The dining in Phoenix ranges from the international sophistication of golf resorts to top South-Western cuisine, and fun downtown bars.
The dining choice in Phoenix appeals to all tastes, whether you want to spend a lot or a little, and whether you want to sample contemporary international cooking, spicy South-Western flavors, or have a fun night out at a local bar or wine bar.
Durant’s
Durant’s is one place to go to get an authentic Phoenix experience. It’s a steakhouse that has been open since 1950, looking rather unappealing from the outside – and where you should enter through the back door into the noisy kitchen, as the locals do. It’s the kind of noisy place which over the years has welcomed politicians and criminals, and some who were both, alongside visiting celebrities enjoying its great steaks and fine wines and cocktails.
Hanny’s
You’ll find Durant’s a few blocks north of the Heard Museum, while right downtown is Hanny’s. This was built in 1947 as a department store, though Hanny’s today is a modern reincarnation of the original. Like Durant’s, though, it’s a city institution and a genuine taste of Phoenix. You can enjoy a martini, a manhattan, a beer, or a glass of wine at the bar, or dine from the Italian menu at one of the restaurant tables. Pizzas, sandwiches, salads, or a Tuscan steak are the main options.
Fuego at the Clarendon
Fuego at the Clarendon offers a spicier menu of South-Western foods and drinks (fuego is Spanish for ‘fire’). Try a pomegranate margarita to accompany the Mexican dishes on the main menu. Starters include green chile cornbread, while mains include such classic dishes as chile reileno, tacos, empanadas, and quesadillas.
Chelsea’s Kitchen
Chelsea’s Kitchen describes itself as a roadhouse, and its location by a canal might lead you to think it’s a regular American-style restaurant. In fact it has a very sophisticated and contemporary interior, spacious and filled with light, and the menu promises that all the ingredients are fresh and not frozen. It has quite an eclectic menu, although focussing on the cooking and produce of the region. Mouth-watering Mexican dishes such as chicken molé or carnitas sit alongside grilled salmon or grilled swordfish, and you can also try a prickly pear margarita, or wines mainly from California and Oregon.
Vincent on Camelback
About a minute’s drive from Chelsea’s Kitchen is another of Phoenix’s star restaurants: Vincent on Camelback. Chef Vincent Guerithault was trained in classical French cuisine, but when he came to Phoenix he loved the tasty local flavors and unusual ingredients he could use. He opened his restaurant in 1986, and ever since then it has remained one of the city’s top spots. The cooking is international but with an Arizona touch in main courses such as wild boar loin with parsnip purée and habañero sauce.
T. Cook’s at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa
Naturally the restaurants in the luxury resorts compete with each other, but few would argue that T. Cook’s at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa is one of the best. It’s the place to go for style and romance, and if you want Mediterranean food rather than Mexican. There are American touches like the Maine lobster or the black truffle grits, alongside beef tenderloin and 21-day dry-aged ribeye steak, and a meal here is definitely one of the best you’ll find in Phoenix.
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.
