The Best Places in 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

A serpentine bar stocked floor-to-ceiling with tequila and cerveza anchors the main room at this Latin nightclub on Central Avenue, where resident DJs rotate through reggaeton, cumbia, salsa, and bachata until 3 a.m. or later. The $10 door gets you the dance floor; $20 buys plush couches and bottle service on the VIP side. A michelada and taco bar rounds things out for anyone who needs a breather.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Latin Nightclub · 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

The password comes from the barista at Stir Coffee upstairs, which is a reasonable amount of theater for a cocktail bar tucked below a strip mall. Gin & Reel leans hard into the speakeasy aesthetic, and the basement room does pull off a convincing other-era feeling despite the square footage. Cocktails skew citrusy and creative, and charcuterie or pizza is available to pace yourself. Weekends fill fast, and the two-hour limit keeps things moving whether you're ready or not.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best New Speakeasy · 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

Sinaloan-style sushi, where the emphasis lands firmly on Sinaloa. This casual roll shop in west Phoenix leans into the coastal Mexican seafood traditions of the northwest, so expect aguachile poured over crab rolls and shrimp cocktail ladled on top in a gloriously soupy heap. The kitchen rotates experiments freely, meaning octopus, mango, or caramelized banana might all show up on a roll depending on the week.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Mexican Sushi · 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