This west-side mom-and-pop shop is one of the oldest Vietnamese restaurants in metro Phoenix and still one of the best. First-time visitors should try the pho dac biet, or the house special pho, which comes with slices of brisket, tendon, and tripe floating atop rice noodles submerged in a meaty broth. The broth is clear and fragrant with a distinctively savory depth. Don't miss the shareable banh xeo, a turmeric-stained rice paper crepe stuffed with bean sprouts, shrimp, and shredded pork. Of course, you probably shouldn't leave without one of the restaurant's famous macaron ice-cream sandwiches.

It used to be that you had to drive to L.A. for the kind of funky and creative Korean fusion bar food you'll find at Drunken Tiger. Not anymore. This quirky and dive-y restaurant and bar, which is tucked into a corner of a Mesa strip mall, delivers a menu that's rooted in the tradition of Korean anju, otherwise known as drinking food. Don't miss the bao — the fluffy steam buns are folded over savory ingredients like barbecued pork belly and juicy fried Spam. If you're craving Korean fried chicken, try the padak, bite-size pieces of deep-fried chicken breast buried under ribbons of scallions. If you're feeling brave, order the buldak, a.k.a. fire chicken. The silky hunks of chicken are bathed in a fiery hot sauce, then smothered in melted mozzarella cheese. Wash it all down with one of the bar's delicious soju cocktails.

A perennial favorite just north of central Phoenix's Melrose District, Hana Japanese Eatery is a lively bistro serving a strong menu of casual yet polished Japanese dishes. Co-owners Lori Hashimoto and Lynn Becker, along with a long-running crew of sushi chefs and cooks, put out signature dishes like ika kara age, fresh squid slathered in sweet butter and then fried tempura-style. For many regulars, though, Hana is a destination for artful, well-crafted sushi and sashimi. One of the freshest and most beautiful-looking rolls on the sushi menu is the florid Hana Pride, which features crisp cucumber wrapped around yellowtail, tuna, salmon, crab, albacore, and whitefish.

Bangkok native Pornsupak "Cat" Bunnag and partner Dan Robinson have turned Phoenix's Thai food scene on its ear with this lively midtown bistro. Glai Baan's small menu specializes in Thai street snacks and northeastern Thai specialties, including pork skewers, larb, noodle dishes, and kanom jeeb, or freshly steamed pork dumplings. Bunnag skillfully deploys staple ingredients like garlic, basil, and lime to create irresistible sauces and curries. With a refined take on Thai street food and harder-to-find regional specialties, Glai Baan represents a big step forward for Thai cooking in metro Phoenix.

This casually upscale Chinese restaurant specializes in the bold, elusive flavors of northwest China's Shaanxi province and its capital city of Xi'an. The expansive menu spans more than 50 dishes, including stews, dumplings, offal, barbecue, and handmade noodles. Service is exceptional, and you'll find plenty of dishes that are hard to locate at other Chinese restaurants around metro Phoenix. Don't miss house specialties like crispy Shaanxi-style chicken and broad, silky biangbiang noodles served with slow-roasted pork. On the weekends, the restaurant hosts traditional guzheng (Chinese harp) musical performers.

In the past several years, Sichuan-style cooking has become one of the most popular regional Chinese cuisines. And why not? Just try to resist the vibrant, lip-numbing properties of Sichuan peppercorns, or the spicy, oily allure of a mala sauce. One of the best places to explore the sophisticated, boldly flavored world of Sichuan-style cooking is at Original Cuisine. The menu is huge, encompassing noodle dishes, meaty stews, and vegetable small plates. Try the house barbecued fish, a whole fried catfish, topped with peanuts and perfumed with peppercorns, that's served over a fragrant, chile-infused stew.

This long-running family-owned restaurant (formerly known as the Tahoora Grill) serves terrific Indian, Pakistani, and Afghan fare in an unassuming east-side dining room. Come for the Indian restaurant staples like the succulent chicken tikka masala and butter chicken. Stay for fragrant, beautifully seasoned dishes like shrimp biryani cooked with fresh herbs and spices, or the beef chapli kabab, a Pashtun-style minced beef kebab served with fresh veggies and herbs. Not sure what to order? The restaurant offers a popular all-day Sunday buffet that lets you sample from around the menu.

How do we love Haji-Baba? Let us count the ways. First, the menu is filled with standout Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes, from juicy gyros and crispy falafel to a velvety lamb tongue sandwich (trust us, just try it), and our favorite, richly spiced chicken shawarma accented with a pungent and addictive garlic sauce. Next, all that food we just mentioned is less than $10 per dish, as are most of the menu items. Also, before or after your meal, you can take a stroll down the aisles of the market housed in the same space, picking up international coffee, small bags of spices, and several varieties of baklava to take home. Finally, service is always friendly and fast, making Haji-Baba one of our favorite spots in metro Phoenix for a casual meal.

The best African restaurant in Phoenix has no waiters. Often, the menu doesn't faithfully reflect what the kitchen is cooking. But that can be forgiven, for Authentic Ethio African is a ghost restaurant — one that specializes in takeout and delivery — and the food is that good. Injera, made from teff, wheat, and barley, is riddled with pocks and explodes with wholesome, sour tang. Stews like chicken perfumed with ginger and berbere, fresh farmers' cheese made from whole milk, and cabbage and carrots yellow with turmeric are some of the many surprisingly soothing items that come atop. Ghost or not, this unheralded restaurant impresses.

Persian restaurants usually tend to be over-the-top affairs featuring white linen tablecloths, baroque furniture, and dangling chandeliers — or else they're barebones kabob counters. Saffron JAK finally offers something in between the two — a casual spot for a sit-down lunch or reasonably priced dinner, featuring freshly baked sagnak flatbread. The menu includes lamb and chicken kebabs, of course, but also less-traditional fare such as sagnak pizzas topped with feta, and "Persian tacos" stuffed with grilled meat and basmati rice and topped with yogurt sauce. Whatever you order, make sure to grab a loaf of bread to take home. And if you can't make it to the brick-and-mortar location, follow @saffronjak on Instagram to keep tabs on the restaurant's food truck, which offers a limited menu at a number of places around town, or find its booth at Phoenix Public Market.