The Top 47 Places to Eat in Tempe
The best places to eat in Tempe, by the professional record: USA Today, Phoenix New Times, and Foodist Awards have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Cocina Chiwas comes out on top.
The Chuckbox and Cafe Lalibela hold the next two places. Phoenix New Times shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with Foodist Awards next.
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Rank 1. 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
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Rank 2. 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
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Rank 3. 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
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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 5. Taco Chelo
Mexican
- Foodist Awards 2025 · Winner · Phenomenal Fast Casual Concept
- Foodist Awards 2024 · Finalist · Phenomenal Fast Casual Concept
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Rank 6. Old Town Taste
Sichuan
A bright red neon sign marks this Sichuan restaurant tucked into a Tempe strip mall, where turquoise booths and mural-covered walls set the scene for lazy Susans loaded with mapo tofu, braised eggplant, and the Chongqing-style spicy chicken that Phoenix Magazine named one of Arizona's top dishes. The batter is thin and shatters, the peppercorns do their characteristic lip-numbing work, and the portions are large enough to make you reconsider your afternoon plans.
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Traditional Chinese Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 7. 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 2024 · Best Neighborhood Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Neighborhood Bar · Best of Phoenix
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- Phoenix New Times Our top 10 favorite restaurants in Tempe
- Phoenix Magazine Curry Lamb Pot Pie · Top 100 Dishes of Arizona
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Rank 10. Cafetal Coffee
Colombian Coffee
The coffee here traveled from a family farm in Colombia to a mural on the wall mapping the whole journey, and eventually into your cup. This Tempe coffee shop serves arepas and pandebono alongside the usual avocado toast, and regulars at the counter tend to get greeted by name. The seasonal menu turns over often enough to reward repeat visits, and the vibe leans comfortably toward long mornings with homework or nowhere particular to be.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Coffee Shop · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The 10 Best Coffee Shops in Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The 10 best coffee shops in Phoenix
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Rank 10. Taco Boys
Mexican
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Rank 10. Taco Boys
Mexican
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Rank 13. Aruma Cafe
Mexican Coffee Shop
Baby pink tiles and floor-to-ceiling windows set the mood at this Mexican coffee shop inside Tempe's car-free Culdesac community. Daytime runs on carajillos, mazapan lattes, horchata, and breakfast bites; Thursday through Saturday it pivots to wine, amari, and ceviche. The team behind Tacos Chiwas brought the same ease here, and the cozy booths fill with people who seem in no particular hurry to leave.
- Phoenix New Times The 10 Best Coffee Shops in Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The 10 best coffee shops in Phoenix
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Rank 13. Bar Capri
Italian
The curved brick entryway opens into an oblong room of deep green walls, gold candelabras, and picture frames, which is a lot to pull off inside a Tempe strip mall. Bar Capri is an Italian restaurant and bar with the bones of a big-city neighborhood spot: cocktails and a tight wine list from a back bar, lasagna and arancini coming through the kitchen window. Tiramisu closes things out, and nobody seems in a hurry to leave.
- Phoenix New Times The top 50 restaurants in Phoenix right now
- Phoenix New Times The 10 best new Phoenix restaurants of 2025
- Phoenix New Times Our top 10 favorite restaurants in Tempe
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Rank 13. Pita Jungle
Mediterranean
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Rank 17. Harlow's Cafe
Diner American
Wood-paneled walls and a parking lot that fills before most people have checked their phones: Harlow's is an old-school Tempe diner that hasn't felt the need to update anything. Booths pack in early birds and retirees at dawn, then hand off to the hangover crowd around nine. The coffee is black, the burritos are large, and the servers are the kind who remember how you take it. Phoenix New Times named it one of the ten best brunch spots in Phoenix.
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Old-School Diner · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The 10 best brunch restaurants in Phoenix
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Rank 18. The Dhaba
Punjabi
Named for the roadside pit stops where Indian truck drivers fuel up on cheap, filling food, this casual Punjabi restaurant in Tempe takes the concept seriously: long menu, affordable prices, homemade breads, and tandoori meats that smell like someone's actually cooking back there. The thali is the move if you want the full picture, chai and dessert included. Street snacks, deep-fried things, and curry round out a menu that rewards indecision.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Neighborhood Indian Spot · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The 10 best Indian restaurants in Phoenix
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Rank 22. Arai Pastry
Japanese Bakery
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- Foodist Awards 2023 · Winner: The Joy Bus · Favorite Local Craft Beer
- Eater The Best Bars in Phoenix
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Rank 22. Haji-Baba
Middle Eastern
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Rank 22. Hurts Donut Company
Bakery
The delivery vehicle is called an Emergency Donut Vehicle, which tells you everything about the vibe here. This 24-hour doughnut shop leans hard into nostalgia and spectacle, piling its yeast and cake rings with candy bar crumbles, cereal, roasted marshmallows, and glazes in colors not found in nature. The flavors skew s'mores and Little Debbie rather than artisan restraint, so come hungry for dessert energy at any hour you please.
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Rank 22. Mandi House
Yemeni Middle Eastern
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Rank 34. Catalyst Crafted Ales
Beer Bar
The side-pull tap that delivers a European-style pour with an extra few inches of foam is a good signal of what kind of taproom this is. Catalyst leans into big, playful styles, including sours, imperials, and hoppy IPAs, alongside a rotating cast of more traditional options. An in-house kitchen called S.A.L.T. handles food, and there's a generous patio when the weather cooperates, which in Tempe is most of the year.
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Rank 35. Feta Cowboy
Mediterranean
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Rank 35. Golden Restaurant & Bakery
Levantine Middle Eastern
The flatbread menu alone runs past thirty varieties, which tells you something about priorities at this Levantine restaurant and bakery in Tempe. Manakeesh, slow-cooked meats, hummus, and baba ganoush fill out a menu rooted in the kind of food that takes real patience to make. The kenafa, a cheesy semolina pastry dessert, is the thing people come back for. Casual, inexpensive, and easy to overorder.
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Middle Eastern Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Middle Eastern Restaurant · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 35. Joe's Italian Ice
Italian Dessert
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Italian Ice · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Italian Ice · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 35. Skysill Rooftop Lounge
Cocktail Bar
Eighteen floors above Mill Avenue, this open-air rooftop bar and pool lounge sits atop The Westin Tempe, claiming the highest perch of any outdoor bar in the Valley. The bar itself is the only covered spot up there, so order first, then wander the full 360 degrees: A Mountain one way, the Mill Avenue Bridge glowing at night the other. Seasonal cocktails and local Arizona beers do the heavy lifting, with flatbreads and tacos for ballast.
- Phoenix New Times The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Rooftop Pool · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Rooftop Bar · Best of Phoenix
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Rank 44. Low Key Piano Bar
Cocktail Bar
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Piano Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
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Rank 44. Palo Verde Lounge
Dive Bar
Cash only, dark inside, and on any given night you might have to squeeze past a metal band unloading gear in the parking lot just to get through the door. Palo Verde is a Tempe dive bar where construction workers in hi-vis vests share the rail with ASU newcomers and neighborhood lifers. Drinks are cheap and poured strong, and the bartender has your order memorized before you've taken your jacket off.
- Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Dive Bar · Best of Phoenix
- Phoenix New Times The Top 100 Bars in Phoenix
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Rank 46. Ted's Hot Dogs
American
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.