly walking up to the building, you’ll still have to wait. At least that was the case for us.
There’s precious little waiting area inside the building, so you’ll have to wait outside if anyone from your party is still en route. Don’t make the mistake I did and prop the door open to make space for the bottleneck of people standing in the entryway — they will promptly yell at you to shut it.
Hey, I get it. You don’t want people hogging up table space if their whole party isn’t there. And you gotta keep the electric bill down. But the owners of Crying Onion might consider that making a hospitable first impression goes a long way!
I’ll likely dine here again, but probably not on a weekend.

Never Unilocaled. Haven’t been here in a loooong time. We rolled in late morning during the week. Busy, but no wait. A country kitchen motif. Tres kitsch. A local crowd. Great menu selection, good portions. Good with substitutions. Although, the build your own omelet can get rather pricey.

Craving a sweet potato pancake the size of your face? This is your place!
The service here is always very good and they make me feel like I am a regular even though I am not. The prices are more than Jerry Bob’s but the selection is vast. Food is consistently good and the portions are large.
Some could consider the décor tacky but I have always found it to be quaint. The dining room is small and has more people sitting in it than a church on Easter morning. Don’t let that intimate you. Go, GO GO maybe even run there right now (if it is during there limited business hour’s!). This is a must try on the Northwest side.

I’ve been here three previous times for breakfast.
Past experiences have been very good.
Today, the food remained good as usual, however, the service was slow and unfriendly. I was disappointed by the lackluster attitude of the server.

We have eaten here a few times. The service is great and the food is outstanding for breakfast. Get here either early or late but unless you want to wait don’t come during prime time breakfast because this place can pack out pretty quick.
This is probably one of the best chicken fried steak and eggs I have ever eaten. The coffee cake instead of the toast is the way to go. The portion sizes are good and I never walk out hungry.

This is a cute little brunch spot and the food is okay. I ordered the eggs Benedict and my husband ordered an omelet topped with gravy and we were both satisfied and full when we left.
The waitress was friendly and would often top off my coffee or water, her attentiveness was appreciated. I also liked that they played some oldies but goodies on the restaurant radio.
There is some nice charm and they have newspapers for reading and we are always more likely to support a local business over a chain.

This adorable little restaurant is located in the strip mall of Sam Levitz — toward the back.
Arriving, Crying Onion seems very quiet and docile, but this place gets to be very, very busy. The wait was almost 15 minutes, and it was worth it. For the anxious, they have magazines and newspapers at the entrance for the wait.
You can tell by the space that someone is putting their heart into it. It’s the kind of restaurant I would have liked to have taken my great-​grandmother. On the wall, you will find framed photos — sometimes still in their original cardboard cases — of generic landscape photography: cactus plants, canyons, wildlife. They even have quilts thumb tacked to the walls, and most every wall is sponge painted in teal. No lie.
This place is rigged for comfort and low maintenance. I imagine that if Tina Turner and David Bowie weren’t world-​famous icons, this is where they would spend their Sunday morning brunch.
The staff is über friendly — granted, run off of their feet because the customers just keep coming through the door.
And right now, the café is decorated with plastic leaves and branches for the fall season, which gives it a very light, bright and loud feel.
I was surprised to find the diverse range of folks waiting for tables and enjoying their meals. Yes, this place does have a sizable draw of people who look like they have just come off of a cross country trip in their RVs. But you also find families of all sizes, young couples, college-​age friends and the like. Classic, all-​American neighborhood diner-​style.
They also have Smuckers jelly in cute little baskets on all the tables. I love that. And the place keeps pretty cool, thanks to the fans overhead.
Strange thing, though: you cannot smell the food. But you can smell the strong tinge of black coffee. Also, the music dips in and out. You can’t really hear it – lest, the music is full of low-​range pitches, at which point you can hear the monotonous sound of the bass, and that is about all. Which begins to scratch your nerves after a while.
Seems like the go-​to menu items for folks are the omelets, pancakes and scramblers. All seem very popular.
I went with the eggs Benedict!
I have been trying to master hollandaise sauce at home. Until that day, I will continue to frequent — with robust enthusiasm — places like the Crying Onion. Here, the hollandaise is bright orange (yes, orange), thick and with a slight sharpness from the lemon. I gather that they make it in bulk rather than with each order. It doesn’t have that lovely, soft, buttery taste or feel to it. Still, it was quite good.