Jonathan’s Cork

This is one of my top spots in Tucson. What makes The Cork such a Tucson staple is the unique menu selections, everything is tailored to create an experience you will not find anywhere else. You will enjoy seeing a wide variety of meat (ostrich, venison, etc) as well as their take on traditional favorites (prime rib, filet). The dishes all have a distinctly «Southwest» feel. A great spot to take out of town guest to experience something uniquely Tucson.

Upon giving the hostess our name for our reservation, we were rudely pointed to our table rather than seated.
The bread and butter were cold.
Once we got our order, we did not see our server again until we asked the guy that refills the water to find him so we could get our check. That was after about 25 minutes.
You would think that eating at such an expensive establishment at 20 – 40 a plate the service would be better.
The food was ok but certainly not worth putting up such poor service and rudeness.
We will never eat their again and I will be sure to not recommend anyone else eat there either.
No matter how good the food was (it was ok) the wait staff really ruined the experience.
I wish I would have read the reviews before going here and wasting that much money. Clearly bad service is their MO.

One my favorite restaurants in Tucson.
Good steaks, excellent service and a decent wine list.
Definitely a must stop whenever I’m in Tucson…

Started w a panhandler begging for cash on their front steps. Nice.
Were seated and waiter came in a descent amount of time. Nice beer selection.
3 of us. 2 ordered surf and turf. I ordered ostrich. Their steaks and lobster were average. My ostrich was cooked fine but the «dry rub» was basically a pile of salt pounded into the meat. All of our garlic mashed potatoes and veg of the day tasted either from a box or from yesterday. Dessert was below average. Then came the bill… yikes!!! No where near quality for what was charged. Too many other steak places to visit here again.

Great food. Speedy service. Free refills. Best place in Tucson for quality food and a great staff

OUT STANDING!!! Wonderful food great staff.

We went to Jonathon’s Cork for the first time and had an excellent meal. The char-​broiled steak was one of the best I’ve ever had and my wife’s salmon was fantastic as well.
To top it off, they gave us a free dessert to celebrate our 20^th anniversary.
We will definitely return!

My wife and I eat here on special occasions and have always enjoyed the Cork. Tonight was our 40^th anniversary so it was an easy choice for us since there aren’t really that many truly great dinner places in the old pueblo for such an occasion. At least not on the east side.
Tonight we had the NY strip steaks, idk why we ordered them. Strip steaks are seldom the best on the menu. I really like a juicy steak and order mine medium, almost red on the inside. It was a little bit on the medium well side, only pinkish but acceptable. Normally I’ll get a fillet steak or a ribeye but tonight I wanted a bigger steak and they don’t carry ribeye so…
The food was good and cooked mostly to order, but the steaks weren’t especially tasty or tender or juicy. They were dry and if I hadn’t known better I’d swear they had been frozen. Seemed to be missing a rub too. For a high end steak house, their primary food should be the best in town. I was kind of embarrassed since this was an anniversary dinner and these steaks were not what you want to have her remember about the evening. We still love the ambiance at the Cork and their garlic mashed potatoes are great. Next time I’ll get fish.
We will go back… If I can talk her into it. Just a bad night maybe.
FYI, if you want warm bread, just ask the server. A lot of people complain about the cold bread, I think it’s ok and we like it warmed. Just ask.

First time here, won’t be our last. One of the best steaks I’ve ever had. Enjoyed the patio dining. Only hiccup was our oysters rockefeller appetizer arrived after the entrée.
But our competent server took that off our bill. With that being said, my brother couldn’t say enough about the oysters and promptly claimed best in town. Looking forward to another great dining experience.

Had a great time at Happy Hour, food was wonderful! Prime strips and mushrooms are a must. Very friendly and accommodating bar staff. Only downside is the size of the bar area where they do happy hour, going with a group seems like it might be impossible, we were only 2.

Amazing lamb chops! But the best part about this restaurant is: mashed potatoes. Yes! They have the most amazing mashed potatoes I have ever tasted! Only draw back is the service, in my opinion.

If you want a prime rib that is really tough and expensive, this is the place for you. Wine list also overpriced. Was kind of neat building.

What an absolute disappointment. My husband and I went there for our anniversary. We had decided on this place after passing it for years and having several friends recommend it.
Let’s start with the restaurant itself. When you walk in, it resembles a 1970’s steakhouse, which is probably the last time it was updated. Wooden tables and chairs, no tablecloths. The hostess seated us right away and then we waited for our waitperson. My husband and both had water and asked for a bread basket while we decided on our meal. When the bread showed up, imagine our surprise that it was literally sliced bread from a loaf like you would buy at a grocery store and completely cold. In a restaurant of this supposed caliber, one would expect fresh bread, warm from the oven, not sandwich bread from Albertson’s. Even Mimi’s Café manages to serve fresh bread and rolls with your meal. That should have clued us in to the rest of the evening.
We ordered the Crab Cakes appetizer to start, I ordered the Lamb Chops with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, medium rare and my husband ordered the Cork Pasta Bowl. Our appetizer arrived promptly and the Crab Cakes, while a good size, were dry and had a slightly fishy taste to them.
When our meals arrived, it was nicely presented. My husband’s bowl of pasta was huge and had a nice flavor, although honestly nothing spectacular or that we probably couldn’t have gotten at any other mediocre Italian restaurant.
My meal was a whole other story. The lamb chops, which were supposed to be medium rare, were medium well and dry. They also had so much connecting tissue in them that the third lamb chop was completely inedible and had to be left on the plate. The Creole Mustard Cream sauce was so sparingly applied that is could barely be tasted and had absolutely no bite to it at all. The most disappointing of all were the garlic mashed potatoes, which had the flavor and consistency of boxed, instant potatoes, and after a couple of bites were left on the plate. This tells you how bad they were as I absolutely love mashed potatoes. At $ 34 for the plate, I was totally disappointed. Needless to say we didn’t order dessert.
As we drove away after paying our $ 81 bill (with tip), I said to my husband «I don’t ever want to go back there» and he agreed.
In response to meassage left by Jonathan — regarding the bread, all I can tell you is the bread we received was not fresh baked bread, it was grocery store sandwich bread. I wish I had taken a picture to post. I have no reason to make anything up, I always try to post honest reviews and give credit where it is due. I don’t know if the kitchen was simply out of bread when we came or if it perhaps hadn’t been baked yet (we were there fairly early on a Wednesday evening) but either way we were served ice cold sandwich bread from a loaf.

We’ve been to this place twice for special occasions, and were not disappointed. It has small, cozy rooms with nice, low lighting. Not exactly elegant, but not tacky, either. There is an outdoor patio with a nice ambience and low lighting as well.
The food is what makes the place for us. It’s a bit pricey, but everything we’ve ordered has been very well done. I’m not a huge fan of fish when eating out, but this place might make me one. I had the sea bass with creamy crab sauce and it was very good. Hubby’s steak was a generous cut and done just right. The tiramisu for dessert was tasty as well.
We’ve decided this will be our place for Valentine’s and anniversary dinners. Looking forward to many more

We had a wonderful experience for dinner. The place has a quaint charm to it with kind of an old southern/​cabin charm, with one semi-​separate bar room.
All the food we had was tasty and delicious, and exceeded our expectations. The Sauteed Mushrooms were great. I definitely recommend the Grilled Romaine which was really unique with a charbroiled heart of romaine topped with bacon, parmesan and tomato. The Cork Pasta Bowl was done to perfection. it was a large proportion of pasta in a creamy but not overwhelming white sauce and was completely covered with vegetables, as well as shrimp and chicken. I’ve never had pasta that came with that many fresh, tasty vegetables. The dishes we had all had great flavor combinations.
Our server was sweet and attentive. Good selection of beers and wines.

This place is definitely underrated! It’s everything a classy restaurant should be. Lights are dim, and the atmosphere is warm and cozy. Service was spectacular, very welcoming and sincere. The chef popped out of the kitchen & introduced himself to new friends and mingled with regulars. Really sweet and genuine guy!
I highly recommend the happy hour and if you’re a night owl, the late night menu! The Calamari here is not your usual fried O-​ring thing. No, this calamari is filleted, flavored and soo tender! The escargot is definitely a favorite of mine, its basking in the a delightful butterwine sauce and served with bread for sopping.
The Ostrich is interesting. It’s a cross between chicken and bison. This was the first time I’ve had ostrich and I really liked it. A little on the pricey side but a totally worth it and a shareable portion.
I have not had a chance to try any dessert yet, usually because I’m stuffed from having one of each of the appetizers, but I will return. After three visits Jonathan’s Cork is now one of my favorites

It was a day of culinary coaching. Epicurean education if you will. I was lucky enough to attend a special event at Jonathan’s Cork at which none other than Jonathan himself conducted a cooking class.
Jonathan opened his restaurant to my group on his only day off, Sunday for a fundraiser. He charged us a nominal amount per person and was extremely generous with his time and expertise. His lovely wife, Colette was there as well and mingled with us. Also in attendance were Alex (manager?) and Angel who acted as Jonathan’s assistant.
We gathered on the patio where Jonathan taught us about spices, boning a whole chicken, how to make a beautiful, vegetarian posole and so much more. We had plenty of hands on fun too including making perfect pockets in chicken breasts and stuffing them with a fabulous green chile & feta mix and making our own spice rubs. The fun didn’t stop there however. We went inside to the bar and were treated to very generous pours of 3 different wines. The afternoon finished with my group seated in the restaurant where we were served that flavorful and aromatic posole and the chicken breasts that we stuffed.
I am so impressed with Jonathan and his «Cork» family not only by their prowess in the kitchen but by Jonathan’s warm and friendly personality. He was a hoot and had us laughing throughout the class.
I feel incredibly lucky to have experienced this Tucson gem in a very unique way.

This place is a really good idea for Happy Hour– the menu items are regularly are quite pricey, but you can get a good sampling of their food during Happy Hour.
We tried the Escargot ($ 5) which come in a dish of garlic butter and wine, topped with crusty bread. I thought it was overall a nice dish, but we did have to add salt to pep it up a bit. I guess I’m just used to the traditional way of serving the little guys which is a fairly sodium laden.
The cheese Quesadilla for $ 3 was a steal as it was pretty big and they use some super tasty cheese blend that is very flavorful.
For me, the best items were the Blackened Calamari ($ 5) and the Rib Strips ($ 5). The calamari is actually a hefty piece coated with spices then grilled and topped with lemon butter. So good. Most people expect some silly deep fried calamari rings to show up, but this is far superior. Cooked perfectly. The Rib Strips are actually the heart of prime rib and are very, very tasty. I could eat a couple plates of this on my own. The menu states that is is grilled with a sweet BBQ sauce which is a bit misleading because to me that implies it’s covered in something sweet and jammy when in fact the sauce is very light and not overbearing.
The bar area, where you need to sit if you want to take advantage of HH prices, is quite small, so if you are coming with a few people get there early to nab a table (of which there are only 3, I think). We managed to cram 4 people on the tiniest table ever. but luckily ordered in waves so we were able to fit everything.
Drinks are cheap– draught beer, well drinks that the like are on offer. The woman on the bar who took our food and drink orders was very patient with us even though we had people on the phone taking food orders, requests that specific dishes be held on the line for a bit until the table cleared up a bit (small tables!), and requests to sample most of the beer on draught.
Looking forward to coming back.

This place reminds me of my grandma. You see, she lived in Tucson when I was younger and there is something about the dim lighting, old wood, and general clientele that make me all nostalgic.
The food? It’s solid american cuisine. I had the prime rib, and it was quite tasty. This place isn’t modern, the menu dated, but it’s right. It’s like you travel through a wormhole when you enter the door back to the late 80s and it’s wonderful.
I haven’t been back but I certainly would if my older parents came to town.
Solid joint.

It’s the little things that add up to create such a special atmosphere here. Jonathan’s is my favorite Tucson restaurant for many reasons. The food is unbelievable, the staff is the best in the business, and the relaxed atmosphere, especially the bar area, is cozy, comfy and just a nice place to unwind. The crowd is a bit older here — sophisticated, refined — appreciative of a good glass of wine and a choice cut of meat.
Most of the staff has been with Jonathan’s for years. That loyalty, that allegiance, says so much about the ownership and the management. Staff is family. And they treat their customers with that same reverence and respect — like you are a guest in their home.
My husband and I always celebrate our important life events here. Birthdays, promotions, a special dinner with family visiting from out of town… there is never a question about where we’re going. When it’s just the two of us, we always head to the bar area and sit at one of the tables. The customer service is superb there, and you’ve got a view of the tv’s if you’re interested, and it’s fun to people watch.
I once left my laptop behind after dinner. It wasn’t labeled, but was in a bag with a business card that happened to belong to a friend. Jonathan’s called my friend, and somehow together, from the items in my bag, they determined that the computer was mine, and it was returned to me. Wow. Just wow.
My not miss eats are the sauteed mushrooms appetizer — my husband and I can easily go through two orders of these! My extra special splurge is their king crabs. They are $ 38 so I save them for super duper special occassions, but I’d order them every time if I could!