Cheap Eats: Crying Onion Cafe

Some comfortable, you might want to linger long after the food is gone. (Credit: Tom Stauffer/Tucson Citizen)

What was ordered: BLT wrap ($6.95), reuben ( $7.25), two soft drinks ($2 each) for a total of $19.68, just within our Cheap Eats goal of a meal for two for less than $20.

Comments: This homiest of homestyle diners is more than worth the trouble you may have getting to it because of the current road construction on Orange Grove.

Clean, cute and cozy, Crying Onion is primarily known for its breakfast fare, but was no slouch with the sandwiches on a recent visit.

The BLT wrap featured enough crispy bacon to balance the large serving of lettuce and diced tomatoes in the tortilla. The ingredients were fresh and moist enough that I didn't feel the need to dab the wrap into the accompanying ranch dressing. The cole slaw was a little on the soupy side, but was pleasantly spiced.

The reuben featured a sensible amount of respectable corned beef, Thousand Island dressing, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese on nicely grilled rye bread. I usually prefer mustard to Thousand Island on my Reuben, but went with the latter on this visit as per the menu. The cook showed a light touch with the dressing, which kept the sandwich from being overly sweet. The accompanying potato salad was great, as the mustard-based side also contained some hard-boiled egg. It was fresh-tasting and seasoned to a delicate level that left room in the flavor profile for the potato and egg.

Despite it's strip-mall digs, this place really does look and feel like home, even down to the servings. Instead of gargantuan piles of fries and 4-inch-thick sandwiches, everything is modestly portioned. It's as if mom was in the kitchen thoughtfully doling out enough to make you happy but stopping short of giving you amounts that might not be good for you. You get more than enough food for your money, but you're not overwhelmed.

The same modest dimensions apply to the booths here. As inviting as they may look (I always prefer booths to tables), they're rather diminutive. If your party is more than two, you may well be dining shoulder to shoulder, so if personal space is an issue, opt for a table.

Service: Tableside service is everything you'd expect from a homey, comfortable diner like this and then some. Servers were efficient, friendly and swung by frequently to refill drinks and grab empty plates.

Bar: no

Bottom line: Like any good diner of this ilk, Crying Onion won't bowl you over with bold flavors or edgy accents, but it will impress you with carefully cooked comfort food. This is the kind of place that makes you feel so comfortable that you're more than likely to finish your lunch in 20 minutes or so, then realize when you get up to leave that you spent an hour chatting after the plates had been whisked away because you felt so at home.