Best Salads 2024 | Perfect Pear Bistro | Food & Drink | Phoenix
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Best Salads

Perfect Pear Bistro

Restaurant salads are often predictable at best to sad, droopy or just plain weird at worst. Suffering through slimy lettuce, rubbery cherry tomatoes, wedge salads drowning in dressing or cardboardy kale Caesars adds insult to injury when you're trying to eat right. But family-owned East Valley mini-chain Perfect Pear Bistro will make you eager to devour greens and superfoods. It features 10 entree salads with interesting ingredient combinations, delicious housemade dressings and a wide choice of add-on proteins including chicken, shrimp, salmon and mock chik'n or falafel for vegans. The Perfect Pear Classic is a lovely and surprising balance of sweet, savory, herbal and tart thanks to pears (of course), dried cranberries, gorgonzola, mint, red onions and toasted hazelnuts topped with cider vinaigrette. The Baja lime will satisfy your Southwestern cravings, while Strawberry Fields adds naughty bacon to the fruity mix (though you can ask to leave it off). Many items sport other, guiltless protein sources such as quinoa, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. There are also quinoa bowls, tacos, pasta, sandwiches, soups and a full bar, including wine, craft beer and specialty cocktails, so it's ideal for groups of disparate diners and drinkers.

Best Sushi

Shimogamo

Tirion Boan

Fresh fish is the name of the game at Shimogamo, a sushi counter and upscale restaurant tucked into the corner of an unassuming Chandler strip mall. The family behind the restaurant moved to Arizona from Japan in 1994. Determined to share the true flavors of their homeland, they opened Shimogamo in 2003. Founders Sanae and Yoshio Otomo have since passed the torch to their daughter, Mika, and her husband, Tokyo-trained chef Daisuke Itagaki. The duo recently expanded the concept with a new location in Gilbert, but we're partial to the original, modern yet cozy sushi counter in Chandler. For the freshest catch, check the specials board to see what these talented sushi chefs are slicing up daily.

Best Ramen

Origami Ramen Bar

Origami Ramen Bar

Ahwatukee isn't generally known as a culinary destination, but people come from far and wide for Origami Ramen. Owner/chef Yusuke Kuroda, an Osaka native and Nobu alum, opened an affordable, family-friendly, casual joint in summer 2020, and we've deemed it the best ramen in Best of Phoenix for four years running. The classic creamy chicken and pork broth is insanely rich and fragrant, while the black soy with black garlic oil imparts otherworldly earthy umami. More than a dozen bowls come with curly noodles with a slight chew or silky, slender noodles; you can't go wrong. Protein choices are tender, fall-apart white meat chicken, pork belly cha-shu or tofu, and garnishes include fresh-as-can-be green onions with a sting, sweet corn kernels and perfectly soft-boiled eggs. Origami also sells a smattering of fried appetizers, Japanese curries, rice bowls and sweet drinks, and it's cute as a button inside thanks to an eye-catching origami light fixture and walls plastered with anime stickers.

Best Dim Sum

Great Wall

Great Wall

Make sure to skip breakfast before showing up to Great Wall for dim sum. The west Valley restaurant has an extensive menu that often tempts us to over-ordering — and overeating. The dim sum comes in three price tiers: small, medium and large/special, and there are treasures to be found at every level. We love the shrimp shumai (the biggest we've ever seen), the spareribs with black bean and the crispy roast duck. There are dishes for adventurous eaters (think chicken feet and tripe with ginger and scallion) and for those who like tried-and-true Chinese dishes, such as salt and pepper chicken wings and barbecue pork buns. It all passes by your table in the large dining area. Bring a group to try more dishes, but be advised that although dim sum is served every day, some items are only available on the weekends.

Best Dumplings

Happy Bao's

Happy Baos

The dining options inside Mekong Plaza frequently change. But Happy Bao's stands strong, continuing to serve the Valley's best dumplings year after year. These handmade, slightly irregularly shaped parcels are as delicious as they are unique. The chefs at this small restaurant share recipes from northern China and make excellent noodle and rice dishes along with fluffy buns and soup-filled xiao long bao. But the signature dumplings, stuffed with pork, chives, eggs and shrimp, are our go-to. They have a slightly thicker skin than many varieties, giving them a super-satisfying chew. They also come in pork and chicken flavors or in a combo of 20 for the perfect dumpling feast.

Best British Bakery

The Great Gadsby

Millionaire's shortbread, sticky toffee pudding and custard trifles, oh my! Any British expat will feel their heart flutter at the mention of such delights. And these hard-to-find treats can all be bought at The Great Gadsby, a small but mighty bakery in Gilbert. Stop in for a savory, flaky, buttery sausage roll, and you'll inevitably leave with a box full of goodies to enjoy later. This bakery has been serving a blend of British baked goods with a little French patisserie influence and a dash of American cooking since it opened in 2017. Popular items do sell out, so we recommend stopping in early, or placing an online order if you've got something really specific in mind. Otherwise, drop by and see what treats you might find in the case.

Best Pastries

JL Patisserie

Bahar Anooshahr

Whether you're seeking a fresh-baked flaky pastry on the go or want to sit down and savor it with a cup of coffee, JL Patisserie should be your go-to spot. It offers several varieties and even a few to take home and cook yourself. A croissant with smoked ham and Swiss cheese is the perfect way to ease into a Saturday morning. Or, finish off brunch or one of its weekend specials with the sweetness of a chocolate coconut pecan scone. Scottsdale is the flagship location, opening nearly a year before the central Phoenix spot took over the space of an ice cream shop in December 2019. The display case is filled with what seems like endless options — savory or sweet. And what French cafe is complete without an offering of macarons? JL Patisserie offers 13, from Earl Grey and rose lychee to more standard fare like strawberry, lemon and vanilla. Do yourself a favor and spend a morning exploring what this cafe has to offer.

Best Bread

Nice Buns

Chef-turned-baker Mark Bookhamer has crafted crispy, crackly baguettes, squeezable milk bread buns and more for chefs around town since 2021 under the name Nice Buns Bakery. Although he sells directly to restaurants, there's no need to fret about finding Bookhamer's breads. Made from local small-batch grains from Hayden Flour Mills, Bookhamer's baked goods are featured on menus around the Valley. You can sample his pretzels and sesame buns at Wren Sudhalle in Ahwatukee; try one of Underbelly Meat Co.'s rotating sandwiches on one of Bookhamer's buns, baguettes or ciabatta; or tuck into pan con tomate at wine bar Kid Sister. A thick slab of Bookhamer's country loaf soaks up its juicy, smoky, garlicky tomato topper. Follow the bakery on social media @nice_buns_bakery, where Bookhamer will often share the latest spots serving his carby delights.

Best Bagels

The Bagel Man

We're about 2,500 miles from New York City, where a good bagel is easy to find. Here in Phoenix, you have to drive past a staggering number of chain bagel shops and mediocre bakeries to find a bagel that's worth its salt (or garlic, or poppy seed). The Bagel Man in Ahwatukee is where we go for a truly excellent bagel. Owner Kal Salih opened his first bagel shop in New Jersey in 1994, and he's got the formula down pat: Use water filtered and softened to replicate East Coast H20, make the dough in-house, make them nice and big, then boil them to perfection. The results are massive bagels with a nice crisp exterior and a tender interior. You can get them in the form of a breakfast sandwich with egg, cheese and a selection of meats, but we like them best done simply: with just a schmear of cream cheese, allowing the bagel to be the star of our morning.

Best Cookies

Urban Cookies Bakeshop

Judy Nichols

You can smell the carbs as soon as you open the door to Urban Cookies, so take a deep whiff of baked goods as you walk inside the tiny retail store. There's just enough room to lean in for a closer look at the nearly dozen cookie options, which include a Prickly Pear Saguaro sugar cookie, because Arizona. These treats are not of the grocery store variety. They are sizable — with mere mortals needing both hands to hold on before taking a bite — and they are baked fresh every morning in both the Phoenix and Scottsdale stores. If your sweet tooth is more fixated on cupcakes, pick from among a dozen everyday flavors and occasional specials. This bakery also offers dessert bars, iced cookies and cakes. They've been curing sugar cravings since 2005.

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