Ai Bistro at Art Institute of Tucson

Posted on | November 18, 2009 | 2 Comments

Wow! I’m thrilled to be posting this one. Thanks, Mary P., my buddy, for telling us about Ai Bistro. Ok, so did you even know there was a student cafe/bistro at the Art Institute? I didn’t, but I just got off the phone from speaking with Jenny, who told me that three days/week, you can get a three-course lunch for $10.95 or a two-course meal for $7.95. They always have appetizer/soup/salad choices and for the entree, at least one of the two choices will be fish. The other protein choice varies because the menu changes weekly. And they DO always have vegetarian options–just specify that you’re a vegetarian when you call to reserve your table.

Ai Bistro accommodates 30 guests (nine tables) right on The Art Institute of Tucson campus. The restaurant features comfortable seating, natural light and a large viewing window into the fully-equipped, professional exhibition kitchens where guests can see culinary students at work. Reservations are required.

It’s cool. The cafe is run entirely by students, and there’s just nothing like it in Tucson. They offer a 10-week culinary program at the Art Institute of Tucson. Each student spends five weeks in the kitchen (back of the house) preparing food and the other five weeks serving the customers (front of the house).

Additional tip: on Tuesdays, seniors (55+) get a 10% discount.

Check our other cheap (but good) Tucson lunch spots.

• Where: Ai Bistro at The Art Institute of Tucson, 5099 E. Grant Rd., Tucson, AZ 85712. (NW corner of Grant & Rosemont). For reservations, call (520) 318.2726 (after hours (520) 250.0845) or email aitucsoncafe@aii.edu
• When: The Ai Bistro is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
• How much: A three-course meal runs $10.95, and a two-course meal costs $7.95. Seniors (55+) get 10% discount on Tuesdays.

–Posted by Hortense P. Tightwad

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