On a Saturday in late June 2022, Neighbor Roy and I took off from our homes in the Tucson Mountains and headed for Hifalutin Rapid Western Grill on Oracle, north of the Mall, in Tucson. Entering, it was apparent this was in fact a Western grill, with many Western memorabilia items scattered about. Once seated, our server, a pleasant woman, brought us our menus and glasses of water and took our drink orders.

She also brought us a basket of fresh-baked muffins with butter. Nice touch.

Our Basket of Muffins

As an aside, I looked up the meaning for the word “hifalutin”. It reads,

1. (especially of speech, writing, or ideas) pompous or pretentious.

   “you don’t want any highfalutin jargon”

Roy naturally ordered hot tea. I naturally ordered a margarita. I figured I might as well check out all of them in Tucson while I still can. Scanning the menu, it was apparent it was very extensive. But most importantly for Roy was the meatloaf, which is why we were here. So, that’s what Roy ordered. This was a meatloaf baked in an individual loaf with basil mashed potatoes.

Jim’s Margarita

I ordered the Blackjack Burger which was a half-pound hand-formed burger with relish, cheddar cheese, dill pickle, mayonnaise, red onion slice, lettuce & tomato. Additional Toppings: Blue cheese, provolone cheese, avocado, mushrooms, jalapeños, bacon, Betty Jane’s onion ring. I ordered my burger with French fries.

I’ll let Roy tell you about his experience.

Roy’s Meatloaf Plate. He had already devoured half of it before I got the chance to take this photo.

“This Saturday we dined at the Hifalutin restaurant on N. Oracle–Once opening the doors, I realized it had no relationship to the old Hifalutin on E, Broadway–so many years ago.
The restaurant was nearly empty, but it took a few minutes to seat us. The waitress was prompt, presenting the menus and inquiring about our drink preferences, I ordered my usual hot tea. The menu was quite large and varied. I have been longing for a good meatloaf dinner, and it was the first item on the menu. My tea arrived, a small pot of hot water and several choices of tea–I selected the green tea. While waiting for lunch, I scanned the restaurant. It is large, the bar area reminds me of bars at Tombstone, long dark wood annexing and a lot of Western memorabilia. The dining rooms were also large and had comfortable seating. My meal featured a large platter with a large serving of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and a large helping of stir-fried vegetables. I was unable to finish it all, and took a large serving home. On the way out I noticed a scaled-down version of an old chuckwagon–nice touch. This would be a nice place to bring a date or relative to let them bask in old west decor,–good food and good service–I would give it 4 saguaros.”

Jim’s Blackjack Burger. I had already eaten half of it before I remembered to get a photo of it.

My burger was also large and delicious, as were the French fries. My margarita was one of the best I have ever enjoyed. In fact, I left the restaurant a little tipsy. Like Roy, I rate Hifalutin with four saguaros. We’ll give it another try with Ms. Karen. Very good indeed.

Hifalutin Rapid Fire Western Grill
6780 N Oracle Rd, Tucson,
AZ 85704
520-297-0518
Monday – Thursday : 11am – 8:30pm
Friday – Saturday : 10am – 9pm
Sunday : 11am – 8:30pm