Welcome Diner | Downtown Phoenix | Southern, New American | Restaurant
phoenix_new_times_welcome_diner_jackie_mercandetti_photo_13.jpg
Jackie Mercandetti Photo

Welcome Diner

Jackie Mercandetti Photo
Welcome Diner 2.0, now situated at that hot Garfield District intersection at Pierce and 10th streets, doesn't have the same snug charm as its original location a block away. What it does have is a crisp, retro look, marrying its neon pink-and-blue sign with the diner's seating options — which is to say, booths, a wraparound lunch counter, a bar with liquor bottles crawling up the wall, and a massive, usually busy, porch-style patio. Gulf Coast-inspired dishes like jambalaya are big here, as are the classic cocktails. But it's the biscuits people talk about: They're big, pillowy, and have excellent biscuit names like the Bumblebee and Big Jim.