Two Phoenix eateries named among the nation's top restaurants

It’s peak restaurant “list” season, when prestige publications reveal their favorite places and faces around the United States. Now, the reservation platform Resy is getting in on the action. For its inaugural list, Resy's team opted to look beyond “the new and shiny,” to select 100 restaurants “that define dining today.” The list was announced on Sept. 18.

To create its list, Resy considered the 10,000 restaurants on its platform and asked its nearly two dozen city contributors for their opinions. These restaurants didn't need to be new, have a flashy celebrity chef at the helm or be in located a glitzy, massive city.

“They are, simply, excellent and cherished,” the list introduction says. “They delight their communities, and make them better.”

Two Phoenix spots made the cut.

No. 49: Kid Sister

4810 N. Seventh St.

Kid Sister is one of those spots that creates a bit of debate. Is it a wine bar? Is it a restaurant? The answer is simply yes, and you’ll want to experience both. Sisters Casey and Courtney Lewandrowski opened Kid Sister with Dej Lambert in June 2024. Both the wine and food menus are taut, well-edited and ever-changing. The kitchen, helmed by Restaurant Progress alum Isaac Mendoza, serves devilishly simple, highly refined fare that lets each ingredient shine.

“In a city where dining can often feel performative — big portions, big egos — this is a beautifully local and human-scale effort that’s nothing but fun,” Resy shared.

No. 95: Valentine

4130 N. Seventh Ave.

Valentine, a Melrose neighborhood restaurant that is a love letter to the people and flavors of both the state and the Sonoran Desert, has been a local favorite since it opened in 2020. It was the New Times’ Best New Restaurant in 2021 and Best Restaurant in 2024. Its culinary and bar teams have received several national accolades, with pastry chef Crystal Kass continuing to receive praise as a three-time nominee for a James Beard Award. Chef Donald Hawk retired earlier this year and passed the torch to longtime Valentine colleague Nico Zades.

Resy calls Valentine’s approach “postmodern rancho cuisine, with the improbable but extraordinary agriculture found in southern Arizona’s high desert.”

See the entire Resy 100 list.