Well, as has been noted here often before, Bisbee is our home away from home - my mother was born there, my grandparents and a cousin are buried there, and the old mining town looks pretty much as it did a century ago. We do have some favorite places to eat there. As the picture below will attest, I've been coming to Bisbee for a long, long time:
First, start with the old Copper Queen hotel. The restaurant there is no longer named Winchester's, but it's still pretty nice. Here's a shot of the hotel:
Here's the interior of the restaurant, and a pic of my favorite breakfast there, the eggs Benedict!
The bar in the Copper Queen is a great watering hole - I'm sure my grandfather tipped a few there!
For Mexican food, try Santiago's, just East of the Copper Queen in an adjacent building. Great bar there, too, with fantastic margaritas.
The Bisbee Grille, located in the old Mercantile building just South of the Copper Queen, has great fare - burgers and such. Ask for Laura Harvey, who runs the place, and tell her you know John who worked with her brother at Dillon - you'll be part of the family in no time.
A great place to sample beer is the Bisbee Brewing Company, located in the old brewery building in Brewery Gulch:
Another "rustic" watering hole is Saint Elmo's Bar, just up the road on Brewery Gulch on the West side:
Cafe Cornucopia, at 14 Main Street, is good for dropping in for a fast bite while shopping. A mom and pop shop.
Cafe Roka, mentioned here before, is open only on Fridays and Saturdays, I believe. This is the 4-star restaurant in Bisbee, and reservations are required. It's on Main street; call 520-432-6153 for reservations. The resident bar tender is an accomplished dude and makes great concoctions.
A new place in town, but highly recommended, is Screaming Banshee Pizza, located at 200 Tombstone Canyon Road, close to the famous Iron Man statue. If you like pizza, this is the place.
The best place for breakfast, hands down, is the Bisbee Breakfast club, located in Lowell, a small suburb of Bisbee. It's 1.4 miles down the road from the Copper Queen. On the drive down there, you will pass two gigantic open pit mines; immediately after passing the second one, turn right and you're there. Follow your nose, or ask any local.
Dot's Diner, just up the road from the BBC, is a mom and pop operation set up in an old railroad dining car. It's next to the Shady Dell Trailer Park - you can rent old trailers just like hotel rooms for the night, and it's a landmark. Located next to Evergreen Cemetery. Hot dogs and hamburgers - that sort of stuff.
Rosa's Little Italy, located across the road from the hospital in Warren, another suburb SE of Bisbee, has really first class Italian food. Highly recommended, and reservations are suggested. Call 520-432-1331.
Bisbee's a great place to visit - the places to eat are only part of the charm. A great place to kick back and relax, and to enjoy sights that have been around for a hundred years!
John
Have a great trip!
