At My Place Café
FILIPINO
3450 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler
480-838-1008, facebook.com/atmyplacecafeaz
As casual and welcoming as its name, this cute Filipino café draws loads of Asian cuisine lovers who show up for lechon kawali, adobo, beef caldereta, breakfast silogs (offered all day), pork sisig, lumpia, empanadas, buko pandan and more. $-$$
Ban Chan
Korean
2909 S. Dobson Rd., Mesa
480-414-2525
This pleasant little restaurant features excellent Korean dishes such as spicy pan-fried octopus and squid, pork belly (sam-gyeopsal) and monkfish stew (agujjim). $-$$
Café Lalibela
Ethiopian
849 W. University Dr., Tempe
480-829-1939, cafelalibela.com
Eating with your hands is not only acceptable but expected at this friendly restaurant, where injera (spongy tortilla-like bread) functions as silverware. Try the doro wat (chicken and hard-cooked egg in traditional berbere sauce) or the gomen (collard greens). $-$$
Daruma
Japanese/sushi
1116 S. Dobson Rd., Mesa
480-590-7979, darumabyrie.com
This unassuming charmer offers a big bang for the buck, turning out noodle dishes, classic entrées and traditional sushi standards as well as edgier selections such as tuna carpaccio with creamy onion sauce. $-$$
El Sol Mexican Café & Bakery
Mexican
760 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler
480-786-0811
You’d never guess that inside this bakery is some of the best down-home Mexican food you’ll find anywhere. Made-on-the-premises tortillas are killer. $
Four Peaks Brewing Co.
burgers/pizza
1340 E. Eighth St., Tempe
480-303-9967, fourpeaks.com
Award-winning ales may be the draw for the college folks who keep this cavernous but friendly place humming, but the food is terrific, too. Great burgers, pizza and wraps, and when you don’t feel like drinking per se, try the amazing beer shakes – milkshakes made with stouts and porters. $-$$
The Hidden House
New American
159 W. Commonwealth Ave., Chandler
480-275-5525, hiddenhouseaz.com
Tucked away on a quiet street behind the bustle of Chandler’s historic square, this sweet New American gastropub is a stone-cold gem, offering crowd-pleasing food, a terrific patio, cool bar and great cocktails. If you don’t live in Chandler, you’ll wish you did. $$-$$$
Joe’s Farm Grill
American
3000 E. Ray Rd., Gilbert
480-563-4745, joesfarmgrill.com
Gilbert serial entrepreneur Joe Johnston converted the house in which he grew up into a flashback-to-the-’60s restaurant, featuring excellent hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken baskets, fries and milkshakes – all made with fresh, top-notch ingredients. $-$$
Kai
Contemporary Native American
5594 W. Wild Horse Pass Blvd. (Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass), Chandler
602-225-0100, wildhorsepassresort.com
Explore contemporary, seasonal spins on indigenous regional cuisine at Arizona’s only AAA Four Diamond, Forbes Five Star dining destination. The impeccable service and remarkable desert vistas overlooking the Estrella Mountains only bolster this high-end resort restaurant’s natural charms. $$$$
Old Town Taste
Chinese
1845 E. Broadway Rd., Tempe
480-702-7101, oldtowntaste.com
If you’re looking for a regional Chinese restaurant to roust you out of your General Tso comfort zone, this Tempe offering is well-suited to the task. The restaurant has dual specialties: brothy, offal-centric Shandong cuisine and spicy, garlicky, pungent Sichuan cooking. From the latter, Chongqing spicy chicken provides a crash course in the use of Sichuan peppercorns: vaguely citrusy, and more “numbing” than “hot.” $$-$$$
Peixoto Coffee
Coffee/Treats
11 W. Boston St., Chandler
480-275-2843, peixotocoffee.com
Jeff Peters and Julia Peixoto-Peters roast coffee grown on Julia’s family farm in Brazil, and it is topnotch. Creative baristas craft seasonal coffee, tea, cascara and mocktail specials, and rotating treats purveyors mean you could pair your cortado with pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread) or a pastry from a local bakery. $
Shimogamo
Japanese
2051 W. Warner Rd, Chandler
480-899-7191, shimogamoaz.com
Traditionalists and iconoclasts will both be happy at this serenely elegant Japanese restaurant, which offers everything from saikyo-yaki and chirashi-zushi to seafood wonton wraps and portobello beef rolls. $$-$$$$
Top of the Rock
Contemporary American
2000 W. Westcourt Way (Marriott Phoenix Resort Tempe at The Buttes), Tempe
602-431-2370, marriott.com
This romantic mountaintop spot is known for its gorgeous Valley views. The contemporary American menu highlights Southwestern cuisine. $$$-$$$$
Mambo’s Dominican Kitchen
Dominican
1950 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler
480-718-9210, mambosdk.com
Lined with a proud gallery of Dominican baseball and pop stars, the dining room at Mambo’s makes an enticing setting in which to enjoy sophisticated, savory fare like mofongo de camarones, carne de res guisado and maybe the best sopa de pollo you’ll ever taste. Try the yuca frita for a starter, and the arroz con leche for dessert. $
