The Parish

About The Parish

Guedry's gumbo lands dark as a roux can go, crawfish hushpuppies stacked on the rim and a slick of hot sauce already cutting through. Travis Peters opened The Parish at 6453 N. Oracle Road in 2011 as Tucson's first Southern-fusion gastropub, and it still draws the longest weekend waits in Casas Adobes. The double-bone pork chop marinated in sweet tea and the Drunken Angel pasta are the other two plates regulars order on sight. Mains run about $18 to $40, and in 2021 the room landed on Yelp's Top 100 US restaurants.

The Kitchen

Travis Peters traces his family's Tucson roots to 1875, and he cooks like someone defending home turf. He won the 2017 Iron Chef Tucson, took an episode of Food Network's Guy's Grocery Games for a $20,000 purse, and put The Parish on Yelp's Top 100 US restaurants list in 2021. The kitchen reads as Louisiana by way of Texas and Arizona: Guedry's gumbo with crawfish hushpuppies, the sweet-tea-brined double-bone pork chop, and the Drunken Angel pasta heavy with andouille.

Peters left day-to-day cooking at The Parish in late 2024 to start a new venture, and the kitchen now runs his menu without rewriting it. The smoker still turns out the brisket and the Sunday-only chicken and waffles, and prices have held in the $18 to $40 range for mains. For the wider field, see our 10 best restaurants in Tucson, the best BBQ restaurants worldwide, and the full Tucson dining guide.

The Room

The Parish sits in a strip plaza off North Oracle, and the room leans into it rather than apologizing: reclaimed wood, a long bar pouring local mezcal and barrel-aged cocktails, filament bulbs over high-tops. Sound runs loud once the patio fills, closer to a sports bar at full tilt than a dining room. Lighting is warm and low, tables are close, and the dress code is none at all. Seating splits between the bar, the covered patio, and a tight grid of tables across roughly ninety covers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Parish in Tucson worth it?

Yes, if you want Southern cooking with a Tucson accent. The Parish built its name on Travis Peters' gumbo, the sweet-tea double-bone pork chop, and a bar program deep in bourbon and mezcal. It landed on Yelp's Top 100 US restaurants in 2021. Mains run about $18 to $40, so a full table eats and drinks well without a fine-dining bill. Go hungry and plan to share.

How hard is it to book The Parish?

Not hard on weeknights, harder on weekends. The kitchen takes a waitlist through theparishtucson.com and the phone, and Friday and Saturday nights routinely run a wait at the bar. Put your name down before you leave home, arrive early, and use the cocktail list while you wait. Larger birthday parties should call ahead a few days out to lock in a patio table.

What is the dress code at The Parish?

There is no dress code. The Parish is a neighborhood gastropub off North Oracle, and you will see jeans, shorts, and the occasional date-night dress at the same time. Smart-casual is the safe middle if you are marking an occasion. Come as you would to a good bar with a serious kitchen attached, and you will fit the room.

What should I order at The Parish?

Start with Guedry's gumbo and a basket of crawfish hushpuppies. Make the sweet-tea-brined double-bone pork chop your centerpiece, add the Drunken Angel pasta for the table, and finish with whatever is on the dessert board that night. Drinkers should ask the bar for a bourbon flight or a barrel-aged cocktail before the food arrives.