At 10:45 a.m., a line of people starts to form outside of a strip mall on East Golf Links Road.
About 20 people patiently wait outside the building with the “Nate’s†sign in front, counting down the minutes until the restaurant opens at 11 a.m.
Once it hits 11, people pour into the restaurant and to-go orders come flying in. It doesn’t matter that it's still technically morning, customers are already craving gigantic plates of lasagna and creamy chicken fettuccine Alfredo.
By the end of the day, has served around 500 entrees and gone through 25 bowls of marinara sauce. The trays and trays of golden, toasted garlic bread are empty.
Like clockwork, people are waiting outside again the next morning and the morning after that and the morning after that. Nate Martin’s food has people hooked, as many flock to the hidden spot next to a Fry’s grocery store just to get their fix.
Once you have taken a bite of one of his menu items, you’ll soon be one of the people patiently waiting in line at 10:45 a.m.
Nate’s Italian Kitchen, located at , is a fan favorite and it all starts with Martin.
When Martin was 13 years old, he got a job as a busboy at the , eventually moving up the ranks and cooking at the pool. When the chef retired, the owners decided to hire someone who could teach Martin all the ins and outs of cooking.
They hired a chef from New York and the two clicked instantly, going on to work with each other for the next 15 years doing catering and other little adventures around town.
“He taught me a lot about Italian food, and I taught him about Mexican food,†Martin said.
Martin was all over the food scene, cooking around Tucson and even opening up a deli in with his brother. But he soon became burnt out and left the restaurant industry to pursue other jobs like construction. He was also a  supervisor at American Airlines.
“I dropped out of all the food businesses, I didn't want to deal with it for a long time,†Martin said. “Then pre-COVID, I was kind of itching to get back into restaurants. DoorDash and Uber Eats was starting up, so I started a ghost kitchen.â€
After working in ghost kitchens for a while, Martin found a spot for a restaurant on East Golf Links Road for his brother. Martin decided to help him with the menu and came in to work on the weekends.
Nate’s Italian Kitchen opened in 2021 where Martin, his brother and Martin's wife, Leah Burke, worked together, crafting giant plates of Italian food for customers.
Then the madness started.
After being open for only three weeks, someone posted a rave review of the food online and massive lines began forming at the restaurant.
“We weren't at all prepared,†Martin said. “We had like four burners, maybe 10 sauté pans and one dishwasher, that was it.â€
Nate’s Italian Kitchen became an overnight sensation, all from word of mouth. Now four years later, they're still capturing the hearts of Tucsonans.
Jim and Diana Kelley split a chicken parmigiana dish at Nate’s Italian Kitchen, 7074 E. Golf Links Road in 2022.
Martin describes the food as New Jersey- and New York-style Italian with dishes that can be made gluten-free. Here, you can expect to see it all: grilled chicken prosciutto sandwiches, meatball subs, spaghetti and meatballs, Philly cheesesteaks, chicken parmigiana, lasagna and so much more.
They even have fried calamari, which Burke said is so good, it’s ruined all other calamari for her.
If things couldn’t get any better, Nate’s Italian Kitchen may have the best deal in town — if you come in dancing, you get free garlic bread!
The portions here are no joke. You’ll have enough to eat, share and take home for dinner tomorrow.
If you know me, then you know I do not play when it comes to pasta. I can eat pasta morning, noon and night, especially if it’s fettuccine Alfredo. Every year for my birthday, I would ask my dad to make me fettuccine Alfredo — it is probably my favorite food of all time.
When I saw it on the menu, I needed it instantly. Martin makes all the sauces from scratch, saying his Alfredo sauce is “completely different than most people's.†It is a secret recipe and the only hint Martin gave was that they make the sauce with eggs.
When I got my huge serving of Alfredo, I was like a kid in a candy store and I couldn’t wait to dig in. After I inhaled all my garlic bread, I spun my fork around in my pasta and took a big bite.
Heaven.
That’s the only word that’s appropriate.
The sauce is rich, creamy and has such a nice parmesan flavor to it. The slices of chicken are juicy and cooked to perfection. I couldn’t stop eating it.
In fact, I’ve been eating it for the past day and a half, that’s how big it is.
From the black-and-white checkered flooring to the marinara sauce, everything about Nate’s Italian Kitchen is lovable. It only took me one bite to decide — yeah, it’s totally worth it to wait in line for this.
If you’re interested, Nate’s is doing Cajun Sunday on Feb. 23, open for reservations only. The Cajun extravaganza will feature a seafood boil, alligator, boudin balls, gumbo, etouffee and po' boys. Call 520-339-4099 for details.