Epic kabob. Legendary sushi. Paradigm-shifting panang. Fill your 2025 with these and other culinary favorites selected by our food writers and editors in this sprawling, border-to-border salute to Arizona dining.
By Cindy Barks, Christina Barrueta, Nikki Buchanan, Dawn Hansen, Jess Harter, Marilyn Hawkes, Mirelle Inglefield, Edie Jarolim, Leah LeMoine, Craig Outhier, Madison Rutherford & Teresa K. Traverse.
Photography by Angelina Aragon, Rob Ballard, Diannie Chavez, Tim Chow, Mirelle Inglefield, Leah LeMoine, Patrik Matheson, Emma Paterson, James Patrick, Grace Stufkosky & Debby Wolvos.
100 Arizona Dishes: How Did We Select Them?
- Iconic Standing
We asked ourselves: “Has the dish achieved celebrity status? Do we regularly meet random people who have tried and loved it?” If so, it made our list. - Inventiveness & Daring
Every one of our writers loves old-school cooking as much as the next food-crazed American. But we also like artful transgression, and when it works, we tried to reward it. - Best in Class
The juiciest roast chicken. The tastiest Brussels. The most miraculous mac and cheese. You’ll find them all. - Availability
Can you walk up to a counter or sit down at a table and simply order it? That was a priority… which is why elite, multi-course restaurants with mercurial menus like Christopher’s at Wrigley Mansion, ShinBay and Course (all of them arguably Top 10 restaurants in the state) are generally not represented here. - Egalitarianism
Look, we know this list is hardly scientific. It’s simply based on what 11 people with computer keyboards happen to love. But to spread the coverage as fairly and usefully as possible, we generally limited it to one dish per given restaurant.
Top Dishes By the Numbers
- 16 beef dishes represented, making it our most popular animal protein
- 10 sandwiches/burgers
- 7 breakfast dishes
- 7 desserts
- 4 raw-fish dishes
- 3 dishes involving lobster or crab
- 2 duck dishes
- 2 cinnamon roll pancakes… it’s our kryptonite, evidently
- 1 tongue dish
Dish Fest 2025
Want to try a whole slew of these iconic culinary wonders in one fell swoop? Come to the 4th annual PHOENIX magazine Dish Fest on March 9 at The Clayton House in Old Town Scottdale (3719 N. 75th St.). There will be unlimited bites. There will be chef demos. There will be beer, wine and cocktails. What there won’t be – empty stomachs or boredom. phoenixmag.com/dishfest
Official Cocktail!
We Call It Home at Quartz
As dumb, blind, delicious fate would have it, mixology maestro Maxwell Berlin’s new signature cocktail at Downtown drink lounge Quartz is tailor-made for this food list… or is it vice-versa? Striving to capture “some of the wonderful culinary inspiration in this city,” Berlin borrowed savory ingredients from six Valley kitchens to create the layered mezcal cocktail – all of which happen to be represented in this issue, from the Szechuan peppers of Old Town Taste to the fish sauce of Glai Baan. The result: a gripping, immersive drinking experience that hits more flavor centers than an ischemic stroke. Perfect to whet your Best Dishes appetite. quartzphx.com
PHOENIX
2O-Layer Short Rib Lasagna at Pizza to the Rescue
2601 E. Indian School Rd., 602-314-4832, pizzatotherescuephx.com
There’s a good reason your lasagna at this animal-welfare-inspired gastropub is served on its side – to avoid a tabletop tumble. A two-day process results in 20 layers of homemade pasta sheets stacked between rivers of slow-cooked short rib sugo and a luxurious Mornay sauce laced with truffle-flecked sottocenere cheese. Finished with melted mozzarella, a cascade of red and white sauces, grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil, each slice shows that when it comes to Italian comfort food, more is definitely more.
Beef Panang at Glai Baan
2333 E. Osborn Rd., 602-595-5881, glaibaanaz.com
Unlike most panangs served in Thailand – or, for that matter, the U.S. – the version at Midtown hot spot Glai Baan is made by patiently braising beef chuck in a red curry broth, rather than adding grilled strips of flank or sirloin cut after the fact. The result of this innovation is supple, fork-tender meat in a lemongrass- and coconut-scented stew enriched with fat. Chef-owner Cat Bunnag finishes the dish with house-roasted red peppers and julienned kaffir lime leaves for off-the-charts tongue titillation. It’s the only full-time curry on Bunnag’s celebrated menu, and for good reason. “I would say panang and green curry are my two favorite curries,” she says, adding that she often offers the latter as a special.
Charcuterie Board at Persepshen
4700 N. Central Ave., 602-935-2932, persepshenarizona.com
At their local, seasonal restaurant, chef Jason Dwight and his pastry chef wife Katherine do it all, handcrafting every single item on their gorgeously rustic charcuterie board, which features a rotating selection of sausage, capicola, salami, ’nduja, soppressata, rillettes and terrines, pickled local vegetables, local fruit jams, and wonderful lavash, made with organic grains. The meats (sourced from local producers) are cured in a chamber Dwight fashioned on-site. It’s so next-level that no other local charcuterie board even comes close.
Top Dish Emeritus
Szechwan prawns at China Chili
A lunchtime favorite since forever in Midtown Phoenix, this masterpiece of tangy, spicy, sweet chile-scallion sauce over plump, breaded prawns has earned permanent admission to the Top Dishes Champagne room. chinachilirestaurant.com
Chicken-Fried Chicken with French Toast at Original Breakfast House
13623 N. 32nd St., 602-482-2328, originalbreakfasthouse.com
John Stidham knows his way around breakfast – and a deep fryer. “I’ve been frying French toast for 40 years, with great success,” says the owner of North Phoenix’s Original Breakfast House. “I first saw it on a trip to Las Vegas when I was 10 years old.” When he opened OBH in 2013, he added chicken-fried chicken and French toast to the menu. “Chicken and waffles had become so popular. I wanted to do something different and unique.” His gloriously gluttonous platter – the breakfast spot’s No. 1 seller – includes two fried chicken breasts smothered in sausage gravy, deep-fried French toast with maple syrup and whipped butter, and two eggs. Not included, but necessary afterward: a nap.
Chicken Fried Rice at Azlin
401 W. Clarendon Ave., 602-252-7363, azlinattheclarendon.com
This is the basic-bro dish that “serious” culinary enthusiasts often brush past on their way to the duck tongue tacos or cumin lamb. But you’d be remiss pulling that stunt at chef Pierce Azlin’s new global restaurant at Midtown’s Clarendon Hotel, where the fried rice – simply wok-ed with tamari and sambal, along with honey, fresh garlic and ginger, and assorted seasonal vegetables – achieves a kind of golden-ratio perfection between its salty, sour and sweet components. Azlin’s secret? A final squirt of fermented citrus vinegar. That, and day-old rice. “It allows the moisture to be removed [and] get that great texture you’re looking for – opposed to all the sauces and eggs absorbing into the rice and making it soupy or gummy.”
Chicken Piccolo at Tratto
1505 E. Van Buren St., 602-296-7761, trattophx.com/restaurant
Chris Bianco’s farmhouse restaurant set off a furious debate among PHOENIX magazine writers and editors because choosing only one Tratto dish for this list is nearly impossible. Chicken livers and pork shank got votes, as did the other version of this rustic roasted chicken dish, made with grapes. The creation of former Tratto chef de cuisine, Tony Andiario, piccolo is prepared using a young bird from local Two Wash Ranch that’s seared, baked in the oven and finished on the wood grill to impart a smoky essence. The achingly tender chicken is served atop a rich pan sauce brightened with a squeeze of lemon, and every citrus-scented, sultry bite is better than the next. In a word: fabulous.
Chicken Tenders at Kabob Grill N’ Go
3050 N. 16th St., 602-607-5272, kabobgrillngo.com
Thanks to a 2022 New York Times article tapping the 50 most exciting restaurants in the U.S., a great deal of the country is now privy to what a relatively select group of Phoenicians knew beforehand: Tony Chilingaryan is a magician with chicken. Out of his cramped muscle car of a restaurant on Calle 16, the magnetic Iranian performs wondrous charbroiled alchemy on white-meat chicken skewers, which come off the grill with a healthy burn, yet plump and juicy with eddies of citrus and coriander and maybe saffron. For him, the secret is charcoal. “Charcoal and wood are the best,” he says. “Cooking with gas is no way to treat meat.” He performs the same magic on chicken thighs, pork ribs and beef filet, each served with rice, charbroiled tomatoes and peppers, and the world’s most herbal cucumber salad.
Top Dish Emeritus
Rosa at Pizzeria Bianco
A fixture on every Best/Top Dishes list over the past decade (2016/2022), this Parmigiano-Reggiano-topped white pizza with red onions and pistachios has settled in as the most iconic pizza at the Valley’s most iconic pizzeria. pizzeriabianco.com
Chili Crab at Kembara at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa
5350 E. Marriott Dr., 480-293-3936, kembaradesertridge.com
The key ingredient in Singapore’s famous chili crab, an umami bomb of sweetness and spice, is sambal, an Indonesian chili sauce made in-house at Kembara. Chef Penny Tagliarina and crew start by cooking the mirepoix (a flavor base of vegetables and spices) in a hot wok, achieving the concentrated flavors and smoky goodness the Chinese call “wok hei.” Coconut milk adds creamy undercarriage to a heady sauce that envelops sweet Alaskan King crab legs slit open for easy eating. Go ahead, lick the plate.
Chiwas Taco at Tacos Chiwas
Multiple Valley locations, tacochiwas.com
PHOENIX food writers nominated three different Chiwas tacos for this list, so picking just one of Armando Hernandez and Nadia Holguin’s handheld gems feels a bit arbitrary. How ’bout we just go with their namesake taco, which uniquely marries chopped beef and ham with jalapeños and mild Anaheim chiles, all strung together under tangy tendrils of melted asadero cheese? There is no taco more gobble-able on the menu, or more expressive of the owners’ Chihuahuan roots.
Dayboat Moqueca at Latha
628 E. Adams St., 480-640-6183, lathaphx.com
The menu at this Downtown restaurant might constitute Phoenix’s tastiest history lesson – a soulful culinary tribute to the African diaspora. Brazil’s moqueca leads the way with a cast that includes rice grits reflecting the American South, Caribbean-influenced pickled onions adding zip, and your choice of seafood, from shrimp to the catch of the day, such as seabass or salmon. Roasted coconut chutney, charred broccolini and bright chimichurri seal the transcontinental deal. One forkful and you’re literally tasting how flavors crossed oceans.
Double Burger at Bad Jimmy’s
108 E. Pierce St., 480-386-0129, badjimmys.com
PHOENIX food writers are unanimous: James Piazza is a smash-burger savant. Of all the restaurant dishes in the Valley and, for that matter, Arizona, his crispy-gooey masterpiece at Downtown hot spot Bad Jimmy’s earned the most consistent and full-throated praise. The key to its magic: that caramelized halo of intermingled cheese, fat and atomized ground beef that rings each patty. Piazza achieves the effect by driving a ball of K4 Ranch Arizona ground beef into the grill with such force that it puckers, then arresting the burn with a slice of quick-melting American cheese that fills in the gaps, finishing the dish with grilled onions, pickles and a Kewpie-based secret sauce on a fresh potato bun. Thus, he gives us a hamburger in which meat itself achieves alternate form. Is it molecular gastronomy, kind of? We suspect so.
Elote Pasta at Valentine
4130 N. Seventh Ave., 602-612-2961, valentinephx.com
Some chefs just have a knack for dreaming up craveable dishes. Perhaps the Valley’s greatest embodiment of this phenomena is chef Donald Hawk, who created this cult favorite when Valentine opened in 2021. Featured in Food & Wine this year in a story about the mash-up pasta trend, it’s a creamy, spicy combo of hand-made tagliarini, crispy coal-roasted corn, local Hassayampa asiago, dried chile de árbol and generously sprinkled “goatija” (tangy goat’s milk cotija from local Crow’s Dairy). Now that Hawk’s just-as-iconic hiramasa crudo in brown butter dish is off the menu, this Mexican street corn meets cacio e pepe wonder is the new Valentine alpha.
Enchiladas in Beet Sauce at Casa Corazon
2637 N. 16th St., 602-334-1917, casacorazonrestaurant.com
Invented by culinary-minded Catholic nuns in the central Mexican state of Querétaro, mole rosa is much like other traditional mole sauces (sesame seeds, chocolate, chile and raisins all figure in its making) save one important ingredient: red beets. Blended into an impossibly smooth, intoxicating slurry of mild pepper flavors and baking-spice notes, the sauce is poured over beef, chicken or cheese enchiladas by Casa Corazon chef Elena Ramirez – an off-label application of mole rosa that remains our favorite of the many excellent expressions of Pueblan cuisine at the restaurant. “[The beet sauce was originally] for pastas and other things,” owner Javier Verdugo says. “I don’t think it was tried before on enchiladas.”
Ember-Roasted Purple Yam at Tía Carmen
5350 E. Marriott Dr., 480-293-3636, tiacarmendesertridge.com
It’s not exaggeration to say chef Angelo Sosa dreamed up Tía Carmen’s most popular dish. “I actually had dreamt about the dish and its flavors one night, which inspired me to head into the test kitchen,” he says. “You have the beautiful rich and smoky mesquite of the yams, the savory and salty flavor of feta within the queso sauce, and the earthy profile of the spicy and sweet mole.” There are 53 ingredients in the dish, and the mole alone takes eight to 10 hours to make – enough time for a good night’s sleep, hopefully filled with visions of queso-blanketed yams.
Francesca’s Meatball Sandwich at Pizzeria Bianco
Two Valley locations, pizzeriabianco.com
Named for chef-owner Chris Bianco’s mother, this under-the-radar handheld wonder is chock-full of beefy meatballs, made by lacing ground chuck with milk-soaked bread, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, garlic and oregano, then frying the resultant orbs in a skillet of olive oil. They’re hearty and ethereal all at once, and the crusty house-made roll wrapped around them adds genuine joy to the experience. Bianco is famous for his pizzas, but this cheesy and saucy meatball sandwich deserves its own high praise.
Top Dish Emeritus
Honeymoon Shooter at Hana Japanese Eatery
Of all the dishes in Lori Hashimoto’s celebrated oeuvre, this might be the most iconic –an oyster shooter with quail egg, ponzu, tobiko, green onions and garlic-laced sriracha for a bracing blast of umami downed all in one go. hanajapaneseeatery.com
Hiramasa Ceviche at Vecina
3433 N. 56th St., 602-675-2000, vecinaphx.com
Chef-owner James Fox got the idea for his seafoam green ceviche, flecked with Turkish Aleppo peppers, from a friend who raved about eating ota ika (a Tongan raw fish specialty) in Bora Bora. Fox’s luscious invention at his Arcadia fusion diner is a mash-up of influences and flavors, including Southeast Asian coconut milk and fish sauce, leche de tigre (a chile-laced lime marinade from Peru), cancha (Peruvian corn nuts), and local Mexican corn chips. It may not be traditional, but it’s the best ceviche in town.
Ika Mentai at Cherryblossom Noodle Café
914 E. Camelback Rd., 602-248-9090, cherryblossom-az.com
For the most part a straight-up Japanese noodle diner, Cherryblossom has also maintained a small enclave of Italian pasta dishes since its opening almost 25 years ago, each subtly reinterpreted with Japanese accents. The best of them: this blackout-good squid and pasta dish. Traditionally, ika mentai just means marinated squid in spicy cod roe, or mentaiko. Cherryblossom’s innovation: tossing the tender, braised ika in cream sauce with spaghetti, then crowning the pasta with shredded nori and a dollop of the mentaiko. Bellissima, foodie-san.
Japanese Caesar Salad at Harumi
101 N. First Ave., 602-258-0131, harumisushiaz.com
Chef-owner Jessica Kim’s East-meets-West rendition lands on our list by brilliantly reimagining a classic through a Japanese lens. The umami-rich dressing marries egg yolk with white miso and Japanese herbs, while traditional ingredients bow gracefully to their Asian counterparts – sesame oil steps in for olive, yuzu replaces lemon and panko breadcrumbs act as croutons. The presentation is equally clever, with Little Gem leaves arranged as perfect scoops dressed and decorated with a confetti of panko, radish coins, Parmesan cheese and Aleppo pepper.
Khao Soi at Thai Recipe Bistro
2234 N. Seventh St., 602-262-5454, thairecipebistro.com
Brought to northern Thailand by Chinese Muslim traders during the spice route era, khao soi is not a “hot new thing” by historical standards, but it’s certainly trending in the Valley – stimulated, perhaps, by recent interest in regional Asian cuisine. For a khao soi clinic, go to Coronado-area restaurant Thai Recipe Bistro, where the dish’s traditional cardamom-scented coconut curry broth is poured over an enormous thicket of crispy egg noodles and endless morsels of chicken breast. It’s spicy, crunchy and slurpy all at once.
Lamb Barbacoa at Renata’s Hearth at the Arizona Biltmore
2400 E. Missouri Ave., 602-954-2507, renatashearth.com
Round up your crew to share this expansive Latin fusion platter. A hefty oyster shoulder of lamb marinates overnight in a paste mingling guajillo and ancho chiles with garlic, tomato, allspice and cinnamon. After four hours catching mesquite and pecan smoke followed by a lazy Modelo Negra braise, this beauty arrives to your table bronzed and fork-tender, flanked by blistered peppers, charred Mexican onions, tangerine wedges, ramekins of salsa macha and pickled onions. And to get it all into your mouth: blue corn and flour tortillas.
Navarro Grain Bowl at Pa’La
2107 N. 24th St., 602-795-9500, palakitchen.com
Named after Chilean surfer Ramon Navarro, this explosion of simple sugars and ancient grains is like a multi-vitamin that you can lunch on – and happens to taste as good as anything you’ve ever eaten. Starting with Sonoran wheat berries and Khorasan wheat, Pa’La chefs add seasonal, wood-fired vegetables finished with olive oil, Cabernet vinegar, smoked soy sauce and, finally, a sprinkle of nori, sesame and sunflower seeds. The dish was created by original Pa’La chef Claudio Urciuoli, and when current chef-owner Jason Alford attempted to take it off the menu in favor of newer dishes, customers complained. “It’s not going anywhere,” he says.
Octopus Tostada at Pretty Penny
509 E. Roosevelt St., 602-960-0406, intastewetrust.com
A trip to Mexico City inspired chef Marcelino Ramos’ signature tostada, which features octopus on a crispy blue corn canvas. The cephalopod, braised with aromatics until perfectly tender, is bathed in a vibrant conserva humming with shallots, garlic, pimentón, oregano and achiote. To finish, creamy avocado purée offsets a rowdy salsa macha blended from black sesame seeds, garlic and habanero chiles. And in a pro move, Ramos pre-cuts the tortilla before frying, creating perfectly portioned, shatter-proof bites.
Pastrami at Little Miss BBQ
Two Valley locations, littlemissbbq.com
Eating pastrami at Little Miss takes advanced planning, because owner-pitmaster Scott Holmes only serves the smoke-infused delicacy on Thursdays. Teeing up the pastrami is a two-week project, between curing, seasoning and smoking, Holmes says. He imbues prime beef brisket with hickory spice, clove and cinnamon along with essential saltiness. The secret to good pastrami is balance, Holmes says. This thickly sliced, peppered meat punctuated with slim ribbons of fat is ridiculously tender and flavorful. Among Valley pastramis, it’s peerless – and worth the wait.
Pollo Asado at Bacanora
1301 N.W. Grand Ave., bacanoraphx.com
Chef-owner Rene Andrade won the 2024 James Beard Best Chef Southwest award for his straightforward Sonoran cooking, and his pollo asado – arguably the most popular dish on his menu – demonstrates his superpower with meat and fire. He salt-brines a locally grown half chicken and cooks it over mesquite until it’s golden brown and slightly charred, offering the juicy bird on a platter heaped with oven-roasted potatoes, beans, blistered chiles, onions, salsas and a flour tortilla. So Sonoran, so good.
Red Chile Taco at The Fry Bread House
4545 N. Seventh Ave., 602-351-2345, frybreadhouseaz.com
The Fry Bread House founder Cecelia Miller passed away in 2020, leaving behind a legacy that includes a James Beard American Classic Award, a still-essential Melrose-area restaurant and this iconic Valley taco – a catcher’s-mitt-size portion of pillowy frybread heaped with refried beans, sour cream, iceberg lettuce and shredded beef in a deeply satisfying Hatch chile braise. Whether it’s your first encounter with Indigenous food or your 100th, you’ll be a fan.
Robb’s Clams at First & Last
1001 N. Third Ave., 602-975-8297, firstandlastphx.com
This dish is coastal magic, and chef-owner Robb Hammond knows it – that’s why it never leaves his ever-changing menu. Plump littleneck clams from Nelson’s Meat + Fish swim in a buttery bath of Sauvignon Blanc combined with fennel’s sweet anise notes, a garden’s worth of greenery (basil, tarragon, mint, chives and parsley) and a gentle chile kick. And the accompanying char-marked bread from Nice Buns Bakery? It’s essential equipment to soak up every drop of liquid gold.
Santa Quesadilla at Chilte
765 Grand Ave., 602-807-5226, chiltephx.com
While vacationing in Oaxaca, Chilte chef-owner L.T. Smith discovered hoja santa, a bright green leaf used in Mexican stews and other dishes. At his celebrated Grand Avenue restaurant, Smith serves the leaf wrapped around a house-made tortilla with melted Oaxacan cheeses and paired with salsa verde and chiltepin peppers. “The leaf has a minty vibe with a little pepper, eucalyptus and a little sweetness,” he says of the herbaceous, well-crafted dish, which can be kept vegetarian with huitlacoche (corn smut, known as “Mexican truffles”) or made carnivorous with chapulines (fried grasshoppers). Smith puts a new spin on a traditional dish, and it’s dynamite.
Sincronizadas at Así Es La Vida
3602 N. 24th St., 602-952-1255, asieslavidarestaurant.com
Irving Rodriguez prioritizes flavor and texture at his cozy restaurant housed in a bubblegum-pink building in Phoenix’s Loma Linda neighborhood. Rodriguez grew up helping prepare food at his grandfather’s restaurant in southern Mexico and admits that he does not use exact measurements while cooking, an approach he calls “customizing instead of standardizing.” Here, sincronizadas – so named for the perfect alignment of the dish’s interior and exterior – feature the diner’s choice of veggies, pork, chorizo, beef, chicken or shrimp sandwiched between two flour tortillas and shrouded in shredded Chihuahua cheese.
Tiradito at Que Sazón
622 E. Adams St., 602-919-2246, quesazonrestaurant.com
A staple of Peru’s Japanese-influenced Nikkei cuisine, tiradito is essentially South American crudo – and pure culinary ecstasy in the hands of Que Sazón chef-owner Fabian Ocampo. At the pan-Latin Downtown gastropub he runs with his wife, Julie, the chef marries supple fillets of escolar with a milky citrus-fish stock called leche de tigre, adding dabs of chile-mango purée to get the blood pumping. This attractive plate is paired with neatly racked ringlets of deep-fried calamari, creating a heart-racing visual presentation that delivers both umami and crunch. It’s on our short list for Arizona’s best ceviche.
Tuna Sandwich at Noble Eatery
4525 N. 24th St., 602-688-2424, nobleeatery.com
Every upscale sandwich joint in town seems to use Jason Raducha’s Noble Bread – including his own, it turns out. This one is the most glorious of Noble Eatery’s five full-time handhelds, and it bears about as much resemblance to a traditional tuna sandwich as it does to a pepperoni pizza. Out: relish and mayo. In: heirloom beans, bits of chopped potato and big, meaty wheat berries, all mixed together with yellowfin tuna and a splash of Cabernet vinegar for balancing sweetness and acid, then shoveled into one of Raducha’s fresh, wood-fired pitas. You want this tuna.
Top Dish Emeritus
Stetson Salad/Original Chopped Salad at The Gladly
One could argue – supported, perhaps, with a thesis paper – that chef Bernie Kantak’s six-ingredient salad is the most famous dish ever conceived in the Valley. It’s topped so many of our lists that including it again seemed frankly predictable. It’s truly a seminal salad. thegladly.com
SCOTTSDALE
Ankimo at Hiro Sushi
9393 N. 90th St., 480-314-4215, hirosushiphx.com
Known as the “foie gras of the sea,” monkfish liver (aka ankimo) is a fatty, supple slice of seafood heaven. It’s also a bear to clean and cook, which is why you only intermittently see it on sushi menus. That is, unless you happen to be dining at Scottsdale stalwart Hiro Sushi, where owner Hiro Nakano and his sons have it on their fabled blackboard menu on a near-nightly basis. After draining and deveining the flesh-colored lobes, the Nakanos cure and steep them in a tamari-ginger marinade, then wrap them tightly in cheesecloth for a good, hot steam. Finally, the ankimo is sliced into neat medallions and served with ponzu, scallions and hot radishes – a mild, creamy, pâté-like treat that’s not really like anything else, anywhere.
Brussels Sprouts Nachos at Diego Pops
4338 N. Scottsdale Rd., 480-970-1007, diegopops.com
Brussels sprouts on nachos? “It may come as no surprise that a pregnant woman dreamt these up,” Diego Pops owner Caitlin Jocque says. “I was pregnant and had the idea to do nachos with Brussels sprouts and an egg on top.” Chef Hector Cruz turned her craving into a platter of corn tortilla chips drizzled with street corn queso and topped with roasted Brussels, queso Oaxaca, Fresno chiles, pickled onions, a fried egg and, the pièce de résistance, neon pink roasted garlic-beet crema. It’s party food with a dash of nutrition.
Top Dish Emeritus
Octopus at Virtù
There was a time when diners didn’t look for octopus on a restaurant menu. In the Valley of the Sun, that’s known as the “pre-Virtù” era. Chef-owner Gio Osso’s shockingly supple starter was our No. 1 dish in 2016, and still a favorite of Valley cephalopodophiles. virtuscottsdale.com
Carpaccio at J.T. Prime
4216 N. Brown Ave., 480-597-5864, jtprimekitchen.com
Friends, we’re living in a carpaccio golden age. The distant, Italian cousin of the tartare is trending in the Valley with hamachi-crudo-like ubiquitousness, and picking just one isn’t easy. But here’s that one: the carpaccio at Old Town resto J.T. Prime – a generous platter of shaved, raw prime filet, dressed with truffle oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano and tiny, desiccated capers that go off like little grenades throughout the lovely ordeal. To finish: fine, near-weightless snowflakes of lemon zest to fill the sinuses. Chef Alex Trujillo, those who are about to demolish this dish salute you.
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes at Butterfield’s
7388 E. Shea Blvd., 480-951-6002, butterfieldsrestaurant.com
According to Butterfield’s co-owner Chris Syregelas, the cinnamon roll pancake unites two beloved breakfast concepts: the cinnamon roll, which evokes memories of cozy family gatherings, and pancakes, the ultimate symbol of lazy weekend mornings. To make the fluffy orbs, he pours pancake batter on the griddle, adds a dreamy brown sugar-cinnamon swirl, and then drizzles the cakes with a sticky powdered sugar glaze. A top seller, this soul-satisfying, cinnamon-forward pancake is fit for the gods.
Chicken Liver Mousse at Hush Public House
14202 N. Scottsdale Rd., 480-758-5172, hushpublichouse.com
Before he owned two highly regarded Valley restaurants, Dom Ruggiero learned whole-animal butchery at Electric City Butcher in Santa Ana, California, where he picked up this labor-intensive recipe for chicken liver mousse, made with bacon, shallots, garlic, brandy, port, sherry, cream, emulsified butter and lots of patience. Capped with rendered duck fat, the final dreamy product, served on grilled Noble country loaf with “drunken” cherries (dried cherries reconstituted in bourbon and port), offers a bit of earthy heaven in every bite.
Dungeness Crab Salad at Zinc Bistro
15034 N. Scottsdale Rd., 480-603-0922, zincbistro.com
Zinc Bistro chef-owner Matt Carter initially made his Dungeness crab salad with Southwestern spices, but thought the flavors were too bold. Ultimately, he opted for a mound of fresh crab resting on a bed of cool shredded iceberg lettuce dressed with a mayo-based, citrus-and-herb-kissed vinaigrette. Bits of tomatoes, hard-boiled egg and dill pickle have a minor role, but the main attraction here is the sweet, juicy crab. He’d like to mix up the ingredients to make the salad more seasonally driven, but “people will complain, including my mother.”
Filet Mignon Tortelloni at Marcellino Ristorante
7114 E. Stetson Dr., 480-990-9500, marcellinoristorante.com
There’s hand-made pasta, and then there’s Marcellino Verzino’s hand-made pasta, various permutations presented on a platter in their uncooked state to be eloquently described by the server and mulled over – and later, eaten – by the customer. Know this: The pasta specialty you’ll dream about months after the fact is the tortelloni (large pockets of ring-shaped tortellini) stuffed with a soft, meaty purée of grilled steak, mirepoix and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, then finished with sweet butter and generous shaves of woodsy black truffle. Revelatory.
Top Dish Emeritus
Butterscotch Pudding at FnB
Chef-owner Charleen Badman (a 2019 James Beard Award winner) slays it across the culinary spectrum: vegetables, Mediterranean, game meats, et al. But it’s her browned-butter bomb of a dessert our writers find most indelible, i.e. can’t imagine life without it. fnbrestaurant.com
Gnocchi alla Romana at Andreoli Italian Grocer
8880 E. Via Linda, 480-614-1980, andreoli-grocer.com
This dish, which may or may not have originated in Rome, is like no gnocchi you’ve ever had before. It’s better. Round and biscuit-like, baked instead of boiled, these gnocchi are made with semolina (the wheat used for pasta) instead of potatoes, and the tender dough is enriched with Parmesan. At his Scottsdale brasserie, James Beard Award nominee Giovanni Scorzo drapes the gnocchi’s golden tops in creamy Parmesan and Gruyère cheese sauce, then sprinkles with Parm before service. Luxurious doesn’t begin to describe it. Exquisite comes close.
Green Chile Tuna Melt at Chula Seafood
Three Valley locations, chulaseafood.com
Being a seafood market as well as a restaurant, Chula quite naturally forgoes canned tuna to create this elevated classic, which is made by confiting fresh tuna (a fat-enriching technique that lends rich, moist, flaky fish), then piling it on Noble Bread along with roasted Hatch green chiles and mild Oaxaca cheese. Its exterior is swiped with mayo, then the sandwich is tucked into a panini press, emerging ridged and ultra-crunchy on the outside, soft and melty within. You’ll be ruined for regular tuna melts forevermore.
Honey Bee Pizza at Craft 64
Two Valley locations, craft64.com
When dreaming up pizzas for Craft 64, the owners sought a combo that would foster an “umami sensation,” says co-owner James Swann. Enter the Honey Bee pizza, a pepperoni pie with house-made dough, covered with freshly made mozzarella, festooned with zesty jalapeños and topped with organic honey sourced in Bisbee. As the pizza cooks over pecan and oak woods, the honey caramelizes, the jalapeños become sweet and hot, and the pepperoni takes on a sweet and savory flavor. “It’s absolutely decadent,” Swann extolls, and we agree. If you seek justification for Craft 64’s inclusion on the prestigious 50 Top Pizza list three years running, look no further.
Kash O’Bademjan at Persian Room
17040 N. Scottsdale Rd., 480-614-1414, persianroom.com
Move over, baba ghanoush. In Iran, eggplant (known in Farsi as bademjan) gets the royal treatment with creamy yogurt whey (aka kash) and heady aromatics. Eggplant is first roasted and then transformed into a velvety spread, blended with kash, onions, garlic and dried mint. Served hot, the bademjan is drizzled with more kash and garnished with mint, chopped walnuts and a nest of golden-fried onions and crunchy garlic chips. Slather it on complimentary lavash and try not to fight over the last bite. It’s also available at the restaurant’s Tucson location.
Lobster Tarte at Elements at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort
5700 E. McDonald Dr., Paradise Valley, 855-245-2051, gurneysresorts.com
Think you’ve seen every lobster dish in town? Available exclusively at Elements’ Table XII kitchen-dining experience, this showstopper from chef Gregory James isn’t your usual crustacean creation. Lobster is poached with seaweed, yuzu, lime and sour oranges plucked from the resort’s trees and nestled in a crispy phyllo shell with charred tomatoes and ricotta. Some gets tossed with Japanese Kewpie mayo and herbs, while medallions crown the top. The final flourishes are radish shoots, pearls of balsamic vinegar and olive oil “caviar,” and a sprinkle of Urfa biber, Turkey’s smoky-sweet dried chile.
Lucky 7 Cereal Bowl at Beginner’s Luck
7240 E. Main St., 480-571-0416, beginnersluckaz.com
This shockingly delicious breakfast dish is an homage both to chef-owner Bernie Kantak’s dad, who loved hot cereal, and to a friend who mixed chia pudding with oatmeal every morning. It’s “comfort food that really hugs you,” Kantak says. The dish is a thoughtful mix of hot grits and cold chia pudding snuggled together and then topped with granola, all house-made. In 10 short months since the debut of Beginner’s Luck in Old Town, the hot-cold cereal has developed its own cult following, Kantak says. “It’s the breakfast version of the [Stetson] chopped salad in the sense that it truly hits all the senses.”
Meringata at Franco’s Italian Caffe
4327 N. Scottsdale Rd., 480-481-7614, francosscottsdale.com
There’s nothing on God’s green earth more light and airy yet utterly voluptuous than meringata, a layered Italian cake composed of savoiardi (the dry, crumbled biscuits used for tiramisu), fluffy meringue, baked meringue, amaretto-splashed whipped cream and fresh berries. Chef-owner Franco Fazzuoli has been making meringata (or “merenghata”) for decades, using his grandmother’s recipe, and it would not be hyperbole to call it the best recipe on God’s green earth – rich, creamy and crunchy at once.
Pan con Tomate at Talavera at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North
10600 E. Crescent Moon Dr., 480-513-50851, fourseasons.com
Sophistication and complexity have always been the calling cards of the Spanish-inflected cuisine at resort mainstay Talavera, but this iteration of the Catalonian classic proves that when quality ingredients shine, there’s magic in the minimal. Thick wedges of toasted sourdough receive a rub of fragrant garlic, a sweep of crushed heirloom tomatoes and a drizzle of Spanish olive oil. It’s perfecto on its own, but if you want más, gild it with silky jamón ibérico (Spain’s caviar of ham), tangy boquerones (marinated white anchovies) or a shower of nutty Manchego cheese.
Sashimi Spoons at Hai Noon
7017 E. McDowell Rd., 480-306-4023, hainoonaz.com
2007 James Beard Award winner Nobuo Fukuda introduced his signature sashimi spoons back in the aughts when he watched his customers struggle to get his East-meets-West ingredients together in one fusion-y bite. Fukuda still uses spoons to feature elegantly austere combos such as oyster with tomato water reduction and wasabi oil; kampachi with grapefruit and avocado; and hamachi with basil-like shiso, myoga and taro chip. He’s the master of Japanese subtraction – emphasizing natural flavors and keeping it simple.
EAST VALLEY
Bacon Bread Pudding at The Beer Research Institute
1641 S. Stapley Dr., Mesa, 480-892-2020, thebeerresearchinstitute.com
Bread pudding has been on the menu since BRI’s launch a decade ago, but it took a few years before the dessert was infused with the brewpub trailblazer’s signature “meat candy,” i.e. candied bacon spiced with sambar, an aromatic South Indian curry powder. “The addition of the candied bacon took it to the next level by adding a savory, crunchy element,” owner Matt Trethewey says. And it’s sustainable! BRI uses the cut ends of its sandwich bread from Capistrano’s Bakery to minimize waste and showcase the Phoenix breadmaker.
Brisket Birria Tacos at Caldwell County Mexi-Q
546 N. Gilbert Rd., Gilbert, 480-813-3727, ccmexiq.com
This Gilbert offshoot of Clay Caldwell’s Caldwell County BBQ bills itself as “Texas barbecue with a Mexican twist,” and there’s something about that combo that feels authentically Arizonan to us. Particularly when we’re dunking brisket birria tacos – yellow corn tortillas lightly fried in consomé, then filled with smoky brisket birria, gooey white cheese, bits of white onion and cilantro – into more of that beguiling consomé, which tastes deeper, earthier and much more complex than any we’ve had. It’s a delicious testament to cultural collaboration.
Chongqing-Style Spicy Chicken at Old Town Taste
1845 E. Broadway Rd., Tempe, 480-702-7101, oldtowntaste.com
Chongqing, a Chinese megalopolis famous for its spicy food, is the inspirational source for this utterly addictive specialty: moist, crispy chicken nuggets set amid a flurry of dried red chilis. Surprisingly, the dish is not scorchingly hot (unless you’re eating all those peppers) but pleasantly numbing, thanks to Sichuan mala – an oil-based sauce stir-fried with aromatic spices (cinnamon, clove, star anise, cardamom), red chilis and Sichuan peppercorns – that gives your tongue that distinctive buzz. Consider it chicken crack.
Curry Lamb Pot Pie at The Peppermill
7660 S. McClintock Dr., Tempe, 480-590-6755, peppermillaz.com
There’s a simple reason this comfort-food fave has earned a spot on Peppermill’s tightly curated menu: “Because I love curry!” says owner and chef Chad Bolar, who adapted his mother’s recipe and made it a featured player at his funky-chic South Tempe steakhouse. After breaking down a leg of lamb and marinating it for a day, Bolar sautés the meat with zucchini, cauliflower, bell peppers and butternut squash – not traditional pot pie ingredients, but ones that complement the lamb’s gamey flavor. They arrive at the table in soft, flaky pastry casings for a well-balanced dish not overwhelmed by the curry.
Golden Hour Cauliflower at Fire & Brimstone
3000 E. Ray Rd., Gilbert, 480-687-3490, firebrimstoneeatery.com
His mother’s Lebanese family provided the inspiration for owner James Johnston to create this standout vegan entrée – which pairs well with the menu’s Middle Eastern short rib for non-vegans – at the community-minded Barnone eatery best known for its pizzas. Roasted and spiced cauliflower and carrots share a bed of baba ghanoush and muhammara, a dip made with roasted peppers, walnuts, pomegranate molasses and golden raisins. When in season, the cauliflower is sourced from Agritopia Farms or F&B’s own plot.
Top Dish Emeritus
Date Shake at Sphinx Date Co.
Possibly the oldest continuously served dish in the Valley, this sweet sipper dates at least to 1951, with the opening of the company’s Palm & Pantry in Arcadia, and possiby to 1928, when a company founder discovered the first Black Sphinx date growing in Phoenix. sphinxdateranch.com
New Orleans Shrimp and Grits at Buck & Rider
Three Valley locations, buckandrider.com
We’ve eaten shrimp and grits everywhere, and Buck & Rider’s is not only the best in the Southwest, but it holds its own with the best we’ve had in the South. The secret: quality ingredients and leisurely cooking. “We only use premium grits from Marsh Hen Mill on Edisto Island, South Carolina,” says Hi Noon Hospitality president Emily Collins. The slow-cooked heirloom grains are boosted with white cheddar and make a decadent bed for bacon-green onion sauce and grilled wild shrimp from the Sea of Cortez, whose sweet flesh balance the smoke and char of the grill. The catch: “To keep it special and something our guests can look forward to, we only serve it on the weekends,” Collins says.
Pani Puri at Feringhee Modern Indian Cuisine
3491 W. Frye Rd., Chandler, 480-534-7178, feringhee.com
Pani puri are crispy, hollow, fried dough balls (puri) stuffed with various starches, then filled with flavored water (pani), which might be spicy, tangy or sweet. Chef Karan Mittal recreates this age-old street food in a flight of three small, delicate orbs, filled with cooked chickpeas and served with three glass cruets of pani, including spicy, tangy mint jaljeera; sweet pineapple and passion fruit; and tart-sweet blackberry kala khatta. The fun is in the explosion of flavored juices in the mouth, reminiscent of Gushers fruit snacks, but infinitely more complex.
Street Corn Queso at The Guadalupe on Main
1526 E. Main St., Mesa, 480-272-7220, guadalupeonmain.com
Queso dips are two pesos a dozen in the Valley, but few rival this addictive medley of charcoal-roasted corn, a secret blend of Mexican cheeses, and smoked paprika and poblanos accompanied by tortilla chips. A holdover from the Jalisco-inspired restaurant’s previous iteration, Casa Ramos Redux, the dip’s short shelf life necessitates small batches made up to three times a day. “It’s our best-selling menu item,” co-owner Mike Schreier says. “[And] is especially popular with our gluten-free diners.”
Stromboli Siciliano at Del Piero Kitchen at Queen Creek Olive Mill
25062 S. Meridian Rd., Queen Creek, 480-888-9290, queencreekolivemill.com
In an exacting execution, pizza dough is stretched oblong and loaded with fresh, never-cooked sauce, whole-milk mozzarella, provolone, sausage from The Pork Shop, Genoa salami, hot capicola and giardiniera. It’s folded from the top down, meticulously pinched together and vented, and transferred to the pizza oven until slightly charred. Only then is it finished with the mill’s Pizza Drizzle olive oil. “My stromboli is distinctively Arizonan, representing a fusion of Italian flavors adapted to local tastes,” QCOM owner Perry Rea says.
Truffle Amberjack at Shimogamo
2051 W. Warner Rd., Chandler, 480-899-7191, shimogamoaz.com
Shimogamo’s sublimely simple combo of amberjack and truffle oil-laced ponzu has been a customer favorite for years, but the dish was updated and refined when Mika Otomo and her chef-husband Daisuke Itagaki took over the reins of the restaurant founded by Otomo’s parents. These days, Itagaki adds house-blended amazu (a sweet vinegar-based sauce) to sharpen the ponzu-white truffle oil, garnishing sweet, silky fish with micro cilantro and sliced red onion. Now, it’s a balanced, beautifully presented wallop of umami.
WEST VALLEY
Falafel at Casa de Falafel
4920 W Thunderbird Rd., Glendale, 623-230-2920, cdfalafel.com
Owner Fahad Shakir has moved on from the Shell gas station convenience counter where he launched his celebrated falafel-porium seven years ago – he has a proper restaurant in Glendale now – but the gut-punch excellence of his chickpea fritters remains. Not too dry, not too cakey, the fried, doughnut-like fritters are perfumed as elegantly as a Greek princess, with appetizing aromas of black pepper, coriander and cumin that resolve into a crisp, buoyant bite.
Italian Beef at Dazzo’s Dog House
6143 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale, 623-934-3536, dazzosdoghouse.com
Hangin’ tough on the menu since the restaurant’s opening in 1979, this Midwest classic stands tallest among the Valley’s many fine Italian beefs. Owner and native Chicagoan Ron Dazzo Jr. recalls his father’s philosophy for “keeping it simple” with spicy house-made giardiniera and perfectly tender, thin slices of roast beef, served on a hearty French roll. Diners have the option to order the sub dry, wet or with jus on the side for dipping. According to a handy chart posted by the register, your preference should immediately follow the word “beef,” so you “don’t look like a complete chump.” Heads up: The beef is cash-only.
Key Lime Pie at The Westward
19580 W. Indian School Rd., Buckeye, 602-429-0505, thecraftsmanaz.com
Tucked inside The Craftsman bar and restaurant in Verrado, this super-secret speakeasy has another ace up its sleeve – one of the best desserts in the Valley. Owner Jason Ebel says the trick to top-notch key lime pie is striking a balance between sweet and tart. “Lots of fresh key lime juice is balanced by just the right sweetness level in a light but firm, custard-like filling,” Ebel says. “The graham cracker crust can’t overpower the filling… it needs to integrate into the other flavors and add some nice texture.”
Porchetta Panini at Fabio on Fire Panini and Gelateria
24775 N. Lake Pleasant Pkwy., Peoria, 623-238-3664, fabioonfire.com
When a panino is headlined by Fabio Ceschetti’s slow-roasted porchetta, a roulade-like pork dish perfumed with garlic, sage and rosemary, you know you’re in for a treat. But when that fabulous porchetta is squeezed between two slices of wood-oven-fired puccia, a pillowy Pugliese bread fermented with century-old Italian yeast, well, you’ll wonder how you ever settled for an ordinary sandwich. Layered with peppery arugula, caramelized onions and a dreamy Pecorino spread whipped with sage and onions, it’s the best excuse in the Valley for an extended lunch break.
Salt & Pepper Pork Chop at D & Y Chinese Food
6666 W. Peoria Ave., Glendale, 623-302-9227, dychinese.com
D & Y offers both Mandarin and Cantonese menus, but flip to the latter for this staple of Cantonese cuisine. Don’t expect a thick-cut chop – here, strips of marbled pork are marinated, battered and double-fried until golden for the perfect crispy-juicy contrast. A shower of wok-tossed jalapeños, scallions and garlic adds aromatic punch, while that namesake salt and white pepper seasoning weaves through every bite. When you spot this dish on nearly every table, it’s not coincidence, it’s consensus.
Pork Belly at Barley & Smoke
10144 W. Lake Pleasant Pkwy., Peoria, 623-572-2816, peoriaartisan-brewing.com
Chef and co-owner Michael Mahalick says his scrumptious pork belly – fatty, crisp-edged chunks of it, swathed in spicy adobo, sprinkled with toasted peanuts, sparked with citrus zest and sided with faintly savory cured watermelon – was a “happy mistake,” made when a line cook mixed up two dishes, putting the watermelon on the plate with the pork belly burnt ends, and not on the salad where it belonged. Mahalick tasted the combo, added adobo and a few extra flourishes, and the rest is history – like Plexiglass and the microwave oven, a lab blunder made classic.
Ropa Vieja at Cubanitas Kitchen
5704 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale, 480-925-5840, cubanitaskitchenaz.com
Cuba’s national dish (translation: “old clothes”) is so named because slow-cooked flank steak tends to look soft and raggedy after it’s shredded and mixed with sauce. Cuban-born chef Lennis Rivas (who owns Cubanitas with her fiancé, Angel Renteria) turns out the Valley’s most succulent version, elevated with scratch-cooked tomato sauce inspired by her abuela’s recipe and adding bell pepper for a little contrast. Sided with congri (black beans and rice) and a simple salad, está volado – “it’s mind-blowing,” as the Cubans say.
Tallarín Verde de Pollo at Inca Fusion
1619 N. Dysart Rd., Avondale, 623-323-8273, incafusionperuvian-restaurantaz.com
Tallarín verde (aka green spaghetti) is one of Peru’s many iconic dishes, lifted from immigrants from Liguria, Italy, and tweaked using Peruvian ingredients on hand. It’s a riff on pesto Genovese, made with basil, lots of spinach, tangy queso fresco (instead of Parmesan), walnuts (instead of pine nuts) and evaporated milk for extra creaminess. Served with pounded, breaded, crisp-fried chicken Milanese, this simple, luscious dish partially explains Peru’s status as one of the world’s top cuisines.
NORTHERN ARIZONA
Amore oi Mari Pizza at Pizzicletta
203 W. Phoenix Ave., Flagstaff, 928-774-3242, pizzicletta.com
There’s nothing remotely oceanic about the Amore oi Mari pizza, which loosely translates to “love of the sea,” but it’s the name owner-pizzaiolo Caleb Schiff chose for Pizzicletta’s most decadent white pizza, strewn with arugula, prosciutto, creamy mascarpone and hard, salty pecorino, then drizzled with lemon-spritzed olive oil. It’s an ode, Schiff says, to an Italian pizzeria of that name, where he had a similar pizza – one of the best on his entire 2010 bike trip through Italy.
The Blake at Diablo Burger
120 N. Leroux St., Flagstaff, 928-774-3274, diabloburger.com
Before Derrick Widmark opened Diablo in 2009 and started cranking out charbroiled burgers made from 100 percent local, open-range-raised beef, he heeded advice from his friend Blake Spalding (founder of Hell’s Backbone in Utah): “You can’t have a burger joint in the Southwest without a green chile burger.” So, he created The Blake, a simple, sublime combo of roasted green chiles and cheddar cheese tucked into a DB-branded, artisanal English muffin slathered with Hatch chile mayo. Crazy good.
Burrata at The Barley Hound
234 S. Cortez St., Prescott, 928-237-4506, thebarleyhound.com
The Barley Hound’s burrata has gone through several iterations since the high-country gastropub’s inception nearly a decade ago. However, the creamy Italian cheese has always been served with sautéed grapes, a cooking technique that adds a caramelized, candied accent to the fruit’s glossy exterior. Inspired by the Hawaiian heritage of some of his kitchen staff, chef Alan Severance recently added black lava sea salt to the dish. “A lot can go into a plate, and sometimes it’s not just the food,” he says. “Sometimes it’s the people who get to work with it.”
Buttermilk Pie at Up the Creek Bistro & Wine Bar
1975 N. Page Springs Rd., Cornville, 928-634-9954, upthecreekaz.com
Up the Creek chef-owner Jim O’Meally grew up in Maryland eating his mother’s buttermilk pie – and her recipe has been delighting dessert-lovers ever since he opened his pleasant, glass-enclosed restaurant overlooking Oak Creek in 2014. Buttermilk pie is a delicious cross between custard and cake that eats like a firm custard. The just-sweet-enough baked pie is made with tangy buttermilk (naturally), melted butter, sugar and flour. O’Meally adds house-made salted caramel and Chantilly cream for a true taste of the South… in the Southwest.
Chicken Wings at Old County Inn
3502 AZ-87, Pine, 928-476-6560, oldcountyinn.com
Chef-owner Michael Dahling was a corporate chef at Shamrock Foods when he first discovered full, double-jointed chicken wings. Later, when he developed the menu for his Pine pizzeria, Old County Inn, he endeavored to maximize food and labor values by using up everything the kitchen staff made, including the brine from pickles made on-site daily. After soaking in the brine for 48 hours, the wings are roasted in the restaurant’s wood-burning oven, fried and tossed with tangy, house-made Pancho hot sauce, then grilled until charred and crispy. Rim Country regulars proclaim they are the best wings in the region. This townie sees that and raises it statewide.
Firecracker Shrimp at Rascal Modern American Diner & Bar at The Wilde Resort and Spa
2250 AZ-89A, Sedona, 928-852-1852, rascalrestaurantsedona.com
Longtime Sedona chef Mercer Mohr used to order the firecracker shrimp whenever he visited Scottsdale and dined at since-shuttered Wildfish Seafood Grille. When he opened Rascal in 2021, Mohr decided to put his own spin on the sweet-and-spicy, pseudo-Asian shrimp dish. His sharable small-plate version features lightly battered, crunchy shrimp tossed in a lime-chili glaze and served over a crisp, homemade Asian slaw fortified with habanero mayonnaise. The shrimp and slaw make for vibrantly colored bedfellows – and an explosively delicious homage to a departed classic.
Grilled Breast of Duck at Red Raven Restaurant
135 W. Route 66, Williams, 928-635-4980, redravenrestaurant.com
Duck breast charbroiled to crispy-juicy perfection and crowned with tangy Cabernet-cranberry sauce might not be what diners expect along historic Route 66 in Williams, where classic cafés and breweries rule. But that is what they will find at the relaxed fine-dining Red Raven Restaurant, where the grilled breast of duck, served alongside nutty rice pilaf and asparagus striped with a smoky char, is a standout. In fact, regular customers often have but one comment, according to owner Deanna Plasencia, who acquired the restaurant in 2023: “I hope you still have the duck!”
Lamb Adobo at Elote Café
350 Jordan Rd., Sedona, 928-203-0105, elotecafe.com
A beloved arrow in chef Jeff Smedstad’s culinary quiver since his days helming Los Sombreros in the Valley, this classic of dark-toned Mexican flavor now slays ’em in Sedona. Dried ancho chile, cinnamon, cumin and other brooding spices yield an adobo sauce that’s roux-smooth but bold enough to stand up to a Superior Farms lamb shank, faintly and faintingly gamey and braised just long enough until it falls off the bone. As long as Smedstad keeps making it, we’ll keep coming baaa-ck.
J.B.’s Volcano at MartAnne’s Breakfast Palace
112 E. Route 66, Flagstaff, 928-773-4701, martannes.com
Owner Tina Duarte (whose mother, Anne Martinez, founded this Flagstaff Mexican breakfast institution in 2001) invented her over-the-top version of chilaquiles at the behest of J.B., a regular customer who invariably struggled to decide on one single dish. “Why not give him everything?” she reasoned, adding a mini mountain of crunchy house-made chips smothered with pork green chile, chorizo, melted cheese, sour cream and a gooey over-medium egg to a plate already crowded with rice, beans, hash browns and a flour tortilla. Who needs dinner?
Top Dish Emeritus
Pork Belly at Tinderbox Kitchen
Celebrated on mulitple occasions, this is the dish that put owner Kevin Heinonen on the map when he opened his seminal Flagstaff eatery in the late 2000s – one of Arizona’s earliest pork belly dishes, and still possibly its best. tinderboxkitchen.com
Le Verdure at Merkin Vineyards Trattoria
770 N. Verde Heights Dr., Cottonwood, 928-639-1001, merkintrattoria.com
Presented variously in raw, roasted, pickled and sautéed states, the seasonal cast members of this vegetarian starter at Maynard James Keenan’s groovy new hilltop winery in Cottonwood could not scientifically be fresher – the winemaker sources them from the four greenhouses he operates locally. It’s an altogether exciting display of heirloom agriculture, the earth and the climate of Arizona itself distilled as a platter of dirt treats, paired with a glass of the same. The current winter haul includes squash, carrots, endive and radishes. Look for eggplant and such in the spring.
New Zealand Rack of Lamb at Cha-Bones Tapas and Steakhouse
112 London Bridge Rd., Lake Havasu City, 928-854-5554, chabones.com
Up on the Arizona Riviera, Cha-Bones is known for its expertise on the grill with unique meats, seafood and wild game, but this wonderful lamb dish is the product of two distinct cooking phases. First, the lamb is delicately hand-cut and frenched, then seasoned simply with salt and pepper and seared. Post-grill, the cap of the lamb is breaded with panko, fresh thyme, oregano and basil, and finished off in the oven. Finally, chef Tony Bondra adds his signature port wine reduction – velvety smooth and jammy with robust flavors of slow-roasted lamb bones, onions, garlic, tomatoes and mushrooms. If you thought Havasu was nothing but sliders and sunburns, lesson learned.
Miss Piggy at Fat Bagels
2300 E. Route 66, Flagstaff, 928-396-2002, fatbagelsflagstaff.com
In his 35-plus years as a chef and restaurateur, John Conley has tinkered with plenty of recipes. The Miss Piggy breakfast sandwich at his new shop, Fat Bagels, wasn’t one of them. “We did a tasting and [my staff] was like, ‘No changes.’ … It was perfect right out of the gate.” Conley’s ode to “all things pork” features applewood-smoked bacon, pistachio mortadella, hashbrowns, scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese on a toasted plain bagel. “I wanted to create a bagel in Flagstaff that you can get walking the sidewalks of New York,” he says. And this sandwich bests any bacon, egg and cheese you’d find in a Brooklyn bodega.
Savory Sorbet at Shift Kitchen & Bar
107 N. San Francisco St., Flagstaff, 928-440-5135, shiftflg.com
What does a chef-owner whose mantra is “local, seasonal, sustainable” do with fresh herbs and veggies she needs to use ASAP? If she’s Dara Wong, she turns them into elegant intermezzos – palate-cleansing, never cloying. Her first sorbet foray involved citrusy sorrel, chèvre, EVOO and sea salt (a major success). Now she routinely makes sorbets with tarragon, cilantro, beets or tomatoes. Her vivid, grown-up flavors rotate weekly and appear on both the à la carte and tasting menus. Sorbet every day? All we can say is: Hooray!
Seared Brioche at Forêt
2 S. Beaver St., Flagstaff, 928-214-7280, foretflagstaff.com
“I knew I needed a sweet breakfast option, but I’ve never liked things that are too sweet,” Forêt chef-owner Sam Greenhalgh says of his architectural pile of seared brioche, citrus curd, house-made ricotta, seasonal fruit, mint and citrus zest. “Instead of French toast, I decided on a lighter, brighter, fresher option. Cheese is extremely undervalued in sweet applications, in my opinion.” The lemon- and orange-infused curd is delightfully puckery and lightly sweet when paired with the dreamy ricotta and crisped, buttery brioche. It’s French toast by way of a sunny day in Nice.
Sonoma Duck Platter at Atria
103 N. Leroux St., Flagstaff, 928-440-4377, atriarestaurant.com
Chef Rochelle Daniel’s duck platter has been a fixture since Atria’s 2022 opening for one simple reason – it’s stellar. The process begins with Sonoma duck, prized for its fat content that renders wonderfully crispy skin. Daniel cures and smokes the breast, cures and confits the leg, and uses duck stock in a mildly spicy, house-made XO glaze that deepens the dish’s flavors. Cured foie gras mousse, folded into black currant jam, adds another layer of richness and complexity. A half duck feeds two civilized people willing to share.
Three Sisters Salad at Café Gozhóó
5624 N. First St., Whiteriver, 928-338-1010, cafegozhoo.com
Anyone with even a passing interest in Indigenous foodways knows about the “Three Sisters” of traditional agriculture: corn, squash and beans. At his Apache café in Whiteriver, chef Nephi Craig showcases this trio in a scrumptious and texturally complex salad. “Our Three Sisters salad, that’s our nod to companion planting – always using corn, beans and squash,” he says. “We do a different assortment of heirlooms.” The flavors of sweet corn, vegetal squash and earthy beans harmonize beautifully – what grows together goes together, as the saying goes. At press time, the café was temporarily closed but scheduled to reopen in February.
Twaffles at Four Eight WineWorks
Locations in Cottonwood and Jerome, four8wineworks.com
Waffle portmanteaus are getting ridiculous on FoodTok – chaffle, croffle, moffle – but this one is so good, we have to let it slide. On a trip to Los Angeles, Maynard James Keenan and his wife, Jen, popped into Augustine Wine Bar for wine and a nosh. “While eating tater tots, the epiphany came to press them in a waffle iron and serve with a sweet or savory topping,” Keenan says. “Pairs great with wine.” The savory is our fave, with the crunchy twaffles sided with tomato chutney made from produce from the Merkin Vineyards orchards and greenhouse. It’s the perfect bar snack.
SOUTHERN ARIZONA
Meat Burro Enchilada-Style at Guayo’s El Rey
716 W. Sullivan St., Miami, 928-473-9960
Descended from the same family tree of restaurateurs who gave us the much-missed Los Compadres in Phoenix, El Rey has been slinging down-home Mexican-American eats since 1938. If you happen to be in Globe and want a serious burrito, this is where you go. And the most serious burrito on the menu is this shredded beef- and bean-filled classic, luxuriating in a housemade enchilada sauce redolent with Hatch chile flavor. A generous mantle of melted cheddar finishes the saucy masterpiece.
Carne Asada Steak at Charro Steak & Del Rey
188 E. Broadway Blvd., Tucson, 520-485-1922, charrosteak.com
When chef Gary Hickey partnered with the venerable Flores family (of El Charro Café fame) to open a Mexican steak-and-seafood house, offering a down-and-dirty cowboy steak was a no brainer. Finding the right cut of grass-fed beef for the signature carne asada was considerably harder. Hickey, a skilled butcher, finally hit on the “outside” skirt cut. “Imagine ribeye and filet had a baby,” he says. “It’s tender, with beautiful marbling, perfect for mesquite grilling.” Rubbed with salt, pepper and garlic, this charro steak is campfire simplicity raised to an art form.
Caviar Snack Tray at Pronghorn Pizza
3248 AZ-82, Sonoita, 520-455-5141, pronghorn.pizza
It initially took form as an elegant canapé for the release of Dos Cabezas WineWorks’ sparkling wine Prínciprana, but the caviar snack tray at winery-affiliated Pronghorn has a humbler backstory: It was loosely inspired by tostilocos, a popular Mexican antojito (street food). Owners Kelly and Todd Bostock simply thought it would be fun to serve caviar and crème fraîche with a snack-size bag of Lay’s potato chips. People went gaga for the salty hors d’oeuvre, so to get it on the regular menu, the duo worked directly with sustainable sturgeon farm Tsar Nicoulai in San Francisco to get a jar large enough to share, but “small enough to price as an affordable splurge,” Todd says. The couple was surprised by its popularity and theorize that they may sell the most caviar in Southern Arizona.
Cinnamon Roll Pancake at Baja Café
Two Tucson locations, bajacafetucson.com
The snickerdoodle pancake at this Tucson breakfast and brunch haunt snags headlines and awards, but for our money, the cinnamon roll pancake is the ultimate indulgence. Owner Kim Scanlan agrees. “[It] is my favorite, too!” she says of the plate-covering flapjack created by chef Gerard Meurer. “The cinnamon-sugar butter [in the batter] offers depth and richness to the pancake, and then texture as the sugar caramelizes as it cooks, offering that light crunch on the edges.” A swirl of cream cheese glaze completes it. “Everyone’s eyes get really big,” Scanlan says. “They can’t believe the size and that it really looks like a cinnamon roll.”
Chiles Rellenos at Penca
50 E. Broadway Blvd., Tucson, 520-203-7681, pencarestaurante.com
Chiles rellenos – chiles stuffed with cheese or meat, battered and fried until lightly crisp – originated in the Mexican city of Puebla in the 1800s. At Penca, Tucson’s nouveau Mexican restaurant, the classic dish gets two distinct but equally delicious upgrades. The regular chile relleno is stuffed with tangy, earthy achiote pork and melty queso Oaxaca, smothered in a richly spiced tomato sauce and crowned with tangy pickled onions. The vegan version nixes the meat for a filling of sweet plantains, shallots and carrots, lavished with a creamy coconut-carrot purée. Which is better? We can’t decide. Get los dos.
Crispy Tofu Bites at Dot’s Diner at The Shady Dell
1 Old Douglas Rd., Bisbee, 520-346-1624, theshadydell.com/dots-diner
From a tiny Arthur Valentine prefab stainless steel diner, chef Josh Levine officiates the scrumptious marriage of American diner fare and traditional Asian flavors. “I’m a meat-eater, but I really love vegetarian and vegan cooking, so it was important to me to give a lot of care to our vegetarian options,” he says. “Try to make them a star of the show and not a sidenote on the menu.” The tofu in this dish is pressed overnight before being cut and tossed in a blend of spices, salt and corn starch (which bolsters the crunch factor), then fried and coated with a soy-mirin-sesame-oil glaze. The sweet and tangy bites are then topped with house-made sriracha aioli, furikake and green onions, creating a fragrant, dichotomic mouthful that’s creamy, crunchy and oh-so haochi.
Elote at La Frida Mexican Grill & Seafood
7230 E. 22nd St., Tucson, 520-344-8335, lafridamexicangrill.com
Drive down 22nd Street in sprawling Southeast Tucson on any given evening and you’re likely to glimpse a large, well-behaved mob of Mexican food lovers milling about on the stoop of a converted short-order diner, patiently waiting for a table. How did this Modern-Mexican newcomer (it only opened last December) manage to enthrall such a devoted clientele, so quickly? It could be the massive, Baja-style seafood coctel goblets, could be the Instagram-worthy mole enchiladas. For us, it was this ingenious elote starter, quartered and served with a ridiculously good, tangy tomatillo salsa. You eat them like chicken wings, and happiness ensues.
Fish Tacos at Taqueria Pico de Gallo
2618 S. Sixth Ave., Tucson, 520-623-8775
Taqueria Pico de Gallo doesn’t have a website or social media, but it’s still known worldwide – something owner Diana Bojorquez discovered during a trip to Europe, when she met a Dutch couple who found out she was from Tucson. “They said, ‘There’s this little yellow building in south Tucson, and we forget the name of it, but they have the best fish tacos in the world.’ And I said, ‘Hi, nice to meet you. I’m the owner,’” she says. Her Baja-style fish tacos feature generous hunks of pollock (fried or grilled), cabbage, crema and the eatery’s titular salsa on thick corn tortillas crafted with scratch-made masa. “They’re the No. 1 sellers.”
Heritage Bread at Barrio Bread
18 S. Eastbourne Ave., Tucson, 520-327-1292, barriobread.com
Look for the logo. The stencil of a saguaro poised against the outline of Arizona lets you know that Don Guerra’s signature Heritage loaf is crafted from heirloom wheat grown and milled in the Sonoran Desert. Its only other ingredients are slow-fermented sourdough culture, Sonoran sea salt and water. A favorite among Barrio devotees, the deep-brown loaf is chewy on the outside, airy on the inside, with a slightly tangy, earthy taste. If you want to know what compelled judges to give Guerra a James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker, just take a bite.
Jägerschnitzel at The Copper Pig
412 Arizona St., Bisbee, 520-432-9970, thecopperpigbisbee.com
Holy pig! After working in a Hofbräu kitchen as a highschooler in upstate New York, chef Chris Dangerfield was inspired to bring German cooking traditions to the southern fringe of the Arizona desert. Often referred to as the “Jägermeister” by its loyal fans, Dangerfield’s jägerschnitzel is a tenderized center-cut pork loin coated in house-made breadcrumbs and fried to a light, golden crisp, then topped with a Cabernet sauce made with sautéed mushrooms and bright tomatoes. The jewel box of a restaurant is open Sunday through Wednesday and has only nine tables, so reservations are a must. Pro tip: The restaurant is BYOB, so if you want real Jäger, you need to pour your own.
Potato Tacos at Lutes Casino
221 Main St., Yuma, 928-782-2192, lutescasino.com
Generations of Yumans have bellied up to the bar at Lutes Casino, which has been in the Lutes family since 1942. When Mike Lutes took over 25 years ago, he added potato tacos to the menu, and a Yuma party staple was born. “I do a lot of taco platters for catering or parties,” Lutes says. The simple yet addictive bar snack features mashed potatoes flavored with seasoned salt, rolled up in corn tortillas and deep-fried before being showered with cabbage, tomatoes, cotija and mayo. “They’ve always been a hit.”
Ricotta Pastizzi at Malta Joe’s Baked Goods
3452 E. Milton Rd., Tucson, 520-812-6563, maltajoe.com
“Malta Joe” Gauci is serious about his pastizzi – savory pastries from the eponymous Mediterranean island where his family has roots. After discovering his mother’s recipe for the handcrafted phyllo dough and traditional fillings, he returned to Malta to perfect his baking techniques. The popular ricotta variety is a classic, but Gauci has branched out with other fillings, including sweet ones. Order from his pastizzi factory – the only one in the U.S. – or find them fresh at the Heirloom Farmers Market on Sundays.
Quesabirria Tacos at El Taco Rustico
Two Tucson locations, tacorustico.com
Arguably the first chef to introduce quesabirria tacos to Tucson, Juan Almanza has perfected his recipe over three decades. Detect a hint of sweetness in the beef birria? Cloves, allspice and cinnamon are among the 30-odd seasonings in the broth used to steep the slow-cooked meat. The corn tortillas get a quick flip on the grill to crisp the mozzarella cheese on the outside and melt it on the inside. The finisher? A dipping bowl of zesty birria consomé.
Top Dish Emeritus
Sonoran Hot Dog at El Güero Canelo
A Tucson institution, El Güero Canelo is credited with introducing Sonoran hot dogs to Arizona. Recognized by the James Beard Foundation as a bona fide “American Classic,” the bacon-wrapped hot dogs don’t disappoint. Three Tucson locations, elguerocanelo.com
Sea Bass with Fennel at The Biscuit
423 Upper Elgin Rd., Elgin, 520-221-0180, losmilicsvineyards.com
For a restaurant barely three months old, Pavle Milic’s winery trattoria, The Biscuit, is eerily dialed-in. Then again, the PHOENIX wine columnist has spent the last two decades running beloved Old Town bistro FnB, so maybe not so eerie. Milic asked chef Ana Borrajo to aggressively lean into her Spanish heritage at the flagship eatery at Los Milics Vineyards, and of all the splendid delicacies to emerge from that directive (including a simple romaine salad graced with olive oil, toasted garlic and white anchovies that will make you weep as you slurp up the remnants) this one takes the tarta. The fish is pan-fried and perfect, but it’s the fennel, done three ways – caramelized, pickled and sprigged – that catapults the dish into a rarified, anise-scented realm of pure eating pleasure. So, where did she get the idea to use fennel this way? “I just love fennel,” she says with a wink.
Sonoran Burger at Uptown Burger
6370 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson, 520-638-6182, uptownburgertucson.com
Start with a grilled patty of ground Piedmontese beef – “the Wagyu of Italy,” says Uptown chef Justin Fitzsimons, “leaner, but [just] as flavorful” – then top with a savory mix of mellow Oaxacan cheese, fresh roasted poblanos, crunchy grilled sweet corn and house-made aioli. Add lettuce and avocado, then enfold in a brioche bun – or try to. The generous topping overflows its bready confines, making it impossible to pick up the burger until you’ve forked up a good bit. That’s not a hardship – it makes the Sonoran arguably the finest burger-eating experience in Southern Arizona.
Tongue in Two Moles at Elvira’s
2221 E. Frontage Rd., Tubac, 520-398-9421, elvirasrestaurant.com
If Arizona has a ground zero for good mole, it’s the artist colony of Tubac, where maximalist Mexican restaurant Elvira’s showcases no fewer than five versions of the Pueblan cacao-sauce classic on any given evening. Working from his grandfather’s recipe, chef-owner Ruben Monroy achieves mole apotheosis with this two-way dish, featuring both a coloradito mole (sweet, plummy, ancho-forward) and the restaurant’s popular poblano mole (brooding, spicy and kissed with cinnamon), each ladled over its own tender cutlet of braised cow tongue, with a side of lively pickled veggies (aka escabeche) to clear the palate. It’s manna for mole lovers, and we might be seeing it in the Valley soon – Monroy has plans to open an Elvira’s in DC Ranch this winter.
Vegan Platter at Aspasia
2310 N. Country Club Rd., Tucson, 520-372-2409, aspasiarestaurant.com
The colorful array of hot-and-cold vegan appetizers that emerges from Aspasia’s scratch kitchen may look familiar to devotees of Middle Eastern cuisine, but the Syrian family recipes are deliciously distinctive. Standouts among the dishes include a smoky babaganoush studded with tiny tomato bits, and doughnut-shaped falafel that’s both crispy and moist. The starters are flanked by sliced pickles, cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes. Use the fresh-baked pita to scoop up the dips or to create a sandwich bursting with flavor.
Vegetable Gyoza at Kazoku
4210 E. Speedway Blvd., Tucson, 520-777-6249, kazokusushitucson.com
The crescent-shaped Japanese dumplings known as gyoza are typically filled with ground pork and wrapped in a beige, wheat-based dough before being deep-fried or steamed, subsequently leaving plant-based diners disappointed. That’s not the case at this homey sushi spot in central Tucson, where the vegetable gyoza are enveloped in crispy, pan-fried, spinach-infused dough, lending a sage hue and slightly earthy flavor to its finely chopped napa cabbage, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and garlic filling. It’s one of Arizona’s finest meat-free delicacies.
