Phoenix & Scottsdale Travel Guide
Eating and Drinking in Phoenix and Scottsdale
What makes Valley food distinctive — Sonoran-style Mexican cooking, desert ingredients, patio culture and resort dining — and how to eat well across Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe without a reservation scramble.
Phoenix is one of the most underrated food cities in the American West. Its cooking draws on a deep Sonoran Mexican heritage, Indigenous ingredients from the surrounding desert, the farms of the Salt River Valley and a wave of chef-driven restaurants that have put the Valley on national lists. Add some of the best patio weather in the country from November to April, and eating out here is one of the trip's real pleasures.
Sonoran first. The Valley sits in the Sonoran Desert, which spans Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora, and its Mexican food reflects that border culture: large, thin flour tortillas, carne asada grilled over mesquite, machaca (dried, shredded beef), green-corn tamales in season, and red and green chile stews. The Sonoran hot dog, a bacon-wrapped frank in a soft bolillo-style roll piled with beans, onions, tomatoes, mayonnaise, mustard and jalapeño salsa, is the Valley's great street food, sold from carts and small stands across the metro, especially in the evenings. Family-run taquerias and Mexican restaurants are everywhere; the best are often unassuming places in strip malls, so follow the lines.
Desert ingredients. Look for prickly pear in margaritas, lemonades and syrups; mesquite flour in baked goods; cholla buds, nopales (cactus paddles) and tepary beans on more adventurous menus; and Medjool dates grown in Arizona, often turned into date shakes. Chefs across the Valley have championed these ingredients, and Indigenous chefs have brought a new focus on traditional foods of the region. The Heard Museum shop and the Desert Botanical Garden's programs are good places to learn more.
Pizza, of all things. Phoenix became famous among food lovers for its pizza, thanks largely to Pizzeria Bianco in downtown's Heritage Square, whose wood-fired pies helped kick off the artisan pizza movement in America. Several other excellent pizzerias have followed; a pizza dinner downtown before a game or show is a very Phoenix evening.
Resort and hotel dining. Some of the Valley's most memorable meals and drinks come with a view. At the Arizona Biltmore, Renata's Hearth focuses on fire-cooked meats and vegetables with mezcal flights, and the Wright Bar claims to be the birthplace of the Tequila Sunrise. At Sanctuary Camelback Mountain, elements and the Jade Bar's terrace are built for sunset. The Desert Botanical Garden's Gertrude's turns a garden visit into a proper meal among the cactus. Downtown, Blue Hound Kitchen and Cocktails at the Kimpton Palomar is known for its craft cocktail program, and the Lustre rooftop bar upstairs suits a pre-dinner drink. In Old Town Scottsdale, the Valley Ho's retro restaurant and lounge feel like a trip back to the 1950s.
Neighborhood by neighborhood. Old Town Scottsdale has the densest concentration of restaurants and bars, from steakhouses and sushi to taquerias and rooftop lounges; book ahead on weekend evenings in the high season. Downtown Phoenix and Roosevelt Row mix chef-driven restaurants, breweries and casual spots, especially busy on game nights and First Fridays. Arcadia, under Camelback, is a leafy neighborhood of brunch spots and patios. Tempe's Mill Avenue offers inexpensive, lively eating and drinking near ASU. Central Phoenix along Seventh Street and Seventh Avenue holds many local favorites.
Drinks. Arizona's wine regions in the south and in the Verde Valley supply tasting rooms in Old Town Scottsdale, so you can sample local wines without driving to the vineyards. The Valley has a thriving craft beer scene, and agave spirits — tequila, mezcal and the regional bacanora — are taken seriously in the better bars. Happy hours are a local institution, often with excellent food deals in the late afternoon.
Practical tips. Patio season peaks from November to April, and the most popular patios fill early at sunset; reserve when you can. Dress is generally casual, even in nice restaurants, though resort dining rooms lean smart-casual. In summer, many restaurants offer deep discounts during the local restaurant weeks and specials designed to tempt residents out in the heat. Drink water constantly; the dry air dehydrates faster than you notice, especially if you are mixing hiking, sun and margaritas.
A sample day of eating. Breakfast burritos or huevos rancheros after a sunrise hike; lunch at Gertrude's in the garden; a Sonoran hot dog or tacos for an early dinner; a prickly pear margarita on an Old Town patio; and a nightcap at a resort bar with a view of the mountains turning purple. That is the Valley at its most delicious.
Breakfast and brunch. The Valley takes breakfast seriously, partly because locals rise early to beat the heat. After a sunrise hike, look for breakfast burritos stuffed with machaca or chorizo, chilaquiles, and huevos rancheros smothered in red or green chile, alongside the expected pancakes and avocado toast. Weekend brunch is a social event in Arcadia, Old Town Scottsdale and the Biltmore area, so expect waits after about 9am and arrive early or reserve where possible.
Eating with kids. Families are welcome almost everywhere, and Mexican restaurants, pizzerias and casual patio spots make easy choices. The Arizona Boardwalk near OdySea Aquarium and Butterfly Wonderland has casual options for a family day, and Tempe's Mill Avenue offers inexpensive choices within walking distance of Tempe Mission Palms. Ask for patio tables in the cool season; children can wander a little and the evening air is the best part of the meal.