Sal and I were in Tucson last month for a family wedding. The town has plenty of good brewpubs and bars, easily found, but the Bar at the Hotel Congress offers a truly magnificent beer experience.
The Hotel Congress was built in 1919. It’s a southwest style art deco hotel across the street from the restored Tucson railroad station. It’s handy to downtown and fully restored, yet inexpensive.
The bar is straight out of every film noir thriller you’ve ever seen. I walked in and started seeing in black and white. It’s cheesy, seedy, a dive, everything your mother warned you about. It’s small, perhaps 6 booths and a dozen seats at the bar, looks like it must have looked when the Dillinger Gang hid out here in the Thirties. When we visited patronage was a mix of regulars and beer tourists. The bartender may have been alive when the place opened; he was superb at working his crowd and making everyone feel comfortable.
Places like this are common in Europe, but sadly rare in the US. The beers were acceptable; they had a Sierra Nevada on tap, but we opted for pints of a very well cared for Fat Tire.
This place is a gem, something I was delighted to experience. I may never get back, or I might find a way to take my European friends there… I know for sure they will love it.