The Top 100 Places to Eat and Drink Near Romanelli's Italian Deli
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Rank 1. Romanelli's Italian Deli
Italian
A proper Italian deli in West Phoenix where the meat and cheese counter takes center stage and sandwiches like the Italian Stallion arrive loaded with cold cuts, provolone, and house dressing on crusty Italian bread. Beyond takeout cuts, there's an antipasto bar, homemade pasta dishes, gelato, and cannoli that deserve a trip on their own.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Italian Deli · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Italian Deli · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Italian Deli · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 3. Seido Sushi
Sushi
- Phoenix New Times Our top 12 favorite sushi restaurants in Phoenix
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best West Valley Sushi · Best of the Valley
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Rank 5. Taco Boys
Mexican
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- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Restaurant to Take a Geek · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Restaurant to Take a Geek · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The top 10 burger joints in Phoenix
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Rank 7. Bobby-Q BBQ
Arizonan
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Rank 9. Alzohour Restaurant
Moroccan Middle Eastern
Zhor Saad single-handedly runs the Valley's only Moroccan restaurant from her combined dining room, market, and boutique, moving between host and kitchen with practiced grace since 2008. Steaming tagines of saffron lamb or fish, pillowy couscous, and her signature bastilla—a phyllo pie of chicken and nuts dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar—arrive when they're ready, and they're worth the wait.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best North African Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best North African Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 10. Las 15 Salsas Restaurant Oaxaqueño
Oaxacan Mexican
A colorful patio strung with lights sets the scene for serious Oaxacan cooking at this Sunnyslope spot, where memelas and tamales wrapped in banana leaves are just the warm-up act. The five styles of mole are the real draw, paired with cocktails built from rare agave spirits and earthy café de olla.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Oaxacan Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Mole · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Mole · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 11. Cool Vybz Jamaican Restaurant
Caribbean
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Caribbean Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Caribbean Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 12. La Purisima Bakery
Mexican Bakery
A line usually snakes out the door of this traditional Mexican bakery in Glendale, where the pastry cases overflow with molasses cochinitos, fruit-filled pan dulce, and those giant pink pig-shaped cookies that are dangerously addictive. The fresh tortillas and chile tamales are stellar, but come hungry and bring cash—it's the kind of place where you'll want to try everything.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Mexican Bakery · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Mexican Bakery · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Mexican Bakery · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 14. Los Reyes De La Torta
Mexican
A casual counter spot where enormous tortas—layered with fried beef, chorizo, egg, avocado, and more on soft telera bread—arrive as genuine meals for two. The juice bar pulls fresh aguas frescas and wild fruit bombas topped with paper umbrellas, turning a sandwich run into something celebratory.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Tortas · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Tortas · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The 10 best Mexican restaurants in Phoenix
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Rank 15. Great Wall
Cantonese Chinese
A sprawling dim sum hall in the West Valley where carts of Cantonese staples trundle past your table and weekend afternoons descend into controlled chaos, with crowds queuing for lacquered duck, chewy lo mein, and fried wontons. It's the kind of place where you point at what you want and let the noise and bustle of hungry diners around you make the meal feel like an event.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Dim Sum · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Dim Sum · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Dim Sum · Best of Phoenix
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- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Top Sushi Restaurant
- Phoenix New Times Our top 12 favorite sushi restaurants in Phoenix
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Rank 18. Little Miss BBQ
Southern Barbecue
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Southwest · Scott Holmes
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Pastrami · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona
- AZ Central 2025 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
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Rank 20. Japan Express
Japanese
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- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner: Genuine Concepts · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Finalist: Genuine Concepts · Outstanding Hospitality Group
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Rank 22. Ta'carbon Mexican Grill
Sonoran Mexican
- USA Today 2025 · Restaurants of the Year
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Tacos · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Carne Asada · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 23. Hana Japanese Eatery
Japanese
- AZ Central 2026 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Sushi/Japanese · Best of the Valley
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Honeymoon Shooter · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona
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Rank 24. Taco’s Javi
Mexican
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- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner: Double Burger · Most Crave-Worthy Burger
- AZ Central 2026 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- Phoenix New Times The top 10 burger joints in Phoenix
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- Phoenix New Times The 10 Best Coffee Shops in Phoenix
- AZ Central Best Uptown Phoenix coffee shops for working or studying · The ultimate guide to the best Phoenix cafes
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best Neighborhood Coffee Shop: Phoenix · Best of the Valley
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Rank 27. Haus Murphy's
German
Brett Hoffman has been running this cozy German restaurant for over 25 years, turning out house-made sausages, schnitzels, and an outsized pretzel that's achieved minor fame on the Food Network. The patio glows with string lights and giant beers under a vaguely Bavarian sky, making it feel like a corner of the Old World transplanted to Glendale.
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Rank 28. West African Cuisine
West African
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best West African Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best West African Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
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- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner: Genuine Concepts · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Finalist: Genuine Concepts · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- AZ Central 2025 · Best bars in metro Phoenix
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Rank 30. Tambayan Filipino Food
Filipino
After years as a pop-up and food truck, Tambayan finally landed a permanent home on Camelback in a bright, neon-lit dining room where everything tastes better against yellow booths and green walls. The lemongrass chicken arrives grilled and crispy on a banana leaf, the pancit overload reads like a greatest-hits sampler of lechon and lumpia, and the halo halo is a rainbow of shaved ice and ube that sends you out happy.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Filipino Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
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Rank 32. Blue Corn Cafe & Bakery
Artisanal Bakery
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Rank 33. Chula Seafood
Seafood
The owners of this seafood counter in Uptown Plaza catch their own swordfish and deep-sea buoy fish off California waters aboard their harpoon boat, then sell it never-frozen by the pound or in composed dishes. Poke bowls, confit tuna sandwiches, and swordfish tacos anchor the menu, with grilled oysters and Mexican wild shrimp filling out a rotation that takes sustainability seriously without sacrificing flavor.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Southwest · Kyle Kent
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Finalist: Thai Peanut Poke Bowl · Standout Signature Dish
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Phenomenal Fast Casual Concept
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- AZ Central Best Uptown Phoenix coffee shops for curling up with a book · The ultimate guide to the best Phoenix cafes
- AZ Central 2025 · Best bars in metro Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
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- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Aguas Frescas · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Neveria · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 39. Valentine
Southwestern
A cozy Melrose spot in a midcentury furniture store where chef Nico Zades builds the entire menu around Arizona ingredients—Sonoran wheat pretzels with guinea hen butter, elote pasta with local cheese, grass-fed beef at brunch. The adjacent Bar 1912 speakeasy leans into the same hyperlocal obsession with cocktails built on foraged pine liqueur and Arizona-sourced spirits, all served in a sophisticated but entirely unsnobby room.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Crystal Kass
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Crystal Kass
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Crystal Kass
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Rank 40. The Fry Bread House
Native American
The Fry Bread House has been a Melrose institution since 1992, serving Tohono O'odham dishes in a family-run spot that predates the neighborhood's current wave of trendy arrivals. The pillowy namesake fry bread — whether stuffed with beef and beans or topped with chocolate — is why people keep coming back.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Authentic Arizona Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Authentic Arizona Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Authentic Arizona Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 41. Casa de Falafel
Middle Eastern
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Rank 42. Kid Sister
Wine Bar
Kid Sister is an intimate wine bar on Seventh Street where Progress alumni and friends have created a vibrant, airy neo-bistro inspired by travels across Europe and the U.S. The condensed, evolving wine list offers plenty by the glass alongside chef Isaac Mendoza's small bites, and don't sleep on their spritzes.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service · Zac Adcox
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best New Bar
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Small Plates · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 43. Butler’s Easy
Cocktail Bar
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- AZ Central 2026 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- AZ Central 2025 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
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Rank 46. Frank's New York Style Deli
American
- AZ Central 2026 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- AZ Central 2025 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
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Rank 47. JL Patisserie
French Bakery
A European bakery where owner Jenna Leurquin turns out exceptionally flaky croissants, kouign-amann, and pain au chocolat alongside thick slices of quiche. The seasonally rotating coffees and buttery viennoiserie justify a morning detour, and the macarons and fresh bread travel well for later.
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bakery
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Pastries · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Pastries · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 48. Otro Cafe
Mexico City-Style Mexican
A colorful, modern neighborhood spot in uptown Phoenix where weekend brunch tables go fast and the salsas pack real heat. Chef Doug Robson's Mexico City-style menu shines with crispy papas fritas and cajeta pancakes topped with banana, crème fraîche, caramel, and candied peanuts.
- Phoenix New Times 2026 · The 10 best brunch restaurants in Phoenix
- Eater Chilaquiles · The Most Iconic Dishes in Phoenix
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Rank 50. Restaurant Progress
European
A corner of the historic Wagon Wheel building in Melrose has been transformed into a lush, intimate dining room where plants and twinkle lights set a quietly romantic mood. Chef-driven European cooking arrives as a five-course tasting menu or à la carte—handmade pasta and steak tartare are equally at home whether you're committing to the full experience or just dropping in with a bottle of wine.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Southwest · TJ Culp
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Date Night Spot · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Date Night Spot · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 51. Mr. Sweets Bakery
Middle Eastern Bakery
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Rank 52. D & Y Chinese Food
Chinese
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Rank 53. Boycott Bar
Cocktail Bar
A welcoming lesbian bar in the Melrose District marked by a pink light, Boycott pours cold beers and well-made cocktails alongside drag shows and dancing. The event calendar rotates through Pride parties, Latin nights, and country dance floors, making it equally good for a casual drink or a full night out.
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Lesbian Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Lesbian Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Lesbian Bar · Best of Phoenix
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- Esquire 2023 · The Desert Martini · The Best Martinis in America
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Most Creative Handcrafted Cocktail Program
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best One-Two Punch · Best of Phoenix
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- AZ Central 2025 · Best bars in metro Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Chicken Tecolota @ Requinto · The 10 best bites we tasted at Phoenix restaurants
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Rank 56. Phở Thành
Vietnamese Noodles
- AZ Central 2026 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- AZ Central 2025 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
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- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Farmers’ Market · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Farmers Market · Best of Phoenix
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- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Chicken Wings · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Chicken Wings · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 61. Süss Pastries
German Bakery
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Rank 62. The Greedy Hamster
Wine Bar
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best Second-Hand Name · Best of the Valley
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Rank 65. Oaxaca Restaurant
Oaxacan Mexican
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Rank 66. Da Vang
Vietnamese
A cracked-laminate menu and strip-mall setting set the stage for serious, no-nonsense Vietnamese cooking that arrives in portions big enough to require a to-go container. The pho runs 14 varieties deep, but the real move is the com tam dac biet—broken rice topped with barbecue pork, shrimp, meatball, egg cake, and fried egg, all under fifteen bucks.
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- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best Prosciutto · Best of the Valley
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Charcuterie Board · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona
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The cozy dining room at this Melrose Peruvian spot glows with color and warmth, a neighborhood place where the cocktail program runs to pisco sours and the beer list favors Peruvian imports. Expect the hits—lomo saltado, ceviche mixto, arroz chaufa—alongside less obvious pleasures like anticuchos, grilled beef heart skewers that are dense, chewy, and completely worth ordering.
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Phoenix
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- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Flagstaff Import · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2026 · The 10 best brunch restaurants in Phoenix
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Rank 70. Tesota
Global
Doug Robson's sprawling Camelback Road spot trades his Mexican restaurant playbook for a freewheeling global menu—poke, pasta, Asian noodles, wings—all executed with the same careful hand that built his neighborhood empire. Comfortable booths and natural light make it feel less like a chef's victory lap and more like a genuinely good place to eat whatever sounds right that day.
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- Phoenix New Times The 10 Best Coffee Shops in Phoenix
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best Neighborhood Coffee Shop: Phoenix · Best of the Valley
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Rank 72. Joe's Diner
American
A bright yellow beacon in the Melrose District that draws weekend breakfast crowds the way a neon sign draws moths, Joe's Diner packs people into booths and around communal tables for biscuits and gravy and towering burritos. The buttermilk pancakes are legitimately fluffy, the coffee is black and hot, and the whole operation runs on the principle that breakfast is serious business.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Classic Diner · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Classic Diner · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The 10 best breakfast spots in Phoenix
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Rank 74. Copper Star Coffee
Coffee
A converted gas station in Melrose churns out bagels and lattes from 6 a.m., with a drive-thru window and a shaded patio where you can linger or grab-and-go. The house-made bagels come in flavors like jalapeño cheddar and sun-dried tomato, stacked into breakfast sandwiches with eggs, cheese, and your choice of meats.
- Phoenix New Times The 10 best breakfast spots in Phoenix
- AZ Central Best Midtown Phoenix coffee shops for meeting friends or making new ones · The ultimate guide to the best Phoenix cafes
- AZ Central 2025 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
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Rank 75. Title 9 Sports Grill
Beer Bar
A new sports bar in Phoenix's Melrose district that fills its walls with photos of women athletes and journalists, deliberately designed as a space where girls can see themselves represented in sports. Co-founders Kat Moore and Audrey Corley have created something that draws everyone from high school coaches to female MLB agents, with interior design choices that nod subtly to queer pride.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best New Sports Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
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Rank 76. Fàme Caffe
New American
A narrow storefront packed with bistro lights, fresh produce, and the warm clutter of a place that's genuinely loved by its regulars, Fàme Caffe serves excellent New American breakfasts and lunches—the Croque Madame and Frenchie Toast are standouts. The walk-up window keeps weekend brunch lines moving, and everything from the house-made hot sauce to the wooden tables topped with rosemary says this kitchen cares about the details.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Breakfast · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Breakfast · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2026 · The 10 best brunch restaurants in Phoenix
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Rank 79. Rito's Mexican Food
Mexican
A Phoenix institution since 1977, Rito's is a casual counter spot where the green chile burro draws lines out the door, and you can get virtually anything deep-fried chimichanga-style and smothered in red sauce and cheese. The Salinas family also does a mean guacamole taco and refried pinto beans, making this a go-to for no-frills, craveable Mexican food.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Burritos · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Burritos · Best of Phoenix
- AZ Central 2026 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
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Rank 80. Richardson's
Mexican
Richardson's is a swanky New Mexican dining room with leather booths, copper accents, and a massive marble bar—nothing dusty about it, despite the Southwestern setting. The kitchen does hearty stuff well, from carne adovada eggs Benedict at brunch to rack of lamb basted with green chile jelly and pecan-wood-grilled burgers at dinner.
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Uniquely Arizona
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best New Mexico Cuisine · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best New Mexico Cuisine · Best of Phoenix
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A Phoenix rarity: a kosher deli where the corned beef and pastrami arrive on double-baked Jewish rye that actually tastes like something. The matzo-ball soup is bracingly seasoned with celery and dill, and the New York cheesecake tastes like someone's grandmother knew what she was doing.
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- Imbibe Where to Drink in Phoenix
- AZ Central Best Uptown Phoenix coffee shops for meeting friends or making new ones · The ultimate guide to the best Phoenix cafes
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Rank 85. La Mejor Barbacoa
Mexican
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Rank 86. Juanderful Tacos
Mexican
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Rank 87. Ta'Carbon
Sonoran Mexican
Step up to the counter at this casual Sonoran spot and survey the overhead menu before ordering small plates of smoky carne asada, tangy al pastor, and the house Hazz blend of meat, green chile, and melted cheese. Build your own tacos or burritos from the a la carte options, then hit the salsa bar for fresh green, red, and orange varieties to dress up each bite.
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- AZ Central 2026 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- AZ Central 2026 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
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A brightly lit neighborhood bakery near Seventh and Camelback where owners Brady and Shaun Breeze—who won Food Network's Cupcake Wars as Ollie Cakes—turn out seasonally rotating, prettily frosted cupcakes and cookies without formal pastry training. Their signature brown boxes work as gifts, and the whole place has a fun, family-friendly vibe that keeps people coming back.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Cookies · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Cookies · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Cookies · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 89. Across the Pond
Japanese
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Most Creative Handcraft Cocktail Program
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Top Sushi Restaurant
- Phoenix New Times Our top 12 favorite sushi restaurants in Phoenix
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Rank 91. El Rincon Poblano Mexican Grill
Poblano Mexican
A warm, family-run spot in a strip mall on Thomas Road where Puebla's culinary traditions come alive through Mole Poblano, herbaceous Pipian Verde, and a signature Cemita Poblana that demands both hands. The Agustin family's lesser-known specialties—including the precursor to al pastor—taste like history on a plate, with Puebla's art adorning pastel walls to match.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Pueblan Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Pueblan Food · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The 10 best Mexican restaurants in Phoenix
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- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Hot Dogs · Best of Phoenix
- AZ Central 2025 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
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- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Canto-American Chinese Food · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Canto-American Chinese Food · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The 10 best Chinese restaurants in Phoenix
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Rank 98. George & Dragon
British
George & Dragon wears its Anglophilia unabashedly—portraits of the Queen, Buckingham Palace photos, and football kits crowd every wall, while matches play on the screens above the bar. The kitchen turns out proper bangers and mash, pasties, and fish and chips, the beer selection ranges well beyond Guinness, and owner David Wimberley, a native Englishman, holds court on the patio with stories that tend toward colorful language.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best British Pub · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best British Pub · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best British Pub · Best of Phoenix
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A locally owned wine and beer bar with the vibe of a friend's living room, where the staff has actually tasted everything they stock and can talk you through a bottle with real enthusiasm. The kind of place where you'll find natural wines and small-batch beers you won't see anywhere else, arranged by people who genuinely care about what they're pouring.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Wine Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Place to Take a Wine Geek · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Place to Take a Wine Geek · Best of Phoenix
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