With the start of fall, restaurants in metro Phoenix are entering the busy season and September saw plenty of new restaurants enter the Valley dining scene, as well as a few restaurants that closed.
The Scottsdale brunch crowd will delight in a Tucson favorite that made its way up north. In one case, the closing of a beloved Mexican food institution on Tempe’s Mill Avenue led to the opening of a new restaurant in Mesa.
From Asian buns to vegan tacos, here are 20 restaurants, cafes and bars that made their debut last month in metro Phoenix:
This fast-casual restaurant in a south Chandler strip mall offers chicken wings in more than 20 flavors, with dry rubs including “AZ-Spicy Seasoning” and sauces such as mango habanero, honey hot and “chef’s choice.”
Make it a combo with options including cheese fries and buffalo chicken salad.
Details: 1395 S Arizona Ave. #3, Chandler. 480-687-9131, facebook.com/azwingschandler.
His grandma Charlie Mae brought people together with soul food. Now Marcus Moody keeps tradition alive with his new restaurant in Laveen Village. This restaurant was slated to open Sept. 1, but got a slight early start in August.
Moody and his childhood friend Chef LaTonya Weaver are excited to bring Southern food to the neighborhood.
“This is where I started before I went to culinary school,” Weaver said. “Soul food was the way we were raised. Big bunches of greens, fried chicken, black eyed peas, yams, big pans of mac n’ cheese. It fed everybody when you had little.”
Details: 6115 S. 51st Ave., Suite #204, Laveen Village. 602-675-0865, charliemaesoulfood.com.
What happens when Justin Jin Park of Drunken Tiger and Kevin Rosales of Good Fortune Kitchen team up? You get playful riffs on Asian cuisine, sandwiched between two bao-esque buns.
Fun examples include the pho bun, the longsilog bun and the BTS bulgogi bun.
“Deez Buns’ signature style buns, look and play like burgers, but with bread that has the dense, chewy sweetness of Asian bao,” described Republic dining critic Dominic Armato.
Details: 1158 W. Washington St., Tempe. 602-267-1715, instagram.com/deezbunsaz.
Dave Andrea, owner of Brat Haus, opened a new late-night spot called DOH (sometimes stylized as DōH!). Located in uptown Phoenix next to Brat Haus’ recently opened second location, the dessert bar features doughnuts (with an option to make them boozy), New York style bagels, plus cold brew, kombucha and Prosecco on tap.
Details: 6025 N. 16th Street, Phoenix. instagram.com/doh_donuts.
This family-owned restaurant in Phoenix’s Grand Avenue arts district serves vegan versions of Mexican food including tacos al pastor, chorizo fries, Sonoran hot dogs, churro ice cream sandwiches and more. Running the restaurant is 22-year-old Keyla Aguilar, who said the restaurant’s menu is based on traditional family recipes, adapted for a plant-based diet.
“Something we like to say is, eating at Earth is more than just eating grass,” Aguilar said. “We have tacos. We want everyone to enjoy and take away the stigma that it’s just salad, or flavorless food, or just tofu.”
Details: 1325 Grand Ave., Suite 7, Phoenix. 480-465-2110, earthplantbased.com.
A fast-casual restaurant replaces the former Jack in the Box in Foothills Park Plaza in Ahwatukee. The restaurant has an extensive menu, including breakfast items, burgers, sandwiches and salads. Eat Smart also has a drive-thru if you’re eating on the go.
Details: 1319 E Chandler Blvd., Phoenix.
Smoothie joint Jamba Juice introduced its first drive-thru location in Arizona with its new opening in Gilbert. Along with smoothies, the national chain offers juices and bowls. On Oct. 26, this new Jamba Juice will give back 20% of all purchases to schools in the Gilbert area.
Details: 1753 North Higley Rd. #105, Gilbert. Jamba.com.
This family-owned and operated cafe specializes in sandwiches with a Southwestern flair and Mexican street food, such as the Tostielote: Tostitos chips, queso cotija, corn off the cob, cilantro mayo, hot sauce and chili powder.
Caffeine is courtesy of Corazón Negro Coffee, which sources its fair trade coffee from a family plantation in Chiapas, Mexico.
Details: 444 E. Chandler Blvd., Chandler. 480-504-5136, facebook.com/mezquitescafe.
The cartoon mascots up the cuteness factor at this Tempe boba shop. The cafe boasts a variety of bubble teas, ranging from green tea topped with real pieces of fruit to Oreo milk tea. Mochi Fresh also serves shaved ice desserts and shareable snacks: gyoza and takoyaki.
Details: 960 W. University Dr, Tempe. 480-597-3115, mochifresh.com.
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Phoenix has a lot of Packers fans and Midwestern transplants, enough perhaps to attract this Wisconsin-based burger chain. Mr Brews Taphouse opened in Chandler, serving typical bar and grill fare. For lunch you can grab a burger and a pint for $9.99, according to the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Details: 2040 S. Alma School Rd. #12, Chandler. 602-549-2002, mrbrewstaphouse.com.
The owner of Mr. Pancho, Angel López, cooked at Restaurant Mexico in Tempe for about 30 years. He and longtime customers were devastated when the restaurant closed its Mill Avenue doors in August, but shortly afterward López opened his own restaurant in Mesa.
Regulars of Restaurant Mexico will delight in Mr. Pancho serving the same menu items, but López also added new items, such as gorditas and tortas.
Details: 1040 E Main St., Mesa. 480-649-6033, mr-panchos-mexican-food.business.site.
Three years after closing, Philadelphia Sandwich Company returned to Old Town Scottsdale. Owner Aaron Link, who grew up in south Philly, wanted to open a 24-hour-joint that reminds him of home.
His cheesesteak sandwiches with sliced ribeye come doused in Cheez Whiz and topped with grilled onions. Other menu items include deep-fried macaroni and cheese wedges, French fries, Italian hoagies and meatball Parmesan sandwiches. In other words, the appropriate grub for soaking up a boozy night on the town.
Details: 7318 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale. 480-970-1102, facebook.com/philadelphiasandwichcompany.
After taking over and renaming Central Kitchen, PHX Beer Co. expands with a second location in Scottsdale. The brewery serves popular bar grub, such as burgers, pizza, fish and chips and cast-iron mac n’ cheese. There’s also a menu for “half pints,” or children under 10.
Details: 8300 N. Hayden Rd., Scottsdale. 480-571-8645, phxbeerco.com.
One of Tucson’s most popular brunch spots Prep & Pastry opened its first Valley location on the Scottsdale Waterfront. The restaurant is known for its French toasts, egg Benedicts and nine different kinds of mimosas.
Guests can also expect what chef Kyle Nottingham described as a “giant display of brioche doughnuts, cinnamon rolls and super, over-the-top pastry game.”
Details: 7025 E. Via Soleri Dr., Scottsdale. 480-477-1502, prepandpastry.com.
It’s a seafood extravaganza at PT Seafood, a new Asian restaurant that opened in Peoria, serving oysters, whole crabs, snails and shellfish, as well as platters of spiced lobster, crab legs, shrimp and crawfish.
Keep the opening times in mind: The restaurant is only open Thursday through Sunday, according to its Facebook page.
Details: 9284 W. Northern Ave., #101. 623-877-1423, facebook.com/ptseafoodpeoria.
Downtown Tempe welcomed its newest self-described dive bar, Ted’s Refreshments. Located on Mill Avenue, the bar focuses on Chicago-style hot dogs and a beer list of Hamm’s, Old Style, PBR, Miller High Life, Montucky Cold Snacks and a few local brews.
On Mondays and Tuesdays, Ted’s Refreshments offers $10 pitchers of beer.
Details: 404 S. Mill Ave., #101 Tempe. 480-590-7371, tedsrefreshmentstempe.com.
The owners of Curry & Scoop, a casual restaurant serving Indian food and specialty ice creams, have opened a second Indian restaurant in Tempe. Tikka Bistro serves regional curry, biryani and tandoor-cooked dishes. Setting it further apart from its sister restaurant, Tikka Bistro also has a bar that serves small bites.
Happy Hour is every day from 5 to 7 p.m. with $3 drafts, $3 glasses of wine $5 cocktails and $2.5 mocktails.
Details: 1250 E. Apache Blvd. #116, Tempe. 480-590-5960, tikkabistro.com.
Tomaso’s When in Rome reopened with a new concept that incorporates dishes from all over Italy, not just Rome. The new restaurant, known for house-made pasta, revamped its craft cocktail menu and also brings back some favorites from Tomaso’s When in Rome, including Tomaso’s Famous Meatballs and the spaghetti cacio e pepe.
Tomaso’s Italian Kitchen also got a new look, with pastel-colored decor mimicking the colorful cliffside resorts on the Amalfi Coast.
Details: 23655 N. Scottsdale Rd., Suite 120, Scottsdale. 480-404-6085, tomasositaliankitchen.com.
Vecina made its debut in Arcadia, serving Latin-inspired tapas with plenty of chile. You can expect a changing menu of seasonal small-plate items, vegetarian-friendly options and raw food items like ceviche. The bar menu includes craft beer and chile-infused cocktails.
“There’s going to be a lot of things that aren’t recognizable, maybe never tried before,” said co-owner and general manager Raenee Fox.
Details: 3433 N. 56th Street, Phoenix. 602-675-2000, vecinaphx.com.
Owner and chef Mark Kondo upgraded his food truck to a small Japanese ramen shop in Tempe. Along with rice bowls and meal sets, he offers three specialty ramens: Signature Yatai with a tonkotsu base, Tokyo-style shoyu, or Sapporo-style miso.
Details: 1101 W. University Dr., Tempe. 480-967-7409, Facebook page: Yatai Ramen AZ Food Truck
What new restaurants are coming soon in your neighborhood? Tell the reporter here: [email protected] or 602-444-8092. Follow her on Twitter: @PriscillaTotiya.
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