The Best Places in Phoenix

1. Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Ice Cream · Best of the Valley

1. Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Ice Cream · Best of the Valley

There are hitching posts out back, which tells you most of what you need to know about T-Bone Steak House. This old-school steakhouse in South Phoenix, built from river rock and adobe and been around forever, does simple things well: New York strip, barbecue chicken, house-made apple pie. The patio catches the sun setting over the Valley, and the crowd arriving just before dusk has clearly done this before.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Restaurant You Can Ride Your Horse To · Best of Phoenix

Murals outside, a fast-moving line inside, and a cook who will ask "con todo" before you can overthink it. Taco Viva is a bright, modern taco shop in the Arcadia area serving tacos, vampiros, tostadas, and carne asada fries that took a Phoenix New Times Best of Phoenix nod in 2025. The orange salsa is genuinely alarming in the best way, and the answer to "con todo" is always yes.

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Carne Asada Fries · Best of Phoenix
2. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Carne Asada Fries · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best Cabeza · Best of the Valley

1. Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best Vegan Tamales · Best of the Valley

Thirty-five self-pour taps line the wall at this craft beer bar in downtown Phoenix, where you grab a card, pull your own pint, and pay by the ounce. The rotating selection runs craft beers and wines, so a tour of the taps is genuinely the point. Wings, poutine, burgers, and pasta keep things grounded when the sampling gets ambitious. The mural-covered patio draws the after-work crowd on good-weather nights, which in Phoenix is most of them.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Place to Pour Your Own Beer · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best Dinner and a Show: Flamenco Dancing · Best of the Valley

The trompo in the window does most of the advertising at this west-side taqueria, shaving al pastor to order in a way that settles the argument before you've even sat down. The menu runs deep: carne asada, spicy chicken, tortas crisped on the flat top, overstuffed quesadillas, and menudo on weekends for the regulars who plan around it. Phoenix New Times named the al pastor among the city's best bites in 2025.

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Al Pastor · Best of Phoenix
2. Phoenix New Times Tacos al Pastor · The 10 best bites we tasted at Phoenix restaurants

Red-stained tortillas hit the griddle with melty cheese and slow-braised beef until the edges crisp just right, and then comes the consommé for dipping. This family-run taqueria in Guadalupe draws from Sonoran street food tradition, specifically the style of Ciudad Obregón, and the quesabirria tacos have developed a serious following across the Valley. Bring napkins and low expectations for decor; the place is not pretending to be anything else.

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Quesabirria Tacos · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best Salsa Bar · Best of the Valley

1. Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best Salsa Bar · Best of the Valley

Neapolitan pizza next door to an Irish pub, sharing the same owners and roughly the same spirit. The Desmond is a casual pizza and cocktail spot in downtown Phoenix where the crust comes wood-fired and the drinks lean toward craft cocktails and imported beers. The pies run from burrata and prosciutto to spicy salami with roasted peppers. It sits a short walk from the ballpark, and the pre-game crowd has clearly figured that out.

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Place to Eat Before a Downtown Event · Best of Phoenix

The sausage roll is flaky enough to leave evidence on your shirt, which is how you know this Gilbert strip-mall bakery is doing something right. The Great Gadsby turns out small-batch British baked goods, with French patisserie touches folded in, and the case runs to millionaire's shortbread, sticky toffee pudding, and custard trifles. Popular items sell out, so arriving early or ordering online is the move if you have a specific mission in mind.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best British Bakery · Best of Phoenix

Every entree at this old-school Italian chain restaurant comes with bread, soup or salad, coffee or tea, and spumoni ice cream, which makes the price feel almost suspicious. It's casual and family-friendly, the kind of place where portions are generous and no one is pretending otherwise. The Mizithra cheese with browned butter has a following of its own. Phoenix New Times named it the best haunted restaurant, so apparently there's atmosphere in more ways than one.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Haunted Restaurant · Best of Phoenix

A honeycomb dining structure, murals of Prince and Freddie Mercury, bars in trailers, a pool, and the occasional bachata lesson: The Pemberton is a sprawling outdoor complex a few blocks from Roosevelt Row that resists any single label. Wander in for a cocktail, stumble into a live band, or sit down for dinner inside what amounts to a giant hive cell. After dark, the lighting and pop-art murals tip the whole place into something genuinely strange, in the best sense.

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Outdoor Hangout · Best of Phoenix
2. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Downtown Hangout · Best of Phoenix

A converted auto repair shop in the Melrose District turned into a midcentury-styled courtyard complex with two bars, kitschy shops, and enough drag brunch energy to sustain its own ecosystem. The artificial turf patio and specialty cocktails at Yum Bar pull a well-appointed crowd that doesn't need to check the schedule to know when Pride events are happening. The Phoenix New Times named it Best New Gay Bar That's Really Not in 2024, which is about as accurate as it is funny.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best New Gay Bar That’s Really Not · Best of Phoenix

A $600 steak finished tableside, a golden dragon statue, and an LED wall of tropical fish that looks like it was designed by an algorithm that studied Las Vegas for a decade. Three Thirty Three is an Asian fusion restaurant that knows its audience: the dining room is built to be filmed. Expect a loud, theatrical night on the Scottsdale-Tempe border where the appetizers arrive like they have publicists.

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Place to Take an Influencer · Best of Phoenix

Held in a church parking lot on Central Avenue, this Saturday and Wednesday outdoor market runs well over a hundred vendors across fresh produce, local meats, handcrafted bread, and enough pickled things to stock a bunker. Coffee and breakfast stalls let you eat while you shop, and the mix of knife sharpeners, blown glass, and dog treats ensures you'll leave with things you never planned to buy. Dogs are near-mandatory; well-behaved kids survive too.

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Farmers Market · Best of Phoenix
2. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Farmers’ Market · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Fundido · Best of Phoenix

A red brick building tucked into a Moon Valley shopping center, Vegan & Vine is a casual all-day plant-based café serving brunch, lunch, dinner, and wine. The biscuits with sausage gravy are doing a lot of convincing work, and the house tofu scramble shows up in burritos and breakfast flatbreads alike. Everything is fully plant-based, though the menu doesn't make a big show of it. Phoenix New Times named it the city's top vegan brunch in 2025.

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Vegan Brunch · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best Place to Have a Romantic Dinner · Best of the Valley

1. Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best French Wine Selection · Best of the Valley

A second-floor patio perched over an active runway, with the McDowell Mountains catching the changing light behind it. Volanti is a casually chic restaurant inside the Scottsdale Airport, drawing both departing travelers and locals with no particular gate to catch. Lunch, dinner, happy hour, and weekend brunch are all on offer, but the real argument for coming is a table outside, where you'll stop mid-conversation to watch a small plane land.

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Place to Watch Airplanes and Eat · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best Neighborhood Coffee Shop: West Valley · Best of the Valley

Roses in vases, white wicker chairs, and a playlist parked somewhere between Britney and Beyoncé set the tone at this wine bar in Scottsdale's Old Town. The menu runs through tasting flights, wine cocktails, and frosés, with flatbreads and avocado toast for ballast. The New York Times once named Scottsdale the second-most-popular bachelorette destination in the country, and Wine Girl is doing its part to keep that ranking intact.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Bar for Bachelorette Parties · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best Neighborhood Coffee Shop: Scottsdale · Best of the Valley

1. Phoenix Magazine 2025 · Best Neighborhood Coffee Shop: Scottsdale · Best of the Valley

1. Phoenix Magazine Sincronizadas · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona

1. Phoenix Magazine Brisket Birria Tacos · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona

1. Phoenix Magazine Falafel · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona

1. Phoenix Magazine Ika Mentai · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona

1. Phoenix Magazine Honey Bee Pizza · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona

1. Phoenix Magazine Ropa Vieja · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona

1. Phoenix Magazine Salt & Pepper Pork Chop · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona

1. Phoenix Magazine Italian Beef · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona

1. Phoenix Magazine Brussels Sprouts Nachos · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona

Music-themed rooms with Bluetooth speakers and smart TVs set the tone at this renovated mid-century motor hotel on Grand Avenue, brought back to life as part of Best Western's BW Signature Collection. A shallow lounging pool, foosball, an outdoor bar, and a rotating lineup of DJs, live bands, and karaoke keep things lively well past check-in. Chilte handles dining on-site, and downtown Phoenix is close enough to walk the energy off.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Trendy Staycation Spot · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix Magazine Porchetta Panini · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona

1. Phoenix Magazine Golden Hour Cauliflower · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona

1. Phoenix Magazine Meringata · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona

1. Phoenix Magazine Tallarín Verde de Pollo · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona

1. Phoenix Magazine Filet Mignon Tortelloni · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona

1. Phoenix Magazine Lamb Barbacoa · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona

1. Phoenix Magazine Octopus · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona

A pirate-themed dive bar in Sunnyslope that opens at 6 a.m., which should tell you most of what you need to know. Drink specials are listed on the wall under "Grogs," free pool and shuffleboard tournaments fill the back, and biscuits and gravy come with your first drink if you show up early enough to need them. Burgers and corn dogs handle the rest. The merch, featuring a peg-legged mascot, is genuinely good.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Bar for Pregaming · Best of Phoenix

A bar that closes at ten, and that's the whole point. The Joy Lush Club is a low-key neighborhood wine and beer bar with 16 taps, a serious wine list, live music, and food trucks rotating through. You can even take a bottle home on your way out. It draws the kind of crowd that wants a proper drink without the performance of a late night. Think comfortable chairs, zero pretension, and somewhere to be by morning.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Low-Key Bar · Best of Phoenix

A deli case crammed with dozens of sausages, hams, and forcemeats is the first thing that stops you cold at this Polish specialty market in Surprise. Shelves run deep with pickles, sauerkraut, jams, and imported Eastern European spirits, and a hot deli turns out rotating Polish plates packed to go. The range is wide enough that the name barely feels like a stretch.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Eastern European Market · Best of Phoenix

A Moroccan restaurant tucked inside a hybrid dining room, market, and clothing boutique, where the same woman cooks your tagine and then comes out front to seat you. Steaming lamb tagines and bastilla, the savory-sweet phyllo pie dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar, are the reasons to linger. Patience is part of the deal, but the food rewards it. Phoenix New Times named it the valley's best North African restaurant in 2024.

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

The display case here looks like it belongs in a European charcuterie, packed with cuts trimmed as carefully as a jeweler sets stones. This is a full-service butcher shop sourcing beef, pork, and lamb from Arizona ranches, with house-made sausages, cured meats, and a freezer worth raiding. Fresh pasta, local eggs, and pantry staples round it out. The staff actually know their meat and will talk you through it, which remains a butcher shop's rarest offering.

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

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Breakfast Sandwich · Best of Phoenix

A black-and-white dining room tucked into the Scottsdale Waterfront strip mall, where the guacamole arrives studded with pomegranate seeds and warm steak cubes, which sounds like a gimmick until it doesn't. This modern Mexican restaurant runs from quesabirria tacos to charred octopus, and the cocktails come dressed with flower petals and charred cinnamon sticks, because subtlety is apparently optional. The flan, cracked with caramel shards, lands the ending.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Guacamole · Best of Phoenix
2. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Guacamole · Best of Phoenix

A small chocolatier in Fountain Hills where the bonbons are the reason to make the drive. Louis and Denise Mirabella work in the bean-to-bar mode, making chocolate in-house, but the real draw is their bonbon range, which runs from classic cherry cordials and gianduja to passionfruit caramel and zinfandel ganache. The fillings hit with an intensity that makes each piece feel like it's been concentrated down to its purest form. Phoenix New Times named them best bonbons in 2024.

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

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Vietnamese Restaurant · Best of Phoenix

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

The smell of jerk chicken charring over fire hits you before you reach the door, which is all the orientation you need. Cool Vybz is a no-frills Jamaican spot on the north side of Phoenix, the dining room strictly functional, the cooking anything but. The chef came up on the island and keeps the menu short: curry goat, oxtails, brown stew snapper. Phoenix New Times named it the city's top Caribbean restaurant in 2024, and the jerk alone makes a reasonable argument for why.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Caribbean Restaurant · Best of Phoenix

A pasty bar doing roughly fifty fillings, from tikka masala to cheeseburger, in a cavernous downtown Phoenix space that somehow feels more Cornish pub than desert Southwest. The multi-story room stays dark despite the chandeliers, and the second-floor railing gives you a perch over the pool tables below. Draft Guinness is the obvious move. Phoenix New Times named it among the top 100 bars in the city.

1. Phoenix New Times The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
2. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Late-Night Eats · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Mexican Coffee Shop · Best of Phoenix

Churros come in loops, bites, or sticks here, all fried to order, so you wait a minute and they arrive properly hot. Dulce is a dessert café in a Gilbert strip mall where the menu is essentially a build-your-own operation: pick a shape, choose a dip or glaze, add toppings if you like. The plain cinnamon sugar version makes the strongest case that the rest of the menu is just fun extras.

1. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Churros · Best of Phoenix
2. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Churros · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Breakfast Burrito · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Mexican Sushi · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Jewish Deli · Best of Phoenix

The food court inside this sprawling Korean supermarket runs from fried pork belly to bulgogi risotto to French-inspired desserts, which tells you something about the ambition of the place. H Mart is the kind of grocery store where you come in for kimchi and leave with Hello Kitty sake and a skincare regimen. The seafood section alone could occupy a long afternoon, and the ready-to-eat station in back earns its own trip.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Asian Grocery Store · Best of Phoenix

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

The injera here is nearly chocolate-dark, made from pure teff with a sharp fermented tang that most Ethiopian spots in town don't bother chasing. This laid-back restaurant on a stretch of McDowell more famous for traffic than food serves bold, uncompromising classics, and the staff makes you feel like a regular on the first visit. End with the traditional coffee service, which is not optional.

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

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

A Sonoran seafood chainlet wedged into the strip-mall sprawl near Westgate, Los Arbolitos de Cajeme handles ceviche tostadas, fishbowl cocktails, and stone molcajetes with more care than the surroundings would suggest. The grilled octopus arrives sizzling with a smoky morita chile sauce that makes a convincing case for the detour. Go before a game when you want real mariscos and the other options are the usual suspects.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Place to Eat Before a Glendale Event · Best of Phoenix

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

A low-ABV cocktail bar tucked inside an actual house in downtown Chandler, where the default is a sherry or vermouth base rather than something that'll flatten you by nine. The menu runs from a gentle negroni to a spritzy Cappelletti situation to a vermouth margarita with heat, and coffee rounds things out if you'd rather not drink at all. The nooks and the porch invite lingering, which seems to be the whole point.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Non-Alcoholic Drink Options · Best of Phoenix

Arancini the size of baseballs are the opening argument at this Italian restaurant tucked into a southwest Valley strip mall. The room runs small and lively, with couples and regulars filling tables over Neapolitan-style pies, both red and white. The pizza list skews local-neighborhood-Italian in the best way, and the Phoenix New Times named it Best Pizza in 2024. Worth the drive from central Phoenix if you're tired of pretending the closer options are just as good.

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

The ice cream sandwich here comes on a fresh-sliced doughnut, which is either genius or a personal liability depending on your self-control. This small-batch ice cream shop keeps a core menu of eight flavors, rotates in new ones weekly, and does fruit sorbets for the dairy-free crowd. The original location sits in a tiny historic building on Grand Avenue, which gives it more character than a strip mall scoop shop ever could.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Ice Cream · Best of Phoenix

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Oaxacan Food · Best of Phoenix

Order-at-the-counter fish and chips in a strip mall, priced mostly in the teens, with your choice of fish battered and fried to order. The clam chowder is the thick, goopy kind you feel slightly embarrassed to enjoy, and the fried shrimp are plump enough to make you forget you're in Glendale. Tartar sauce is creamy, cocktail sauce has actual kick. Phoenix New Times named it Best Fast Food in 2024, which is either a surprise or exactly right depending on how you feel about Long John Silver's.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Fast Food · Best of Phoenix

Pears, gorgonzola, dried cranberries, and toasted hazelnuts in a house cider vinaigrette is the move that explains the name at this family-owned East Valley bistro. Ten composed entree salads anchor the menu, with enough add-on proteins (salmon, shrimp, falafel, mock chik'n) to handle any table's dietary politics. Quinoa bowls, tacos, pasta, and a full bar round things out for groups that can't agree on anything except where to go.

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

A living wall and copper accents soften what is otherwise a properly dark cocktail bar doing its best not to be found. Pigtails is a speakeasy that skips the password theatrics and the reservation-or-else attitude, which puts it ahead of most places bothering with the genre. The drinks riff on classics, a rotating mystery punch keeps things loose, and the raw bar snacks suggest someone thought past the ice bucket.

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

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Al Pastor · Best of 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

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