Ben Forbes is a name that Tucson holds near and dear. He has quite a storied past in the Tucson culinary scene. One would be hard-pressed to find a restaurant of any notoriety that didn’t, at one point or another, feature a cut of meat that Ben’s shop was responsible for. Today, Forbes Meat Company has blossomed into a butcher shop and a sit-down restaurant. Until relatively recently, the business was tucked away in a little unassuming door right behind a taste of az alumni Cartel Roasting Co. on Broadway in Downtown Tucson. However, the history of Forbes Meat Company even precedes that. Forbes shares, “I started out at Johnny Gibson’s, and then I got to know the Tucson chef group that later became the Gastronomic Union of Tucson.” Those crucial first connections laid the foundation for the network Ben would build.
After forming a solid reputation and loyal clientele, Ben fully committed and elevated his business efforts. “I’m gonna start my own butchery. And so it started with sausage. I was already on the menu at Ermanos. After that, The Carriage House put my sausage on their menu.” Forbes’ appearances throughout town were the first glimpse into what meaty goodness would come. “All of a sudden, we were doing farmers markets, and then we were getting on more restaurant menus, and I was [working] black market butchery, literally anywhere I could.” Ben lived a sort of “ghost butcher” life until it became clear he had a customer base sufficient to support a brick-and-mortar. He continues, “It worked. It happened because we were so well-received. We’re here because everybody supported us.”
The modern iteration of Forbes Meat Company is located in a new development just south of Downtown Tucson along 6th Avenue and 18th Street. The shop now shares an intersection with other Tucson staples like 5 Points Market and Cafe Desta and is just a couple of big steps down the street from the best authentic Mexican food spots on 6th Avenue. Patrons can enter Forbes Meat Company through an unassuming door along the north side of 18th Street. As guests walk up, windows look into the meat refrigerator, hinting at the delicacies that await inside. Upon crossing the threshold, visitors are welcomed by a post-modern, vaguely industrial vibe with white marble high-top tables, exposed piping, and refrigerators with prepackaged meats. There also is a wine refrigerator, a modest bottle shop, and a fully stocked bar for those who enjoy a drink.
The butchery component is the lynchpin of the whole operation, not surprisingly guiding much of their restaurant menu. “Steak fries are our number one seller. We use all-beef tallow for the French fries, which makes them way better, that’s our signature thing.” Aside from conventional cuts of meat and their selection of hard-to-find, unique offerings, they also have a robust selection of seafood. “People don’t realize how we’re Forbes Meat,“ Ben leans in, emphasizing, “Meat.” He explains, “They don’t realize we fly fish in from all over the world. Our oysters, everybody’s loving them. We sell a ton of shucked oysters in the restaurant. But the fresh Ahi that we get from Hawaii and the swordfish? We want people to realize we have a ton of amazing seafood.”
Forbes Meat Company is far more than just a butcher; the business is a testament to Ben Forbes’ dedication to quality, community, and culinary excellence. With its combination of top-tier meats, fresh seafood, and a welcoming, modern space, it’s clear that this business is here to stay. Whether you’re stopping by for a specialty cut of rare meats, a freshly shucked oyster, or a seat at the bar to enjoy their signature steak fries and a frosty beverage, Forbes Meat Company promises an experience that’s as unique as the folks behind it.
written & photographed by: isaac stockton
forbes meat company | 747 S 6th Ave, Tucson, AZ 85701