Best Middle Eastern Restaurant 2010 | Al-Hana Restaurant | Food & Drink | Phoenix
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Best Middle Eastern Restaurant

Al-Hana Restaurant

Laura Segall
So what if this restaurant is really just a lunch counter and a handful of tables sectioned off from a Middle Eastern grocery store? That doesn't make Al-Hana — located inside of Baiz Market, next to the cash registers — any less delightful. Consider the open kitchen, where you can see white-clad cooks slice your succulent chicken shawarma right off the rotating spit, dunk falafel in the fryer, or pull a tray of hot, fresh pita right out of the oven before one lands on your plate. From the creamy, lip-smacking hummus and juicy shish taook (marinated chicken) to buttery, gooey knafeh (a dessert of melted cheese beneath a buttery crust, drizzled with sugary syrup and sprinkled with pistachios), everything here is as fresh as can be. We recommend doing your eating before you go shopping, lest you go completely overboard in the aisles.

Best Korean Restaurant

Restaurant Takamatsu

Our favorite Korean restaurant distinguishes itself in more ways than one. The food's amazing, of course, and the service is downright jovial — we always feel welcome at this homey spot. Just as appealing is the atmosphere, which draws groups of Korean families and hungry businessmen alike. We're hooked on the wonderful smell of sizzling meat here, which gets our stomachs rumbling for juicy kalbi (beef short ribs), bulgogi (thinly sliced marinated beef), buttery pork belly, chicken, and shrimp. Although we're quite familiar with this interactive, cook-it-yourself way of dining, it's always comforting when the helpful staff stops by to keep an eye on things and make sure the cold beer's flowing. Dinner at Takamatsu is a guaranteed way to forget about the world and just enjoy the moment.

Best Japanese Restaurant

Sushi Ken

Lauren Saria
When all our Japanese friends started telling us Sushi Ken was their favorite place in town, we wasted no time in heading down to Ahwatukee for a sushi fix. Sure enough, the sushi here is great, but there's so much more to the menu that makes us happy. From savory ramen noodle soup that satisfies with its complex broth to tempura and crispy tonkatsu pork, Sushi Ken covers all the bases and keeps it real. This is straightforward, family-style eating just like you'd find in Japan, right down to the desserts (mitsumame, a cold, sweet jelly served with fruit, is a rarity in Phoenix, but they have it here). The only thing that could make this place better would be to pick it up and plunk it down right next to our house.

Best Vietnamese Restaurant

Da Vang

Jacob Tyler Dunn
It can feel overwhelming to peruse Da Vang's menu for the first time — so many choices, so little time. (Thank goodness it's numbered!) But don't worry, because everything at this humble hole-in-the-wall is just what you're craving if you love authentic Vietnamese eats. Sip on a refreshing da chanh (limeade) or a jolt-inducing ca phe sua da (iced coffee with condensed milk), and enjoy a generous, steaming bowl of pho chock full of sliced beef, brisket, tendon, tripe, and tender rice vermicelli; a hot, seafood-laden crepe (banh xeo); or some tasty barbecued pork fashioned into a baguette sandwich (banh mi). You'll leave well fed for just a few bucks — good incentive to come back frequently.

Best Chinese Restaurant

Asian Cafe Express

Heather Hoch
The Valley's best place to fill up on authentic Chinese cuisine also happens to be a very modest storefront with a no-frills little dining room. Although you won't find lavish furnishings fit for an emperor at Asian Cafe Express, you will find a very glorious feast. Chef-owner Michael Leung's excellent sauces are the highlight of many dishes, and his pan-fried noodles have that perfect tinge of smokiness. He does vegetables with finesse and transforms seafood into even more of a delicacy than it already is in its natural state. There's so much to choose from — dumplings, stews, stir-fries, and more. The Valley may not have a Chinatown, but at least there's a restaurant that brings that level of Chinese culinary prowess to the masses here.

Best Thai Restaurant

Thai E-San

First things first: How do they define their "Thai hot"? Here, at Thai E-San — which opened in CenPho earlier this year — even the medium is pretty tongue-searing. These folks mean business, from the taste of their curries. Sausage stuffed with ground pork and pork skin is an intriguing and uncommon dish, while the coconut soup takes a Thai restaurant standard and does it up right, with plenty of aromatic herbs. Masamun curry with roast duck, whole deep-fried bass with ginger, and spicy squid salad are a few more good picks among an exhaustive menu of stir-fries, noodles, curries, and fried rice dishes. And although barbecued Thai chicken may not sound very interesting, do try the house special marinated chicken, grilled to juicy perfection. You'll want to gnaw on the bones.

Best Vegan Restaurant

Chakra 4 Herb & Tea House

Why in the world did we ever think veganism was kind of gloomy? At Chakra 4, the healthful vegan menu is the most vibrant rainbow of food we've ever seen. Chopped salads with orange carrot, purple cabbage, green cilantro, yellow pepper, and ruby tomato, sandwiches stuffed with flavorful housemade hummus and an array of vegetables, and soups and stews brimming with colorful veggies and grains — it's uplifting just to look at it, let alone taste it. And the flavors are just as bright, so scrumptious that we usually stuff ourselves silly here. The fact that there's no meat or animal products in any of it only justifies our urge to shovel all this goodness down our gullet and then order some of those dark chocolate vegan bonbons in the display case. Naughty but nice.

Best Vegetarian Restaurant

Cafe Krishna

More than 100 items, packed into a colorful menu supplemented with photos, facts, and descriptions, make choosing dishes a delightful challenge at this tasteful Southern Indian restaurant in Chandler. You won't miss meat one bit when faced with such an array of savory chaat snacks, naan and other breads, deep-fried chickpea patties, fragrantly spiced vegetable stews, and jaw-dropping dosai, crispy, paper-thin crepes with delicious fillings. Vegetarian cuisine doesn't get much heartier than this.

Best Gourmet Pizza

Pizzeria Bianco

Jacob Tyler Dunn
Things took a strange turn this past year for Phoenix's most famous chef, Chris Bianco. Seemingly an eternal fixture at the wood-burning oven that's the centerpiece of his Heritage Square eatery — where locals line up along with pizza pilgrims from across the country — he had to stop making pizzas when his asthma worsened and his doctor told him that he couldn't be exposed to the wood smoke any longer. So nowadays, you'll see Bianco at the front of the house or, perhaps, at Bar Bianco next door, keeping an eye on things while his loyal staff continues to make pies exactly the way he taught them. The wait for a table is just as long as ever and, yes, the pizza's just as craveable.

Best Slice of Pizza

Jimmy & Joe's

Jackie Mercandetti
At most pizza joints, a slice usually adds up to a snack — we'll take two or three to make a meal. But Jimmy & Joe's lives up to its "serious slices" tagline with jaw-dropping pieces of New York-style pizza so big that each one is served on its own individual pan, with its own pizza cutter to boot. The crust is chewy and blistered around the edges, thin and crisp in the middle, and sturdy enough to deliver heaps of toppings straight from the plate to your mouth. Try the aptly named Carnivore (with salami, pepperoni, ham, sausage, and meatball), the spicy Buffalo Chicken, or, really, anything that's hot out of the oven.

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