The NBA playoffs are in full swing, with the Phoenix Suns angling to make their way to the Finals. As the team faces off against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals, local restaurants, bakeries and bars are all doing their part to rally the Valley, offering special items to mark the occasion and inspire some hometown pride.
Try these food and drink specials while the Suns make their playoff run.
Wren House Brewing Co.
2125 N. 24th St.Wren House Brewing Co. has created a new recipe for Rally Beer, and is rolling out different can labels for each round of the playoffs. For the second round, an orange firework cuts through a purple label. In addition to cans, Rally Beer is available on draft in Wren House’s taproom. Previously, Rally Beer was the brewery's standard Valley Beer with a more colorful label, but Wren House has created a new American lager recipe just for this iteration, which will offer floral and lemon zest notes with a crisp, slightly grassy finish.
For every weekend that the Phoenix Suns are in the playoffs, Bagel Daddies will make bagels with Suns' orange and purple.
Bagel Daddies
Bagel Daddies
1736 E. McDowell RoadThe bagel shop’s “Arizona bagels” are getting an extra dash of local flavor. For every weekend that the Suns are in the playoffs, Bagel Daddies is baking Suns-colored bagels with a twist of purple and orange. Bagel Daddies doesn’t use food dye to get the team colors just right. Instead, the dough is colored with a mix of natural ingredients including ube and chile powder.
Special orange and purple bites and drinks, like the Los Suns Burger from Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co., are popping up at spots across the Valley as specials during the NBA playoffs.
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.
201 E. Roosevelt St.721 N. Arizona Ave., Gilbert
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. has brought its Los Suns Burger back to its downtown Phoenix and Gilbert taprooms. The burger highlights all things local, with a Terra Farm + Manor wagyu beef patty, a Steadfast Farm fried egg, pimento cheese, lettuce and rosemary aioli, topped with a purple bun made by Noble Bread. The brewery will also have a special cocktail available, the Valley Oop. This riff on a painkiller uses mezcal, rum, and butterfly pea flower-infused coconut liqueur for a purple hue, along with orange, pineapple, Meyer lemon balm and nutmeg.
La Purisima Bakery creates orange and purple conchas to celebrate the Suns' playoffs run.
La Purisima
La Purisima
2318 E. Indian School Road4533 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale
La Purisima's purple and orange tie-dyed conchas have become synonymous with a Suns playoff run. The New Times’ Best Mexican Bakery of 2022 has even been known to create some additional fanfare with the creation of a little concha character shooting a flaming basketball and saying “Vamos Suns,” which has adorned shirts, stickers and totes.
For its second release of Shazaam! Valley Style IPA, Phoenix Beer Co. took a nod from the 1973 Phoenix Suns' jerseys.
Phoenix Beer Co.
Phoenix Beer Co.
3002 E. Washington St.8300 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale
Phoenix Beer Co. will release the second round of its limited edition Shazaam! Valley Style IPA, a nod to the catchphrase of sportscaster Al McCoy, the longtime “voice of the Suns” who will retire after 51 seasons of calling games. This year, the Monsoon IPA sports a new can design inspired by the 1973 Suns’ jersey. Cans will be available starting at noon on Friday, May 5. Act fast – there are just 73 cases available in honor of McCoy’s first season with the Suns.
POV Foods, whose restaurants include Red, White & Brew (with locations in Mesa and Prescott), Lakeside Bar & Grill, 32 Shea, Rusty Spur and Bill's Grill Prescott and Rusty Spur, has a full playoff menu of food and drinks.
POV Foods
