- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Phoenix and help keep the future of New Times free.
Coup des Tartes in Central Phoenix
In Phoenix, there still remain a few spots preserving the tradition of the Euro-style neighborhood bistro, the kind of place where there’s always some version of steak tartare on the menu and the owner makes the rounds on a Saturday night, greeting guests and pouring wine at the bar for regulars. Coup des Tartes is this kind of bistro.

Bar Bianco at Heritage Square
Until the weather warms up, Bar Bianco will be serving not only a Vahlrona-backed, cinnamon-studded Mexican hot chocolate, spiced and spiked with Ancho Reyes-brand chile liqueur (if you dare) but a hot mulled cider, the product of apples grown in Willcox wine country down at the southeast end of the state.

House of Tricks in Tempe
House of Tricks, a jewel in Tempe's crown for more than 28 years, is tricky indeed. Don’t let its rustic setting fool you; though the restaurant is just two small houses in the middle of a grove of shade trees, the menu and the service at House of Tricks are as professional as it gets. White tablecloths and strings of twinkling lights add a magical feel to the woodsy surroundings.
Its name, Tratto, evokes the classic Italian trattoria. But the name also denotes, in Italian, shades of something slightly more precise and intimate: a brushstroke, sketch, or line. Tratto offers all the virtues of the classic neighborhood bistro: crisp white tablecloths, white plates, the calming glow of tea lights, and a cadre of serious-yet-friendly servers.

UnderTow in Central Phoenix
Tiki is back, in a big way, in a tiny basement bar on Indian School Road. Every night at UnderTow is a dark and stormy one, in one way or another. The tiny bar — located in central Phoenix beneath Sip Beer Garage — was an instant hit. From its first weekend in August, the cocktail concept had two- to three-hour waits for a sought-after seat at the bar — to get a zombie, share a scorpion bowl, or try something new and different. After just a few weeks, UnderTow switched their approach to a reservation system — which brought clearer skies ahead.
Keep Phoenix New Times Free... Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Phoenix with no paywalls.