History

In 1944 Howard and Petra (Gomez) Wisdom opened the doors to Wisdom’s Café, alongside the old Nogales Highway, never imagining that their little café was destined to become a dining tradition three generations strong.

Because Petra’s father was a property owner in Tumacacori and gifted parcels of his land to his children and their spouses, the café is in a lovely location with a view of the Tumacacori Mountains to the west and the Santa Rita’s to the east. It started out as an L-shaped little place that served breakfast and housed a rowdy bar. And since Howard was a natural born cowboy and an athlete in the saddle, alongside the café he soon built a roping arena where bulldogging and rodeo champions came from around the U.S. and Mexico to show off their skills.

Eventually the building grew to its current size with, as Petra recalled, a little help from the workers building Interstate 19. Howard and Petra provided a great breakfast and lunch and the guys helped Howard pour the floor in the bar. Sadly, the official opening of I-19 in 1979 forced many wonderful businesses to close their doors, including Wisdom’s Café, because of the loss of traffic. Fortunately in 1980, the Wisdoms’ son, Herb, and his wife, Irene (Pesqueira), agreed to return home from Long Beach, CA, where they’d lived for 20 years, to help Howard and Petra give new life to the café. Herb asked his sisters, Jennie Belle and Linda, and his brother, Jesse, to help, too. It became a family affair, including the priceless Frances, whose generations-old recipes make our mouths water, and wonderful Barbara, without whom the business could never have grown and Irene’s mom, Ana, who cooked and shredded and sliced and diced for years. These folks turned the café into the place you see today. They were even written up in the New York Times!

As for the fruit burro, legend has it that one afternoon, quite by accident, a tortilla spread with jam fell into some hot cooking oil and thus the now world famous fruit burrito had its start. Both the yummy fruit burro and the delicious chimichanga have helped make Wisdom’s a dining tradition for locals and travelers alike. And by making the café a completely non-smoking restaurant in 1982, way ahead of any ordinances, Herb and Irene encouraged the residents of the growing retirement town of Green Valley to patronize their place. By word-of-mouth the Wisdoms’ reputation for friendly service and great food began to spread.

Today the café is still run by Herb and Irene. Many customers, most of whom the Wisdoms consider family, watched Herb and Irene’s sons, Richard and Cliff, grow up to help their folks with the place and have warmly welcomed Cliff’s wife, Celeste (Martin), who was born and raised in Nogales, AZ, into the fold. Both Cliff and Celeste, fresh from university with lots of energy and new ideas have added some of their own touch to Wisdom’s. Many of you were on hand when their daughter, Sasha Noelle, was born and have since enjoyed her company at your table. She is the fifth generation to live on this land and was joined by her baby brother, Griffin Ford, in August 2004!

If you can, take a moment to wander around the café and enjoy the family heirlooms & antiques collected by Howard, Herb, Cliff & Celeste, many lovingly entrusted to the Wisdoms by customers.  You’ll see paintings by Aunt Jean, Aunt Jennie Belle & customers, murals by Uncle Jesse, photos of family, friends and customers and trophies and medals won by Herb & Cliff and their fastball team, Si Senor.  Admire Native American pottery found in our Santa Cruz River, cowboy memorabilia, Herb’s knife collection, beer steins, typewriters, snow shoes, Cliff’s Little League uniform, antique cameras, Celeste & Sasha’s doll collection and countless other treasures.  And don’t forget to check out the “artwork” in the powder room, ladies!

Please make yourselves at home and discover why Wisdom’s has been featured in numerous magazines, newspaper articles, travel guides & on numerous internet sites.

We hope you will enjoy your visit with us!

The Wisdoms

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  • Upcoming Events

    • November 6, 2014
      • DIE HARD FAN specialDIE HARD FAN special

        If you subscribe to our email newsletter you will receive the code word each week as our way of saying thanks for letting us invade your inbox each week. Navigate to the newsletter link above and sign up. Give your server the code word each Thursday to receive half off one fruit burro split OR a 2-for-1 Margarita* OR a 2-for-1 glass of wine OR a 2-for-1 bottle of beer. THANK YOU & WELCOME to our new subscribers! *2-for-1 is for Wisdom's margs         all day
      • ¡DOS! TUBAC HAPPY HOUR DAILY¡DOS! TUBAC HAPPY HOUR DAILY

        Time: 3:00 pm

        DAILY 3-6PM join us for dollar off pints, bottles of beer & glasses of wine. Come check out our great beer and wine at our newest location in Tubac at 4 Plaza Rd., Suite 102. (520) 216-7664. Open everyday 11-6PM         at 3:00 pm
    • November 7, 2014
      • FISH & CHIPS lunch & dinnerFISH & CHIPS lunch & dinner

        Our famous Fish & Chips have earned rave reviews from the east coast to the west! Come see why... crispy and golden on the outside, tender and flavorful on the inside... YUM!!!!         all day
      • ¡DOS! TUBAC HAPPY HOUR DAILY¡DOS! TUBAC HAPPY HOUR DAILY

        Time: 3:00 pm

        DAILY 3-6PM join us for dollar off pints, bottles of beer & glasses of wine. Come check out our great beer and wine at our newest location in Tubac at 4 Plaza Rd., Suite 102. (520) 216-7664. Open everyday 11-6PM         at 3:00 pm
      • FIRST FRIDAY 5-9pm!!FIRST FRIDAY 5-9pm!!

        Time: 5:00 pm

        Aaahhh... the first Friday of every month is a blast here! We have a 2-for-1 margarita* special and live music along with our Fish & Chips special all day. Come unwind with great friends and great food. See you here! *2-for-1 is for Wisdom's margs         at 5:00 pm
      • live music 5-9pmlive music 5-9pm

        Time: 5:00 pm

         at 5:00 pm
    • November 8, 2014
      • TEQUILA~LIME SHRIMP TACOSTEQUILA~LIME SHRIMP TACOS

        Every Saturday we feature fun seafood deals and our Tequila~lime Shrimp Tacos are fast becoming a cafe favorite!! Served all day long.         all day
      • ¡DOS! TUBAC HAPPY HOUR DAILY¡DOS! TUBAC HAPPY HOUR DAILY

        Time: 3:00 pm

        DAILY 3-6PM join us for dollar off pints, bottles of beer & glasses of wine. Come check out our great beer and wine at our newest location in Tubac at 4 Plaza Rd., Suite 102. (520) 216-7664. Open everyday 11-6PM         at 3:00 pm
      • 2ND SATURDAY 4-9PM2ND SATURDAY 4-9PM

        Time: 4:00 pm

        Our door opens for dinner early at 4PM so you can enjoy 2-for-1 Margaritas* and live musica Latina!         at 4:00 pm
      • BILL MANZANEDO & OPEN TIL 9pmBILL MANZANEDO & OPEN TIL 9pm

        Time: 5:00 pm

        Every Saturday delight in great food and enjoy the incredibly fun, varied music of Bill Manzanedo from 5-9pm! *2nd Saturday of the month we feature a different musician with a Latin flavor and have a 2-for-1 Margarita special from 4-9PM!         at 5:00 pm
    • November 9, 2014
      • ¡DOS! TUBAC 2-5pm LIVE MUSIC¡DOS! TUBAC 2-5pm LIVE MUSIC

        Time: 2:00 pm

        Every Sunday we feature live music on our patio at our newest location in Tubac! Enjoy a lovely afternoon watching the game, surfing the web, hanging out with friends or people watching. Two indoor/outdoor T.V.'s, free WiFi. Come check out our great beer and wine featuring 6 beer taps and 4 wine taps plus DELICIOUS FOOD at Wisdom's ¡DOS!, 4 Plaza Rd., Suite 102. (520) 216-7664. Open everyday 11-6PM         at 2:00 pm
      • ¡DOS! TUBAC HAPPY HOUR DAILY¡DOS! TUBAC HAPPY HOUR DAILY

        Time: 3:00 pm

        DAILY 3-6PM join us for dollar off pints, bottles of beer & glasses of wine. Come check out our great beer and wine at our newest location in Tubac at 4 Plaza Rd., Suite 102. (520) 216-7664. Open everyday 11-6PM         at 3:00 pm
    • November 10, 2014
      • ¡DOS! TUBAC HAPPY HOUR DAILY¡DOS! TUBAC HAPPY HOUR DAILY

        Time: 3:00 pm

        DAILY 3-6PM join us for dollar off pints, bottles of beer & glasses of wine. Come check out our great beer and wine at our newest location in Tubac at 4 Plaza Rd., Suite 102. (520) 216-7664. Open everyday 11-6PM         at 3:00 pm
    • November 11, 2014
      • Tuesdays is 2-for-1 margies*Tuesdays is 2-for-1 margies*

        Every Tuesday join us for our 2-for-1 margarita* special all day! It's always fun and we recommend making a reservation for the dinner hour, especially during the months of October-April (520) 398-2397 *2-for-1 is for Wisdom's margs         all day
      • ¡DOS! TUBAC HAPPY HOUR DAILY¡DOS! TUBAC HAPPY HOUR DAILY

        Time: 3:00 pm

        DAILY 3-6PM join us for dollar off pints, bottles of beer & glasses of wine. Come check out our great beer and wine at our newest location in Tubac at 4 Plaza Rd., Suite 102. (520) 216-7664. Open everyday 11-6PM         at 3:00 pm
    • November 12, 2014
      • ¡DOS! TUBAC HAPPY HOUR DAILY¡DOS! TUBAC HAPPY HOUR DAILY

        Time: 3:00 pm

        DAILY 3-6PM join us for dollar off pints, bottles of beer & glasses of wine. Come check out our great beer and wine at our newest location in Tubac at 4 Plaza Rd., Suite 102. (520) 216-7664. Open everyday 11-6PM         at 3:00 pm

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