C-Fu Gourmet

One of the few Valley Chinese restaurants that could hold its own in New York’s or San Francisco’s Chinatown. C-Fu specializes in seafood so fresh, most of it is still swimming when you order it. Don’t miss the chrysanthemum-steamed fish, Marco Polo lobster or Dungeness crab. Non-seafood dishes are also expertly prepared, particularly the Mongolian […]

Cactus Jack’s

Cactus Jack’s brings a rock ‘n’ roll atmosphere to an otherwise sleepy strip mall in Ahwatukee. Credit co-owner Gina Lombardi, who bought a stake in the neighborhood bar in 2014 after her landmark rock venue The Sail Inn was pushed out of Tempe by gentrification. She installed a stage, a sound system, a lighting rig, […]

Caldwell County BBQ

Located in Gilbert, just to the northeast of Mesa Gateway Airport, Caldwell County BBQ offers some of the best barbecue in the Valley. Locate the red weathervane declaring “BBQ,” and you’ll be in for a treat. Park out back, and you’ll walk past giant smokers puffing out mouthwatering aromas as you make your way inside. […]

Carbajal’s

Owner Marina Carbajal has taken her family’s Las Cruces recipes and brought them to a strip mall in far east Mesa. The results are superb Sonoran-style Mexican food, all homemade, and some of the best of its kind in the Valley. Top picks include machaca, green chile beef, alb

Caswells

Caswells beats any other indoor shooting range in the Valley, for a number of reasons. First, Caswells is a firearm retailer, which means visitors can buy or rent a wide variety of guns and ammo. The indoor range at Caswells has awesome air conditioning, so patrons don’t have to sweat it out while shooting, and […]

Champions Sports Saloon

Champions Sports Saloon has been some sort of bar on the main drag in downtown Gilbert since the 1940s. It’s a roomy place, with a bar, tables and chairs, twinkling pinball machines lined along the right-hand wall, and an enclosed patio out back. The “sports” in the name takes the form of lots of games […]