Barrio Queen
Audio By Carbonatix
Last month, we said hello to I Heart Mac & Cheese, the first Jinya Ramen Bar, and Thaily’s. But we lost iconic restaurants like Nobuo at Teeter House as well as the Uptown location of SanTan Brewing & Distilling.
Let’s take a look at openings and closings in April.
OPENINGS
Barrio Queen
10455 West McDowell Road, Avondale
Cinco de Mayo might look a little different this year in Avondale. Patrons can enjoy margaritas and Mexican fare at the latest location of Barrio Queen.
I Heart Mac & Cheese
1342 West Warner Road, #108B, TempeI Heart Mac & Cheese opened its first location in Arizona. The menu includes build-your-own macaroni and cheese bowls and grilled cheese sandwiches. Some of the other menu highlights include baked meatball parmesan and the lobster and white truffle Mac-n-cheese.
Eat My Taco
921 East University Drive, Tempe
A new taco shop has opened near ASU’s main campus. Eat My Taco offers carne asada, beef birria, shredded chicken, and pork carnitas tacos. And each taco is less than $5.
Biscuits
9542 East Riggs Road, Sun Lakes
The third location of Biscuits has opened in Sun Lakes. Meatloaf, rib-eye steaks, pancakes, and more are available on the menu.
A newly added tequila bar at Isabel Amor Mexican Cafe will certainly make things interesting.
Isabel Amor Mexican Cafe & Tequila Bar
Isabel’s Amor Mexican Café & Tequila Bar
1490 East Williams Field Roa, #101, Gilbert
Gilbert restaurant Isabel’s Amor Mexican Cafe & Tequila Bar expands this month to include a special tequila bar. Flights and pairings of tequila are available to complement your meal.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
15033 North Thompson Peak Parkway, #105, Scottsdale
Atlanta-based Tropical Smoothie Cafe opened its first Scottsdale location. The cafe serves flatbreads, wraps, bowls, and, of course, a variety of smoothies, including detox island green, starfruit, and chia banana boost. You can also add a variety of supplements to each smoothie.
MercBar
2525 East Camelback Road, #120
MercBar reopened last month after being closed for more than a year. The classic neighborhood bar with Soho roots has been a Valley drinking spot since 1996 when it opened in its Esplanade location near Biltmore Fashion Park. More details here.
Enjoy the ambiance and creative ramen dishes at Jinya Ramen Bar.
JINYA Ramen Bar
JINYA Ramen Bar
130 South Arizona Avenue, Chandler
Arizona’s first JINYA Ramen Bar is now open in Chandler. Creative ramen dishes are made with a broth that has been simmering for 20 hours. It goes great with the handmade noodles.
Tacos and Hot Dogs Los Mayitos
330 South Gilbert Road, #1, Mesa
Tacos and Hot Dogs Los Mayitos will satisfy your craving for Sonoran-style hot dogs. It also offers stuffed grilled cheese hot dogs and tacos (no, we did not forget the commas).
Lin’s Grand Buffet
1215 South Ellsworth Road, Mesa
Those who have hearty appetites can go wild at this all-you-can-eat buffet. Expect Chinese-American dishes and seafood at Lin’s Grand Buffet.
Choose your favorite Chinese dish at Wok’N Roll.
Wok’N Roll
Wok’N Roll
2801 North Central Avenue
The Old Town Asian eatery Wok’N Roll has opened its second location in Phoenix. Sushi, bowls, fried rice, and a variety of Chinese dishes are offered at the restaurant.
TC’s Pub & Grub
25 East Ray Road, Gilbert
TC’s Pub and Grub opened its second location in Gilbert. And themed specials during the week make it extra affordable. Those include an all-day happy hour on Mondays, taco Tuesdays, and wing Wednesdays. Bar favorites like burgers, wings, and street tacos are also in the mix.
Modern Tortilla
13730 West Camelback Road, Litchfield Park
Chopped champion Tommy D’Ambrosia decided to take his food truck concept, Modern Tortilla, to a brick-and-mortar level. Find elote, chicken flautas, tacos, and burritos inside Fry’s at Litchfield Marketplace.
Mora Italian reopened after being closed since July 2020.
Mora Italian
Mora Italian
5651 North Seventh Street
Celebrity chef Scott Conant’s Italian restaurant Mora Italian reopened after being closed since last July 2020 because of the pandemic. All of the ambiance and faves are back. See more details here.
Jake’s Unlimited Sweet Shoppe
1830 East Baseline Road, Mesa
At Jake’s Unlimited Sweet Shoppe guests can enjoy a vintage ice cream parlor with goodies like craft root beer, ice cream floats, and “magical” milkshakes.
Portillo’s
17125 North 79th Avenue, Glendale
The fourth Arizona location of Portillo’s has opened, this one in Glendale. Hot dogs, burgers, salads, Polish sausage, and more are offered on the menu.
Plent of nutritious offerings at Pressed.
Pressed
Pressed
15147 North Scottsdale Road, Suite H1-100, Scottsdale
There is a new place to grab drinks and snacks in the Scottsdale Quarter. Pressed offers green juices, açaí bowls, and other nutritious-leaning options.
Sushi-n-U
780 West Elliot Road, Tempe
Watch the chefs make your meal in front of you at Tempe’s Sushi-n-U. With more than 40 choices of sushi rolls, you won’t struggle to find something new every time.
Thaily’s
444 East Chandler Boulevard, #1, Chandler
Thaily’s owners Thai Kambar and husband Lee Kambar are offering Cambodian and Arabic finger foods.
Vermicelli noodle bowls, gyros, pitas, and spring rolls, and egg musubi are on the menu.
Nobuo at Teeter House at Heritage Square confirmed its closure last month.
Jacob Tyler Dunn
NOTABLE CLOSINGS
Nobuo at Teeter House
Chef and owner Nobuo Fukuda confirmed in April that his downtown Phoenix restaurant Nobuo at Teeter House would remain closed. The pandemic forced him to close after nearly a decade in business.
SanTan Brewing & Distilling
The Phoenix location of SanTan Brewing & Distilling has closed. The folks at SanTan say they plan to focus on the East Valley.
Korea Mart
Korea Mart, a Korean grocery store open since 2017, has closed. The supermarket anchoring Three Fountains Plaza was owned by Seong Lee.
AZ Bitters Lab
The Chandler-based bitters company has had to halt production thanks to a recent decision from the Department of Liquor Licensing and Control, which now labels AZ Bitters Lab as a producer of spirits.
