Molly’s Tamales

There are a few foods that Valley visitors must eat while in town – and that former Phoenicians most likely miss – and somewhere at the top of that list are tamales. For a taste of handmade-with-love tamales, a trip to Molly’s Tamales in Glendale is in order. The small corner shop features an unthinkable […]

Morton’s The Steakhouse

A big-city steak house with big-city prices to match. Of course, Morton’s is one of the premier chophouses in the country, serving gorgeous slabs of prime-grade beef that could tempt a hacky-sack-obsessed veg-head. But is it worth the Hummer-size dent in your credit card? Well, the best hunk o’ cow we ever had was prepped […]

Native New Yorker

Pretend you’re in the Big Apple at one of 20 Native New Yorker restaurants in the greater Phoenix area. The pizza doesn’t taste exactly like the real thing, but there’s plenty to go around, including the Meaty Beast (pepperoni, sausage, bacon, ham, and meatballs) and Buffalo Chicken (spicy pizza topped with grilled chicken, hot sauce, […]

New Orleans Sno Ball

It’s nearly impossible to find a classic shaved ice place in the desert, but NOSB is ours. Any time of year, shaved ice flavored with yummy syrups is a light, refreshing treat. Morning visitors might consider the iced chicory coffee, spiked with half and half and vanilla syrup for a sweet edge; everyone else is […]

Noodles Ranch

Way-cheap, very satisfying Vietnamese eats, in a pleasant, casual environment that features red umbrellas hanging upside down from the ceiling and blue walls hung with black-and-white photos taken by the owner’s father. The specialty here is pho, a hearty soup of rice noodles and broth, traditionally using beef, but these days it also incorporates seafood […]

The Normal Diner

Housed in an old ASU-adjacent IHOP restaurant, Normal Diner offers modified diner fare and all-day breakfast dishes, many tarted up with chic ingredients from local vendors, and nearly all of them worth a try. Presentation is important here; so standard fare like house cheddar biscuits and gravy and red quinoa and kale salad come out […]