Inflation or no, new restaurants continue to open in the Valley at a breakneck pace –
and we tried a bunch this summer. Time to clean out the old notebook.
Minnow
Opened: July 2025
From culinary savant Bernie Kantak comes this sleek, sea-inspired fast-casual eatery in Arcadia. Matcha, cocktails and creative maki rolls anchor the menu. You order off a giant iPad and the food arrives at your booth or counter seat. Quick, easy, seafoody.
Must Try: The sushi is great, but we went gaga over a bowl of organic greens and rice topped with a seared, salty morsel of red snapper.
4501 N. 32nd St., Phoenix | 602-932-2858 | eatminnow.com
Random AF Taqueria
Opened: May 2025
Embedded in a liquor store on a low-rent stretch of 32nd Street, this walk-up lunch counter is destined to be a hole-in-the-wall classic, with a rotating erase-board menu of birria dishes, messy-good tacos and assorted fusion fare.
Must Try: Wrap your mind – and your mouth – around crispy birria egg rolls, filled with spicy braised beef and gooey queso asadero, and served with a bowl of greasy consomé.
2527 N. 32nd St., Phoenix | 602-515-4768
The Mercer
Opened: June 2025
MercBar maestro Rick Phillips raises the stakes (and the steaks) at this swank American bistro, set in the same Esplanade spot where he ran the aforementioned bar. Think PEI mussels in a chorizo-studded tomato broth, a fun raw bar, upscale salads and gastropub-style entrées.
Must Try: The spicy lobster sushi handroll (one of five temaki on the menu) is terrif, but even better: a kingly selection of martinis, with optional upgrades like quail eggs and caviar bumps.
2525 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix | 602-497-3696 | themercerphx.com
Hapa Food Co.
Opened: July 2025
Succulent, pit-style kalua pork and other perfectly executed Hawaiian plate lunch standards made Mesans fall in love with this fast-casual restaurant from Michael and Leslie Zander – and now they have a new North Phoenix location in the old Joy Bus spot.
Must Try: That eerily perfect pork, so supple and juicy. The fried garlic chicken is lip-smacking, too.
3375 E. Shea Blvd., Phoenix | 480-219-1133 | hapafoodco.com
