Food & Drink

The menus are ever-changing at celebrated Scottsdale eatery FnB, subject to the passing of the seasons, the availability of fresh, local ingredients, and the imagination of James Beard Award-winning Chef Charleen Badman. On a recent evening, we enjoyed a salad of bitter greens with anchovy, chile garlic crumbs, jammy egg, and bottarga, before our main course of Jewish-style fried chicken on a bed of beans, corn, peppers, and roasted meyer lemon gremolata. What doesn’t change at FnB is the excellent service, the expansiveness of the wine menu with a decent array of Arizona-made options, and the feeling that you’re experiencing something very special. Tucked away in a courtyard in Old Town Scottsdale, FnB isn’t flashy; it doesn’t try to draw attention itself. Rather, it brings in new and returning customers the old-fashioned way: a hard-earned reputation for food too good to be forgotten.

If the weather is nice, sit on the patio; otherwise, grab a table inside. Either way, prepare to be transported far from Phoenix. Sottise, a new restaurant making its home in the historic Knipe House near Roosevelt Row, burst onto the scene with modern French fare, a top-notch sound system, and the hottest reservation in town. Order from a selection of fruits de mer for an extravagant starter, or indulge in the salty, savory beef tartare for a satisfying bite. Chef TJ Culp, best known for his Melrose district joint Restaurant Progress, keeps the flavors right on the line between classic and fresh, and wine guru Esther Noh stocks the wine list with the perfect pairings.

Last year, we recognized Thai eatery Lom Wong as the best pop-up restaurant. This year, they’ve secured their own space. The restaurant is always busy but cozy, and the food feels like a communal experience. That’s what self-taught Chef Yotaka “Sunny” Martin of Lom Wong has fostered. But the atmosphere is nothing next to the culinary experience of Lom Wong. Martin grew up on a farm in Thailand, where her family raised livestock and grew rice, herbs, and vegetables. She brings that inspiration and foundation to every dish on Lom Wong’s menu, and the depth of her recipes makes the experience unlike any other Thai restaurant in Phoenix. Martin does as much as she can by hand and is faithful to the region’s culinary traditions. This means she pounds her curry paste, makes her own sausage and grills it over charcoal, and brings in as many regional flavors as possible. Meals are made for sharing, and the current menu highlights include sai ua (charcoal-grilled Thai sausage), kaeng phet fak tawng (curry paste, bamboo shoots, and eggplant), and the tom yum haeng sen yai (stir-fried rice noodles, langoustine, and tom yum sauce).

Mark Chacón, baker-owner of Chaconne Patisserie, is not only the best pastry chef in Phoenix, this year he was named a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef. Though he has no formal training, he’s worked at some of the best bakeries in the world, including Tartine, Chez Panisse, and Hart Bageri in Denmark. When you’re eating a Chacón-made pastry, you know it. An expert in lamination with the rare ability to weave seasonal fruits, like pluots and cherries, into gorgeous fruit tarts and dazzling danishes, Chacón creates delicacies that pair technical excellence with a dig-in decadence. Think gloriously gooey pecan sticky buns on rich brioche, caramelized croissants coiled with paper-thin layers for a shatteringly crispy finish, and rustically regal hand pies studded with poached pears on flaky, all-butter pâte brisée. Available at some of the best restaurants and coffee shops in Phoenix, including Tratto, Bacanora, and Futuro, as well as farmers’ markets and by special order on his website, there’s seriously no better way to indulge your carb cravings.

Johnny Chu has spent decades creating, preparing, and serving tasty Asian cuisine, earning him a Valley-wide following. His roster of eateries includes Lucky Dragon, Fate, and Red Thai. That last one felt the wrath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Chu had to close the doors of the chic-meets-casual north Phoenix restaurant. Earlier in 2022, Chu came in hot, literally, with his new spot, Mifan Claypot Kitchen. Delicious dishes are prepared at 600 degrees in clay pots — a Southeast Asian cooking tradition — allowing steam to do most of the work, meaning there’s less oil and fat in the equation. Add a protein of choice to options such as HK Typhoon Style, where vegetables mix with crispy garlic, a butter sauce, and Sichuan peppercorns for an intoxicating mix of flavors. The menu, which also features an array of soups and appetizers, is highly vegan-friendly. Chu’s back, and his commitment to feeding Phoenix with healthy, mouthwatering meals is a part of what makes him a local treasure.

Luana’s Coffee and Beer didn’t want to move. But after being shuffled out of their original McDowell Road digs, the cafe’s owners made the very best of a bad situation. The coffee shop, bar, and hangout moved a few miles north and expanded into the old Mu Shu Asian Grill on Thomas Road. From the outside, the Mu Shu sign and the pointed roof remain. But inside, the space is transformed. Dark walls, plush velvet chairs, spinning vinyl, and draping greenery set the tone, rounded out by a menu of coffee, beer, sandwiches, pizzas, and baked goods. We’re partial to the indulgent Campfire Smores mocha with hazelnut, cinnamon, and mocha, or if we show up at lunchtime, the And Put Your Spell on Me spicy chicken salad sandwich.

Walk into either location of Pa’La, and you’re likely to run into a chef. Yes, Claudio Urciuoli, the chef who owns the eateries, but also other chefs from restaurants around the Valley. People who really appreciate every element of food eat here. At the 24th Street bungalow, the menu is filled with tapas, little plates that let individual ingredients shine and provide small but intense bursts of flavor. Try one of Pa’La’s signature grain bowls topped with fresh seafood, or lunch on a gourmet sandwich. They are served on Italian schiacciata bread, made fresh in the restaurant’s wood-fired oven and stuffed with fillings based on what’s fresh and in season. At the newer downtown location, you can get a rotating selection of wood-fired pizzas and inventive dishes, heavy on the seafood, inspired by Japanese and Italian cuisine.

ComicX is a feast for the taste buds and the eyes — if your eyes enjoy superheroes, comic books, cartoons, and all things nerdy. A chain with more than 30 locations in Mexico, ComicX’s only U.S. location is right here at north Phoenix’s Desert Ridge Marketplace. If you can tear yourself away from the eatery’s endless homages to pop culture, you’ll find a menu full of well-done restaurant standards, many of which have clever names. Try the Hen Solo (a hot chicken sandwich), Wade’s Chimichanga (a reference to Deadpool, of course), or the Captain ‘Merica, a cocktail crafted from Crown Royal, Luxardo Marachino, squeezed lemon, and green chartreuse. When your eyes and stomach are full, you can empty your wallet by purchasing some of the pop culture items available in the gift shop.

Looking for a brunch backdrop that’ll make all eyes envious of your Instagram? The Canal Club at The Scott provides a 1930s Havana-inspired ambiance that gives all the vibes. Known for its photogenic spots and Cuban cuisine, try pulling a seat at the bar and shooting underneath the Canal Club sign while drinking a Sin & Santeria, or snagging the corner booth for the green, jungle wallpaper while you check out IG Stories. Don your favorite flowy dress, floppy hat, and raffia heels for photos, and don’t forget your best accessories — food and drink, of course. Go classic with a Cubano sandwich or go sweet with churro doughnut holes. Pair with a Cocojito cocktail and your best brunch babes for photo and video content.

When waiting in line for a show at The Van Buren in downtown Phoenix, the obvious pizza choice is the one connected to the music venue. But just a few steps away, Via Della serves slices that are a cut above. This little brick building beckons to concertgoers waiting in line, as it glows with neon and warm light from a fiery pizza oven churning out fresh pies. The menu offers riffs on classic pizza flavors, with slices topped with vodka sauce, prosciutto, fresh basil, and crumbled pistachios. A few slices and a bottle of beer picked from the pizza shop’s fridge are sure to leave you ready to dance the night away, and even if you’re not going to a show, these slices sing.

Valentine, the all-day eatery inside Modern Manor in the Melrose District, has made quite a splash in the Phoenix dining scene since it opened last year. Part of the reason why has been the way Chef Donald Hawk incorporates Arizona ingredients into menu items that both honor and elevate the traditional foods of the region. A piñon croissant is baked with White Sonoran wheat and piñon frangipane. The elote pasta, a customer favorite, includes house-made tagliarini, Hassayampa asiago cheese, crispy corn, and chile de arbol. Even the squash latte, crafted with espresso, O’odham squash, mesquite, and milk, is an expression of the culinary riches Arizona has to offer.

The decline of shopping malls means that there are fewer places around town where we’ve got plenty of dining options in one compressed space. Fortunately, Pemberton PHX off of Second Street between Moreland and Portland streets in downtown Phoenix has an ever-changing variety of dining options. Current tenants include the fun, casual, Baja Tacos & More; an adorable charcuterie and wine food truck called Moiselle, and Viejito Hibachi, a Japanese food truck with rice and noodle dishes accompanied by steak, shrimp, or lobster. Melt serves small-batch ice cream flavors like maple bacon and Viet coffee out of Chinese takeout boxes. The Pemberton is a great place to try some different options all at once: a pizza from here and some tacos from there. And when you get thirsty, Baby Boy is a fun blue-lit bar that serves Tajín-rimmed margaritas and the like.

There’s nothing quite like Kai. The signature restaurant of the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass, Kai serves elegant, inventive cuisine informed by the food traditions of Indigenous tribes native to the area. The restaurant doesn’t publish a menu on the website because Chef Ryan Swanson likes to change menus progressively through the seasons. But past triumphs have included grilled buffalo tenderloin with smoked corn puree, cholla buds, chorizo and scarlet runner bean chile, and saguaro blossom syrup; and an Arizona melon soup with grilled deep-sea langoustine, local goat’s milk, mulato chile, cucumber, and pepicha. Our advice is to show up ready for a culinary adventure, order the tasting menu, and get ready to experience something special.

Food rarely renders us speechless, but the wagyu tomahawk steak crusted with bone marrow butter and served with tepary bean mole negro we had at Tía Carmen did just that. The new restaurant at the JW Marriot Desert Ridge Resort & Spa is named after Chef Angelo Sosa’s aunt, and the cuisine reflects the lessons she taught him about the value of food and family. The steak blew up our taste buds with umami and the richness of the mole. The tomato salad with corn puree, burnt corn, basil, pickled onions, and serrano chiles was simple, fresh, and dazzling. And Tía Carmen doesn’t just rely on the quality of the food to satisfy customers — the presentation is also top-notch. Don’t forget to check out Tía Carmen’s drink menu, but take it from us: The well-crafted cocktails are deceptively strong.

The best happy hours blend two important factors: quality food and drink, and good deals. Mill Avenue mainstay Caffe Boa gives us both in spades. All wines that are normally $12 per glass or less are half-price during happy hour, which runs 4 to 7 p.m. daily in the bar. (There are also discounts on beer and cocktails.) And the food options are nothing short of impressive. The Italian-leaning options include calamari with garlic and extra-virgin olive oil, and hearty arancini, fried rice balls with mozzarella. But the standout on the happy hour menu is the seared skirt steak, which comes sliced with an arugula salad, feta garlic dressing, gremolata, and Calabrian chili. It’s a delicious and filling meal for a medium-hungry person, yet the price tag is a mere $12. It’s just one reason we post up at Caffe Boa so often when the workday is done.

On a weekend morning, the line starts forming at Fàme early. By brunch time, it winds around the building at the little shopping center on Central Avenue. But customers don’t mind the wait, because the breakfast is that good. Once it’s finally your turn, slide up to the counter and order through a large window that gives a peek into the trendy seating area inside. We recommend starting with a Caramelito, made with caramel, cinnamon, espresso, and almond milk, or the equally delicious Muddy Waters, a coffee and matcha tea mashup. Next, it’s onto the food. If you’re looking to indulge, you can’t go wrong with the decadent Monte Cristo. Thick slices of country bread are filled with a fried egg, nutty Gruyere cheese, and ham before the whole thing is showered with powdered sugar. This is a knife-and-fork type of sandwich, and we recommend spreading a little of the berry jam on each bite. Southwest-inspired dishes make for a slightly lighter meal, including the trio of breakfast tacos, the chilaquiles, or the huevos rancheros. Place your order, secure a table number, and head inside. There, you’ll sit in an airy restaurant with an open kitchen, and a modern-meets-farmhouse vibe, the perfect way to start your day.

If you’re brunching in metro Phoenix, you might as well brunch in paradise. A visit to Rita’s Cantina & Bar on the premises of the JW Marriott Camelback Inn Resort & Spa can feel like a staycation in and of itself. Sea salt and caramel pancakes followed by a sea salt scrub at the spa? There are worse ways to cure a hangover. Brunch at Rita’s entails endless Mexican- and American-inspired breakfast and lunch creations; an all-you-can-eat option that features made-to-order omelets, French toast, and plenty more; plus a full bar. Try the brunchery’s signature cocktails, the Camelback Sunrise and Rita’s Margarita with espolon blanco, triple sec, agave, and lime.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that late-night dining options are few and far between in metro Phoenix. Most of the options are diners and drive-thrus, which will do in a pinch, but rarely satisfy. Enter Society by EVO, which opened this year and serves fantastic food until 1:30 a.m. Like the original EVO restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale, Society by EVO is heavy on the pasta options: Think bucatini with bolognese sauce, or the Margarita Pasta with tequila crema, pepperjack cheese, red pepper, onion, green pepper, linguini, and jalapeño. But there’s plenty else to explore on the menu, including bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese, scallops with risotto, and much more. The dates are a favorite, as is the whipped feta dip with a spicy honey drizzle. Whether you take it to go or eat it in Society by EVO’s stylish dining room space filled with mood lighting and hanging vines, it’s your best bet for late-night eats.

When you walk into Isabella’s Kitchen, your eyes will immediately gravitate toward the patio. It’s the best place to enjoy bruschetta and a glass of wine — there are plenty of people to watch, and if that isn’t your thing, you can gaze at the McDowell Mountains. You’ve also got a front seat for the Talon Golf Course, and you’ll have a chance to have a resort-style happy hour or lunch without the fuss of a hotel day fee. The patio dining experience is perfect for a couple on a romantic date, girls’ night, or a family-friendly gathering for lunch on a Sunday. The “Screw It” menu is offered on the weekdays from 3 to 5:30 p.m. when diiscounted margaritas, glasses of wine, and well drinks are for the taking, as well as Isabella’s charcuterie board and hand-stretched, made-to-order pizza.

Typically, you’d expect to go to one restaurant for Middle Eastern food, but another for cheesesteaks. And another for poke. And another for salads. Not so at WTF Express in south Phoenix, a bizarre and delicious amalgamation of food genres. The restaurant, which is popular with the lunch crowd, serves everything from falafel sandwiches to shrimp po’boys to chicken wings to loaded fries to … well, you get the idea. Everything on the menu is serviceable, if not a guaranteed home run, but the Middle Eastern dishes really shine. We love WTF Express’s poke bar, where we can build our own bowl with generous helpings of fish. At lunchtime, when we don’t know what we want to eat, we stop by WTF Express. Whatever we decide on, they’ll have it.

When it comes to eating out, we love fine cuisine, global fare, inventive menus — all of it. But we also appreciate a good onion ring. A warm pretzel dipped in cheese. Bar food may not get a ton of respect, but it’s a staple of menus around metro Phoenix. And local chain Zipps Sports Grill does it incredibly well. That pretzel we mentioned? Zipps serves little pretzel bites served with a house-made beer cheese. The mozzarella sticks are wrapped in a light, crispy spring roll for extra crunch. The golden wings are just the right blend of tangy, sweet, and spicy. Paired with a cold drink and maybe some football on one of Zipps’ many big-screen TVs, the bar fare here hits the sweet spot between comfort food and great flavor.

Quiet, intimate, and private, dining at Lon’s at the Hermosa offers couples a chance to enjoy a romantic evening. Upon arrival, you immediately know you’re somewhere special; the grounds of the Hermosa Inn offer large mesquite trees, a view of the mountains, and a candlelit garden. Dinner can happen near a fireplace outdoors or a tucked-away spot indoors. Some highlights on the menu include the Hermosa salad, the day boat scallops, and the halibut. There are also a healthy set of options for vegans and vegetarians. The sommelier can recommend special wine pairings from a selection of international choices. Dining at Lon’s is more than just a date night, but an opportunity to have a magical, memorable, and of course, romantic evening. Just don’t try to book last minute; make your reservation well in advance to make sure your night to remember goes smoothly.

In school, we learned about the five Cs of Arizona, the industries that drove our state’s economy back in the day: copper, cattle, cotton, citrus, and climate. For a glimpse of what it was like when metro Phoenix was filled with livestock, not people, dine at The Stockyards. The steakhouse has been open since 1947 and sits on land that was once the world’s largest feedlot (hence the name). Inside, you’ll find the kind of dining experience you don’t see much anymore: a subdued dining room with Western decor elements, formal and attentive service, and a menu with quality beef cuts that actually come with side dishes included (a steakhouse rarity in this day and age). In a city that keeps moving farther away from its rustic roots, a dinner at The Stockyards is memorable not just for the food, but for the connection to Arizona’s past.

This no-frills diner connected to a Motel 6 has held its unassuming location at Camelback and Scottsdale roads since 1988. Slide into a booth or take a seat at the counter to watch the magic in the kitchen. The Original Pancake House is one of many locations throughout the country, though the locally owned Scottsdale eatery is the only one in Arizona. Specialties here include the Dutch baby, an oven-baked concoction that puffs up like a souffle, then falls before it’s topped with powdered sugar and inevitably devoured. The apple pancake is another favorite, made with fresh Granny Smiths and a cinnamon glaze. If you want to keep it extra classic with some savoriness, go for the ham and eggs with hickory-smoked ham and two eggs, plus three buttermilk pancakes.

Imagine that a classic diner met a hipster foodie and had a baby. That’s Welcome Diner at Ninth and Pierce streets in the Garfield neighborhood. A pink and blue neon sign greets you on your way in, giving way to a disco ball above the host stand and blue booths with wooden tables in between them. (The patio is also nice when the weather isn’t hot enough to cook an egg on the pavement.) Breakfast is served all day here, even on Fridays and Saturdays when the diner is open until midnight. Try various combinations of chicken and fresh biscuits, including the Koko with beefsteak tomatoes, arugula, and chipotle ranch. Sandwiches and burgers are also available; go for the peanut butter bacon burger if you’re especially hungry. It’s packed high with a Niman Ranch patty, cheddar cheese, garlic aioli, peanut butter, pickles, and applewood smoked bacon on a Noble Bread bun. Coffee is on the menu, but so are cocktails such as the Industry Sour with Frenet Branca, green chartreuse, and lime, and the Welcome Mule with vodka, lemon, and ginger beer.

Calling a restaurant an “institution” is a bold statement. But there’s really no other word for Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Cafe, the downtown Phoenix eatery that’s been serving incredible soul food since 1964. Generations of Phoenicians have dug into Elizabeth White’s original recipes. The venerated fried chicken is perfectly seasoned and crispy, and the pork chops are tender and juicy. We could write odes to the ooey-gooey mac and cheese, and Mrs. White’s is pretty much the only place where we order a glass of Kool-Aid to accompany our meal. We’ve lost count of how many times we’ve tucked into a meal in the bustling dining room, thanking our lucky stars that we’ve got restaurants like this in Phoenix. Actually, we’ve got one more word for Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Cafe: treasure.

Some of the best food we’ve ever tasted came from the kitchen of a New Orleans restaurant. When we want that experience here in the desert, we head to Flavors of Louisiana, where the authentic Cajun food is served with a side of uncommonly friendly service. The catfish is the best we’ve had in Arizona, or you can sample more of what the eatery has to offer with the Cajun Trio, a huge meal of jambalaya, crawfish pie, and gumbo. Everything is so delicious at Flavors of Louisiana that we nearly always leave stuffed, which means that we take a piece of peach cobbler or some beignets to go. Later, when we’ve got room for dessert, they’re a sweet reminder of our excellent meal.

Depending on when you enter Crown Public House, you may find yourself surrounded by a gregarious pack of Liverpool football fans. The bar is home to the official local supporters’ group of Liverpool, which is how you know it’s a legit British pub. You don’t even need to show up with anyone — just sit down, order a pint of Guinness or perhaps one of the many local beers Crown offers, and you’ll immediately start making friends. Chat with the regulars while enjoying some pub food; we like the poutine and the spicy bourbon barbecue wings. The convivial atmosphere keeps us coming back to Crown, and we’re sure you’ll find it just as welcoming as we do. Just don’t wear blue on game day.

The luck of the Irish runs strong at the beloved Dubliner Irish Pub. The bar has been doling out good times since Seamus McCaffrey (yes, that Seamus McCaffrey) opened it in 1985, and the decor is green around every corner. The north Phoenix neighborhood hangout is allegedly the first bar in town to offer Guinness on tap — how’s that for Irish pub street cred? Besides Guinness, The Dubliner has plenty of Irish brews and spirits on tap, as well as a full menu of Irish and American comfort food. We love the carb-heavy Dubliner Potato Bites, mashed potato balls stuffed with cheese and bacon and served with sour cream and jalapeños, and the popular fish and chips platter. Check the event calendar on the website for events like ladies’ night on Wednesdays, all-you-can-eat fish on Fridays, and live music on weekends. The atmosphere is fun and friendly anytime you show up, but visit on St. Patrick’s Day for a wild celebration.

When you’re craving a plate of schnitzel or bratwurst with a side of sauerkraut or spätzle, the obvious choice is Haus Murphy’s. It’s got an outstanding menu, homey German decor, and shots of German spirits that will have you wishing you’d donned your lederhosen for a spirited night of polka tunes. You can sit inside at long tables or head outside to enjoy the biergarten with its strings of lights and rows of hanging flags, but you don’t have to get a big meal to experience a taste of Germany in Glendale. We love getting a giant pretzel with a 32-ounce beer, or skipping ahead to a dessert of apple strudel or Black Forest cake. And we feel great taking our vegetarian friends knowing they’ll have options, as well. Naturally, it’s our go-to destination for Oktoberfest, because we know the food, drink, and celebratory atmosphere will transport us not just to another country, but to a whole other world.

There aren’t many restaurants that can say that they’ve been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and that their chef has been nominated for a James Beard Award. But you know who can? Andreoli Italian Grocer in Scottsdale. The cozy neighborhood joint just wants you to enjoy its delicious, authentic Italian food, whether it’s by sitting in the red-ceilinged dining room, picking up takeout either at the counter inside or at the drive-thru window, or grabbing a refrigerated meal from the cold case. The rich, meaty fusilli with pork rib meat got a well-deserved spotlight on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and the Gnocchi alla Corsara, house-made potato gnocchi with pesto, cream, and tomato sauce, is another standout. You can also take meats, cheeses, desserts, and dry goods home to make your own Italian creations.

Assuming you don’t live in or near Cave Creek, it may take you a while to get up to Le Sans Souci. But we promise the drive is worth it. Open since the ’90s, Le Sans Souci (it means “without worry”) serves authentic French fare during brunch, lunch, and dinner in its cozy, tiled dining room. We always want to start with the onion soup, preferably topped with melted cheese and a small piece of bread. The Crepes Delice, two crepes packed with mushrooms and crab in a bechamel sauce, is rich and filling, or if we’re craving something more casual, the croque monsieur sandwich takes us back to afternoons in Paris cafes. And with a dessert menu that offers classic delights such as crème brûlée and cherries jubilee, we always leave Le Sans Souci full and satisfied.

First thing you should know about Ms. Martha’s Caribbean Kitchen: Check the hours before you go. This hidden gem only stays open till 6 p.m. on several nights of the week, so if you’re looking to enjoy some Caribbean food for dinner, you’ll want to show up early to grab some takeout. Second thing you should know about Ms. Martha’s: The food is outstanding. The brown stew chicken meal features fall-off-the-bone poultry made savory with a melange of herbs and spices, and the customer-favorite oxtails are impossibly rich and meaty. We like the entrees served with Ms. Martha’s rice and beans, or possibly the fried plantains. And don’t forget to start with one of the meat pies. There’s so much to explore on the menu that repeat visits are a must.

The first indication that Pho Thanh is the place to be is the packed parking lot. Wedge your car in wherever you can, and head inside. Through the doors, you’ll be welcomed by a bustling room filled with tables of families sharing plates, friends slurping noodles from rich broth, and servers packaging food to go. Start your meal with an order of banh hoi chao tom, or ground shrimp skewered with a stick of sugarcane, served as deconstructed spring rolls. Soak rice paper shells in water until pliable enough to wrap around the shrimp, fresh veggies, and aromatic mint leaves. The best way to tackle the rest of the menu is by sharing. Bring a group and dig in to the best Vietnamese food you’ll find in Phoenix.

If we were on death row and had to pick a local dish to be our last meal, Glai Baan’s sumptuous and creamy panang curry would be near the top of our list. A rich and flavorful medley of beef, peppers, basil, and bamboo shoots, it tastes as good as it smells (and it smells like a dream). It’s a dish that the restaurant has run out of on more than one occasion, and for good reason. It’s a testament to Glai Baan’s deep bench of delicacies that their curry is just the tip of their flavor iceberg. This little shop on Osborn has a bevy of soups, side dishes, finger foods, and street-style noodles to fill your appetite. Just don’t ask the staff what a son-in-law egg is. Be an adult and Google it so they don’t have to explain it for the 6,000th time.

Stone Korean Tofu House is the type of place that both pleases tofu lovers and convinces tofu skeptics. It may look like an average chain restaurant in a shopping center parking lot, but this spot specializes in bubbling, bright red soups that stain your mouth and satisfy your soul. Servers bring black clay pots of the boiling stuff to the table, and deliver a little bowl of raw eggs. Crack an egg directly into the soup, and stir until it cooks. The soups come filled with house-made tofu along with dumplings, veggies, and assorted seafood and meats. Other essential dishes include beef bulgogi, a dish of marinated ribeye, and four different kinds of bibimbap. Sit inside or on the small patio, where you can watch the light rail sail by while you dig into a steamy soup.

There’s more to Japanese food than just sushi, but Hana Japanese Eatery does that, too, and does it with style and flair. Hana has been creating authentic Japanese dishes for 15 years, led by Lori Hashimoto and her family. The chicken tatsuta-age and ika kara-age are battered in potato starch and fried, a technique used by Japanese cooks for lighter, crispier breading — and the taste makes all the difference. The uni (sea urchin), a Japanese delicacy, with quail egg will provide an out-of-this-world experience with a creaminess that will blow your mind. If you love sushi, don’t skip the restaurant’s signature Hana Pride roll, a cucumber-wrapped creation incorporating six varieties of seafood with pickled burdock root, avocado, asparagus and sprouts.

Tucked into a plaza on Apache Boulevard and Dorsey Lane, and conveniently located right across the street from a light rail stop, Chou’s Kitchen is nestled in the heart of Tempe and is the go-to place for northeastern Chinese food. Since 2011, Sunny and Lulu Zhao have been bringing traditional flavors from the Dongbei region to those seeking tastes of the far East. ASU students and anyone else seeking hearty portions are happy to chow down on Chou’s large lineup of stir-fried noodles, hot pot in clay pots, and orange chicken dishes. We love the eggplant with potatoes and jalapeños, and the pan-fried beef pies are not to be missed, but we love Chou’s most of all because they’re one of the few places in town to get soup dumplings (traditionally known as xiao long bao). They’re on the menu as Steam Juicy Pork Dumplings, and we can’t get enough of them.

The menu at Shaanxi Garden, a restaurant in the corner spot of a Dobson Road strip mall in Mesa, offers an overwhelming amount of dishes. But the noodles are the star. Plump, inch-thick ribbons that seem to go on forever fill bowls packed with rich savory soups, crispy stir-fried meats, and all the fixings. For meat eaters, the spicy cumin lamb noodles might be the perfect way to warm up on a cold day. Regardless of the weather, Shaanxi’s noodles hit all the right chewy, bready, satisfying notes of the perfect carb. Slide into a booth, grab a bowl of noodles, and on Friday and Saturday nights, listen to a guzheng or Chinese harp performance throughout your meal.

The Dhaba is the Valley’s go-to place for Indian cuisine, a Tempe mainstay where you can find a wide range of delicious, family-style dishes. The name comes from traditional, modest roadside cafes on the subcontinent. But The Dhaba elevates it to something memorable. Even the basics are stylish. There are seven varieties of basmati and biryani rice dishes. The nine kinds of naan bread are amazing, especially the Kashmiri version, which incorporates pistachios and cashews. The rest of the menu is extensive, with lots of different curry dishes, paneers, saags, and appetizers. Upshot: You can live a long time and not get through the full menu. There’s something for everyone and every dish is delicious. If you have a sensitive palate, and smoke comes out of your ears at the mere thought of a chili pepper, The Dhaba will let you pick your spice levels on a scale of one to 10. It’s the kind of place to break naan with good friends or to load up on takeout for special events and savor the leftovers for days.

In Arabic, haji baba refers to a person with an adventurous spirit, and we’d like to think that such individuals would eat at the popular Tempe joint. Haji-Baba is an unpretentious eatery with a walk-up counter for grabbing kabob pitas and hummus to go, and a dining room if you prefer that the delicious food come straight to your table. Chicken shawarma is sliced right off the spit and served alongside long-grain, fragrant basmati rice, and chicken, beef, and lamb kabobs are cooked over an open flame. Plus, you can fill up for not much money, since the menu is priced well and portions are generous. Grab some baklava at the end of the meal or take a stroll around the market for European chocolates and Middle Eastern goods for the pantry. Bonus points if you take home some French feta cheese for later.

It’s impossible not to feel a festive vibe when you walk into Authentic EthioAfrican. Opened by husband and wife Anduale Hassan and Elsabet Tiruneh a decade ago on McDowell Road and 18th Street, fans have always come for the affordable Ethiopian food: slow-cooked doro wat, beef tips singing with spice, freshly fried sambusas stuffed with lentils, fragrant kitfo made with minced raw meat, and celebratory vegan platters circled with spicy stews. After a six-month renovation, the bigger, jazzier space is a draw, too. Filled with wood carvings and art work straight from Ethiopia, the space offers wood-lined walls and tables topped with colorful mesob baskets. They also offer an Ethiopian coffee ceremony and live music on holidays, plus have added a full bar and bar seating, so you can wash down massive rounds of injera with a draft beer or colorful cocktail.

Chompie’s may technically be a Jewish deli, but everyone with an appetite is welcome. The longtime local chain has been serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner for decades, and the traditional Jewish foods haven’t changed. The matzah ball soup is still warm and satisfying, full of chunky carrots and pieces of chicken. The bagels still hit the spot in the morning, especially topped with a schmear of cream cheese and some lox. Chompie’s is known for their mile-high sandwiches, piles of pastrami or roast beef so large we can barely grab them. The new location on Cactus Road is its most beautiful storefront yet, a huge dining room/market combination where anyone for an appreciation for good food can come and be fed.

This gluten-free eatery serves breakfast, brunch, and lunch from its location at 40th Street and Thomas Road in Arcadia. The biscuit and gravy, a fresh-baked garlic cheddar biscuit topped with sausage gravy and served with two eggs your way, is a great option for those who may not otherwise be able to eat the dish. Chicken and waffles come in several varieties, from classic to popcorn to hot chicken, and a churro and Belgian waffle are also on the menu. The baked goods at Jewel’s are also delicious, whether you go for Fruity Pebble-topped doughnuts or a chocolate chip cookie. The cute cafe is a non-glutinous dream, with breakfast and lunch options for the entire family, including grilled cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the kids. Cocktails are also on the menu, with margaritas, mimosas, and bloody marys.

Southern comfort food that’s completely vegan? Yes, you heard that correctly. Green New American Vegetarian serves tasty fare — a classic burger, cheesesteak, and Buffalo wings — without using any meat. The menu is expansive and even meat-eaters won’t argue about how the chili fries and burgers taste like the real deal. These “mock” meats are more than satisfying — herbivores and carnivores are both likely to revisit Green. Cap off your meal with the ice cream dessert called tSoynami, a mixture of unrefined sugar, coconut milk, and organic soy with flavors including peanut butter, mint, rocky road, and peach cobbler. It’s a cliche, but at Green, you don’t even miss the meat.

Nearly 200 vendors are part of this farmers’ market, where they sell goodies including breads, honeys, meats, spices, fruits, vegetables, chocolate, salsa, pasta, and more. Besides the bountiful food and beverage options, you’ll find a vast array of merchandise for times you need to buy a gift of splurge on a little self-care. Think pottery, aprons, cutting boards, totes, plants, and candles. The Saturday morning markets give you a chance to start your weekend with a little sunshine and fresh air, the bustle of community, and the good feelings that stem from supporting local farmers, creatives, and entrepreneurs. Kids have a blast exploring the sights, including the pets that join their people in taking it all in. Once you’ve gotten all your fresh produce, you can look forward to making a meal that doesn’t come in a wrapper or a Styrofoam box.

H Mart, the popular Asian grocery store with locations throughout the country from California to Illinois and New York, opened its first Arizona store in Mesa in 2020. The massive Korean grocery store offers produce, meat, fresh seafood, and lots of specialty Asian items such as Nongshim Shin Ramyun noodles, Huey Fong sambal oelek chili paste, and various flavors of the Pocky sweet coated biscuit sticks. H Mart also has a food hall with options from noodle dishes to bulgogi risotto, chicken wings, kimchi, and pork belly. There’s also a Paris Baguette bakery inside the store, with a vast selection of treats like croissants, sticky milk buns, and chocolate cake topped with macarons.

When we travel, our favorite thing to do is eat. So we love Lee Lee’s International Supermarket because pushing our cart up and down the aisles feels like taking a world culinary tour. Frozen lumpia from the Philippines. Eastern European meats. Indian spices. Countless types of noodles. We don’t have enough room in our kitchen (or our stomach) for everything we want to try at Lee Lee, so we just keep going back for our favorite items and to try a few new things each time. We also like the little housewares area in the front of the store, where we can find cute bowls and cups to hold our global fare.

What looks like a simple convenience store from its location at Seventh Street and Thunderbird Road in north Phoenix is actually so much more. Summer Market stocks a plentiful supply of Middle Eastern goods, from garbanzo beans to fragrant spices such as Madras curry powder and fresh bread baked daily. And you won’t have to break the bank at this local grocer, whether you’re in search of cheese, yogurt, falafel mix, or a wide selection of bulk beans and seeds. So grab your favorite Middle Eastern friend (and their mother’s stuffed grape leaf recipe) and head to Summer Market to stock up on the goods.

DeFalco’s is an old-school Italian deli where you can grab lasagna, fresh pasta, imported Parmesan cheese, and homemade pizzelle (traditional Italian waffle cookies) all on the same trip. The hot food is made to order but worth the roughly 30-minute wait, so order ahead if you wish to grab and go. The Centurion Calzone is stuffed with fresh mozzarella, spicy soppressata, roasted red peppers, fresh tomato, basil, and kalamata olives. The cheese oozes out as you dip it into the accompanying San Marzano tomato sauce and take a bite. The eggplant Parmigiana is a favorite among veggie lovers, while the ravioli with meat sauce is sure to satisfy the carnivores out there. And we always pick up dessert whenever we visit DeFalco’s: The cannolis come traditional and with a chocolate shell, and the cheesecakes are freshly baked.

Peace. Love. Cheese. That’s the motto on one of the T-shirts you can snag at Mingle & Graze, where another style features a four-letter F-word that isn’t F-E-T-A. We like their spunk, and their unabashed devotion to all things cheese — and not just because they give us an excuse to use our fancy charcuterie boards. They do catering, carryout, and private events. But what we love most are the tastings and cooking workshops, because we want to truly understand and appreciate the finer qualities of cheese instead of merely stuffing our faces with it. The restaurant has plenty of options for your friends who might not revel in all things cheese, plus a kids’ menu. Our favorite picks are the build-your-own boards that give you the chance to try a little of this and a little of that. Add in the eatery’s charming decor and you have a one-of-a-kind culinary experience to share with locals and out-of-towners alike.

Head into this unassuming dive bar to find the type of hamburgers that beefy dreams are made of. The original Cheese Wineburger features a thick beef patty with a splash of red wine topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and your choice of cheese: American, Swiss, Cheddar, or pepperjack for a nice kick. They’re handmade to order, served with french fries or onion rings, and sure to satisfy even the most serious carnivore. Try one of the specialty burgers if you’re feeling saucy. The Buffalo Bleu Burger is spicy and topped with blue cheese, while the Rodeo Burger is topped with barbecue sauce, jalapeño, bacon, cheddar cheese, and onion rings. And if the burger somehow doesn’t satiate your appetite, the wings at Harvey’s are also delicious.

The name Bianco usually conjures up the image of a wood-fired pizza, and rightfully so — Chef Chris Bianco won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur this year for his eponymous pizzeria. But don’t sleep on Bianco’s lunch joint, Pane Bianco, which serves some of the best sandwiches in town. At the small, homey restaurant on Central Avenue, Bianco enlists the help of his brother Marco to create soft rounds of focaccia perfect for stuffing with top-notch ingredients. Options include chicken salad studded with green apple, or an upscale twist on a ham and cheese made with prosciutto and homemade mozzarella. Sit among artwork created by Bianco’s father, sip on a glass of wine or a bottle of Coke, and enjoy good conversation over great sandwiches during a lunch that makes you slow down a little.

Something’s happened to the hot dog in recent years. It’s gone from a staple of Americana into the template for ongoing culinary experimentation — which may be a great metaphor for the U.S. in the 21st century. So, if we’re going to make the hot dog an edible version of modern America, there’s no better restaurant than Der Wurst Hot Dogs. Located inside of the delightfully divey Linger Longer Lounge, this eatery checks all the boxes for a true American dining experience. Over-the-top hot dogs? Sure, like a linguisa sausage with bacon, Doritos, and Sriracha mayo. What about slightly suggestive names? There’s a dog called the French Tickler, and desserts are referred to as Happy Endings. Sure, those vaguely sexual gimmicks aren’t new, but underneath the silly jokes are truly tasty dogs, made with a real culinary bent without all the resulting pompousness. That entire dynamic feels truly American — silly little gimmicks that never diminish from true quality and culinary creativity. If that’s too heady for you, just order the Schnitzel Licker, drink a few cheap beers, and enjoy your evening.

The iconic Fry Bread House is a modest but mighty staple of the local dining scene. The unassuming location on Seventh Avenue has been proudly serving Native American food for 30 years and is backed by an all-Native staff. The founder, the late Cecelia Miller, hailed from the Tohono O’odham Nation and set out on a mission to create a public gathering place for Indigenous people to gather and eat home cooking. Bringing traditional recipes from Miller’s tribe mixed with Southwest influences, the menu proudly touts sweet and savory frybread — hand-stretched pillowy pieces of puffy dough that are both crisp and airy at the same time. Go big or go home — order the Ultimate Fry Bread Taco with spicy red chile beef to taste the delicious mixture of fry bread, beef, refried beans, onions, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce. For dessert, you can’t go wrong with sweet frybread slathered in chocolate and butter.

Thick or thin, long or short, crunchy, or squishy — we’re equal-opportunity french fry aficionados. But some of the best restaurants in town definitely have a preference as to where they source their fries, and that’s local potato purveyor Frites Street. The company began in 2015 as a food truck serving gourmet European-style pommes frites with a variety of dipping sauces, and eventually pivoted into providing product for restaurants. Today, you can find Frites Street fries at more than 101 restaurants around the country, including local gems like The Americano, Clever Koi, and Francine. Crinkle-cut, shoestring, or thick, Frites Street fries are perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. We still love any kind of fries, but Frites Street are our favorite.

There’s a strip mall in Mesa where Southern Avenue meets Val Vista Drive. It’s anchored by a Safeway, but in the corner, there’s a bistro that has the best macaroni and cheese in town. At Tucked Away Craft Kitchen & Bar, the second concept from Sean Hayes and Jo Ann Franko, the owners of Tipsy Cactus Taproom, there’s an elbow macaroni-shaped trophy above the bar, a testament to the award-winning dish created by Executive Chef Gabe Madrid. The cheese string follows you as you raise a forkful to your mouth. The heat from the green chile adds a little bit of welcome warmth. The cavatappi noodle is the perfect vehicle; its ridges hold the stickier, thicker cheese, while the inside of the noodle gives a home to the cream sauce. It’s a secret combo of cheeses, cavatappi pasta, green chile, and witchcraft that simultaneously make it creamy, spicy, and stringy, an ideal mac and cheese experience worth seeking out in the east Valley.

We tend not to get too excited when an out-of-state restaurant announces it’s coming to Phoenix. After all, we’ve got a vibrant dining scene here all on our own. But Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, a Tennessee staple that arrived in Phoenix last year, is a welcome addition to the city. The chicken comes out of the kitchen piping hot and impossibly crispy and juicy — each crunchy bite is a delight. We like to pair it with Gus’s baked beans or macaroni and cheese for a full meal. Gus’s may be an import to the metro Phoenix restaurant landscape, but we’re glad it’s here to stay.

When you pull up to Long Wong’s, you’re immediately greeted by a zoo of life-sized vintage animals, from a cow to a dinosaur to a pink horse to a buffalo. “Do wings, not drugs!” says a little sign with a flamingo. Though there are many copycats claiming the “Long Wong’s” name, the original Long Wong’s resides on 28th Street and Thomas Road, and has been around for over 35 years. With the original owners hailing from Buffalo, New York, it’s no wonder Long Wong’s wings are the perfect amount of crispy and juicy. And saucy — the hot wings are doused in a tangy and spicy coating, while the garlic Parmesan wings have real garlic bits mixed into the white sauce. If you can’t choose one flavor, order the Party Wing Bucket which comes with 72 bones and a choice of three flavors.

If you really want to luxuriate and immerse yourself in Spanish culture and cuisine, you can’t do much better than Tapas Papa Frita. Yeah, there’s the Moorish architecture and the stage with the obligatory flamenco dancer. But you’re here for the food. The chef has mastered cuisine from every region of Spain. The long list of tapas is dizzying, from traditional tortilla Espanola to snails in sherry. Hell, they even serve seven types of regional paella, not to mention amazing entrees, ranging from Castillan osso buco to Catalan rabbit. You cannot get a disappointing dish. The wine list is impressive. As wonderful as the food is, the service is even better. Many of the wait staff, as well as Chef Joseph Gutierrez, are Basque and they’re all happy to spend time sharing stories and discussing the food at your table. It’s the kind of place you go for special occasions, birthday banquets, or romantic anniversary dinners. And when you’re done, you can take a stroll with your dining companion and snap a picturesque selfie on the canal that makes up the Scottsdale Waterfront.

Empanadas, those little pockets of dough stuffed with any number of fillings, are one of our go-to comfort foods. There’s something about that crispy little half-moon that just soothes the soul. When we’re craving one, we hit up Republica Empanada in downtown Mesa. Our favorites include the creamy black bean and mozzarella, as well as the Cubana (pernil, ham, mozzarella, and dill pickle) and the veggie-heavy Pura Vida (chickpeas, mushrooms, carrots, spinach, celery, and bell peppers). We prefer our empanadas savory, but there are dessert varieties if you like them sweet. We often wash down our empanadas with one of Republica Empanada’s many flavors of Jarritos Mexican soda.

When you mention barbecue in Phoenix, Little Miss is the first place anyone thinks of, as this barbecue joint is synonymous with ‘cue in the Valley. There are currently two locations, one near Tempe and a newer spot in north Phoenix’s Sunnyslope neighborhood. This year, the grill masters have another surprise in the works. They’re transforming a retro A-frame building on Central Avenue into their third location, bringing their award-winning food closer to downtown Phoenix. At Little Miss, the meat is sold by weight, inside sandwiches, or on classic plates with sides including ranch-style beans, jalapeño cheddar grits, and potato salad. Sliced and chopped brisket are the stars, but pulled pork, ribs, and sausage links all make excellent choices. When visiting the Sunnyslope location, make sure to check out the special item of green and red chile burritos for a Southwest spin on barbecue. At either restaurant, be prepared to wait, or if short on time, place orders ahead online.

Located in a north Phoenix strip mall, Danky’s Bar-B-Q serves some of the best ribs in town. The tender meat falls off the bones, held together only by an almost candied crust that crackles when cut into. Hot links and juicy pulled pork round out a three-meat plate, which comes loaded up with side options like creamy, peppery mac and cheese, pork-studded beans, and sweet cornbread. If a full meal sounds too heavy, Danky’s has a solid sandwich menu, including the Hot Southern Mess, which slaps pulled pork, beef brisket, hot barbecue sauce, jalapeños, and onions on a bun. Wash it all down with a local beer served on tap at this hidden-gem bar and barbecue joint.

La Piazza al Forno seems like a shop from a different time. Walk around Historic Downtown Glendale, past the town square, and stumble across this corner pizzeria, complete with red brick walls and a glowing neon sign. Inside, pizza beckons. This restaurant serves classic Neapolitan pizza and Roman style. The former is stretched thin, and cooked for 60 to 90 seconds in a devilishly hot oven to create a light dough that’s charred on the edges. Roman-style square pizza dough includes olive oil, making it crisp and hearty. A standout on the menu is the Lasagna Neapolitan pizza, in which ricotta and sausage toppings create a perfect blend of two classic Italian dishes.

If you’d like to make an authentic Italian meal at home for your friends and family, Guido’s Chicago Meats & Deli will fulfill all of your pasta needs. Gnocchi, linguine, and tagliatelle are available to take home, as are lasagna noodles. Once you’re home, it only takes a few minutes to boil pasta so good you’ll swear you’re eating in a small restaurant in Florence. Open since 1983, Guido’s also welcomes guests in the restaurant, which seats up to 50. Checkered red tablecloths and an unassuming vibe makes the establishment a neighborhood favorite. Diners can choose from an extensive menu including calzones, hot and cold subs, bread, and pizza. Dessert is also a must at Guido’s — the tiramisu and Italian wedding cookies are guaranteed hits.

The perfect sushi rolls do exist, and their home is at Harumi Sushi & Sake in downtown Phoenix. Harumi is known for its purple rice, which is Forbidden black rice that turns purple after being cooked. This rice was historically reserved for aristocracy, so go ahead and treat yourself like royalty because it’s served as an everyday staple in Harumi’s kitchen. The “purple” rice may very well be Harumi’s secret to success, and rolled up with fish flown in from abroad, serves to create harmonious sushi rolls in elegant balance. The Oh My God roll is set on fire in front of your eyes, and simply melts in your mouth for yes, an “oh my God” pleasurable reaction. The H3 roll includes spicy tuna and Scottish salmon, flown fresh from Scotland, and the mini roll combo allows you to choose up to three different types of rolls for only $20.

To begin at Sushi Tokoro, take a seat at a booth or settle in at the bar. Then, start grabbing. As you sit, dishes will rotate around the room on a conveyor belt, small plates like Las Vegas rolls, gyoza, Japanese sodas, or tuna sashimi. We love the Grand Canyon Roll, which tops spicy tuna, cream cheese, and jalapeño with spicy crab mix, tuna, and spicy mayo. Sip on some iced or hot green tea, depending on the time of year, and ask for a menu to order items that aren’t on the belt like miso soup, shrimp tempura, and orange chicken. Every plate that comes from the belt is priced a certain way, depending on the color, so refer to a little diagram on the bar to see what everything costs and chow down accordingly.

Recently, we were trying to explain poke to someone unfamiliar with the concept: “It’s like deconstructed sushi — kind of. You get to pick your base and your fish and your toppings, and it’s really filling and really good.” What we lack in powers of description we make up for in appreciation for poke and the people who make it, especially local chain Pokitrition. Sustainable fish such as both marinated and plain ahi tuna, salmon, and shrimp, is flown in daily from Hawaii. In addition to their customizable poke bowls, the four Pokitrition locations also make sushi burritos, hefty cylinders of fresh fish wrapped in rice and seaweed. You can even get your sushi burrito coated with Hot Cheetos dust, if that kind of heat appeals to you.

From humble digs in the middle of a strip mall, Origami Ramen Bar serves, hands down, the best ramen in the Valley. Owner and Chef Yusuke Kuroda grew up in Osaka, Japan, and learned to cook with his grandmother. After moving to the U.S. and working on the East Coast, he later headed west to cook at Nobu in Beverly Hills. Lucky for us, he moved to Phoenix and opened Origami in 2020. The menu includes Japanese curry plates and rice bowls, but don’t miss the ramen. Rich shoyu broth lets the ingredients sing, miso broth is creamy but not salty, and the black soy ramen blends chicken and pork broth with curly noodles and black garlic oil for an immensely savory bite.

Shrimp dumplings, baked coconut buns, crispy roast duck, and fried taro turnovers come to your table via carts and you select the small plates you wish to devour. This isn’t heaven — it’s dim sum, a Cantonese tradition with many options and flavors to choose from. Great Wall offers dim sum on weekdays and weekends, though the latter tend to be busy, especially around noon. Grab a group and arrive by at least 11 a.m. to snag a good table; otherwise, the wait may range from 20 to 40 minutes. Steamed barbecue pork buns, which also come baked, are a must, both savory and sweet with tender dough that pulls apart easily. Ask for a menu to order larger items to share, including Hong Kong-style noodles, crispy and salty topped with your choice of meat, but go with the Chinese broccoli and beef for a sure winner.

Located inside the Mekong Plaza shopping center, Happy Baos offers dine-in service and takeout in a small, bright restaurant between the food court and the supermarket. Large posters line the walls with explanations of some of the dishes and dumplings found on the menu. The restaurant serves recipes from Northern China and specializes in handmade bao and dumplings. Lamb and squash steamed dumplings have a chewy shell and fragrant filling, xiao long bao provide the essential mouthful of steaming hot soup, and fluffy steamed custard bao carry the theme through to dessert. Sampler plates help first-time customers find their favorites, but nothing is a miss on this menu.

When arriving at Kabob Grill N’ Go, a tiny takeout joint next to a Middle Eastern market and a pawn shop, a thick cloud of smoke lets you know you’re in the right place. Inside, a deli counter displays medieval-looking skewers of marinated chicken, spiced beef, and plump tomatoes awaiting their fate. The skewers are grilled to order and served over aromatic rice in portions large enough for multiple days of leftovers. Our favorite is the koobideh plate, the long cylinders of spiced meat accompanied by pleasantly charred tomatoes and peppers. The flavors get in your head. This little kabob shop is obsession-worthy.

Buck & Rider has fresh seafood flown in daily from around the world, with oysters from both the East and West coasts. Pull up to the seafood counter in Arcadia (and soon, north Scottsdale and Gilbert’s Agritopia) to watch skilled hands work. Shucked oysters large and small are served with fixings including the standard cocktail sauce and horseradish, plus Thai dipping sauce, mustard, and a refreshing mignonette made with minced shallots in vinegar. The selection changes daily, but sweet and mild Kusshis from British Columbia are on it from time to time. Deep-cupped Blish Point oysters from Massachusetts also come and go, with their creamy consistency and briny flavor. Grab a dozen or splurge on a seafood platter with other goodies like king crab and tuna tartare. Happy hour offers a discount on oysters: weekdays from 3 to 7 p.m. and Sundays from open to 7 p.m. in select parts of the restaurant.

At both locations of the celebrated JL Patisserie, the options are overwhelming in the best way. A small pastry case displays delicate desserts, macarons, eclairs, and cake slices. Next, a large counter is covered with breads and pastries, mostly everything made with flaky, crunchy, butter-filled croissant dough. The pain au raisin is a favorite, a big swirl of flaky dough, crunchy on the outside and soft within, brightened with bursts of flavor from juicy raisins. The ham and cheese croissants blur the line between breakfast and lunch, and the cream-stuffed cruffins make a decadent dessert. We like to keep up with what the bakery is doing on their TikTok account, which is full of light-hearted videos that never fail to make us hungry.

Proof has been a staple at nearly every farmers’ market in the Valley for a reason, and it’s not only because they operated out of a converted garage until last year. Jon Przybyl and Amanda Abou-Eid create their pastries and decadent breads from a single sourdough starter named Harriet that they’ve perfected since her start in 2010. Using a sourdough base for all their breads and pastries has additional health benefits (because of fermentation) and adds an extra dimension to the flavor. In addition, Harriet balances sweet pastry fillings in a way that a grocery store bakery could never. Przybyl and Abou-Eid also make a point to use seasonal ingredients when available. The bakers constantly rotate pastry fillings, such as a cinnamon pear danish in the spring or lemon curd filling a few weeks ago. Other must-tries at Proof, which you can find at farmers’ markets in Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Gilbert, include the pain au chocolat, morning buns, and the classic country sourdough.

Bagelfeld’s has officially put Phoenix on the bagel map. Started by Charles Blonkenfeld as a pandemic pivot, the Brooklyn-born chef grew up on bagels, but it wasn’t until 2020 that he started making them. The process takes three days and uses old-world traditions like slow-fermenting, hand-rolling, boiling in malt syrup and honey water, and baking to a burnished exterior, for a New York (chew and flavor) meets Montreal (size and sweetness) finish that’s all Phoenix. Not only do Bagelfeld’s bagels bookend both the bomb breakfast sammies at Stoop Kid and the sell-out Saturday sandwich at Nelson’s Meat + Fish, loyal followers line up at farmers’ markets and the recently opened brick-and-mortar on Thomas Road. Standout flavors include asiago, jalapeño cheddar, and fennel raisin, and all pair perfectly with their house-made schmears (lemon and herb cream cheese on an everything bagel — yes please). The only downside is they sell out quickly.

If you feel like getting twisted, The Salted Knot has you covered. Sure, “getting twisted” could be defined in many ways, but in this case, it means you have a hankering for a soft, hot, buttery pretzel. This Tempe-based business was founded during the pandemic by Maria Vassett and Chad Day for a couple of reasons. They were interested in starting a new side-hustle business, and they liked the idea of providing patrons with something that would make the challenging world events feel a little less stressful. The pair developed a signature recipe through trial and error until they got their perfect blend. Nowadays, folks are lining up at their booths at area farmers’ markets to get their fix. Covered in butter and salt is one way to enjoy these mouthwatering doughy delights, or maybe you’d dig one that’s buttered and topped with a heady everything-seasoning blend. Sweet pretzels are on the menu, too — cinnamon sugar blends with the melty butter to make you downright giddy.

Owners Jan Wichayanuparp and Helen Yung of Sweet Republic are always pushing limits when it comes to ice cream. And it is this reason why Sweet Republic has become a local favorite, as well as a nationally recognized bucket list item for tourists who visit the Valley. The peppermint ice cream has hints of real mint that taste natural and not manufactured. If you’re looking for an ice cream adventure, order the s’mores sundae — a scoop of vanilla and chocolate in a homemade waffle bowl, topped with the softest marshmallow. Kids will get a treat as the cashiers will torch the marshmallow right in front of them. The ice cream isn’t made with any preservatives, sweeteners or additives — there’s a deliberate choice to make everything taste natural. In the summertime, there’s a guaranteed line out the door and while patrons wait, they can play any number of games, like Jenga or tic-tac-toe. Locals may want to make it a goal to try as many flavors as they can. There’s a decidedly friendly vibe at Sweet Republic, and along with the rotating flavors on the menu, it’ll keep you coming back for more.

Driving through central Phoenix’s Melrose District, you can’t miss LIX Uptown Ice Cream — the colorful shop, which is a recent addition to the neighborhood, has a giant inflatable unicorn on the roof. LIX makes ice cream with the lactose removed, meaning it still includes dairy, but is friendly to those who are lactose intolerant. The result creates creamy, silky flavors such as rosemary butter pecan, mint chip, s’mores, and Gansito, a Mexican snack cake with strawberry jam and cream. The mango sticky rice flavor combines rich ice cream with a tart mango sorbet for the perfect refreshing treat. We love to make LIX the culmination of an afternoon spent hitting the Melrose District’s many fascinating vintage shops.

Some people turned to Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy TV show as an escape this year, but we found a far simpler way to beat the doldrums and bring a little bit of Italy into our lives. We just slipped inside Cool Gelato Italiano, where friendly faces and fabulous flavors make you forget all about the heat and the hustle. Whether we’re craving something light and fruity like a sorbetto or something richer, like Italian custard or hazelnut, we always discover way too many tempting options. It’s all about the taste here, rather than fancy decor or upscale presentation, yet everything about the shop is clean, bright, and beautiful. Best of all, we can sit indoors and enjoy small paintings by local artists, or head outside to sit under cafe tables shaded by umbrellas to watch people and their pets parade by.

When you wake up in the morning craving bacon, don’t bother to whip out your frying pan. Just cross your fingers and hope the daily rotation at Chin Up Donuts includes their savory Whiskey Pigness doughnut with bacon and maple goodness. The shop offers tasty options you won’t find elsewhere, such as the Sriracha-Cha doughnut and other savory options. We love their scratch-made brioche-style doughnuts, and the fact that they have gluten-free options. Plus, the shop is full of surprises. Sometimes they have free film merch on the weekends or do creative collaborations with local chefs. And just walking into the store can enhance your mood, thanks to the playful decor that includes macrame and disco balls. It’s the only doughnut shop where we can’t resist taking at least one selfie every time we pop in, and there’s even a small wall of merch so you can get a fun souvenir of your time there — without spending a lot of dough.

Nami is an extension of Green New American Vegetarian — the longtime Valley eatery with two locations that introduced metro Phoenix to vegan dining. An array of puffy, yummy doughnuts is among their breakfast items and sweet eats. They’re lightly crispy on the outside while fluffy and airy on the inside; diverse flavor components match those textures. Oh, they’re also huge. Downing one is plenty satisfying, but with so many delicious choices, it’s hard to stop there. You’ll eagerly await their return when you find the ones you like. In the meantime, there’s plenty to tempt you. The French toast varietal is an airy version of the popular breakfast dish in doughnut form. Chocolate pistachio is another must-have — the lip-smacking pastry is a velvety chocolate affair topped with a nut crumble that perfectly merges the flavors. Raspberry lemon is a divine combination of sweet and sour. Flavors can change daily, so check back often.

Are you creeped out by bees but love the taste of smooth, rich honey? AZ Queen Bee, aptly located in Queen Creek, is the place for you. These little insect whisperers concoct delectable whipped honeys and honey straws, plus adorable gift baskets, soaps, decorative honeypots, and plenty more accessories you’re sure to be abuzz over. Owner Audra Waddle ditched her dull day job and devoted her life to these fuzzy creatures. When she’s not collecting honey, Audra uses a specially designed bee vacuum to remove pesky bees and then transports them to one of her many apiaries, where they are given a second chance at life.

There’s a big, wide world out there beyond the borders of the United States, and people who live there have some pretty interesting snack food. The place to find it and take it home is Pop’s Exotic Sodas & Snacks. They’ve got Chinese Oreo cookies in flavors like rose flower and peach with grape; Calbee Japanese steak-flavored potato chips; and varieties of Fanta you can’t usually find stateside (think Fanta Banana from Trinidad and Fanta Berries from Egypt). Of course, not all the offerings hail from another part of the world. Some are just hard to find, including Arizona Green Tea fruit snacks or Creme Savers candy (remember those?). Sure, you’ll pay a little more for some Polish Ham & Cheese Toast Cheetos than you would for a bag of Ruffles at Circle K, but a few more dollars is a small price to pay for experiencing a new world of global flavors.

Developments have significantly changed the face of Roosevelt Row in recent years, causing some to lament the loss of small creative spaces. But Songbird has been going strong since 2012, serving house-made pastries along with Arizona-sourced coffees and teas. Located in a house built in 1904, it’s got a cozy atmosphere where you can unwind or gather to catch up with friends, plus friendly staff who always make you feel welcome. Menu offerings include matcha, kombucha, espresso drinks, lemonade, seltzer, and more. They’ll even add CBD/hemp extract by the drop. The walls are lined with a changing selection of works by local artists, making this one of our favorite places to discover pieces we might not see in other settings. When local artists present live music or poetry, we love taking it all in from the casual seating in the front yard or by gathering in the side courtyard. Whether you’re into people-watching, checking out local art, or just sitting to sip a latte and do a bit of reading, Songbird never disappoints.

Thanks to Melrose District favorite Copper Star Coffee, the convenience of a drive-thru is not relegated to national chains. Find the little coffee shop on Seventh Avenue by its larger-than-life neon sign that points down to the dark red painted building that resembles an old-school gas pump. But here, they serve a different kind of fuel. Pull up to the front of the line and a friendly server will come to your window and take your order. Fresh bagels come smeared with cream cheese, dripping with Nutella, or stuffed with bacon, cheese, and eggs for a hearty start to the day. Lattes come hot, iced, or frozen with flavors ranging from pumpkin to lavender and fruit-flavored lemonades are sweet and refreshing. Make sure to take a look at the collage of colorful stickers decorating the doors and pumps while you wait in your car for your coffee fix.

There are a host of reasons to stop by Cha Cha’s Tea Lounge on Grand Avenue. The long menu is packed with sweet and herbaceous teas served by the cup. It’s the perfect place to get cozy with a book. And poetry and live music nights often pack the house. But a small shelf in the back of the cafe holds wonders. We love to sip on a cup of tea and get a nosh like a hummus plate or avocado toast, then go shopping. Little brown paper bags of loose-leaf teas range from $5 to $10 and allow customers to bring the tea shop experience home. Try some matcha, a smokey oolong, or a classic, bergamot-tinged Earl Grey.

Wren House Brewing Co. has somewhat of a cult following, and for good reason. This little brewery, located in a black-and-white bungalow on 24th Street, brews some of the best beer in town. In 2020, Wren House’s Spellbinder IPA beat out 376 other hoppy brews from around the country to take home the gold at the Great American Beer Festival. Its popular Valley Beer is sold at grocery and liquor stores around Arizona. Recently, the brewers opened a new production facility in Prescott to keep up with demand. But lucky for Phoenix locals, the taproom continues to pour pints with a cozy, casual atmosphere you want from a friendly neighborhood brewery. The taproom offers merch and cans for sale, food trucks often park outside, and the friendly brewery cat, Gravy, usually says hello.

Located in the old Easley’s Fun Shop building on McDowell Road, new brewery Roses by the Stairs had big shoes to fill. But the space has transformed from costume emporium into a beer-fueled neighborhood hangout. The large, airy space welcomes customers to grab a table or a spot on the scattered sofas and chairs, pick out a board game to play with friends, and sip on a flight of freshly brewed beers. The tap list is heavy on sours, fruit-filled ales, and IPAs as the business focuses on using local ingredients like prickly pears and Arizona-grown grains. In addition to serving great beer, Roses by the Stairs also donates a percentage of its revenue to environmental and local organizations.

Greenwood Brewing, located in the heart of downtown Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row, has a pretty small indoor seating area. That’s because almost all of the tables are outside. Two large patios flank the brewery, one offering the shade of a large tree and customers hanging out with their four-legged friends. The other has a more urban feel, complete with string lights, misters, loudspeakers, and a view into the behind-the-scenes action of the brewhouse. Indoors or on either patio, customers can sip Greenwood’s selection of rotating seasonal brews including the summery Blueberry Wheat and a Grapefruit Kolsch as well as its flagship beers such as the Herstory Pale Ale, Sol Oatmeal Stout, and Essence Rosemary IPA. Whether you’re sipping away the afternoon or grabbing a quick pint before a downtown show, Greenwood is the spot to hang out outside.

Nothing causes a frenzy in the Phoenix beer scene like a Las Frescas release. When Wren House Brewing Co. takes to social media to announce a new flavor of its coveted fruit brew series, fans immediately get excited. Online orders are placed, a line for pickups has been known to form around the small bungalow brewery, and the limited quantities sell out quick. Las Frescas started as thick, smoothie-like brews made with fresh fruit and lactose, giving them a milkshake-like flavor. During the pandemic, when customers switched to buying cans to go rather than pints on tap, the recipe was tweaked to make the beers more shelf-stable. Now, they resemble sours instead of milkshakes, but they remain equally in demand. Brightly colored labels hint at the flavors inside, ranging from guava strawberry to mango passionfruit and cherry apricot with vanilla. These brews are released mostly throughout the summer.

Coffee is often an ingredient found in dark beers such as stouts and porters. Cream ales bring light, vanilla aromas and soft flavors to the table. Walter Station Brewery’s Coffee & Cream Ale provides the perfect balance of both. Imagine if a frothy iced latte was a beer. It’s creamy, tinged with vanilla and notes of coffee, and malt brings a hint of caramel to the party. This ale is the exact opposite of a fizzy lager with lime. Find it in cans, or if you’re especially lucky, occasionally on draft at the brewery in nitro form. The infusion of nitrogen creates tiny bubbles that make it hard to believe a bartender rather than a barista poured this drink.

Far Away Wine and Provisions is a true hidden gem. The tiny strip mall space is jammed in between a boba shop and an optician on Indian School Road. But the small size indicates nothing about the offerings. One wall, stretching from the front of the bar to the back, is lined with shelves overflowing with unique bottles of wine. The by-the-glass menu rotates and offers reds, whites, rosés, and orange wines. And the food menu packs a punch. Owners Chris French and Pat Jasmin run the joint, so ask anyone for a recommendation and you’ll end up with a perfectly paired glass and snack. The decor is music-themed, so make sure to look around and enjoy a painting of Elvis on black velvet, vintage punk and New Wave band posters, and a selection of vinyl records.

Escape the city with a glass of wine on the patio at Garage-East. Here, the hours slip away and conversation flows along with the wine. Co-owner Brian Ruffentine traded a high-intensity career of fighting fires to open the laid-back wine bar with his wife, Megan. The bar finds its home in the second building of Barnone, a collaborative space in Gilbert where many local small businesses sell their wares. Inside, the bar embodies the barn vibe, with plenty of wood paneling. Outside, the feel is more pastoral, with white picket fences, Adirondack chairs, and string lights. The wine list is long and ever-rotating. The Garage East Tempranillo is a favorite, along with the unique “cocktail wine” creations including the bright orange, herbal Sonoran Spritz and the fruit-infused Breakfast Wine. Brunch, sandwiches, and boards help keep the wine going down smoothly throughout the day.

Walking into the downtown Phoenix location of Hidden Track Bottle Shop is like entering an extremely modern cave. The square concrete space has no windows, a choice made to protect the precious bottles from the harmful sun. But once your eyes adjust, take in the view of rows and rows of bottles of wine. Whether you’re looking for a crisp white to enjoy in the afternoon, or a deep red to pair with a hearty meal, Hidden Track is ready with a recommendation and a bottle. Head next door to the adjoining Hidden Track Cafe and pick up some imported European snacks and some funky cheese sure to wow any dinner party guest. An uptown location of the wine store celebrated its grand opening this fall.

When you walk in, you can practically hear the Cheers theme song play. Everyone is friendly. Everyone is talking to each other at the 12-seat bar and sipping a glass of wine, an Arizona beer, or a $3 Montucky Cold Snack. Chupacabra is where the Mesa locals go for a great beverage selection; there are 32 rotating beers on tap; a curated selection of cans; wines from Arizona, Argentina, and everywhere in between; and their latest addition, rotating slushies. Chupacabra is a solid hangout every day of the week, but if you’re there on the weekend, you may catch a DJ on the roof or a beer pong tournament, just some of the events Chupacabra hosts to make it a neighborhood mainstay, not just a place to get a drink.

SanTan Spirits has been distilling since 2015, and their Sacred Stave Arizona Bourbon makes it clear why they’re one of the top distilleries in Arizona. It’s not because their Cinnamaple Whiskey tastes amazing on French toast (it does). It’s because they’ve figured out how to distill a bourbon that challenges the notion that Kentucky is best. Their Sacred Stave bourbon is high rye with a 28 percent rye malt aged in white oak barrels and then finished in carefully selected wine barrels. The result is a ridiculously smooth and oaky bourbon, but with a slightly sweet finish because of wine barrels. The flavor profile is similar to bourbons from Angel’s Envy, Four Roses, and other heavy hitters that are their best in a rocks glass by the fireside.

If it’s made in Arizona, we can’t call it tequila, but Wild Hare Distillery is breaking down barriers in the world of agave spirits. Jim Matz and Wendy Tilton, the husband-and-wife team behind the distillery, are experimenting with new flavors and ways to think about agave spirits. Drove El Roble isn’t like other spirits — it’s something else. It’s created with their clear, agave spirit base, but they add fermented cacao to give it some chocolate notes, and it’s aged in an American oak barrel that provides the spirit with a rich, almost bourbon-like color and depth of flavor. On sipping, the notes of cacao come through along with some vanilla and oak from the char. It’s an ode to the complexity that an agave spirit can have.

Walking into Trevor’s as an adult is akin to the childhood experience of walking into a candy store. Trevor Phillips, the owner, knew what Total Wine was missing, and he ran with it and created a liquor store that isn’t just a stop on the way, but a destination in itself, just south of Old Town Scottsdale. The selection is excellent. There are colorful displays and end caps with liquor we haven’t even heard of before. There are recommendations and an entire refrigerated room to peruse cigars. And then it gets better. Past the registers, there’s a beer and wine bar with cozy chairs, a daily happy hour, and a constantly rotating selection. There’s nothing better than being able to try a beer before you commit to all four cans. The bar also has an expansive patio and a regular food truck schedule.

Recently, we took a friend who had never tried mead to Superstition Downtown, the local outpost of Superstition Meadery. She was unfamiliar with the beverage, which is fermented honey mixed with water and a host of optional ingredients including various fruits, herbs, and spices. She left a mead fan. Superstition Downtown makes it easy to explore the different types of meads: They offer predetermined or build-your-own tasting flights, one-ounce pours that give you several sips to figure out what you like. We love the Invisible Smile, a fruity mead made with apples and peaches; the Amante, a Belgian dark strong mead with notes of coffee and cinnamon; and Tiki Fruit, a lighter mead made with pineapple, coconut, and vanilla.

Downtown Mesa is slowly becoming a real hot spot for craft beer aficionados, with breweries sprinkled throughout the Main Street corridor. But Cider Corps offers something a little different. This spot functions very similarly to a brewery. There’s a patio with picnic tables, a large, slightly industrial space with lots of taps on the wall, board games to play, and tables for friends to hang out and grab a cold one. But here, the beverage of choice is made from apples. Brothers Josh and Jason Duren opened the cidery in 2017 with a recipe that squeezes all the flavor from the fruits they use, without much sugar. This means the ciders are packed with flavor, but are very different from the cloyingly sweet grocery store alternatives. Over the years, the menu options have expanded way beyond simple apples, to include mango and rosehip; passionfruit, orange, guava, a mix in the tropics known as POG; and black tea, lemon, and peach. The cidery pays homage to Jason Duren’s service with the U.S. Marine Corps, something that’s reflected in the decor of the cidery and the names of the cider, including Mango Foxtrot, Private Palmer, and a special release series of Cider Bombs. On a hot day, try a single flavor or colorful swirl of frozen and refreshing cider slushies.

Phoenix, as a rule, does things a little differently than the rest of the country. For instance, we don’t know how to use roundabouts that well, which is both a point of pride and a concern. But it also means that maybe we’re a bit more open-minded when it comes to culinary options. So, while the rest of the U.S. is cool with sucking down plain old lemonade, the Heard Museum’s prickly pear lemonade feels less like a cool gimmick and more of a significant declaration of the state’s identity. Sure, there are enough folks who think sampling the fruit of a prickly pear cactus might be silly, especially since most of us have some direct experience with the pain cactuses can deliver. But on the other hand, it’s really not all that removed from actual lemonade, and that extra bit of tartness and sweetness makes this concoction just novel enough without feeling overly adventurous. Plus, you can tell your friends and families you drink cactus fruit like they drink sweet tea, and that’s about as Phoenician as you can get without being made of copper.

Heaps of foods are associated with your average amusement park. But we submit the humble corn dog as a pillar for portability, excellence, and the overall “How American?” quotient. However, if you’re truly going to enjoy the wonderland of Phoenix, you need a special dog, and that’s where Two Hands Corn Dogs steps in. They specialize in Korean-style street hot dogs, which are often covered in potato cubes as opposed to your standard batter. And if that wasn’t intense enough, you can get them dusted with sweet ranch, Hot Cheetos powder, or even crispy rice puffs. (Fret not, unadventurous eaters, there are standard dogs available.) Yes, eating this is an easy way to understand the junk food obsessions of another culture, and what better way to expand your mind than through the power of carbs? At the same time, though, they’re really markedly different, and their mere presence expands the concept of the long-beloved corn dog in a way that feels exciting while still respecting the essence of this always-tasty treat. Is that perhaps the best metaphor for our fair city, and how it treats the past as it contemplates the future? We’ll let you ponder that over a scrumptious corn dog.