Spring Arizona Restaurant Week is here. Everything you need to know

‘Tis the season when Valley chefs and restaurateurs strut their stuff to both new and familiar audiences while prix fixe menu fans salivate with anticipation of the mix-and-match possibilities.

Arizona Restaurant Week celebrates its 16th year with more than 140 restaurants expected to participate in the spring rendition of this biannual 10-day culinary extravaganza. This season's event takes place from May 19 through 28. Should you find yourself road-tripping during this time, the lineup includes a few restaurants in Tucson, Flagstaff and Wickenburg as well as destinations all across the Valley.

A quick primer for anyone who needs one: During Arizona Restaurant Week, restaurants offer a three- or four-course menu for $33, $44 or $55 a person. Some do a per-couple rate. Meals usually consist of a starter, entree and dessert, with a few restaurants adding an extra appetizer or beverage as part of the deal.

While the fall Arizona Restaurant Week serves as a way to welcome diners back into the fold after summer vacations and usher in the peak season, the spring event is a push by independent eateries aiming to make the most of it before the summer lull.

“It always occurs when it’s slowing down,” says Patrick Dains, co-owner of Ajo Al’s Mexican Cafe. “It does give us a nice little boost going into summer.”

Dains and his brother Daniel own the local chain their family started in 1986. Today, Ajo Al’s has four stand-alone restaurants with locations in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Glendale, plus one at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. They have participated in every restaurant week event since 2015.

Publicity was the initial draw. The Arizona Restaurant Association hosts the event and its marketing campaign generates results yielded from big-budget advertising, often out of reach for mom-and-pop businesses.


Over the last eight years, Dains has seen his customer base expand after each event, he says. His restaurant also experiences a 10 to 15 percent bump in business over those 10 days.

Ajo Al’s is one of the spots offering one set price per couple. This spring, the menu is $55 per couple for a three-course dinner which includes two alcoholic beverages, making it a screaming deal among a sea of deals.

Dains’ Restaurant Week menus always feature customer favorites — this time, jalapeno poppers and mushroom or spinach enchiladas — and a new item to test the waters.

“This year, we’re throwing on birria tacos to see how it goes,” Dains says.

Serving a brand new dish, or one they’re considering adding to the menu, is a common practice among chefs participating in Arizona Restaurant Week while boosting sales before the summer, says Steve Chucri, Arizona Restaurant Association president and CEO.

How Arizona Restaurant Week began

The event’s roots date back to when American Express approached Chucri wanting to partner in starting a restaurant week in Arizona, as it did in other states. When the inaugural event launched in 2008, it was the first of its kind here and pretty much unheard of. Not only did the mainstream public find the concept difficult to grasp, but marketing tools such as email and social media were also rarely used.

“How are you going to get the word out about this? And at a time when most didn’t understand it,” Chucri says of the obstacle at the time.

In that initial year, 80 restaurants participated in the event, which was held in the fall. It proved popular enough that more establishments got on board. And once the concept was put into motion, diners embraced it. A few years later, the restaurant participation list grew to more than 200.

During the event’s fourth year, restaurateurs asked Chucri if they could hold a second event in the spring. He was skeptical and thought the event itself was still too new to expand. But Chucri kept an open mind and agreed.

Only 23 restaurants participated in the first spring event. But that number progressively grew and this spring, he expects close to 150 restaurants to be in the mix. Restaurants do not have to be part of the association to participate in Arizona Restaurant Week.

Today, American Express is no longer associated with the event, but Chucri gives the financial institution credit for making it happen. Also, Arizona Restaurant Week is one of the few events of its kind in the country that is owned by the state’s restaurant association, Chucri says. Similar events in other states are typically owned by a visitor’s bureau or a non-profit.

The association partners with the Arizona Office of Tourism, and the event has caught on with out-of-state visitors. Some plan their vacations to make sure they are in town during those 10 days, he says.

In 2022, for the first time in a long time, restaurant sales nationwide outperformed grocery store sales, Chucri says, adding that bodes well for the local restaurant industry. However, he acknowledges that inflation and other economic factors causing consumers to do some penny-pinching will force them to be more discriminating about how they spend money.

With the prix fixe format, restaurant week menus serve as budget-friendly ways for restaurants to attract guests and hopefully stay on their radars as they make these decisions, Chucri says.

“Right now, discretionary income is shrinking and people’s ability to go out to restaurants shrinks as well. The idea of the week is not only to showcase restaurants but to gain new business,” he says.

New Restaurants and new customers

Arizona Restaurant Week pros may notice this spring’s lineup includes roughly a dozen newcomers spanning luxe resort locations like The Phoenician’s Mowry & Cotton and Prado at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia to more approachable spots like Zu & Pocha and Fire at Will.  National chains such as Claim Jumper are also on the list.

Known for its wood-fired grill, Italian-influenced dishes and creative cocktails, Thompson 105 is also among the first-timers. Operating partner Ric Gordon is making his debut with a four-course, $44-per-person menu.
By participating in the event, Gordon hopes to attract new customers and broaden the restaurant’s client base. Currently, patrons hail from a 3-mile radius from his establishment nestled in the McDowell Mountains. But, he’s expecting his restaurant week menu to extend that reach to 5 to 10 miles.

Of Thompson 105’s nine dish options on the restaurant week menu, only the roasted halibut with grilled asparagus, blistered tomatoes and caper relish is not on the regular menu.

“I’m hoping the exposure gets new faces who want to come back. Hopefully, people who stay over the summer and aren’t snowbirds will visit us a little bit more,” Gordon says.

An industry veteran, Gordon has been a patron of restaurant week both in Phoenix and Tucson. While the menus are a bargain, he doesn’t usually consider the price as much as he does other factors.

“It’s more about, maybe I thought about going to a resort restaurant in the past but didn’t go to it because it was further away. But, knowing I can get a great deal and try something the restaurant is proud of, it will encourage me to go to a restaurant we have not tried before,” he says.

How to make the most of Arizona Restaurant Week

Since 2017, more than 39,632 Arizona Restaurant Week reservations have been booked using Open Table, according to Arizona Restaurant Association data. And with more than 140 restaurants participating this month, narrowing the field can be overwhelming. After all, there are only so many meals you can squeeze into 10 days. To make most of those delicious days, keep these suggestions in mind:

Visit the Arizona Restaurant Week website often, as new menus are constantly added.

Seats go fast, so make reservations as soon as you have decided on your must-visit locations.

New restaurant participants are highlighted on the website’s homepage, in case you want to support a newcomer.

The website’s filters are very handy. Narrow your search by cuisine, city, price, takeout availability and whether a beverage is included. Of course, you can search by restaurant name as well.

Keep an eye out for restaurants with menus that include a beverage. It’s a way to get even more bang for your buck.

Some offer a per-couple pricing. Tailor-made date night, anyone?

Consider a spot you normally wouldn’t, either because it’s a “special occasion” establishment or splurge-worthy, Hearth ‘61, Mowry & Cotton and Prado, for example. The University Club of Phoenix falls into the above category with one caveat: The restaurant is open to members only year-round with the exception of the spring and fall Arizona Restaurant Week. If you want to feel like a venerable mover and shaker, it may be worth making a required reservation for one of the five available dates the menu will be offered this spring.

Revisit an oldie. Perhaps there's a restaurant your parents or grandparents frequented or talked about and you’d like to experience a bit of nostalgia. Avanti, Christo’s and The Stockyards, which opened in 1947 and is the event's oldest restaurant participant, come to mind.

Try a cuisine you’ve never had before, maybe the Cuban fare at the Canal Club, Rodizio’s Brazilian steakhouse scene or Korean-inspired plates from Zu & Pocha.

Some offer flexible pricing, making the experience a little more customizable. For example, Wren & Wolf’s menu is $33, $44 or $55 per person, depending on the entree choice, while Fuego at the Clarendon offers menus for $33 or $44, each featuring a slightly different lineup.

With all of the variety Arizona Restaurant Week offers, Churci suggests using it as an opportunity to stretch beyond your comfort zone and try something new.

"It's a way to enjoy the best of what restaurants have to offer," he says.