The Best Restaurants in Phoenix

Charcoal-grilled hot dogs at a counter where the walls are buried in memorabilia: Ted's is an old-school hot dog shop with roots in upstate New York. The White Hot, dressed with sauerkraut and mustard, is the move, but the real sleeper is the fries with gravy, a combination rare enough in Phoenix that people drive across town for it. The buns come toasted or plain, which feels like a small thing until you're asked.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Hot Dogs · Best of Phoenix

The water gets filtered and softened to mimic East Coast chemistry, which tells you everything about how seriously this Ahwatukee bagel shop takes its product. The bagels come out big, with a crisp shell and a chewy interior, and the Phoenix New Times named them the city's best in 2024. A plain schmear lets the bagel do its thing, though breakfast sandwiches move fast on weekend mornings.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Bagels · Best of Phoenix

The Churchill is an open-air food hall in downtown Phoenix with a courtyard packed enough during peak hours that finding a seat becomes a sport. Most people never notice the staircase tucked past the restrooms at the north end, which leads to a rooftop with a quiet view over the city. Grab something from one of the vendors below and take it up; the crowd thins considerably and the evening light does most of the work.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Secret Patio · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Tortas · Best of Phoenix

The aguas frescas here run from safe-harbor strawberry and watermelon all the way to soursop and cucumber lemon, which is a solid argument for branching out. This is a torta shop, so the sandwiches are the main event, but the drinks have their own following and earned Phoenix New Times's Best Aguas Frescas in 2024. When the Phoenix heat is doing what Phoenix heat does, a cold glass of something made with fresh fruit feels less like a beverage and more like a public service.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Aguas Frescas · Best of Phoenix
2. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Aguas Frescas · Best of Phoenix

A wing shop that keeps the menu short by design, Valley Wings puts its energy into texture: the skin cracks, the meat stays juicy, and the honey hot flavor threads sweet and heat together without either one winning. The Phoenix New Times named it Best Chicken Wings in 2024. Three metro Phoenix locations means it's rarely far away, which is convenient, because once you know the order, the craving has a very specific address.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Chicken Wings · Best of Phoenix

The jollof rice arrives with a fried turkey quarter, crisp-skinned and juicy, habanero sauce on the side. This no-frills West African restaurant in north Phoenix carries a largely Liberian menu with a few wider regional dishes folded in, including egusi soup thick with smoked fish and goat pepper soup that brings genuine heat without quite crossing the line. The room is modest, the cooking is not, and Phoenix is richer for having it.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best West African Restaurant · Best of Phoenix

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1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Champion of Latino Culture · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Quesabirria · Best of Phoenix

The fajita quesadilla here is the size of a small country, stuffed with chicken or beef, bell peppers, onions, and molten cheese, with carne asada cut thick enough to surprise anyone expecting a casual counter spot. This neighborhood Mexican restaurant in Peoria earned a Phoenix New Times Best of Phoenix nod for its quesadillas, and the tortilla, crisp and golden, holds everything together better than most plans do.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Quesadillas · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Tortillas · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Margaritas · Best of Phoenix

The kitchen inside Crescent Ballroom wraps burritos in foil and marks them with stickers bearing faces like Morrissey and Mr. Bean, which tells you most of what you need to know. This Sonoran Mexican spot was shaped by Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco fame, and it runs until midnight, so the crowd skews toward concertgoers and touring bands who just rolled off I-10. Sonoran dogs, tacos, nachos, and burritos, done with more care than the venue setting suggests.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Nachos · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Chimichangas · Best of Phoenix

The huaraches here come on hand-pressed masa that's thick enough to hold its shape under a pile of toppings, queso fresco, onion, and cilantro. This casual Mexican counter runs through tacos, tortas, burritos, and those huaraches all day, with carne asada and al pastor doing the heavy lifting. The building from the outside makes no promises, but the salsas inside range from warm to genuinely alarming, which seems to be the point.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Tacos · Best of Phoenix

A taco truck parked in a lot on 16th Street, deep into the night, serving Sonoran Mexican to anyone who finds their way there. The meats are the point: carne asada, sure, but the lengua is rich and fatty, the buche carries real animal intensity, and the tripas come out screaming hot and crackly. Onions and chopped herbs are all they need. Burritos and vampiros round things out, and yes, there is a cheese-buried Sonoran dog.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Late-Night Mexican Food · Best of Phoenix

A Mexican import shop tucked into the small town of Guadalupe, Mercado Mexico rewards wandering more than it rewards a list. The sprawling aisles run from handpainted ornaments to big bottles of vanilla extract to terracotta planters, and most people leave with things they had no intention of buying. Come with a loose agenda and check every corner before you head to the register.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Mexican Imports Store · Best of Phoenix

A narrow strip-mall storefront off Thomas Road that serves Michoacán family recipes to a weekend brunch crowd that knows exactly what it came for. This festive, casual Mexican restaurant keeps its menu rooted in the cooking of one region, which tends to produce that rare strip-mall meal you find yourself describing to people. When mole negro is on the specials board, the table next to you has probably already ordered it.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Mexican Brunch · Best of Phoenix

A local Arizona chain spreading across the Valley one location at a time, Someburros is a casual Mexican restaurant where the happy hour margarita is the main event. Original and strawberry margs come in at a price that makes rounding up to a third feel almost responsible. Mini chimichangas and cheese crisps help absorb the damage. Phoenix New Times gave it a Best Cheap Margaritas nod, which is perhaps the most honest award category in existence.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Cheap Margaritas · Best of Phoenix

Peruvian cooking has always been a quiet argument that fusion was never a modern invention, and this Mesa restaurant makes that case across a menu that moves from Japanese-inflected ceviche to Chinese-Peruvian lomo saltado to chicken stew finished with Parmesan. The chef behind it has opened more Peruvian spots around Phoenix than anyone, and calls this one his last. The spit-roasted chicken, served with fried yuca, tends to do the convincing.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Ceviche · Best of Phoenix