Half Moon Sports Grill

Your eyes will get a workout inside this North Phoenix jock joint. Besides its abundance of attractive waitresses and bartenders you’d swear do some modeling, tasteful photos of almost-uncovered derrières hang from the walls. If you prefer to watch sports instead of indulging your voyeuristic tendencies, more than 50 HDTVs are tuned to ESPN, FSN […]

Heart and Soul Cafe

This cute little cafe with a ’57 Chevy in the middle of the room (and a dining table in the middle of the Chevy) offersoptions to make your breakfast seem anything but everyday. It’s a favorite place for pancakes in particular, with the Bacon Blue Pancakes topping our list of favorite breakfast dishes. The dish […]

Hillside Spot

Chef-owner Doug Robson, who also owns CenPho’s Gallo Blanco Café, is truly filling a need in this part of town, where comfy, independently owned neighborhood joints aren’t easy to come by yet there are plenty of residents eager to spend disposable income on breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just a glass of wine and snacks. Hillside […]

Hob Nobs

People who’ve lived here a long time remember when this little Cotswold cottage was the home of the Willo House, and many of us were sad to see that long-time favorite lunch spot go away. That is, until we stopped in to eyeball the warm, friendly, and chic breakfast-and-lunch caf

Huss Brewing Co. Taproom at Uptown Plaza

This Tempe brewery made its way to Uptown Plaza, settling in a back-corner spot with a cozy patio and open dining area. At Huss Brewing Co. you can grab an icy cold helping of the Papago Orange Blossom or the Koffee Kolsch, which is especially encouraged during happy hour – 3 to 6 p.m., Monday […]

Imperial Market & Deli

In 2010, this Jewish market and deli, which has served excellent imported meats since 2006, opened a dining room for sit-down table service. The large menu includes all the delicatessen favorites and many more sandwiches, including shwarma, kebabs, falafel, freshly ground burgers, and schnitzel, in addition to entree-size platters of stuffed cabbage rolls, roasted chicken, […]

The Iowa Cafe

Phoenix has a lot of transplants from other parts of the country: New England, the South, and especially California. But Arizona seems to draw more Midwesterners than anything else. So it’s no surprise that one Mesa restaurant serves a taste of America’s Heartland. The Iowa Caf

LAMP Cafe

LAMP Café is a small, refined café from the team behind LAMP Pizzeria in north Scottsdale, which has been recognized for its Neapolitan-inspired, wood-fired pizza menu. Located right next door, LAMP Café showcases chef Matt Pilato’s talent for working with bread and traditional Italian salumi. The menu is mostly light Italian fare, including sandwiches, salads, […]

Lee’s Sandwiches

The capital of banh mi in AZ, banh mi being those Vietnamese submarine sandwiches crafted with crusty French bread and filled with any number of items including pork meatballs, barbecued pork slices, head cheese, ham, cilantro, pickled daikon, and so on. These Southeast Asian sammies are dead cheap — usually under $3 per — and […]

Luke’s of Chicago

Homesick for Chicago, or know someone who is? Take your taste buds on a trip back at Luke’s of Chicago, an Arizona restaurant that originated in the Windy City. The recipes and preparation techniques for the signature Italian beef – thinly sliced, tender, full of flavor, and totally irresistible – were handed down by family […]

The Lunch Bag

The kind of casual place “Where it’s always lunch time,” the Lunch Bag offers a lengthy menu of mid-day items in Scottsdale like sandwiches served with Lays chips, salads, and homemade desserts. The Lunch Bag’s signature sandwiches include the Tuna Ciabatta, Spicy Roast Beef, and the well-known Mom’s Homemade Hot Meatloaf – featuring hot meatloaf […]

The Lunch Lounge

Channel 15 personalities and hotel and business guests are among the lunchtime clientele at this tiny eatery tucked into an office complex off 44th Street north of Van Buren Street. The menu features $8 signature sandwiches like the tasty Southwest chipotle chicken Panini, $6 build-your-own sammies made with Boar’s Head meats, salads, and a few […]

The Main Ingredient Ale House

Owner Matt Diamond might’ve honed his chops at some of the Valley’s best wine bars, but he and his wife Courtney decided to call their restaurant an “ale house” instead, offering five AZ craft brews among the eight on tap, along with 20 bottles and cans. There’s still wine, of course, as well as a […]

Majerle’s Sports Grill

Majerle’s Sports Grill offers friendly staff serving up quality food, refreshing drinks and good times in stylish and comfortable digs. The state-of-the-art audio/video system and cool patio is a great place to dig into Cory’s Old School Nachos, warm tortilla chips covered with spicy ground beef, homemade cheese sauce, then topped with green onions, black […]

Mary Coyle Ol’ Fashion Ice Cream Parlor

We know all about Mary Coyle’s ice cream treats, but we never used to think about this longtime Phoenix dessert palace as a great lunch place. We sure do now, thanks to the Sweet Virginia Ham Sandwich, a Coyle family recipe made with thin-sliced ham, sweet relish, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. It’s our favorite, next […]

Miracle Mile Deli

This deli serves up comfy, New York-style dishes that are nothing short of miraculous. Delicious sandwich bargains include savory brisket of beef, corned beef, and the signature Straw, uniting pastrami with sauerkraut and melted Swiss. Daily specials are super, rotating from hand-carved roast turkey to macaroni and cheese, meat loaf and beef stew.