Tucson Restaurants|Marana, Arizona, United States

CORE Kitchen & Wine Bar

Name: CORE Kitchen & Wine Bar
Telephone: 520-572-3000

Sophisticated American cuisine just north of Tucson

VERIFIED LUXURY

Learn How We Inspect

Tucked into the foothills of Tucson’s Tortolita Mountains in The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, CORE Kitchen & Wine Bar is a destination in its own right. Whether you’re staying upstairs at the resort or 45 minutes away in the city, it’s worth making a trip to the upscale-but-playful, intimate-but-convivial CORE for a memorable meal.

During breakfast, dinner and Sunday brunch, the open kitchen turns out American cuisine rooted in Sonoran influences and Southwestern ingredients — you can even pick your own citrus fruit from the resort’s grove for your morning juice.

Come evening, wine is the star; the wine list includes a host of less obvious choices (check out the “ABC” or “Anything But Chardonnay” whites), and a wine table in CORE’s center displays just a few inspiring favorites from the restaurant’s 2,800 bottles.

Our Inspector's Highlights

From the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain’s second-floor lobby, both the elevator and a grand staircase lead down to the restaurant, which is large but designed to feel intimate.
The Four-Star restaurant's lower-level location offers outdoor seating areas and proximity to the resort’s citrus grove. Inside, the views of the saguaro-studded mountains through the restaurant’s oversized windows are stunning, with bonfires glowing across the property at night.
On Friday evenings, the restaurant opens early — at 5 p.m. — for an hour-long wine experience in which the sommelier shares samples of three vintages with tasting notes, food pairings and complimentary charcuterie.
Breakfast and Sunday brunch both offer a mimosa bar featuring oranges, grapefruits and tangelos from The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain’s own citrus grove.
The sophisticated space is beyond comfortable, with muted red and natural-brick walls, leather seating and masculine wood tones creating a modern lodge-like feel.

Things to Know

CORE Kitchen & Wine Bar is open daily for breakfast and dinner . It’s also open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sundays for a prix-fixe market brunch that includes chef stations, fresh seafood and sushi, a pastry shop and unlimited mimosas.
Reservations are recommended for any meal or wine experience at CORE Kitchen & Wine Bar.
The dress code at CORE Kitchen & Wine Bar is casual. Since many diners are guests of The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, and have spent the day golfing, hiking or sunning, you’ll notice a lot of resort-casual attire: collared shirts, pressed slacks and tailored blouses.
If you’ll be sitting on the patio for dinner at the Four-Star restaurant, bring a sweater to ward off the desert chill. Then again, you can always warm up by the inviting hearth just inside.

The Food

The breakfast menu features two buffet options (continental and American) as well as a varied selection of a la carte items.
The health conscious will appreciate the Lifestyle Selections menu at breakfast, featuring items like pink grapefruit brulee, steel cut irish oatmeal or an egg white and veggie frittata.
Heartier breakfast fare includes Southwestern specialties like chilaquiles and huevos rancheros. A braised short rib and potato hash will be sure to fill you up before a day of exploring the desert.
For dinner, expect American fare with a Southwestern twist. Start with avocado tartare before digging into a cast iron jambalaya of seafood, fire rice and smoked paprika pulled chicken.

Amenities