But we're not complaining.
The metro Phoenix food scene leveled up in 2024. Multiple James Beard Award-recognized chefs introduced new concepts to the Valley and flexed their culinary skills in new and exciting ways. Chefs from around the world brought exceptional international eats to the table, including standout Filipino, Thai, Peruvian and Indian foods. We've got some swanky new spots that live up to their elevated expectations and a few new casual restaurants churning out top-notch menus.
So yes, it's hard to choose just 10. But sampling the cream of the crop to find the very best is a challenge we'll hungrily accept. Here are the 10 best new restaurants of 2024.
The Ends
7137 E. Stetson Drive, ScottsdaleWhen The Ends introduced itself as an “Anthony Bourdain-inspired” restaurant, we raised an eyebrow. But the new Scottsdale spot lives up to the high expectations that it set for itself, and then some. Located in the home of the former Kazimierz, the Old Town eatery is dark and moody yet warm, with mid-mod design and accents of greenery. Most of the tables seat two, and the menu is perfect for sharing. Start your journey with a cocktail – we love the Impeccable Arm Candy, a unique mix of vodka, Cointreau, passionfruit, chai, lime and whey, which is then clarified. The crystal-clear sip tastes like a bright orange Pornstar Martini without any of the color. Next, dig into the food.The menu doesn’t have clear through lines, leaving it up to the customer to chart their own course. There are appetizers, salads and soups, but the shared plates are also a good starting point. Go with a classic shrimp cocktail or opt for the Bovine Tartar, a giant bone bursting with bruleed marrow and accompanied by a side of Wagyu and bison tartar. Or choose one of the homemade pastas. We suggest the Agnolottini, tender parcels of pasta swimming in sauce studded with crab and blistered tomatoes. From the entrees, the rack of lamb is a can’t-miss showstopper. Eight bones, the equivalent of eight lamb chops, are served over a rich, warm and spicy harissa broth. The meats come a la carte, so order a veggie such as the tempura enoki mushrooms with sweet chile sauce or charred broccoli on the side. Walking in the footsteps of its muse’s travels, the menu draws on flavors from around the world. The food and the ambiance inspire conversation, helping the overall experience live up to its inspiration.
Huarachis Taqueria offers a more casual, walk-in-friendly space to enjoy chef Rene Andrade's food.
Allison Young
Huarachis Taqueria
814 N. Central Ave.Chef Rene Andrade’s first restaurant, Bacanora, has been home to some of the hottest and hardest-to-secure tables since it opened in 2021. But, diners were blessed with another place to grab a seat when he took over the location of the former Rodiberto's Mexican Food near Central Avenue and McKinley Street. His new eatery, Huarachis Taqueria, opened in December 2023. A matter of months later, Andrade was at the podium in Chicago accepting a James Beard Award for Best Chef - Southwest. With Huarachis, Andrade is building on his story of Sonoran cuisine made with “puro amor.” Haurachis came out of the gate strong with hip, pink-hued ambiance; an energetic, thoughtful team; and a taut but growing food menu, which includes some hits from Bacanora and a regular rotation of specials. We’re smitten with the spicy frijole dip and the gloriously gut-busting sheet pan of loaded asada fries. But the centerpiece of Huarachis is the shareable platters of meats, including rich, juicy carnitas that are smoked then confitted. The platters come with a bevy of accompaniments including the restaurant's outstanding beans and tortillas. The cocktails at Huarachis are just as playful and complex, infusing Sonoran flavors with seasonal ingredients.
James Beard Award semifinalist chef Stephen Jones opened his revamped The Larder & The Delta that boasts a 12-course tasting menu this fall.
mrphx photogpraphy
The Larder & The Delta
2320 E. Osborn RoadPhoenix diners have watched, and tasted, the evolution of chef Stephen Jones' Southern restaurant, The Larder & The Delta, from its 2015 start at a downtown food hall, to its five-year stint on Portland Street and its triumphant return in September as a 12-course fine dining experience at the site of the former Binkley’s Restaurant. With each iteration, Jones has worked to tell the complex, layered story of Southern food while challenging perceptions and stereotypes. From the moment we stepped onto the patio of the converted home, with Edison bulbs glowing overhead and an outdoor fireplace aroar, the service was pitch perfect. Inside, the dining room is set theater-style, with all seats angled toward an open kitchen. There, Jones and his team assemble around a large island and put the final touches on each dish before they're sent to tables. The progressive, seasonally evolving menu elevates and sometimes transforms classically Southern ingredients, from turnips and country ham to red eye gravy and the cherry-flavored soda Cheerwine. With the delivery of each course, the team peels back the layers of the ingredients, sharing the story of the dish before diners tuck in. In addition to its tasting menu seating, offered Thursday through Saturday, the restaurant serves a family-style meal on Wednesdays and has recently debuted brunch and a bar menu, offering guests a walk-in opportunity with a taut selection of bites and sips.
LeDu Thai
915 N. Fifth St. The number of places around town to find tasty Thai food is slowly growing, and an exciting addition arrived on July 31. LeDu Thai is nestled in a modern bungalow in downtown Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row arts district. The unassuming exterior gives way to a vibrant, cozy dining area and bar awash in emerald green, zebra stripes and marigold. LeDu frames itself as a “culinary journey through Thai seasons.” The menu includes well-known southern Thai dishes, such as green papaya salad, pad thai and mango sticky rice, as well as less well-tread options — all drawing on family recipes. One of our favorite bites is LeDu’s vegetarian take on larb, in which meaty pieces of oyster mushrooms are a sumptuous stand-in for ground pork. A fiery chile-lime dressing and fresh herbs amp up the flavor. The restaurant’s selection of curries, rice and noodle dishes is large but not overwhelming, and the helpful staff can assist with suggestions. The Gaeng Panang Nuer, a panang curry with braised beef is tender and aromatic. The Kao So-i, LeDu’s rendition of the popular northern Thai curry noodle soup, is hearty and comforting, but still bold thanks to its warm spice and bursts of brightness from pickled radish. The restaurant has range, managing to be the kind of casual spot where you can order takeout or linger over a special occasion meal with cocktails or a bottle of sake.
Mister Pio
4502 E. Thomas Road What do you get when two friends with some serious culinary chops decide to open a fast-casual eatery? The answer is Mister Pio Peruvian Chicken. Chef and owner Justin Nasralla and co-owner David Goluboff opened the modern counter-service cafe on Thomas Road this fall, and it’s serving outstanding eats. The menu is simple: Order a quarter or half chicken, choose between house greens or a market salad and make sure to add a side of fries. To drink, bright yellow bubble gum-flavored Inca Kola pairs perfectly with the theme and the classic Peruvian sauces that come with each plate. While chicken, salad and fries are simple and familiar foods, their preparation is what takes this spot to a new level. To start, the chicken is dry brined with a mixture of 21 spices for two days. Then, it is roasted slowly for roughly 90 minutes over a special Japanese-style charcoal in a massive Josper rotisserie oven. Smoke fills the small dining room as the chefs check on the birds, which glisten as their skin crisps. The restaurant's signature dish is modeled after Peru’s pollo a la brasa, a Sunday tradition in the South American country. With Mister Pio churning out such a mouthwatering iteration, it’s easy to see how you could crave a visit to this new Phoenix restaurant at least once a week.
Pretty Penny recently moved across the street. But its second iteration is every bit as good as the first.
Sara Crocker
Pretty Penny
509 E. Roosevelt St. Pretty Penny united a crew of culinary and mixology heavyweights from Roosevelt Row and Scottsdale for a seafood-forward restaurant offering a taste of luxury in the heart of downtown Phoenix. Bar owners Sam Olguin and Brenon Stuart, whose cocktail crafting is on display at spots such as Killer Whale Sex Club and F.Y.P.M., tapped two alumni of Scottsdale's Virtù family of restaurants: chef Marcelino Ramos and hospitality pro Ivan Herrera. With an open kitchen and old-school touches such as a complimentary pour of bubbles when you’re seated, the team doubled down on the experience while crafting exceptional food and drink in a very, very small space.After nearly a year in its initial location, the restaurant has moved across the street, replacing Stuart and Olguin’s Disco Dragon. The larger space has provided Ramos and his team more room to stretch their legs, allowing them to add steaks and pastas, made locally by Mr. Pasta Shop, to the menu that includes a creamy, spicy lamb ragu with paccheri noodles. Meanwhile, the bar team continues to offer plenty of playful, technique-driven cocktails to match, including a charred tomato martini with a floral hint of basil.
One of Pretty Penny’s star dishes from day one is the Octopus Tostada. To ensure that every bite is crisp, the chefs cut blue corn tortillas into strips and then fry the pieces before reassembling them into their original circular form. The strips are topped with tender braised octopus, Oaxacan sour cream, silky dollops of avocado and a fiery black sesame salsa macha.
The aromatic flavors of lemongrass and ginger permeate perfectly grilled chicken at Tambayan.
Tirion Boan
Tambayan Filipino Food
1534 W. Camelback Road What started as a pop-up tent, then a cloud kitchen followed by a food truck is now one of the best new restaurants in Phoenix. Tambayan Filipino Food serves expertly grilled chicken, savory noodles and crispy lumpia in individual plates and giant family-style platters. The colorful eatery, located in the the space previously occupied by the Flaming Pig, was brought to life by owners Joann and Denver Tagorda who emigrated from the Philippines to the U.S. about 20 years ago. When they moved from Illinois to Phoenix in 2010, the couple had difficulties finding the flavors of home in the Valley. So, they started cooking. First, they sold food through Facebook and then began catering parties and setting up at events. As their company grew, so did their following, and now it’s not uncommon to find the parking lot packed at this casual Camelback Road restaurant. Once you do find a spot and get comfy in one of the neon yellow booths, order an ube horchata and peruse the menu. The Pancit Overload is a must and includes a blend of noodles topped with crispy pork belly and lumpia. The lemongrass-infused Chicken Inasal is tender and packed with aromatic flavor, while the Pork Adobo is dark and rich with a vinegar tang that leaves you coming back for more.
Tesota
300 W. Camelback Road It’s hard to categorize chef Doug Robson’s newest concept. Contrary to the restaurateur’s Mexican eateries Gallo Blanco and Otro Cafe, Tesota doesn’t fit into one box in terms of cuisine or experience. But that choose-your-own-adventure element is part of what makes this new Camelback Road restaurant so fun. Visit on a weeknight for a casual beer and a plate of wings. Stop by during happy hour and split a pizzetta, salad and a bottle of house wine for $36. Or, get dolled up for date night, drink a Sun-Dried Martini with Sedona’s Suncliffe Gin and dig into a 14-ounce USDA Prime ribeye. So what type of cuisine does Tesota serve, you ask? That’s also up to the customer. If you want a meal that leans into Asian flavors, start with the Rice Paper Dumplings or Asian Herb salad before diving into Grace’s Yakisoba noodles or a fish katsu sandwich. Or, choose to travel the world through your meal, starting in France with baked brie and slices of toasted baguette, then head to Italy for some Shrimp Bucatini Puttanesca and finish off with a tropical twist with the coconut pudding. The one throughline that ties everything together at this unique spot is that every dish, no matter its origin or inspiration, is cooked exceptionally well. Adventure awaits.
Uchi opened in Old Town Scottsdale in February. The signature dish, Hama Chili, features yellowtail, ponzu, Thai chile and orange slices.
Uchi
Uchi
3821 N. Scottsdale Road, ScottsdaleThere’s always a bit of trepidation when an out-of-state restauranteur makes a splashy dive into the Valley. When James Beard Award-winning chef Tyson Cole set up an outpost of his luxurious sushi restaurant Uchi in Old Town Scottsdale, he created some pretty lofty expectations. The clout of such an award draws a baseline presumption. Add the ethos of the restaurant – that service and food are executed with fine dining precision while ensuring each item drops with the efficiency and comfortable nature of sitting at a sushi bar – and there was a lot riding on Uchi's arrival. But the new Scottsdale spot proves Cole and his team are up to the challenge. The restaurant serves exceptional seafood, some of which comes daily from Japan’s Toyosu Fish Market. Among the resulting dishes is Cole’s signature Hama Chili, a well-balanced yellowtail crudo with ponzu, Thai chiles and orange segments. But, don’t skim over the rest of the menu. There's a playful salad plated into handheld bundles that you drag through a pool of creamy pesto and herbaceous gremolata. The kitchen is also turning out well-made hot dishes, ranging from tempuras to grilled meats. Though this is a splurgy option, Uchi is delivering on a winning experience that can match the expectations that come with the price tag.
At Vayal's Indian Kitchen, the Dal Makhani (left) and the Chicken Tikka Masala (right) are lightly spicy, warming and hearty dishes.
Tirion Boan
Vayal’s Indian Kitchen
507 W. Thomas Road Certain parts of the Valley are sprinkled with excellent little neighborhood Indian restaurants. But midtown is not one of those areas. This may be why residents of the area cheered when Vayal’s Indian Kitchen opened on Thomas Road and Fifth Avenue. Or maybe they did so because the food is truly exceptional. The restaurant itself, located in the middle of a strip mall across from St. Joseph’s Hospital, is nothing fancy. It’s tidy with a few paintings dotting the walls around small booths. Initial customers may have been fans from Vayal’s food truck days, but word has spread quickly of the top-notch South Indian cuisine. Familiar classics, such as the Dal Makhani and Chicken Tikka Masala are creamy and packed with spices, perfect for enjoying alongside aromatic biryani. Plenty of lesser-known options are available as well. Try the Uttapam, a thick pancake made with rice and black gram flour with onion or mixed veggies, or the Kothu Parotta, a fluffy, layered flatbread that is chopped up and mashed with chicken, cheese or egg. Friendly servers are eager to explain dishes and make recommendations. Dine in or place a takeout order and enjoy a delicious Indian feast at home.
