April Restaurant Openings and Closings in Metro Phoenix

A total of 21 restaurants opened in the Valley in April. That's a strong number for so late in the season. We're happy to have so many additions to our food scene, especially considering the range that these 21 have: from vegan pastries to street tacos, and just about everything in between. April's highlight was the opening of a long-awaited Italian-Mexican mash-up in Garfield. One beloved restaurant did, unfortunately, close its doors. Here, we share all of April's openings and closings with you.

Openings

Dark Hall Coffee
3343 North Seventh Avenue, #3; 602-277-5507
The team behind veg-friendly staple The Coronado just opened Dark Hall Coffee, which specializes in plant-based drinks and pastries. Dark Hall has a fully vegan menu. Coffee and tea drinks feature housemade nut milks and oat milk. Cortados, cappuccinos, lattes, and more are all dairy-free. Read our write-up.

Scramble
2375 East Camelback Road; 602-875-6888
Scramble, a breakfast and lunch restaurant, has added yet another quick, casual breakfast-and-lunch spot this month in Phoenix. You can expect the usual breakfast fare along with plenty of gluten-free and vegan options, like vegan French toast (a baguette dipped in vanilla vegan custard batter).

Jasmine Thai Cuisine By Kelly
507 West Thomas Road; 602-812-7652
Phoenix Thai keeps expanding. You can dine-in or carry-out at Jasmine Thai Cuisine By Kelly, a restaurant that offers modern takes on classic Thai dishes. Menu items include duck curry, spaghetti kee mao, and egg noodle soup, along with various appetizers, salads, and desserts.

Bri
2221 North Seventh Street; 602-595-8635
This new small plates restaurant in Phoenix features menu items like Drooling Duck (slow-roasted duck in chile sauce) and Frico Caldo (pan fried cheese and potato pancake with tomato, herbs, and olive oil), along with craft cocktails, beer, and wine.

Serafina Coffee Roasters
45 West Jefferson Street; 480-259-1718
Serafina Coffee Roasters is a new, locally owned shop in downtown Phoenix offering an assortment of coffees, teas, and pastries. Owner Damian Serafine is no stranger to the Valley coffee scene, having previously opened several coffee bars in the area. He is roasting coffee beans in small batches in the shop.

Casa Corazon Restaurant
2637 North 16th Street; 602-334-1917
Casa Corazon opened this month in Phoenix, offering a fresh salsa bar, homemade tortilla chips, and gourmet Mexican dishes like chicken mole, chile relleno, and steak Mexicana.

D Taco Pit
5539 West Baseline Road; 480-845-9908
A new family-owned food truck is serving up street tacos in Laveen with homemade corn tortillas, fresh salsa, and guacamole. With so many food trucks moving to brick-and-mortar, it's good to see new food trucks hitting the pavement.

CreAsian Bar & Grill
1212 East Apache Boulevard, Tempe; 480-758-5117
CreAsian Bar and Grill, which features Asian fusion cuisine with an American twist, has opened a second Valley location in Tempe. The place cooks teriyaki salmon, Vietnamese-style steak and eggs, and baby back ribs with a border-crossing house sauce.

Makitto Sushi
1055 North Dobson Road Suite 106, Mesa; 480-508-6761
This cozy new spot at Mesa Riverview, next to the Cinemark Theater, features specialty sushi rolls, a wide selection of sashimi, and a daily happy hour from 3 to 6:30 p.m.

Wildflower
75 East Rivulon Boulevard, #101, Gilbert 480-454-5602
Locally based restaurant chain Wildflower has added a Gilbert location. Wildflower offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, with seasonal menu items like the Wildflower Reuben and the 3 Cheese Mushroom and Tomato Frittata with Eggs, along with craft beers and local wines. Wildflower also offers desserts and custom-ordered cakes.

Bubba’s 33
16100 North Arrowhead Fountains Center Drive, Peoria; 623-412-9933
Burgers, beers, and hand-tossed pizzas are the comfort-food specialties served up at Bubba’s 33. The eatery is named after the restaurant's founder and the year that Prohibition ended. This location in Peoria isn't the first, as Bubba's has locations as far as North Carolina.

Master Taco
14291 West Grand Avenue, #106, Surprise; 623-233-6760
This new family owned restaurant in Surprise offers authentic Mexican dishes. Offerings run the gamut from machaca and eggs to chile verde and ceviche tostadas.

PhoenixPhresh
8530 West Thunderbird Road Suite B9, Glendale; 602-730-8601
PhoenixPhresh is a new juice bar in Glendale. The place features specialty smoothies, like the Bob Marley (acai, protein, peanut butter, and apple juice), refreshing juice blends, and acai bowls starting at $6.50.

Over Easy
10637 North Tatum Boulevard; 602-595-6020
Over Easy has opened its fifth Valley location. Along with breakfast staples like pancakes, omelets, and corned beef hash, the menu features craveable morning dishes, like the namesake The Over Easy (toasted brioche with spinach, bacon sauce, and egg) and raspberry-cherry scones with honey and crème fraiche.

Fresh BBQ Innovations
15111 North Hayden Road, Scottsdale; 480-427-4207
Fresh Barbeque Innovations is now open in Scottsdale. Barbecue fans get another welcome addition to the city's impressive roster of joints that serve smoked meat. Only this one isn't all about the meat. Fresh BBQ Innovations blends classic traditional barbeque with authentic vegan and vegetarian options. Bar offerings include craft cocktails, microbrews, and wines.

Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers
4731 East Cactus Road; 602-601-4766
The Valley gains another CBC outlet. With a name that says it all, this upscale casual eatery features a sizable menu of American eats and plenty of brews. The selection of hefty, half-pound burgers includes the Pittsburger, with grilled tomatoes and French fries.

Roland's Cafe Market Bar
1505 East Van Buren Street; 602-441-4749
Roland’s Cafe Market Bar, a new restaurant by the Tacos Chiwas husband-and-wife-team Nadia Holguin and Armando Hernandez, co-owned by Chris Bianco, opened this month in Phoenix. Roland's serves Chihuahua-style Mexican food, just like the food Holguin and Hernandez cook at home, with a few Italian flourishes. Read our preview here.

Sip Coffee & Beer Kitchen
7306 East Shea Boulevard, Scottsdale; 480-685-3090
Sip Coffee & Beer Kitchen has added its third Valley location in Scottsdale this month, offering a full-service restaurant along with specialty coffees and craft beers.

Nishikawa Ramen
3141 East Indian School Road, #110; 602-368-8774
Nishikawa Ramen opened its second Valley location this month, offering a taste of Japan with made-fresh-daily noodles and Japanese-style tapas with homemade sauces. Ramen choices include miso, Yokohama style, and tonkotsu.

Creamistry
335 North Gilbert Road, Gilbert; 480-292-8651
Creamistry, a California-based franchise chain that specializes in made-from-scratch liquid nitrogen ice cream, has opened another Valley location in Gilbert. The ice cream at Creamistry is made right in front of you using a rapid freezing process.There are dozens of ice cream flavors and more than 30 toppings and sauces to choose from.

Clean Juice
2224 East Williams Field Road, Gilbert; 480-281-0229
Clean Juice, an organic juice bar franchise with nearly 30 locations (and dozens more in development), opened its first Valley juice bar this month in Gilbert. Clean Juice offers acai bowls, juice cleanses, and smoothies, along with health snacks like oat bowls and custom toast products.

Closings

Los Dos Molinos, Ahwatukee
One of the four area Los Dos Molinos restaurants has been closed through a Chapter 7 liquidation, according to court documents filed last week, but the other three locations are not affected by the bankruptcy. The Ahwatukee location filed for Chapter 11 last year and was shuttered last week. Fans of New Mexican food will mourn this great loss. At least we still have other Los Dos Molinos locations.