The Top 100 Places to Eat Near Sel
-
Rank 1. FnB
Sonoran New American
The chef still works the line most nights, which tells you something about a creative restaurant that's been an Old Town Scottsdale fixture long enough to feel inevitable. Vegetables are taken seriously here, pulled from Arizona farms and steered through a menu that drifts from the Sonoran Desert to the Levant without announcing itself. The wine list leans hard into Arizona producers, and the tucked-away bar is a fine place to work through both.
-
Rank 2. Uchi
Japanese
Tyson Cole's Austin-born Japanese fine dining concept has colonized Old Town Scottsdale, and the food makes it hard to resent the expansion. The menu runs well past sashimi and nigiri into tempura, grilled meats, and crudo, and you can order à la carte, build a tasting menu with your server, or hand over full control with an omakase. The room runs on polished service and the kind of care that makes a chain feel like a local obsession.
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner · Top Sushi Restaurant
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Place to Take a Foodie · Best of Phoenix
-
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist: In-Good Spirits · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Salad: The Original Chopped Salad · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix Magazine Lucky 7 Cereal Bowl · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona
-
Rank 4. Citizen Public House
American
The Original Chopped Salad has its own Facebook page, which tells you something about the regulars here. Citizen Public House is a polished American restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale that manages to feel genuinely comfortable despite looking like it shouldn't. Classic dishes get quiet, confident upgrades, the room runs warm without trying too hard, and the kitchen keeps the kind of hours that make it useful for more than just dinner plans.
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist: In-Good Spirits · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Salad: The Original Chopped Salad · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The 12 best restaurants in Scottsdale
-
Rank 5. Shinbay
Japanese, Sushi
Thirteen seats arranged at an L-shaped bar set the scale here: this is a reservation-only omakase counter in Old Town Scottsdale, two seatings a night, no improvising. The chef behind it, Shinji Kurita, is a name Phoenicians say with a certain reverence. Courses run for about two hours, and the sake list includes a bottle priced like a used car, should the mood strike. A James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurant.
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Japanese Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
-
-
-
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Foodist Awards 2023 · Finalist · Brunch With a Punch
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Scottsdale
-
-
Rank 10. The Mission
Mexican
Old Town Scottsdale runs heavy on sushi and gourmet burgers, so a candlelit Mexican restaurant with a serious tequila program reads almost as contraband. The Mission leans modern Latin rather than strictly regional, but the street tacos and bacon-wrapped hot dogs hold their own against the fancier plates. The room is dark and unhurried in a way that makes a second round of $15 cocktails feel inevitable.
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Food Pioneer · Matt Carter
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Tequila Selection · Best of Phoenix
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Scottsdale
-
-
Rank 12. Fourtillfour
Coffee
A roll-up garage door on a repurposed corner house sets the tone for this tiny Old Town Scottsdale coffee shop, which doubles as a weekend car show venue. The counter fits maybe two people standing, but a shaded patio and a quiet garden out back absorb the overflow. Weekend mornings bring themed gatherings of Porsches or vintage off-roaders, which pairs better with a lavender honey latte than you might expect.
- Phoenix New Times The 10 Best Coffee Shops in Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The 10 best coffee shops in Phoenix
-
Rank 13. Craft 64
Wood-fired Pizza
A wood-fired pizzeria in the middle of Old Town Scottsdale that leans into the craft-beer-bar half of its personality as much as the pizza half. The dough is thin but sturdy enough to carry generous toppings without folding, and the homemade mozzarella shows up like it has something to prove. A serious Arizona craft beer list keeps the mood convivial. Ranked 29th on 50 Top Pizza USA, which is a lot for a place with a patio and wooden tables.
-
A private cottage across the street from its louder sibling, Reserve runs on dress codes, flickering candles, and soft piano, which tells you exactly what kind of evening this is. The tasting menu leans into caviar, dry-aged duck, and wagyu, while an enormous wine cellar offers options at most price points. The service team controls the pace deliberately, so no one is rushing you anywhere. Note that it operates seasonally.
-
Rank 15. Liquor Pig
Cocktail Bar
A moody Old Town Scottsdale cocktail bar where the olive oil-washed dirty martini is only the beginning. The menu swings between arancini for two and a full table spread of ceviche, burrata, and pasta, and it changes often enough to reward regulars. The duck bolognese tossed with mafaldine and garlic crumble has become something of a signature. It reads equally well as a date bar or a group dinner, which is a harder trick than it sounds.
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Most Luxurious Meat Board · Best of the Valley
- Phoenix New Times The 12 best restaurants in Scottsdale
-
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner: Double Burger · Most Crave-Worthy Burger
- Phoenix New Times The top 10 burger joints in Phoenix
-
Rank 17. Pizzeria Virtu
Wood-fired Pizza
A wood-fired pizza spot set inside an actual house, backyard patio and all, in a neighborhood that otherwise runs on bottle service and valet queues. Chef Gio Osso, known for finer dining elsewhere in the Valley, keeps things loose here: simple salads, pies with charred, bubbled crusts, and toppings that lean toward chestnut honey and rapini pesto rather than the standard playbook. Bring a bottle and a friend who won't mind lingering.
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Pizza · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The 12 best restaurants in Scottsdale
-
A globe-hopping dinner spot in Old Town Scottsdale built as a love letter to Anthony Bourdain, which means handmade pasta shares the menu with egg yolk nigiri and bison ribeye without any of it feeling like a theme park. The warm, conversation-friendly room earns its vibe. The bar team applies something closer to lab technique to the cocktails, and the mocktail program picked up a Phoenix Magazine Best of the Valley nod, which is a sentence Bourdain would have found deeply funny.
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best Mocktail: Smartest Cocktail in the Room · Best of the Valley
- Phoenix New Times The 12 best restaurants in Scottsdale
-
Rank 19. Chin Up Donuts
Dessert
A donut shop in Old Town Scottsdale that leans into vintage furniture and bright walls, making it feel more like a coffee shop than a bakery. The donuts themselves split the difference between cake and yeast, landing somewhere denser and breadlike, which gives toppings like strawberry shortcake crumbles or Lucky Charms marshmallows something to push against. The pizza donut and mac and cheese fritter are exactly as committed to the bit as they sound.
-
At Sizzle, the servers run the grill, so you can just sit there looking relaxed and cosmopolitan while someone else does the work. This Korean barbecue spot builds its menu around pork or beef sampler platters, with different cuts arriving in waves alongside banchan, salad, and steamed egg. Soju cocktails filled with fresh fruit handle the drinks side. Phoenix New Times named it the top Korean barbecue in the area.
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Korean Barbecue · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Korean Barbecue · Best of Phoenix
-
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Finalist · Top Chef · Alex Trujillo
- Phoenix Magazine Carpaccio · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona
-
- Eater Date Shake · The Most Iconic Dishes in Phoenix
- Phoenix Magazine Date Shake · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona
-
Rank 23. Élephante
Mediterranean
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Espresso Martini · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best New Pizza Hot Spot · Best of the Valley
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Scottsdale
-
Rank 24. CATCH
Sushi
A steak-and-sushi restaurant inside Scottsdale Fashion Square, which tells you exactly who the room is built for. The menu runs from raw fish and specialty rolls through wagyu and pasta, so you can arrive with shopping bags and leave with a bill to match. The herb-roasted branzino, served over lemon rice, has drawn particular attention from local critics. Not cheap, but the kitchen takes the food more seriously than the setting might suggest.
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- Phoenix New Times The 12 best restaurants in Scottsdale
- Phoenix New Times Herb-Roasted Branzino · The 10 best bites we tasted at Phoenix restaurants
-
-
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner · Outstanding Bar/Nightlife Experience
- Phoenix New Times The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Scottsdale
-
Turquoise booths and a menu that hasn't needed rethinking in decades: this Scottsdale franchise of the national pancake-house chain has been the neighborhood's default breakfast spot for a long time. The Dutch Baby, finished with lemon and whipped butter, is the order that regulars treat as non-negotiable. Griddle-focused, diner-priced, and reliably packed on weekend mornings with people who had the good sense to arrive early.
-
Rank 28. Merci French Cafe
French
The pastry case sets the pace at this all-day French cafe in Scottsdale: grab a croissant on your way out, or settle into the chic little dining room for a proper quiche with a flaky crust and a side salad dressed in a vinaigrette so good they bottle it for sale. Crepes, eggs Benedict, and omelets round out the menu. French conversation drifts out from the kitchen, which feels less like ambiance and more like a genuine reflex.
-
-
-
Rank 31. J&G Steakhouse
French-Inspired Steakhouse
-
Rank 32. Francine
Mediterranean French
-
Rank 33. Cala
Mediterranean
-
Rank 34. Ocean 44
Seafood
-
Rank 35. Indibar
Indian
A banana leaf-wrapped branzino arrives at the table and you unwrap it yourself, releasing a cloud of curry-leaf steam. Indibar is a fine dining modern Indian restaurant, all desert neutrals and Art Deco curves, with the white-glove service of a high-end resort. The kitchen applies globe-spanning fine dining technique to tandoori and regional traditions. A James Beard Best New Restaurant semifinalist in 2026, and named by USA Today among its Restaurants of the Year.
- USA Today Restaurants of the Year
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
-
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Exceptional Culinary Experience
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- Phoenix Magazine Hiramasa Ceviche · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona
-
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Phenomenal Fast Casual Concept
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Finalist: Thai Peanut Poke Bowl · Standout Signature Dish
- Phoenix New Times The 12 best restaurants in Scottsdale
-
The whole room is built around the idea of Anthony Bourdain, which sounds like a gimmick until you see how it plays out. Warm lighting, close tables, and a menu that wanders from handmade pasta to egg yolk nigiri to a Japanese Wagyu sando without apologizing for any of it. The drinks menu leans into clarified and precisely mixed cocktails. A global restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale that earns its ambition more often than not.
-
Rank 39. Di Maggio’s
NY Italian
-
Rank 40. The Eleanor
Breakfast American
The counter stools and cozy booths have the feel of a midcentury diner, which is exactly the point: The Eleanor is a breakfast and brunch spot built as a deliberate antidote to Scottsdale's party-brunch scene. Pancakes, hash, and biscuits and gravy share the menu with avocado toast and Buddha bowls, and the grab-and-go fridge means you can linger over slow coffee or bolt, your call.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Breakfast · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The 10 best breakfast spots in Phoenix
-
Rank 41. The Stand
American
- USA Today Restaurants of the Year
- AZ Central The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Milkshakes · Best of Phoenix
-
-
Rank 43. Fat Ox
Italian
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Food Pioneer · Matt Carter
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Italian · Best of the Valley
- Phoenix New Times The 12 best restaurants in Scottsdale
-
-
-
Rank 46. The Local Donut
Bakery
A tiny donut shop tucked into a shopping center off Hayden, where the menu categories are literally named Classy, Fancy, and Schmancy, so expectations are appropriately calibrated. Yeast donuts, cake donuts, mochi donuts, fritters, and seasonal pastries all share the case, and the creme brulee donut gets a kitchen torch before it reaches you. Phoenix New Times put it on their list of the Valley's top dozen donut shops.
-
Rank 47. Mister Pio
Peruvian
The rotisserie smoke reaches you before you open the door, which is either a warning or a promise. This counter-service Peruvian chicken shop on East Thomas keeps things focused: whole or half birds off a hulking oven, Peruvian sauces on the side, and thick-cut fries that Phoenix New Times handed a Best of Phoenix nod to. Wash it down with an Inca Kola and you're done. Eater named it one of the best new restaurants in America in 2025.
- Eater The Best New Restaurants in America
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- AZ Central The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
-
Rank 48. T. Cooks
Mediterranean
-
Rank 49. The Stockyards
Western Steakhouse
The 1889 Saloon inside is supposedly designed by the cattle baron's wife, which is exactly the kind of detail that makes this old-school Phoenix steakhouse feel like it earned its spurs. Corn-fed aged beef and prime rib anchor the menu, alongside bison meatloaf and baking soda biscuits that haven't changed much since the place opened. The Western décor leans hard into its ranching roots, and nobody seems to mind.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Historic Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Restaurants In Phoenix
- AZ Central The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
-
Rank 50. Sugar Bowl
Dessert
Pink booths, a soda fountain counter, and ice cream sodas that have been drawing Scottsdale families for what feels like forever. This old-school ice cream parlor is better known for sundaes than sandwiches, but the lunch menu holds its own: turkey salad with avocado, tea sandwiches, chili with cheese. The kind of place where saving room for dessert isn't advice so much as the whole point of showing up.
-
Rank 51. Lon's at the Hermosa
Southwestern New American
The broad patio sweeps out from a small turquoise-trimmed adobe inn with the Camelback range as a backdrop, which is doing a lot of work before the food even arrives. Lon's is a white-tablecloth Southwestern restaurant in Paradise Valley, seasonal and quietly inventive, with weekend brunch drawing the kind of crowd that lingers over customizable margaritas and monkey bread loaded with caramel and cream. The bar is serious, the mountain views are free.
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner · Ultimate Patio Atmosphere
- Foodist Awards 2023 · Finalist: Sticky Toffee Pudding · Most Delectable Dessert
-
Rank 52. Los Milics Vineyards
Wine Bar
A dark, sleek wine bar in Old Town Scottsdale pouring from Arizona's Willcox region, which Wine Enthusiast has been calling the next Napa with a straight face for years. Co-owner Pavle Milic also runs the beverage program at Charleen Badman's FnB, so the pedigree is real. Bar staff are genuinely gregarious about helping you navigate a glass or flight, while regulars who never need to ask fill the other stools.
- Phoenix New Times The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Tasting Room · Best of Phoenix
-
Rank 53. The Little Woody
Dive Bar
Red lights, pool tables, a game room, and flatbreads until 2 a.m.: The Little Woody refuses to be just one kind of place, and Arcadia has loved it for years because of that. It's a dive bar with cocktail lounge bones, where dart nights blur into dancing and the Gun Shy Sour keeps the bourbon crowd happy. Weekend nights draw a younger crowd who treat the arcade games as warmly as the drinks.
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Winner · Outstanding Bar/Nightlife Experience
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner: Genuine Concepts · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Outstanding Bar/Nightlife Experience
-
Rank 54. Jewel's Bakery And Cafe
Gluten-Free Bakery
The entire menu is gluten-free, which sounds like a warning but reads more like a dare. Jewel's is a breakfast and brunch cafe on the east side of Phoenix where the doughnut holes are light, the tortillas stretch properly, and the waffles hold up under chicken and spicy bacon without apology. Dairy-free, vegan, and vegetarian options run alongside bottomless mimosas and locally roasted coffee. Nothing on the plate telegraphs its constraints.
- Phoenix New Times The 10 best brunch restaurants in Phoenix
- Eater The Best Bakeries in Phoenix, Arizona
-
-
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner: Genuine Concepts · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Finalist: Genuine Concepts · Outstanding Hospitality Group
-
Rank 57. The Chuckbox
Southwestern American
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist: The Great One · Most Crave-Worthy Burger
- AZ Central The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- Phoenix New Times The top 10 burger joints in Phoenix
-
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner: Genuine Concepts · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Finalist: Genuine Concepts · Outstanding Hospitality Group
-
Rank 59. Hai Noon
Japanese
- Phoenix Magazine Sashimi Spoons · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona
- Eater Sashimi Spoons · The Most Iconic Dishes in Phoenix
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Phoenix
-
-
-
-
-
Rank 64. Glai Baan
Thai
The name means "far from home," which tells you something about what the chef is doing here. This central Phoenix Thai restaurant draws on Bangkok street food and the cooking of the Isan region, with a tight menu of small plates, noodles, and skewers that reads like a personal dispatch rather than a crowd-pleasing survey. The cocktail program is serious enough to make parking on this stretch of Osborn Road feel like a design choice. A James Beard semifinalist, 2024.
- USA Today Restaurants of the Year
- Foodist Awards 2023 · Winner · Best World Flavors
- Foodist Awards 2023 · Finalist: Mango Sticky Rice · Most Delectable Dessert
-
Rank 65. Steak 44
Modern Steakhouse
The steaks arrive already drenched in butter, with truffle butter on standby if you feel that wasn't enough of a statement. Steak 44 is a high-end steakhouse on the north side of Phoenix that somehow sidesteps the usual corporate-vault atmosphere, landing closer to a neighborhood spot where the bar fills with regulars and families stake out booths for birthdays. The menu wanders past its brief with soft-shell crab in vanilla tempura alongside the expected shrimp cocktail.
- AZ Central The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Steakhouse · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Steakhouse · Best of the Valley
-
Rank 66. Little Miss BBQ - University
Texas-style Barbecue
The line forms before the doors open at this Texas-style BBQ shop, and a strip of tape slapped over a sold-out item on the menu board is a genuine source of anxiety by the time you reach the counter. The team came up out of competitive barbecue, and the Hill Country influences show in the smoke. A James Beard semifinalist in 2026, the place draws a crowd happy to stand outside in the Phoenix heat for brisket and jalapeño cheddar grits.
- The Infatuation The 20 Best Restaurants In Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- AZ Central The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
-
Rank 67. théa
Mediterranean
-
Rank 68. Cocina Chiwas
Mexican
Mesquite and pecan wood smoke drifts out of the open kitchen at this Chihuahuan-rooted restaurant inside Tempe's Culdesac neighborhood, where the grill does serious work on meats, peppers, and open-faced quesadillas. The team behind Tacos Chiwas built something more personal here, moving from taqueria to family table. Moles, micheladas, and brunch dishes like concha French toast fill out a menu that runs morning to night. A James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur semifinalist in 2024.
- USA Today Restaurants of the Year
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Chiles Rellenos · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times Our top 10 favorite restaurants in Tempe
-
Rank 69. Cafe Lalibela
Ethiopian
The injera arrives with every order, a spongy sourdough flatbread that doubles as plate and utensil, and first-timers get a menu with a glossary to help them figure out what they've just ordered. This Ethiopian restaurant has been an ASU rite of passage for what feels like forever, a family-run strip mall spot that leans hard into vegetarian dishes and fragrant stews. The dining room is cozy and carpeted, and the coffee ceremony is not decorative.
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- AZ Central The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- Phoenix New Times Our top 10 favorite restaurants in Tempe
-
-
- AZ Central The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- Phoenix New Times The top 10 burger joints in Phoenix
-
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist: In-Good Spirits · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- Phoenix New Times Our top 12 favorite sushi restaurants in Phoenix
-
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner: Double Burger · Most Crave-Worthy Burger
- Phoenix New Times The top 10 burger joints in Phoenix
-
Rank 74. Bagelfeld's
NY-Style Bakery
- Bon Appétit The Very Best Bagels in the US (Yes, Outside New York)
- AZ Central The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Bagels · Best of Phoenix
-
Rank 75. Andreoli Italian Grocer
Italian
The shelves of imported flour, olive oil, and canned goods are the first thing you navigate on the way to ordering lunch, which about sums up what Andreoli is: a north Scottsdale Italian grocer where the sit-down dining room is just as serious as the pantry. The chef hails from Calabria but ranges freely across the regions, and the whiteboard specials tend toward the kind of dishes that take some explaining. A James Beard nominee.
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Nominee · Best Chef: Southwest · Giovanni Scorzo
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- AZ Central The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
-
Rank 76. Taco Chelo
Mexican
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Finalist · Phenomenal Fast Casual Concept
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner · Phenomenal Fast Casual Concept
-
Rank 77. Tapas Papa Frita
Spanish
-
Rank 78. Buck & Rider
Seafood
Seafood flown in daily from both coasts and the Sea of Cortez keeps this polished seafood restaurant on Camelback Road from feeling like a landlocked afterthought. The dining room leans comfortable and upscale, the kind of place where booths fill with date-night couples while the bar handles happy hour with enough seriousness to earn a Best Happy Hour nod from Phoenix New Times. The cocktail list gets the same care as the fish.
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Finalist: Voodoo Fried Rice · Best Dish in a Supporting Role
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Happy Hour · Best of Phoenix
-
A strip-mall address in Scottsdale is doing its best to throw you off, but step inside Course and it's a full tasting-menu restaurant, white-tablecloth intentions and all. The kitchen runs a rotating seasonal menu, five courses on weeknights and eight on weekends, with a James Beard semifinalist nomination for the chef and another for pastry. The Pinnacle Guide awarded it one Pin for 2026.
- The Pinnacle Guide 1 Pin
- USA Today Restaurants of the Year
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner · Exceptional Culinary Experience
-
Rank 80. Marcellino Ristorante
Classic Italian
-
-
-
-
Rank 84. Tacos Veganos
Vegan Mexican
Jackfruit quesabirria tacos with plant-based mozzarella are the headline at this vegan Mexican taco shop in the Arcadia neighborhood, a casual counter-order spot where the menu reads like any solid taqueria, right down to the bucket of Modelos. Burritos come stuffed with rice, beans, fries, and your pick of plant-based protein, which is either very 2010s or exactly what you wanted. The kind of place carnivores get dragged to and then quietly admit was fine.
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Vegan Mexican Food · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Vegan Mexican Food · Best of Phoenix
-
Rank 85. Franco's Italian Caffe
Old-School Italian
-
-
Rank 87. Diego Pops
Mexican
-
-
-
Rank 90. Essence Bakery Cafe
French Bakery
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best Nutty Croissants · Best of the Valley
- Eater The Best Bakeries in Phoenix, Arizona
-
A 17,600-square-foot pool area anchors this sprawling dayclub and nightclub on Scottsdale's main party corridor, where the outdoor scene runs on cabanas, three bars, and a taco stand beneath what's reportedly the Valley's largest LED video wall. When the sun goes down, the indoor club takes over with a vortex-shaped dance floor and the kind of bottle service that keeps the staff very busy. The crowd skews young, attractive, and aware of both facts.
-
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner · Exceptional Culinary Experience
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Christopher Gross
- AZ Central The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
-
-
Rank 94. Casey Moore's Oyster House
Seafood Cocktail Bar
An old house in Tempe that may or may not be haunted, depending on how many drinks in you are. Casey Moore's is a seafood and oyster bar that's been around forever, and it draws the full cross-section of college town life, from freshmen to people who were freshmen here decades ago. The patio, the well-priced drinks, and the raw bar keep everyone coexisting peacefully, which is harder to pull off than it sounds.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Neighborhood Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Neighborhood Bar · Best of Phoenix
-
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Vegan Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Vegan Burger · Best of Phoenix
-
Rank 96. Tratto
Italian
Chris Bianco's trattoria keeps a rotating pasta menu built around local flours matched to specific shapes, which sounds precious until you taste it. The kitchen runs classic cacio e pepe alongside whatever Arizona's season hands them, and the drink program goes equally deep into esoteric Italian amari and house-made liqueurs. The New York Times put it on their restaurant list, and the room feels like it earned that quietly.
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Food Pioneer · Chris Bianco
- The New York Times The Restaurant List
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
-
Rank 97. Mensho Ramen
Noodles
A ramen shop where the broth might arrive laced with matcha or built around five preparations of garlic in a single bowl. Mensho brought its Japanese noodle concept to Arizona with this Mesa outpost, a light-wood room centered on an open kitchen where handmade noodles go into thick, creamy broths. The kind of place where the bowl keeps revealing itself as you eat, which is a polite way of saying you'll want to stay longer than you planned.
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Emerging Restaurant of the Year
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Ramen · Best of Phoenix
-
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Emerging Restaurant of the Year
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Pizza With Puppies · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix Magazine 20-Layer Short Rib Lasagna · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona
-
Rank 99. UnderTow
Tiki Cocktail Bar
The whole room is built to look like the cargo hold of a 19th-century ship, portholes and all, which sets the stakes early at this immersive tiki bar on Indian School. The cocktail menu runs from classics to the team's own riffs on the genre, leaning into the full theatrical bit without apologizing for it. Phoenix New Times named it the city's top tiki bar, and the Spirited Awards put the bar team among the top four in the U.S.
- Foodist Awards 2023 · Winner: Barter & Shake · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Top 4 Finalist · Best U.S. Bar Team
- Foodist Awards 2023 · Winner · Most Creative Handcrafted Cocktail
-
Rank 100. Weft & Warp Art Bar + Kitchen
Mediterranean