Downtown Insider: Danny Cordova

Fully Invested: Danny Cordova on Building a Restaurant Empire Downtown

Danny Cordova never planned on owning restaurants. In 2015, while working in the Southern Arizona real estate market, he spotted a fire-damaged bar. He made a lowball offer and, surprisingly, won the building. Soon after, the owner asked if Danny wanted to buy the liquor license attached to the building. Suddenly, Cordova had a building and a license, but no plan for either.

He spent a year remodeling the space himself, opening The Neighborhood in October 2015. Ten years later, Cordova and his wife Jessica operate six concepts under their RealGood Hospitality banner, four of them downtown: La Chingada, Cruda Mariscos & Oyster Bar, The Neighborhood Downtown, and Antojitos, plus RealGood Brunch Co.

Raised in Tucson since he was a toddler, Cordova starts every concept with the same question: What is missing downtown? We sat down with him to find out what keeps him here.

Why did you choose downtown Tucson for your business, and what keeps you here?

Growing up here, I always valued downtown's history and culture. Owning a restaurant wasn't a dream, but now I'm fully invested for the long run. I own concepts and real estate here because I want to keep growing downtown, creating jobs and authentic experiences for Tucson.

What's something people still get wrong about downtown Tucson?

People often exaggerate downtown crime; it exists everywhere, but the Downtown Tucson Partnership keeps it under control. Parking is the real challenge. It's tricky and you have to pay. I'd like it to be easier for customers, but the "dangerous" label is definitely unfair.

What does downtown Tucson offer people that they may not find elsewhere in the city?

The Downtown Tucson Partnership is a huge asset. They support every type of business, not just restaurants. The Ambassadors, or "purple shirts," are also great; if we ever need help, they're just a phone call away. Knowing they have our back is essential.

How would you describe downtown Tucson to someone visiting for the first time?

It's growing. It's changed a lot, and it's definitely somewhere you've got to come visit. All of us down here, the stakeholders and business operators, are putting effort into creating a cool downtown.
Was there a moment when you realized downtown Tucson was really changing or evolving?
Right before COVID. You started seeing drastic changes and a lot of investment. Having a nice, big-looking downtown is very important to Tucson, as it is to any other city. COVID shook it up for everyone, but everyone came back strong.

What other downtown businesses, restaurants, bars, shops, or organizations do you love supporting?

Our office is downtown, so I like grabbing lunch at different spots like anyone else. I like eating at my own restaurants, but the same food gets boring, so I jump around. I put myself in the customer's shoes. You might feel like Mexican one day, Italian the next, a burger, Ethiopian. For a while, it seemed like things were leaning to one side, but right now there's a good balance of different foods for people to try.

When you think about downtown Tucson five years from now, what do you hope to see?

The same growth. There are still a lot of places that need to be developed, and not necessarily all restaurants and bars. Tucson is still small in a way, so it's a challenge. But I'd like to see balanced growth, with everyone focused on the same thing: attractive businesses and concepts that bring people into the downtown area.

What does your ideal downtown Tucson day or night look like?

If I'm bringing friends, we're stopping at La Chingada for brunch or lunch. For dinner, I'd suggest Cruda. We had a very nice dinner there with the mariscos. If you want to stay later, one big thing downtown is going around to the different bars and having a drink at a couple of spots. There are a lot of good options, from nightclub vibes to relaxed, and now you're seeing speakeasy concepts opening up in the last year, too.