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Our Favorite Cafe Review Photos of 2020

By New Times Staff

Thursday, December 10, 2020 at 8 a.m.

Lom Wong The Kaeng Hang Lay from Alex and Yotaka Martin’s Lom Wong pop-up. 1/48

Lom Wong Laap Muang, served at a recent pop-up. 2/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Que Chevere’s patacon, a brick-like sandwich built on plantain slices. 3/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo The chachapa at Que Chevere. 4/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo A spread from Que Chevere in downtown Mesa. 5/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Crab ravioli with citrus, fennel, and saffron from Francine. 6/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Whole branzino cooked in a salt crust at Francine. 7/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Francine's eggplant mezza. 8/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Colorful syrups from Francine's bar. 9/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo The hand-poured Hotate Aguachile at Kaizen PHX. 10/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Octopus Tiradito with Gyoza at Kaizan. 11/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Gyoza from Kaizen. 12/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Fresh ginger and wasabi at Kaizen. 13/48

Charles Barth Lutong Bahay’s halo halo special. 14/48

Chris Malloy Homemade ube pandesal — stuffed bread dyed purple with yam from Phx Lechon Roasters. 15/48

Chris Malloy Longsilog plate at Deez Buns. 16/48

Chris Malloy Skewers and a lechon baboy remix at Toduken 17/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo All the housemade barbecue sauce you can handle from Word of Mouth Grill. 18/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Word of Mouth’s Demetrious Makel at his smoker. 19/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Hotlinks, ribs, tips, turkey, and sides at Word of Mouth. 20/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Hot links, ribs, and a corn muffin at Word of Mouth Grill. 21/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo The Octopus Fritto dish at The Americano. 22/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Reviewing Pizzeria Virtu and The Americano — where meatballs are the star of the short takeaway menu. 23/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo At The Americano, it’s largely steak, meat-centric dishes that lean Italian or American. 24/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo The Americano’s elegant Versace on the Floor cocktail. 25/48

Chris Malloy Chef Gio Osso probes for doneness at Pizzeria Virtù. 26/48

Chris Malloy Topping a margherita pizza with olive oil at Pizzería Virtù. 27/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo These noodles at Sherpa Kitchen have more color than most in town. 28/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo The dish of creamy curry is a lot like a big bear hug at Sherpa Kitchen. 29/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Chef Subash Yadav presents his food like an artist Sherpa Kitchen. 30/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo The a la carte oysters at Century Grand. 31/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Chef Sasha Levine's reimagined beef cheek Wellington. 32/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Get some dim sum shrimp at Century Grand. 33/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Dim sum carts frequently swing by at Century Grand. 34/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo The sensory course of Navajo tea poured over creosote, desert broom, and jojoba at Kai. 35/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Kai's Pee-Posh Garden. 36/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo A vivid new plate of fish three ways at Kai. 37/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Colorful pickings from the salsa bar at Taco Boy's. 38/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Tripas at Taco Boy's. 39/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo A carne asada platter with beans at Taco Boy's. 40/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Ropa vieja French dip sandwich with a side of jerk sauce from Little Cay. 41/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo "Tostonadas," a Little Cay creation. 42/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo The picadillo empanadas at Little Cay. 43/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo A plate of oxtail, ropa vieja, and white rice at Fe La Cubana. 44/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo A small but mighty side of yucca at Fe La Cubana. 45/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Elote also gets the Hot Cheeto treatment at Urban Phoenix Cafe. 46/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo The FFS taco goes next-level with crisped cheese and ghost chile oil at Urban Phoenix Cafe. 47/48

Jackie Mercandetti Photo Another keeper: the Cho, a chorizo taco, at Urban Phoenix Cafe. 48/48

Our Favorite Cafe Review Photos of 2020

It's 2020, which means a whole new year of our now monthly cafe review. Food critic Chris Malloy is ready to talk about some outstanding tacos, Nepalese dishes, Neapolitan pizza, and much more — all accompanied by some stunning food photography. Enjoy your spin.

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