Some of the best restaurants in Arizona are found in Scottsdale’s 4- and 5-star resorts, while the city itself has every cuisine you could hope for. Dining in Scottsdale can be fine dining resort-style or fun dining downtown.
Many visitors to Scottsdale stay at one of the large resorts, and the restaurants here are mentioned on our Where to Stay in Scottsdale page. These do have some of the best restaurants in the city, and in some cases in the whole of Arizona, but if you are staying in one resort for several days it is worth finding out what other resorts are nearby and sampling their restaurants too. Some of them have views of the surrounding landscape that will take your breath away.
It is also worth exploring the rest of the city, as Scottsdale has a very active restaurant scene with cuisine from all over the world. It is especially worth finding the best of the restaurants serving Arizona or Mexican cuisine, to enjoy dishes and flavors that are unique to this part of the South-West USA.
Cafe Monarch
A five-minute walk from Scottsdale’s Western Spirit Museum, Cafe Monarch is simply one of the best dining options in town. There’s a casual bar area and a more formal and low-lit dining room, providing an intimate dining experience. You choose from a four-course menu of modern American cuisine, which changes weekly according to availability, and chef Gus Lewkowicz is a culinary genius. It’s certainly not cheap, but it’s one of the best dining experiences in the whole Phoenix area.
El Chorro
The El Chorro restaurant has a terrific location, at the foot of Camelback Mountain, so if the weather is warm try to get an outdoors table. It’s also an attractive building, built in 1934 and originally a girls’ school. El Chorro has its own garden, and much of the produce used is organic. It serves fairly traditional American dishes (rack of lamb, burgers, prime steak) but tries to give them a South-Western twist. It is also one of the best places to go for a Sunday Brunch, both for the food and for the setting.
Citizen Public House
The Citizen Public House is a more modern venue In Old Town Scottsdale. It’s a bar but with a contemporary feel to it, serving a wide range of craft beers, cocktails, bar snacks, and dishes such as duck, scallops, trout, chicken, short ribs, filet mignon, and meatloaf.
Elements at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain
One of the best of the resort restaurants is undoubtedly elements at the Sanctuary Camelback Mountain. It combines great food, great stylish decor, and great views. If you’re staying at Sanctuary you’ve struck lucky as the restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a fantastic Sunday brunch, but it’s equally popular with locals who’ll drive for miles to eat here in this beautiful setting. It serves what it calls Farm-Fresh American Cuisine.
The Mission
One of the best Mexican restaurants is The Mission in Old Town Scottsdale (there’s also a branch in Kierland Commons). This serves what it calls ‘modern Latin cuisine’, and many people think it has the best guacamole in Scottsdale. This is made fresh at your table, which certainly adds to the pleasure of eating it. The Mission also has a cocktail lounge and tequila bar, with dozens of tequilas to choose from, and mezcals too. Don’t be afraid to ask the barman or waiter to recommend some to you, either on the rocks or in one of their specialty margaritas.
OUR PICK OF THE GUIDES
From that blues bar you haven’t visited yet to the desert hike you keep meaning to plan, experience something new right here at home with Moon 52 Things to Do in Phoenix & Tucson.
- Cool things to do in and around the cities: Kick back at a Spring Training game or squeeze into the grandstands of El Gran Mercado for some lucha libre. Bike the famed Loop in Tucson, kayak Tempe Town Lake, and lace up your boots for an urban hike in the Phoenix Mountains. Support local BIPOC writers at Palabras Bilingual Bookstore and taste what’s on tap at a women-owned brewery. Savor Sonoran-style food like tamales and carne asada or try authentic Tohono O’odham fry bread.
