The 10 most anticipated Phoenix restaurants and bars opening this year

The Valley’s restaurant scene is never stayed. Last year, Phoenix welcomed a fresh slate of new spots, including plenty of posh Mediterranean eateries, fresh slice shops and a multi-concept cafe serving killer coffee and pastries. 2025 marked the return of one iconic Valley steakhouse and the demise of another, which closed along with other adored restaurants that served craveable tacos, comforting gastropub cuisine and prix fixe tasting menus.

The appetite of diners and ambitions of restaurateurs haven’t left these kitchens vacant for long. A wave of new restaurants arrived in December, and more are on the horizon. 

This year, restaurants drawing on flavors from across Asia are coming in strong, along with a theatrical Italian restaurant backed by big local names and a chain roadside stop known for its barbecue and road trip-friendly snacks.

Here are the 10 restaurants and bars that we can’t wait to visit, and that stand to reshape the Valley’s dining scene, in 2026.

Tropic Thunder

Opens Jan. 21
1014 N. Second St.
Restaurateur Julian Wright has already given Roosevelt Row revelers spots to sip craft beer, sake and cocktails. Soon, a “cheeky tiki” bar will join Wright’s other downtown haunts Pedal Haus Brewery, Sake Haus and Luckys Indoor Outdoor. Tropic Thunder is set to open on Jan. 21 on Second Street just north of Roosevelt Street. The bar will feature several classic tiki cocktails along with bar staples, such as beer-and-shot combos. Wright has partnered with architect Wesley James to design the space. The two worked together on the Tempe dual bar concept, Devil’s Hideaway and Idle Hands, and James also designed the immersive Valley bars Century Grand and UnderTow. Wright describes the aesthetic as a “twist” on traditional tiki with a “bit of a punk rock vibe.” We can’t wait to pull up an animal print stool and bask in the black light glow while sipping a Jungle Bird.

PoNy’s Miches

Opens in February
105 W. Portland St.
The popular West Valley mariscos joint PoNy’s Miches is going big in downtown Phoenix. Its owners, Jose “Pony” Flores, his wife, Analiz Gonzalez and Sergio Escamilla will open PoNy’s Miches Michelada Bar & Grill in the former home of FEZ on Central. The expansive restaurant on the corner of Central Avenue and Portland Street is getting a beach-inspired refresh. The PoNy’s team says the full kitchen means diners can expect a larger menu. Customers will still find shrimp ceviches with scratch-made sauces, seafood tacos and loaded fries, but those will be served alongside new options, such as wings and burgers. PoNy’s westside location does not have a liquor license; at the downtown restaurant, guests will be able to sip a fully loaded michelada made with Flores’ fresh mix and house chamoy.

Nadu

Opens in early 2026
21001 N. Tatum Blvd.
Valley gourmands and chefs alike have been abuzz about the Michelin Guide’s impending arrival. This stamp of approval, to some, is recognition of the scene’s entrance onto a bigger stage. Speculation about which restaurants may make the list abounds. Meanwhile, the team behind Nadu has continued to dazzle Valley diners at their Chandler restaurant, Feringhee Modern Indian, and racked up Michelin stars and recognition in other states. Chef Sujan Sarkar, a co-founder of Feringhee, received a star and a Bib Gourmand for two restaurants in Chicago, the latter of which is Nadu. Soon, Valley diners will get a “bold, immersive taste of India” from a Nadu location opening at Desert Ridge Marketplace.

Udon Shin

Opens in early 2026
138 S. Dobson Road, #108, Mesa
Renowned Japanese restaurant Udon Shin is known for drawing long lines of customers eager to taste its viral carbonara udon and crispy tempura. The first U.S. location of the popular restaurant from chef and owner Narahara Shinji, is coming to the Valley. It will join a slew of new eateries in Mesa’s recently expanded Mekong Plaza. Details about the U.S. menu are scant, though the restaurant, which is led by the team who brought Mensho Ramen to Arizona, has teased its house-made noodles, dashi and signature carbonara with tempura bacon. Udon Shin is anticipated to open early this year.

Din Tai Fung

Opens in April 
7014 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale
Fans of homemade soup dumplings, pillowy bao and wontons doused in chile oil won’t have to wait much longer to try the renowned Taiwanese restaurant Din Tai Fung. The international chain has locations across the globe, with U.S. restaurants in California, Nevada, New York, Oregon and Washington. In Scottsdale, the new restaurant will take up a 10,000-square-foot space on the ground level of the Scottsdale Fashion Square mall, with seating for 340 customers. The restaurant will feature a window into the dumpling kitchen, a signature spot at each Din Tai Fung location where customers can watch talented cooks carefully fold perfect dumplings. Even better news? Din Tai Fung has a second location in Chandler in the works for 2027.

Roman God of Fire

Opens in the second quarter of 2026 
80 S. Rio Salado Pkwy., Tempe
Roman God of Fire will be unabashedly “over the top,” and “theatrical,” one of its founders shared with Phoenix New Times last year. The Pretty Decent Concepts team knows a thing or two about building spaces with drama and flair. They’ve immersed drinkers in a retro jet lounge with downtown’s Carry On and taken diners to the Yucatan at the Tempe hotspot Filthy Animal. For this latest Tempe project, the Pretty Decent Concepts team has partnered with celebrity chef Scott Conant to craft a menu of classic Italian and Roman items. Diners will be able to dive into pasta amatriciana from curved booths flanked by custom statutes. Those who would like to end their dining experience on a sinfully spirited note will be able to visit Forgive Me Father, a modern cocktail lounge hidden inside the restaurant.

Buc-ee’s

Opens this summer 
1001 N. Bullard Ave., Goodyear
How good can beef jerky and barbecue sandwiches from a gas station really be? Travelers and tasters alike can decide for themselves when Buc-ee’s arrives this summer. The mega convenience store chain from Texas will open its first Arizona location in Goodyear off of Interstate 10. A bevvy of treats, along with reliably clean bathrooms, endear people to the highway-adjacent shops that boast a gregarious beaver as a mascot. The new spot will serve up smoked brisket sandwiches and offer treats from an alluring wall of jerky and caramel corn puff Beaver Nuggets, essential to the Buc-ee’s experience. 

Hornbill

Opens this summer
3603 E. Indian School Road
Phoenix cocktail visionary Jason Asher will launch a new cocktail lounge with longtime restaurateur Jennifer Russo this summer. The duo plan to open the Southeast Asian-inspired Hornbill in the former home of The Market by Jennifer’s in Arcadia. This food-forward lounge will feature shareable “small plates, very seasonally driven and from all parts of Asia,” Russo says, such as chile crab, noodles, hamachi and tartares. Alongside those, Asher will craft drinks that are “on trend with global cocktail trends, things you would see in Mexico City, Asia, around the world,” he said. The duo will partner with architect James, the designer behind Tropic Thunder. He’ll transform the space into a “cocktail sanctuary,” evoking the lush tropics and the arched whimsy of a bird cage. 

Glai Baan’s sibling concept

Opens in 2026
34 E. Seventh St., Tempe
Cat Bunnag and Dan Robinson, the owners of the exceptional Thai street food eatery Glai Baan, plan to open a new restaurant in Tempe’s historic Gov. Benjamin B. Moeur House and Hatton Hall. What that concept will be is still in development, Bunnag shared with Phoenix New Times. But the exciting news is that diners will soon have another place to experience Bunnag’s acclaimed cooking. The Tempe space is located just off of Mill Avenue on the corner of Seventh Street and Myrtle Avenue. It joins a raft of forthcoming restaurants reshaping the area surrounding Tempe’s storied Mill Avenue.

Clare House Social

Opens in 2026
309 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert
A century-old cottage sits back from Gilbert Road in the East Valley town’s bustling Heritage District. It’s weathered plenty of changes to the area, but perhaps the most notable was dodging a wrecking ball.The former home to the beloved Bergies Coffee Roast House was slated to become a nightclub before that project fell apart in late 2024. Enter Nathan Ares and Ares Collective, which operated an outpost of the brunch spot Prep & Pastry next door. Ares shuttered Prep & Pastry and has a new restaurant in the works that will utilize both spaces and the courtyard in front of the house. Last year, Ares shared his vision for the forthcoming Clare House Social, which will include a huge pergola, small outdoor bar, TVs airing games and a window for customers to order prime rib sandwiches, salads and shareable snacks.

Bonus: There is one Valley restaurant that is reportedly set to open in 2026. But after the hotel in which it will reside has experienced heaps of delays, we’re crossing our fingers:

Bonus: Bar Mar at VAI Resort

9601 Cardinals Way, Glendale
This seafood-driven restaurant, backed by Spanish-American celebrity chef and humanitarian José Andrés, could be one of the year’s splashiest openings. So why are we hedging on Bar Mar? The restaurant’s home, at VAI Resort in Glendale, has been plagued by delays. Originally anticipated to open in 2023, the 60-acre hotel and entertainment complex’s opening date has been pushed back several times. This fall, VAI officials released a statement saying they’re “not ready to provide a specific opening date.” We hope, for the sake of Valley diners eager to experience Andrés’ “celebration of the sea,” that changes soon.