The Top 100 Places to Eat and Drink Near The Local Donut
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A midcentury diner transplanted into Scottsdale's neighborhood breakfast scene, The Eleanor pairs cozy booths and a counter with a menu that moves easily between fluffy blueberry pancakes and avocado toast. Ellefson and Macaulay built the place to let you linger over slow coffee or grab something quick, and their in-house maple butter alone justifies the trip.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Breakfast · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The 10 best breakfast spots in Phoenix
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Rank 3. Di Maggio’s
NY Italian
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- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner · Outstanding Bar/Nightlife Experience
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Scottsdale
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- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner: Double Burger · Most Crave-Worthy Burger
- Phoenix New Times The top 10 burger joints in Phoenix
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- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist: In-Good Spirits · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Southwest · Bernie Kantak
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Salad: The Original Chopped Salad · Best of Phoenix
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At Sizzle, the servers do the grilling tableside while you sit back with a drink, moving around the room like seasoned dancers to flip cuts and manage the flow. Order a sampler platter of pork or beef and you'll get a rotating parade of different cuts, vegetables, and sides that turns dinner into something between a meal and a show.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Korean Barbecue · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Korean Barbecue · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Korean Barbecue · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 8. Uchi
Japanese
Chef Tyson Cole's upscale Japanese restaurant brings its Austin sophistication to Old Town Scottsdale, with precise sushi and sashimi anchoring a menu that ranges from tempura to grilled meats and inventive crudos. Order à la carte, go full omakase, or build a custom tasting menu, but don't skip the signature Hama Chili with yellowtail, ponzu, and Thai chile.
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner · Top Sushi Restaurant
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Place to Take a Foodie · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Place to Take a Foodie · Best of Phoenix
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- Eater Date Shake · The Most Iconic Dishes in Phoenix
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Date Shake · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona
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Rank 14. The Mission
Mexican
A dimly lit room where the margaritas flow and leather booths invite you to settle in—The Mission brings proper Mexican cooking and snappy cocktails to a corner of Scottsdale that's mostly resigned itself to burgers and sushi. Street tacos and bacon-wrapped hot dogs are the show-stealers, and at fifteen bucks a drink, it's the kind of place where lingering feels like the whole point.
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Food Pioneer · Matt Carter
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Tequila Selection · Best of Phoenix
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Scottsdale
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Rank 16. Cool Gelato Italiano
Dessert
Two owners trained by an Italian gelato champion run this Old Town counter, where 20 flavors rotate daily with serious attention to balance and depth. It's the kind of place where you taste the craft in every spoonful, whether you're grabbing a cup on a hot afternoon or settling in with a cone.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Gelato · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Gelato · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 17. Liquor Pig
Cocktail Bar
A moody Old Town Scottsdale tavern where the cocktails—like olive oil-washed dirty martinis—are as playful as the ever-rotating menu, and the service puts you at ease whether you're perched at the bar solo or crowded into a booth with friends. Order shareable plates of ceviche and burrata, but make room for the mafaldine in duck bolognese, a rich pasta dish that justifies the indulgence.
- 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
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Rank 19. Goldwater Brewing Co.
Beer Bar
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Rank 20. Rusty Spur Saloon
Dive Bar
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Charleen Badman sources vegetables and rare ingredients from Arizona farms and beyond, braiding them into dishes that range across the Sonoran Desert, South America, and the Levant in this Scottsdale fine-dining kitchen where she still cooks most nights. Co-owner Pavle Milic's wine list—heavy on Arizona producers—is reason enough to tuck into the hidden bar, which might be the best seat in the house.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Charleen Badman
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Arizona Wine Selection · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Arizona Wine Selection · Best of Phoenix
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- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Vegan Burger · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Vegan Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Vegan Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 24. Citizen Public House
American
Chef Bernie Kantak's Citizen Public House trades the fanciness its name suggests for a relaxed dining room where classic American cooking gets a savory edge—think crispy sesame pork belly and scallops that actually shine. The Original Chopped Salad is popular enough to have its own Facebook following, and the whole operation has the ease of a place where the staff genuinely seem to like what they do.
- 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
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Rank 25. Sugar Bowl
Dessert
Sugar Bowl has been scooping ice cream for nearly fifty years, but the real revelation is their surprisingly good savory side—try the Chicado, a generous turkey salad with avocado and tomato, or the corned beef sandwich with Thousand Island dressing. It's a casual neighborhood spot where you can grab lunch and still have room for a three-scoop sundae.
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Rank 26. Pizzeria Virtu
Wood-fired Pizza
Chef Gio Osso runs this wood-fired pizzeria out of a house with a backyard patio in Old Town Scottsdale, where fine dining ease meets casual neighborhood warmth. The pies come topped with San Marzano tomatoes, chestnut honey, rapini pesto, and peppered bacon, all cradled in fluffy, bubbly dough.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Pizza · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- Phoenix New Times The 12 best restaurants in Scottsdale
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- Foodist Awards 2024 · Finalist · Top Chef · Alex Trujillo
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Carpaccio · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona
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Rank 30. Los Milics Vineyards
Wine Bar
A dark, sleek tasting room in Old Town Scottsdale where Pavle Milic, beverage director at the acclaimed restaurant FnB, pours wines from a region Wine Enthusiast has called the next Napa. The gregarious bar staff will guide you through flights and glasses while neighborhood regulars settle in for an intimate but buzzy evening.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Tasting Room · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
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Tucked into Old Town Scottsdale with warm lighting and tables built for lingering, this globe-trotting spot channels Anthony Bourdain's restless appetite through handmade pasta, egg yolk nigiri, brisket burnt ends, and bison with maitake bordelaise. The cocktails are crafted with the same precision and playfulness as the food, making it the kind of place where dinner becomes an adventure.
- 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
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- 50 Top Pizza 2025 · #26 · 50 Top Pizza USA
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Honey Bee Pizza · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona
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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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- AAA Four Diamonds
- Foodist Awards 2023 · Finalist · Brunch With a Punch
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Scottsdale
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Rank 42. Cala
Mediterranean
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Rank 45. Three Beans Cafe
Coffee
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- 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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Rank 50. The Ends
Global
In Old Town Scottsdale, this warmly lit dining room channels Anthony Bourdain's appetite for the world, with tables arranged to spark conversation over drinks mixed with scientific precision. The menu roams freely—handmade pasta, egg yolk nigiri, French onion soup, Japanese Wagyu sandwich—and the shareable lamb with harissa brodo is a showstopper.
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Rank 51. CATCH
Sushi
A polished steak-and-sushi room inside Scottsdale Fashion Square where you might spot designer bags at the next table, but the food—briny crudo, lobster-topped wagyu rolls, herb-roasted branzino on creamy lemon rice—justifies the splurge. Prices are steep, but the kitchen delivers where many Scottsdale luxury spots just deliver theater.
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- Phoenix New Times The 12 best restaurants in Scottsdale
- Phoenix New Times The 10 best new Phoenix restaurants of 2025
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Rank 52. Franco's Italian Caffe
Old-School Italian
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Rank 53. Diego Pops
Mexican
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Rank 54. Tapas Papa Frita
Spanish
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Rank 55. Hai Noon
Japanese
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Sashimi Spoons · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona
- Eater Sashimi Spoons · The Most Iconic Dishes in Phoenix
- Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Phoenix
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Rank 56. 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
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Rank 58. Indibar
Modern Indian
Chefs Nigel Lobo and Ajay Singh have brought fine dining technique to Indian cuisine in a sleek desert-modern dining room with an eye-catching Art Deco bar, and their butter chicken alone—tender, char-grilled, bathed in complex cream—justifies the white-glove service. Modern presentations of street food classics sit alongside regional dishes like Kerala-style branzino wrapped in banana leaf, while the pastry and bar teams riff on nostalgic Indian flavors with equal ambition.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best New Restaurant
- USA Today 2026 · Restaurants of the Year
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
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Rank 60. Berdena's
Coffee
A narrow Scottsdale coffee shop where the owner sources organic beans and brews them into drinks like honey lavender lattes and cardamom rose—the kind of place that takes its ingredients seriously but keeps the vibe refreshingly casual. The pastries and toast come from the same thoughtful approach, whether it's cinnamon toast or avocado on sourdough.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Breakfast Sandwich · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Breakfast Sandwich · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 61. Marcellino Ristorante
Classic Italian
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Rank 63. T. Cooks
Mediterranean
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Rank 64. Vecina
Latin-Inspired
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Exceptional Culinary Experience
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Hiramasa Ceviche · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona
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Rank 66. 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
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Rank 68. Golden Restaurant & Bakery
Levantine Middle Eastern
A casual Tempe spot where the flatbread menu alone—over 30 varieties, from za'atar manakeesh to spiced tomato wraps—could keep you coming back for months. The Levantine classics like hummus and baba ganoush are properly made, the slow-cooked beef dishes hit hard, and the house-made kenafa is the kind of dessert that justifies the trip.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Middle Eastern Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Middle Eastern Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Middle Eastern Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 70. Mister Pio
Peruvian
Smoke from an enormous rotisserie oven fills this small, modern counter spot the moment you walk in, announcing exactly what you came for. Order a whole or half bird with salad and Peruvian sauces, thick-cut fries, and an Inca Kola, and you'll understand why the parking lot smells the way it does.
- Eater 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best French Fries · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
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Rank 71. Francine
Mediterranean French
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Rank 73. Little Miss BBQ - University
Texas-style Barbecue
You'll stand in line with your nose in the smoke, watching the menu board get taped over as items sell out, then order your meat from the counter guy before moving on to sides that range from mac and cheese to jalapeño cheddar grits. This casual Texas Hill Country-style barbecue shop run by competitive pitmasters does straightforward, top-tier brisket, pulled pork, and butter-soft beef short ribs on weekends.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Southwest · Scott Holmes
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Barbecue · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Barbecue · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 75. Mensho Ramen
Noodles
Mensho brings an imported ramen concept to Mesa with an open kitchen ringed in light wood, where ambitious broths layered with unexpected flavors like matcha and five-fold garlic preparations pair with silky handmade noodles. It's a casual counter spot that's already spawned a second location in Phoenix, drawing crowds eager for something genuinely different in the local noodle scene.
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Emerging Restaurant of the Year
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Ramen · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 76. Ocean 44
Seafood
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Rank 78. The Little Woody
Dive Bar
Red-lit dive with darts, pool, and a game room where young crowds gather on weekends to dance and play until 2 a.m. The cocktails are sharp—try the bourbon Gun Shy Sour—and the kitchen turns out flatbreads and hot dogs that hit the spot.
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner: Genuine Concepts · Outstanding Hospitality Group
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Winner · Outstanding Bar/Nightlife Experience
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist · Outstanding Bar/Nightlife Experience
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Rank 79. The Dirty Drummer
Dive Bar
A longtime Phoenix dive that shuttered and roared back to life in 2019, The Dirty Drummer serves wings and burgers alongside a rotating slate of country, rockabilly, and touring acts that might have you line dancing one night and catching back-to-back sets the next. Sports fans and folks hunting a no-frills good time will find plenty of reasons to return, especially during happy hour.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Bar Food · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Country Bar · Best of Phoenix
- AZ Central 2025 · Best bars in metro Phoenix
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Rank 80. Call Her Martina
Modern Mexican
A sleek Scottsdale spot with a moody black-and-white dining room and neon-lit high-tops that feels more nightclub than strip mall, Call Her Martina pairs inventive cocktails topped with flower petals and charred cinnamon with modern Mexican cooking that ranges from steak-studded guacamole with pomegranate to charred octopus. The flan alone—caramel shards and fresh mint on silky custard—justifies the splurge.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Guacamole · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Guacamole · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 81. The Chuckbox
Southwestern
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Finalist: The Great One · 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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Rank 82. The Stockyards
Western Steakhouse
The Stockyards has been slinging corn-fed steaks and prime rib since 1947, in a dining room that feels like it's been waiting for you since the cattle-baron days, with baking soda biscuits that haven't changed and a wood-paneled saloon designed by a rancher's wife. Order the Arizona cut rib-eye, nurse a whiskey, and settle in among the Western leather and old-school swagger of a place that takes its steakhouse pedigree seriously.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Historic Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Steakhouse · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Steakhouse · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 83. J&G Steakhouse
French-Inspired Steakhouse
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Rank 84. Rift Wine + Tap
Beer Bar
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Rank 86. Shinbay
Omakase Sushi
Chef Shinji Kurita presides over a 13-seat counter in Old Town Scottsdale, where he builds an omakase progression that might include kombu-cured halibut, scallop with yuzu-miso, and perfectly calculated nigiri across two seatings nightly. It's a splurge at $250 a person, reserved well ahead and worth the two hours you'll spend watching a master at work.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Japanese Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Japanese Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Scottsdale
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Rank 87. Steak 44
Modern Steakhouse
A dark, polished steakhouse on Phoenix's north side that somehow feels as comfortable for a casual bar dinner as it does for celebrations, with a modern menu that ranges from hand-cut wet-aged beef to soft shell crabs in vanilla bean tempura. The 12-ounce Delmonico arrives butter-drenched with beautiful marbling, or you can splurge on truffle butter if you're feeling it.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Steakhouse · Best of Phoenix
- AZ Central 2026 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Steakhouse · Best of the Valley
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Rank 88. Cafetal Coffee
Columbian
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Coffee Shop · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The 10 Best Coffee Shops in Phoenix
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A 1910 house in Tempe where college kids and seasoned drinkers mix happily over cheap drinks and solid food, with the kind of homey chaos that makes you feel like you've always belonged there. The place has earned its reputation as the real heart of the town—and possibly a ghost or two—by never taking itself seriously and always getting the good times rolling.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Neighborhood Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Neighborhood Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Bar · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 90. Platform 18 at Century Grand
Cocktail Bar
Platform 18 at Century Grand recreates the interior of a Prohibition-era Presidential train car with wood paneling and digital windows showing mountain vistas, making it easy to forget you're in downtown Phoenix. The bar specializes in reimagined classic cocktails and original drinks inspired by 1920s New York—try the Film Star, a Vesper variation with olive oil-washed gin and lemon Lillet served with orange and thyme caramel corn, though you'll need a reservation to board.
- The Pinnacle Guide 2 Pins
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Top 10 Nominee · U.S. Bartender of the Year · Nicole Giampino
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Top 4 Finalist · Best U.S. Bar Team
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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 92. Nutowne Saloon
Beer Bar
Nu Towne Saloon has been Phoenix's oldest gay bar since 1971, surviving fires and decades with the same kitschy spirit—a narrow room stuffed with a seven-foot plaster rooster, Eiffel Tower roof replica, and grandma's attic memorabilia. Regulars come for cheap draft beer on Tuesday nights, pool games, and the kind of campy, low-key vibe that doesn't take itself seriously.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Gambling with Gay Men · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Gay Bar Decor · Best of Phoenix
- AZ Central 2025 · Best bars in metro Phoenix
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Rank 93. Skysill Rooftop Lounge
Cocktail Bar
Eighteen stories above Mill Avenue, this rooftop bar trades indoor comfort for unobstructed views of A Mountain, downtown Tempe, and the glittering Mill Avenue Bridge at night—grab a cocktail at the covered bar and wander the open deck with a drink in hand. The food menu of carne asada tacos, Caesar wraps, and flatbreads works hard to keep up with Arizona beers and seasonal drinks that shift with the weather.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Rooftop Pool · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Rooftop Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Rooftop Bar · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 94. Cocina Chiwas
Mexican
Armando Hernandez and Nadia Holguin have built a comfortable, chic room around an open kitchen where mesquite and pecan smoke chars everything from stuffed poblanos to crispy quesadillas, taking you on a journey rooted in their Chihuahuan family cooking. The sweet corn panna cotta alone—creamy and singing with corn flavor against seasonal fruit—signals that these are serious chefs having fun with the food they grew up eating.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Armando Hernandez and Nadia Holguin
- USA Today 2024 · Restaurants of the Year
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Chiles Rellenos · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 96. Weft & Warp Art Bar + Kitchen
Mediterranean
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Scottsdale
- AZ Central 2025 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
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- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner: Double Burger · Most Crave-Worthy Burger
- Phoenix New Times The top 10 burger joints in Phoenix
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Rank 99. Cafe Lalibela
Ethiopian
A husband-and-wife team has run this stripped-down Tempe spot for decades, serving some of the best Ethiopian food in the Phoenix area with an emphasis on vegetarian dishes and the spongy injera bread that anchors most meals. The key sega wat—a spicy beef stew—is worth the trip, and the glossary menu means newcomers won't feel lost navigating unfamiliar territory.
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- AZ Central 2026 · The 100 Best Metro Phoenix Restaurants
- Phoenix New Times Our top 10 favorite restaurants in Tempe
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