Cheap Eats: Roma Imports

The roasted veggie and goat cheese sandwich ($6.99) (Credit: Andi Berlin/Special to Metromix)

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What was ordered: Peppers stuffed with feta-chive spread ($3.85), Roma tomatoes ($2.70), one ultimate Roma sandwich ($6.50), one roasted veggie and goat cheese sandwich ($6.99) for a total of $20.04, just exceeding our Cheap Eats goal of $20 for two people.

Comments: The city’s ethnic marketplaces often go unnoticed in a flurry of supermarkets and restaurants. A select few might claim to know the frozen pigs’ heads and durian fruits of Grantstone Supermarket, but how many visitors pass by India Food & Gifts on their way to Sher-E Punjab? Who goes to the European Market and Deli when they can slurp down salmon at Sushi Ten next door? And does anyone still eat from Caravan?

For the most part, ethnic markets remain essential to minority communities and invisible to everyone else. They’re small and out of the way, can be cluttered and seem inaccessible to most.

But Roma Imports is an entirely different story. Its bizarre and out of the way location in an industrial area south of Broadway has only managed to encourage the lunchtime masses, not deter them. Most of this is because Roma is an Italian market, not a Middle Eastern or an Asian one, and we Americans love our Italian food. And Roma has much to offer—beyond the occasional sandwich—and its notoriety is based not only on its cuisine, but on its actual food.

Food: After all, Roma Imports features dishes from all over the world. Its owner, Lillian Spieth, was born in India but grew up in Israel and has lived in Germany as well. Every few months, Roma puts on a lavish and expensive feast from a different country. In their frozen food cases, you'll find quiches and curries along with pastas. While their dry goods are mostly from Italy, the market as a whole has an international edge.

During lunchtime, though, you tend to stick to Italian. The market has a range of sandwiches and pastas, in addition to daily specials and a display case of varying Italian deli foods. We decided to nosh on some orange peppers stuffed with a feta-chive spread ($10.99 per pound). The peppers were loaded with soft, rich cheese that contrasted a sharp taste of spiciness and sweetness.

We also ordered a small container of the restaurant’s namesake: Roma tomatoes ($8.99 per pound). The hefty slices, sprinkled with a touch of parsley, were perfectly roasted so that they were soft and sumptuous. It’s strange to say, but they might have been some of the best tomatoes I’ve had in Tucson. Biting into them reveals a slow explosion of olive oil, garlic and tomato meat before they slide down your throat.

Unfortunately, the sandwiches were a mixed bag. One was utterly delicious, and one was just ordinary. The ultimate Roma—capocolla, Genoa salami, mortadella, provolone, giardiniera (hot or mild), roasted red peppers, lettuce, tomato and vinaigrette—is the first and most tempting thing on the menu, but it just doesn’t hold up to the high grade of flavors that the sides of peppers and tomatoes do. The thing is, there’s just not enough meat. The capocolla and Genoa salami are no match for the gigantic hunk of Italian bread. Also, there’s just a tad too much shredded lettuce, although the gardiniera mix of tangy and crunchy vegetables was superb.

But the roasted veggie and goat cheese sandwich made up for any of the ultimate Roma’s failings. This is no ordinary veggie sandwich: There are no sprouts or carrots or crunchy things, only a symphony of roasted eggplant, red peppers and zucchini. These pieces mush together with a superbly soft layer of goat cheese, olive oil and a dollop of homemade pesto. To be honest, this is one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had.

Bar: No, though you'll find an array of Italian sodas and other imported beverages.

Service: You order at the counter and they’ll bring the sandwiches or pastas to you while you’re sitting at one of the several tables.

Bottom line: While it’s unfortunate that a seemingly normal Italian market can gain prominence over a wide variety of ethnic stores, Roma deserves all of the acclaim it gets. Even though it’s not strictly Italian, it offers some of the most authentic Italian food in Tucson. Perhaps not all of their sandwiches are top rate, but if you don’t like them you can always pick up the ingredients to make your own!

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