Each year, the Valley sees a flurry of new restaurants arriving on the scene and 2024 was no exception. There were splashy arrivals from award-winning and celebrity chefs who planted their flags with their first outposts in Arizona. There were revered chains that attracted lines to try their pastries and revived bottomless breadsticks. It was a year when local chefs took a leap to start their own spots, expand their offerings or make triumphant returns in new locations.
There were plenty of great stories and places to savor over the last year. Now, as we welcome 2025, we’re getting excited for what lies ahead and anxiously awaiting the arrival of several new restaurants, breweries and bars.
Here are 12 spots around the Valley that we can’t wait to visit in 2025.
4221 N. Seventh Ave. Interest in women’s sports reached a fever pitch this year. Restaurateurs around the country have responded with sports bars dedicated to women’s athletics. Soon, Phoenix will have its own as well, thanks to two Melrose District hospitality veterans and women’s sports boosters. Title 9 Sports Grill is scheduled to open on Seventh Avenue, just north of Indian School Road, at the end of January.
Boycott Bar and Dahlia Tapas, Tequila and Wine owner Audrey Corley and Short Leash Hotdogs & Taproom co-founder Kat Moore helm the sports bar. The duo will honor women’s achievements in more ways than ensuring the Phoenix Mercury games are on the TVs. The owners have teased an elevated bar food menu with items named for notable athletes and a drinks selection that includes beers, ciders and spirits crafted by women makers. We also can’t wait to see the trophy room that will showcase the awards and stories of women athletes, as well as the artwork that will memorialize iconic Arizona sports stars.
128 E. Roosevelt St.The team behind Industry Standard, the soon-to-open neighborhood spot on Roosevelt Row, has big shoes to fill. The new spot is moving into the space formerly occupied by Carly's Bistro. The trio of partners, Mike Bodow, Mike Cheathem and Jordan Hudgens, are working to show they're up to the challenge.
They've tapped industry veterans including executive chef Edward Mclachlan to pull together an eclectic mix of shareable, globally influenced dishes and mixologist Keifer Gilbert to build a craft cocktail menu. The restaurant aims to serve a rotation of drinks and food specials that make going out attainable for neighbors and industry friends alike.
336 S. Washington St., ChandlerFinding a restaurant that can accommodate a range of dietary needs can be challenging. A new spot coming to downtown Chandler called George & Gather aims to change that. The all-day eatery is the brainchild of first-time restaurant owners Amber and Mike Kovarik. Amber worked in the mortgage industry, while her husband focused on the supply side of food service. But, they decided to take the leap to provide something they feel is missing from the East Valley city: a restaurant that showcases clean foods in a communal setting. The Kovariks have partnered with Flagstaff chef Fiona Nicholson to consult on the menu, which focuses on local and organic produce and eschews GMOs and seed oils.
“I am basically building the dream restaurant that I would love to have,” Amber told Phoenix New Times in October. George & Gather’s 80-seat space will be open all day, offering a counter-service breakfast and full-service lunch and dinner.
925 N. Fifth St.There are plenty of out-of-staters who have been expanding to or eyeing Phoenix, and brewers are among them. Case in point, the team from Colorado’s award-winning Denver Beer Co. is working on opening a new brewery in the heart of downtown Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row. Formation Brewing will serve beer on 24 taps and offer a food menu anchored by Detroit-style pizzas. Among Formation’s brews, which will be made on-site, are four signature sips that their new desert digs have inspired: Cloud Drifter Hazy IPA, Desert Racer Pilsner, Sun Crest Tart Peach Ale and Western Winds West Coast IPA. The bar will also serve craft cider, cocktails and nonalcoholic options including housemade hop water, available in several flavors. The brewery is anticipated to open in February, with a grand opening celebration slated for March 1 that will include complimentary tastings, live music and giveaways.
12650 N. Tatum Blvd., #106When the team behind Wren House Brewing Co. opens a new location, they aim to make that spot different and unique from the local brewery's flagship tasting room on 24th Street in Phoenix. For its third Valley taproom, the brewer has selected PV – the redeveloping dining, entertainment, housing and work hub on the site of the former Paradise Valley Mall in North Phoenix. There, Wren House will introduce drinkers to cask ales in a space that is "Arizona meets English pub," co-founder Drew Pool told Phoenix New Times in November. This latest location allows the team to lean into English beer styles, though it’s not completely new territory for the brewers, who won a Great American Beer Festival Awards bronze medal for Hooks and Dun, an extra special bitter, in 2023.
At PV, Wren House will have a nano-brewery on site to create and condition its cask ales, which are typically unfiltered brews that are fermented and conditioned in casks, making them naturally carbonated. They’re hand-pumped through a beer engine as opposed to being pulled through a tap line with the aid of carbonation. The PV location will have 20 standard taps and four beer engines, which will serve a rotating list of beers with the aim of highlighting the nuance the process can create when applied to beers that may be familiar to drinkers, such as the award-winning hazy IPA, Spellbinder.
161 W. Main St., MesaThe owners of Main Burgers have already given us a taste of what they can do. Their sibling concept and neighbor, Espiritu, has a killer dry-aged burger piled high with classic toppings – bacon, cheddar, caramelized onions – along with a chiltepin aioli. In October, owners Roberto Centeno, Nadia Holguin and Armando Hernandez announced they’d bring more burgers to downtown Mesa with this new fast-casual, late-night-leaning spot. The menu format will be akin to In-N-Out Burger, with simplified options of single or double patties, with customizable additions, including a selection of cheeses and toppings such as pickled jalapenos. When Hernandez told Phoenix New Times about the forthcoming spot, he described the patties as “semi-smashed” and thicker than a traditional thin smash burger. Those can be paired with fries, tater tots or loaded versions topped with nacho cheese and bacon. The burger shop will also offer a take on a Sonoran hot dog. Originally anticipated to open in late fall 2024, we’re eagerly awaiting the announcement for its opening in the New Year.
2425 E. Camelback RoadAmong the Biltmore-area eateries that restaurateurs Rick Phillips and Peter Hearn will debut at Esplanade, we’re craving the revival of Little Pickle. The deli is one of three spots from 151 Hospitality that will form a “block” of restaurants in the office campus that’s getting a full refresh of eating and drinking options. Little Pickle first arrived at Esplanade in 2023 as a pop-up. In six months, the deli garnered praise for its stellar breakfast and lunch dishes, including house-smoked salmon on New York-style bagels and pastrami sandwiches. It’s clear we’re not the only ones hungry for Little Pickle’s return. After the deli took leave from Esplanade as construction got underway, food drops featuring those fan-favorite items would sell out within a day. During the first quarter of the New Year, Little Pickle is anticipated to make its return. In addition to serving breakfast and lunch, Little Pickle will offer catering – sure to be a boon for its neighboring office workers.
740 S. Mill Ave., TempeThe hospitality group Pretty Decent Concepts was on a tear in 2024. The team, which is behind Phoenix hotspots Wren & Wolf and Trophy Room, launched the highly anticipated immersive bar experience Carry On and the much more casual Creampuff Donuts this year. They also announced five new concepts in the works for downtown Phoenix and Tempe. Among them is Tempe’s Filthy Animal, a restaurant that will feature live-fire cooking inspired by a fictional traveler "who fell in love with the beauty and brutality of jungle-style cooking in the Yucatán but had a penthouse in Shanghai in the '70s,” Pretty Decent Concepts co-founder Teddy Myers told Phoenix New Times in November. An added bonus: the narrative-driven experience can continue on with a nightcap at Filthy Animal’s planned sibling bar and listening lounge, Drop Dead Gorgeous.
7014 E. Camelback Road, #612, Scottsdale The upscale seafood restaurant Catch joins the growing list of glitzy out-of-towners coming to Scottsdale Fashion Square. The New York-born restaurant will open a nearly 12,000-square-foot dining destination at the mall, alongside fellow luxe eateries Élephante, which opened in late 2024, and Din Tai Fung, which is expected to open in 2026. Catch’s menu includes a raw bar, sushi, seafood and steak. An announcement in August teased dishes including lobster macaroni, crispy shrimp and Truffle Sashimi with tuna, hamachi, chile ponzu and black truffle purée. "Locally influenced menu offerings” will be served alongside these “Catch Classics,” the announcement said. The drink selection features sake, signature cocktails and reserve cocktails that use high-end spirits, such as Catch’s reserve Old Fashioned made with Wolves Whiskey. Catch Hospitality Group said to also expect a sleek, modern aesthetic, matched with a lively atmosphere.
Tropic Thunder
Opens summer 2025
1014 N. Second St.Restaurateur Julian Wright has already given Roosevelt Row revelers spots to sip craft beer, sake and cocktails downtown. With the arrival of his next bar, he’ll offer a place to knock back tiki-inspired drinks, too. Tropic Thunder will be a “dive bar with tiki vibes,” according to Wright, who owns downtown haunts Pedal Haus Brewery, Sake Haus and Luckys Indoor Outdoor. The bar will open on Second Street just north of Roosevelt Street, featuring several classic tiki cocktails along with neighborhood bar staples, such as beer-and-shot combos. Wright has partnered with architect Wesley James to design the space. The two worked together on the Tempe dual bar concept Devil’s Hideaway and Idle Hands, and James also designed the immersive Valley bars Century Grand and UnderTow. Wright describes the aesthetic as a “twist” on traditional tiki with a “bit of a punk rock vibe.” We can’t wait to pull up an animal print stool at the bar and bask in the black light glow while sipping a Jungle Bird.
3221 E. Camelback Road
15323 N. Scottsdale Road, ScottsdaleSweetgreen, the Washington, D.C.-born salad chain, will open two Valley locations in 2025, marking its first entrance into the state. The health-driven fast-casual restaurant will open a Phoenix location on Camelback Road and 32nd Street, taking over a portion of the former Tomaso’s on Camelback. The second store will be an outpost in Scottsdale Quarter near Greenway Hayden Loop and Scottsdale Road. Sweetgreen has devotees for its kale caesar and buffalo chicken salads as well as seasonally rotating options such as its fall Harvest Bowl, which features chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, apples, goat cheese, roasted almonds, wild rice, shredded kale and balsamic vinaigrette.
1351 N. Bullard Ave., GoodyearIf you’re scratching your head wondering why a Texas-based gas station chain is among a list of restaurants and bars, you’ve not been inducted into the road-tripping, beaver mascot-adoring cult that is Buc-ee’s. In addition to being a spot to fuel up and use its (often surprisingly clean) restrooms, Buc-ee’s travel centers have also built a following for their numerous housemade eats. Those include barbecue brisket sandwiches, kolaches and car-friendly grab-and-go snacks including Buc’ee’s Private Label Chips, its array of beef and turkey jerky and 20 flavors of homemade fudge. In March, the city of Goodyear confirmed that Buc-ee’s closed on its land purchase at the southwest corner of Interstate 10 and Bullard Avenue, cementing the status of Arizona’s first travel center from the chain, which will be an estimated 74,000 square feet. In October, representatives from the city and Buc-ee’s shared a construction update on X, noting that the Goodyear location could be open by Christmas 2025.
Here are 12 spots around the Valley that we can’t wait to visit in 2025.
Title 9 Sports Grill
Opens in January4221 N. Seventh Ave. Interest in women’s sports reached a fever pitch this year. Restaurateurs around the country have responded with sports bars dedicated to women’s athletics. Soon, Phoenix will have its own as well, thanks to two Melrose District hospitality veterans and women’s sports boosters. Title 9 Sports Grill is scheduled to open on Seventh Avenue, just north of Indian School Road, at the end of January.
Boycott Bar and Dahlia Tapas, Tequila and Wine owner Audrey Corley and Short Leash Hotdogs & Taproom co-founder Kat Moore helm the sports bar. The duo will honor women’s achievements in more ways than ensuring the Phoenix Mercury games are on the TVs. The owners have teased an elevated bar food menu with items named for notable athletes and a drinks selection that includes beers, ciders and spirits crafted by women makers. We also can’t wait to see the trophy room that will showcase the awards and stories of women athletes, as well as the artwork that will memorialize iconic Arizona sports stars.
The team behind Industry Standard includes partners Mike Cheathem, Mike Bodow and Jordan Hudgens, along with executive chef Edward Mclachlan.
Sara Crocker
Industry Standard
Opens Jan. 7128 E. Roosevelt St.The team behind Industry Standard, the soon-to-open neighborhood spot on Roosevelt Row, has big shoes to fill. The new spot is moving into the space formerly occupied by Carly's Bistro. The trio of partners, Mike Bodow, Mike Cheathem and Jordan Hudgens, are working to show they're up to the challenge.
“We want to make sure that we’re giving back and doing the absolute best that we can, and making that the industry standard," Cheathem told Phoenix New Times in April, noting the inspiration for the name.
They've tapped industry veterans including executive chef Edward Mclachlan to pull together an eclectic mix of shareable, globally influenced dishes and mixologist Keifer Gilbert to build a craft cocktail menu. The restaurant aims to serve a rotation of drinks and food specials that make going out attainable for neighbors and industry friends alike.
George & Gather will be owners Amber and Mike Kovarik's first foray into ownership. The restaurant will be an all-day affair offering counter-service breakfast and full service lunch and dinenr.
House of Form
George & Gather
Opens in February336 S. Washington St., ChandlerFinding a restaurant that can accommodate a range of dietary needs can be challenging. A new spot coming to downtown Chandler called George & Gather aims to change that. The all-day eatery is the brainchild of first-time restaurant owners Amber and Mike Kovarik. Amber worked in the mortgage industry, while her husband focused on the supply side of food service. But, they decided to take the leap to provide something they feel is missing from the East Valley city: a restaurant that showcases clean foods in a communal setting. The Kovariks have partnered with Flagstaff chef Fiona Nicholson to consult on the menu, which focuses on local and organic produce and eschews GMOs and seed oils.
“I am basically building the dream restaurant that I would love to have,” Amber told Phoenix New Times in October. George & Gather’s 80-seat space will be open all day, offering a counter-service breakfast and full-service lunch and dinner.
Formation Brewing, a new concept from Denver Beer Co., will open in Roosevelt Row this spring.
Formation Brewing
Formation Brewing
Opens in February925 N. Fifth St.There are plenty of out-of-staters who have been expanding to or eyeing Phoenix, and brewers are among them. Case in point, the team from Colorado’s award-winning Denver Beer Co. is working on opening a new brewery in the heart of downtown Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row. Formation Brewing will serve beer on 24 taps and offer a food menu anchored by Detroit-style pizzas. Among Formation’s brews, which will be made on-site, are four signature sips that their new desert digs have inspired: Cloud Drifter Hazy IPA, Desert Racer Pilsner, Sun Crest Tart Peach Ale and Western Winds West Coast IPA. The bar will also serve craft cider, cocktails and nonalcoholic options including housemade hop water, available in several flavors. The brewery is anticipated to open in February, with a grand opening celebration slated for March 1 that will include complimentary tastings, live music and giveaways.
Wren House Brewing Co. will open a third Valley location at PV in 2025, serving cask ales along with its portfolio of award-winning craft beers.
House of Form
Wren House Brewing Co.
Opens in March12650 N. Tatum Blvd., #106When the team behind Wren House Brewing Co. opens a new location, they aim to make that spot different and unique from the local brewery's flagship tasting room on 24th Street in Phoenix. For its third Valley taproom, the brewer has selected PV – the redeveloping dining, entertainment, housing and work hub on the site of the former Paradise Valley Mall in North Phoenix. There, Wren House will introduce drinkers to cask ales in a space that is "Arizona meets English pub," co-founder Drew Pool told Phoenix New Times in November. This latest location allows the team to lean into English beer styles, though it’s not completely new territory for the brewers, who won a Great American Beer Festival Awards bronze medal for Hooks and Dun, an extra special bitter, in 2023.
At PV, Wren House will have a nano-brewery on site to create and condition its cask ales, which are typically unfiltered brews that are fermented and conditioned in casks, making them naturally carbonated. They’re hand-pumped through a beer engine as opposed to being pulled through a tap line with the aid of carbonation. The PV location will have 20 standard taps and four beer engines, which will serve a rotating list of beers with the aim of highlighting the nuance the process can create when applied to beers that may be familiar to drinkers, such as the award-winning hazy IPA, Spellbinder.
Espiritu in Mesa serves a burger with two thin grilled patties. Its owners plan to open a fast-casual burger joint, Main Burgers, just down Main Street.
Tirion Boan
Main Burgers
Opens in early 2025161 W. Main St., MesaThe owners of Main Burgers have already given us a taste of what they can do. Their sibling concept and neighbor, Espiritu, has a killer dry-aged burger piled high with classic toppings – bacon, cheddar, caramelized onions – along with a chiltepin aioli. In October, owners Roberto Centeno, Nadia Holguin and Armando Hernandez announced they’d bring more burgers to downtown Mesa with this new fast-casual, late-night-leaning spot. The menu format will be akin to In-N-Out Burger, with simplified options of single or double patties, with customizable additions, including a selection of cheeses and toppings such as pickled jalapenos. When Hernandez told Phoenix New Times about the forthcoming spot, he described the patties as “semi-smashed” and thicker than a traditional thin smash burger. Those can be paired with fries, tater tots or loaded versions topped with nacho cheese and bacon. The burger shop will also offer a take on a Sonoran hot dog. Originally anticipated to open in late fall 2024, we’re eagerly awaiting the announcement for its opening in the New Year.
Little Pickle
Opens in early 20252425 E. Camelback RoadAmong the Biltmore-area eateries that restaurateurs Rick Phillips and Peter Hearn will debut at Esplanade, we’re craving the revival of Little Pickle. The deli is one of three spots from 151 Hospitality that will form a “block” of restaurants in the office campus that’s getting a full refresh of eating and drinking options. Little Pickle first arrived at Esplanade in 2023 as a pop-up. In six months, the deli garnered praise for its stellar breakfast and lunch dishes, including house-smoked salmon on New York-style bagels and pastrami sandwiches. It’s clear we’re not the only ones hungry for Little Pickle’s return. After the deli took leave from Esplanade as construction got underway, food drops featuring those fan-favorite items would sell out within a day. During the first quarter of the New Year, Little Pickle is anticipated to make its return. In addition to serving breakfast and lunch, Little Pickle will offer catering – sure to be a boon for its neighboring office workers.
Local hospitality group Pretty Decent Concepts is slated to open five new concepts in Phoenix and Tempe next year, including Mill Avenue restaurant Filthy Animal.
Pretty Decent Concepts
Filthy Animal
Opens in early 2025740 S. Mill Ave., TempeThe hospitality group Pretty Decent Concepts was on a tear in 2024. The team, which is behind Phoenix hotspots Wren & Wolf and Trophy Room, launched the highly anticipated immersive bar experience Carry On and the much more casual Creampuff Donuts this year. They also announced five new concepts in the works for downtown Phoenix and Tempe. Among them is Tempe’s Filthy Animal, a restaurant that will feature live-fire cooking inspired by a fictional traveler "who fell in love with the beauty and brutality of jungle-style cooking in the Yucatán but had a penthouse in Shanghai in the '70s,” Pretty Decent Concepts co-founder Teddy Myers told Phoenix New Times in November. An added bonus: the narrative-driven experience can continue on with a nightcap at Filthy Animal’s planned sibling bar and listening lounge, Drop Dead Gorgeous.
New York-born swanky seafood restaurant Catch is one of several luxe restaurants arriving at Scottsdale Fashion Square.
Catch Hospitality Group
Catch
Opens in early 20257014 E. Camelback Road, #612, Scottsdale The upscale seafood restaurant Catch joins the growing list of glitzy out-of-towners coming to Scottsdale Fashion Square. The New York-born restaurant will open a nearly 12,000-square-foot dining destination at the mall, alongside fellow luxe eateries Élephante, which opened in late 2024, and Din Tai Fung, which is expected to open in 2026. Catch’s menu includes a raw bar, sushi, seafood and steak. An announcement in August teased dishes including lobster macaroni, crispy shrimp and Truffle Sashimi with tuna, hamachi, chile ponzu and black truffle purée. "Locally influenced menu offerings” will be served alongside these “Catch Classics,” the announcement said. The drink selection features sake, signature cocktails and reserve cocktails that use high-end spirits, such as Catch’s reserve Old Fashioned made with Wolves Whiskey. Catch Hospitality Group said to also expect a sleek, modern aesthetic, matched with a lively atmosphere.
Restaurateur Julian Wright has teamed up with architect Wesley James to design the downtown Phoenix tiki bar Tropic Thunder.
Fork & Dagger Hospitality
Tropic Thunder
Opens summer 2025 1014 N. Second St.Restaurateur Julian Wright has already given Roosevelt Row revelers spots to sip craft beer, sake and cocktails downtown. With the arrival of his next bar, he’ll offer a place to knock back tiki-inspired drinks, too. Tropic Thunder will be a “dive bar with tiki vibes,” according to Wright, who owns downtown haunts Pedal Haus Brewery, Sake Haus and Luckys Indoor Outdoor. The bar will open on Second Street just north of Roosevelt Street, featuring several classic tiki cocktails along with neighborhood bar staples, such as beer-and-shot combos. Wright has partnered with architect Wesley James to design the space. The two worked together on the Tempe dual bar concept Devil’s Hideaway and Idle Hands, and James also designed the immersive Valley bars Century Grand and UnderTow. Wright describes the aesthetic as a “twist” on traditional tiki with a “bit of a punk rock vibe.” We can’t wait to pull up an animal print stool at the bar and bask in the black light glow while sipping a Jungle Bird.
The popular fast-casual salad chain Sweetgreen is coming to Arizona. The restaurant will open outposts in Phoenix and Scottsdale in late 2025.
Sweetgreen
Sweetgreen
Opens in late 20253221 E. Camelback Road
15323 N. Scottsdale Road, ScottsdaleSweetgreen, the Washington, D.C.-born salad chain, will open two Valley locations in 2025, marking its first entrance into the state. The health-driven fast-casual restaurant will open a Phoenix location on Camelback Road and 32nd Street, taking over a portion of the former Tomaso’s on Camelback. The second store will be an outpost in Scottsdale Quarter near Greenway Hayden Loop and Scottsdale Road. Sweetgreen has devotees for its kale caesar and buffalo chicken salads as well as seasonally rotating options such as its fall Harvest Bowl, which features chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, apples, goat cheese, roasted almonds, wild rice, shredded kale and balsamic vinaigrette.
The first Arizona location of Buc-ee's is planned along Interstate 10 in Goodyear.
leeleblanc/Flickr/CC BY 2.0
Buc-ee's
Opens in late 20251351 N. Bullard Ave., GoodyearIf you’re scratching your head wondering why a Texas-based gas station chain is among a list of restaurants and bars, you’ve not been inducted into the road-tripping, beaver mascot-adoring cult that is Buc-ee’s. In addition to being a spot to fuel up and use its (often surprisingly clean) restrooms, Buc-ee’s travel centers have also built a following for their numerous housemade eats. Those include barbecue brisket sandwiches, kolaches and car-friendly grab-and-go snacks including Buc’ee’s Private Label Chips, its array of beef and turkey jerky and 20 flavors of homemade fudge. In March, the city of Goodyear confirmed that Buc-ee’s closed on its land purchase at the southwest corner of Interstate 10 and Bullard Avenue, cementing the status of Arizona’s first travel center from the chain, which will be an estimated 74,000 square feet. In October, representatives from the city and Buc-ee’s shared a construction update on X, noting that the Goodyear location could be open by Christmas 2025.
