By our admittedly unscientific count, around 340 new restaurants opened in Greater Phoenix between October 2024 and September 2025, from neighborhood taquerias in Tempe to new-jack gastropubs in Peoria. Selected by our food writers, here are our 10 favorites – along with a smattering of honorable mentions, special awards and sneak previews of 2026.
By Nikki Buchanan & Craig Outhier
Photography by Angelina Aragon, Tim Chow, Mirelle Inglefield, Jill McNamara, Gregory Rothstein, Grace Stufkosky & Melissa Valladares
BNR Criteria
- Must have opened between October 2024 and September 2025 in Greater Phoenix.
- Must be an original concept. No chains or out-of-state imprints.
- Must be amaaaazing.
BEST NEW RESTAURANT OF 2025
Filthy Animal
740 S. Mill Ave., Tempe, 480-397-1046, thisisfilthyanimal.com
Opened: March 2025
Decorated like Idi Amin’s pied-à-terre, with framed animal portraits, domed rubber tree chandeliers and a life-size stuffed jaguar, this jungle-toned Mill Avenue upstart “offers an immersive dining experience unlike any other in the Valley,” we wrote back in August. The thrill of adventure extends seamlessly into chef Rene Vargas’s global menu, where grilled oysters luxuriating in gochujang butter and Chihuahua cheese; next-level beef tartare scattered with dots of yuzu kosho egg gel; and weepingly good wood-fired Napa cabbage spiced with Szechuan peppercorns push Filthy Animal over the top as our pick for 2025 Best New Restaurant of the Year. It’s the latest home run for restaurateur Teddy Myers and his Pretty Decent Concepts hospitality group (Carry On, Wren & Wolf) – now the undisputed pace-setters of event dining in Greater Phoenix.
Belmont Kitchen & Cocktails
8876 E. Pinnacle Peak Rd., Scottsdale
480-999-5599, belmontkitchenandcocktails.com
Opened: February 2025
North Scottsdale above the 101 has never lacked for beautiful homes and wide-open spaces, but finding restaurants offering something more urbane than steaks, pub grub, Mexican food and pizza? Good luck with that.
Enter Belmont, an intimate – dare we say sexy? – restaurant with a gorgeously glitzy bar that exudes a Gatsby vibe. Equally suited for a Saturday night date or hump-day happy hour, the restaurant made an immediate impression with its striking arboreal décor and eye-popping cocktails (think fire, smoke, bubbles and treasure chests).
But it wasn’t until James Beard Award-winning chef Alex Stratta (who has graced many-a-Valley-kitchen and earned Michelin stars for two restaurants he helmed in Las Vegas) came on board in July that the worldly Modern American menu really took flight, thanks to elegant versions of classic dishes such as grilled Spanish octopus with romesco sauce and crispy potatoes, and Stratta’s legendary short ribs, currently served with mascarpone polenta and ginger-tomato jam.
Guided by Stratta’s expert hand, Belmont has become the restaurant we all want: a place to enjoy exceptional, elevated food in a gracious but unpretentious setting.
Casa 16
1550 N. 16th St., Phoenix
602-677-7252, casa16restaurant.com
Opened: February 2025
When Phoenix dining doyenne Silvana Salcido Esparza closed Barrio Café and retired last year, the Valley lost more than an uncompromising iconoclast with a gift for gab – we lost our only decent option for chiles en nogada, that autumnal delicacy of cinnamon-kissed braised chicken stuffed in a roasted chile and drizzled with walnut sauce, and a sprinkling of tangy pomegranate seeds for brightness.
We were bereft. That is, until Casa 16 debuted down the street from the old Barrio spot with a similarly world-class nogada – not to mention glorious iterations of pipián verde (green mole made with tomatillos and pumpkin seeds), enchiladas suizas and other pan-Mexican classics.
The restaurant (originally named Cien Fuegos, which evidently caused some copyright headaches) also leans hard into cocktails and seafood – and thus achieves a productive level of sibling friction with the Verdugo family’s other essential restaurant on 16th Street, Casa Corazon.
The new place is a little more modern, a little more glitzy – and just as awesome.
Hao Hao Chinese Restaurant
9210 E. Via de Ventura, Scottsdale
480-270-6278, haohaoaz.com
Opened: January 2025
Hao Hao, which means “well” or “properly” in Mandarin, is the perfect adverb for this small, pleasant Chinese restaurant, where the superpower at hand is Cantonese cuisine.
Owned by Jade and Vincent Wong, who sold their beloved Nee House Restaurant to retire in 2019 (and then thought better of it), it’s already the Valley’s No. 1 option for perfectly executed Cantonese classics such as salt and pepper pork, beef chow fun and Tong Gong special chicken, a dish that epitomizes the subtle sophistication of Cantonese cooking. Gently boiled, skin-on chicken, chopped into uniform pieces and served with agreeably salty ginger-scallion sauce, serves as delicious proof that Chinese food (and Cantonese in particular) is rightly one of the world’s great cuisines.
But the Wongs don’t stop there, also serving up exceptional Mandarin and Szechuan dishes, not to mention good, old Chinese-American standards (like the Valley’s best orange chicken) with equal aplomb, which makes Hao Hao the proper bomb.
Liquor Pig Modern American & Craft Cocktails
7217 E. Fourth Ave., Scottsdale, 480-687-3995, liquorpigscottsdale.com
Opened: March 2025
You’d think customers might not be keen on being called “liquor pigs.” But the less-than-flattering sobriquet for serious fans of distilled spirits doesn’t stop them from returning again and again to this cozy, brick-walled gastropub in Old Town, where both the liquor and the good vibes flow.
Naturally, there are clever cocktails – most notably the tropical SPAM Folder, an Instagram darling for its vessel (a can of SPAM) and its garnish (a slice of SPAM) – as well as local beer, international wines and premium spirits.
But LP’s popularity isn’t exclusively about the booze, but rather a pleasing mash-up of ingredients: good tunes, a friendly staff and executive chef C.J. Kahley’s approachable, globe-hopping menu.
In true gastropub fashion, each dish manages to be casual but elevated at once. Imagine Korean pork belly tacos topped with jammy quail eggs or bone marrow poutine, drizzled with foie gras gravy and Oaxacan crema.
At this easygoing place, being a food pig is perfectly OK, too. No judgment.
Marisco Boys
2026 N. Seventh St., Phoenix
480-597-5623, mariscoboys.com
Opened: April 2025
Don’t expect to find a $4 hand-held at this polished Mexican seafood restaurant owned by the asada-slinging fellows behind Taco Boy’s.
Marisco Boys is a classier, more cuisine-focused enterprise, and its focus is not merely fish tacos (although MB’s crispy-crunchy version is fantastic), but rather all the seafood staples for which Sonora and Sinaloa are famous.
Imagine raw oysters anointed with salsa negra mignonette; tender nuggets of marinated, deep-fried octopus, set over velvety avocado purée; and smoky pescado zarandeado, the fish of the day marinated in a rich chile-mayo- and mustard-based sauce that lends heat and luscious texture.
As at Taco Boy’s, the intoxicating smell of mesquite wood (used to fuel the grills) permeates the restaurant, but here, the pace is slower, the vibe mellower.
Marisco Boys delivers on the entire experience, making it a top spot this year for lively get-togethers with family and friends over cocktails and enormous platters of Mexican seafood classics made modern.
Mixela
3410 N. 24th St., Phoenix
602-795-4299, mixelaphx.com
Opened: December 2024
Few Valley restaurateurs in recent memory have wielded the “global cuisine” mandate more seriously – or literally – than Mixela owners Valentina Huerta and Gian Franco Brugaletta.
At their winsome “aperitivo bar” near the Loma Linda Historical District, the duo hops effortlessly from hemisphere to hemisphere, offering tangy, aromatic Peruvian ceviche (succulent lobes of citrus-cooked sea bass luxuriating in leche de tigre) one moment; presenting a tiny cauldron of Moroccan chicken stew, heady with clove and preserved lemon, the next.
Along the way, you’ll enjoy redolent gusts of northwest Spain (splendid salted-cod empanadas) and a big splash of coastal Japan via a dozen-item-strong sushi menu.
In a yearly dining cycle full of high-concept, big-budget event restaurants, this non-genre tapas café feels all the more indispensable.
Saint Pasta
100 W. Portland St., Phoenix, 480-803-1981, saintpasta.com
Opened: December 2024
One of the culinary currents of 2025 has been a renewed interest in comfort food and classic dishes, which makes Racan Alhoch, chef-owner of this wildly popular Downtown pasta joint, far trendier than he probably ever set out to be.
Before he moved from food truck to cozy brick-and-mortar last December, Alhoch had already developed a cult following for sublime interpretations of the homey Italian-American dishes of his New Jersey childhood.
The restaurant’s focused menu, which offers no more than a dozen dishes, includes an excellent Caesar salad, garlicky pinsa bread, crispy chicken Parm and small-batch pasta sauces, simmered for four to five hours to such gobsmacking goodness that bathing in them seems like a reasonable idea. And then there are the cocktails, shady patio and mindful service – amenities that make this humble little restaurant even more deserving of recognition as one of the best new restaurants of the year.
Sexy Roman
7277 E. Camelback Rd., Scottsdale
602-609-7002, sexyroman.com
Opened: May 2025
In what might be called a golden era for vibe-driven dining – Filthy Animal, SHIV, Élephante, virtually anything that’s opened at Scottsdale Fashion Square since 2019 – this Modern Italian hot spot from the FLINT by Baltaire restaurant group is the form’s Citizen Kane.
With its calliope-like martini cart, leather banquettes and fleet of white-jacketed waiters, the W Scottsdale flagship is unabashed in its Gatsby-esque conjuring. But cosplay it is not. Chef Jason Franey, a three-time James Beard Award finalist at Canlis in Seattle, commits fully to the premise, delivering decadent but exacting cuisine with playful touches of self-awareness – e.g. the steak menu’s “glow-up” truffle tortellini add-on or the operatic tableside tiramisu.
His spicy, ethereal lumache alla vodka is already a Top 5 Valley pasta offering; while the signature four-cheese chicken Parmesan, served in a portion as big as a stingray and priced like a Wagyu strip, could be the Valley’s single most-discussed dish of the year.
The vibe we’re getting: This one will be around for a long time.
SHIV Supper Club
7373 E. Camelback Rd., Scottsdale
480-841-8305, shivsupperclub.com
Opened: May 2025
Nightly live music, flaming tableside desserts, hanging gardens, strutting showgirls… is there any stop Riot Hospitality doesn’t pull out to realize its vision of Caligulan culinary escapism?
Conceived in the theatrical style of a Nashville supper club, where a guy strumming a guitar on stage is a statutory requirement of doing business, SHIV is admittedly a hoot. But the hootenanny would fall flat if the food wasn’t terrific.
Chef-driven pleasers like crab rangoon “cigar” wontons (stretched inventively into crispy cylinders of cream cheese, serrano chile and crab meat, addictively dippable with pineapple sweet and sour) and a marvelously textured wedge salad (jeweled with green apple, grapes, pistachios and salty blue cheese crystals) perform a sort of straight-man routine: Made with panache but precision, they keep the over-the-top milieu upright, like Martin propped up Lewis.
That being said, no showgirl can outshine the show-stopping tomahawk ribeye, flambéed tableside with sprigs of rosemary to a mind-bending state of juicy, spatter-y perfection.
2025 BNR Honorable Mentions
Glenrosa
Blissful ceviche and terrific tacos made this golf course restaurant in Tempe well above-par for PHOENIX dining critic Nikki Buchanan when she visited in late spring: “The local, seasonal menu is casual, but [chef Victor Davila’s] wood-grilled, Sonoran-inspired dishes demonstrate real finesse.” 1415 N. Mill Ave., Tempe, 480-530-9875, glenrosarestaurant.com
La Zozzona
The excellence of Richard Blais’s rustic Italian cooking at the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort made Buchanan reconsider her long-held bias against celebrity-chef restaurants. “I can’t think when I’ve had better arancini,” she wrote, lauding its “earthy complexity and lushness.” 7500 E. Doubletree Ranch Rd., Scottsdale, 480-483-5590, lazozzona.com
The Mercer
Still in an embryonic stage of development when we visited in June, this swank American bistro from restaurateur Rick Phillips (set in the same Esplanade storefront as the departed MercBar, his massively influential cocktail lounge) appeared to have the makings of greatness: charming raw bar, next-level martinis. 2525 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, 602-497-3696, themercerphx.com
Casa de Julia
Perfect pork belly and awesome aguachile elevate this debut Downtown eatery from Filiberto’s scioness Yasmine Rubio, set disarmingly in the historical Luhrs Building. “Everything here bursts with flavor,” Buchanan wrote in her May review, singling out a smashburger served “Mexicana”-style on a brioche bun with pico de gallo and creamy avocado. 45 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix, 480-257-2424, casadejuliaphx.com
INDIBAR
Emblematic of our favorite new restaurant trend – Indian fusion cuisine – this buzzy fine-dining spot made a pronounced splash last summer behind chef Nigel Lobo’s deft, expressive cooking, bewitching Buchanan with keema dosa (minced lamb and tangy tomato-based preserves with crêpes) and paradigm-resetting butter chicken. 6208 N. Scottsdale Rd., Paradise Valley, 480-219-9774, theindibar.com
Best Import from Out of State: Élephante
7014 E. Camelback Rd., Scottsdale 480-576-8168, elephanterestaurants.com
Opened: December 2024
Gorgeously designed and terminally hip, this buzzy desert-themed counterpart to the beachy Santa Monica original stays packed for a slew of good reasons. The expansive, center-stage bar is great for people-watching and sipping creative cocktails (including adorable slushies that go down dangerously fast), while the kitchen turns out standout coastal Italian food that never feels trite. Think signature puccia bread (fermented, wood-fired and puffy), served with whipped eggplant dip; chewy, thin-crust pizza made with long-fermented dough; and excellent house-made pasta, including fusilli pesto with pistachios. How did we ever live without this pachydermal pleaser?
Best Import from in the State: Elvira’s
20825 N. Pima Rd., Scottsdale
480-350-7131, elvirasdcranch.com
Opened: January 2025
Though it joined the North Scottsdale dining ecosystem just this past year, Elvira’s “has been around in one form or another – and in one place or another – for 98 years,” PHOENIX dining critic Nikki Buchanan noted in her May review. So the “new restaurant” designation doesn’t really fit. But here are two that do: “wonderful” and “luscious,” which Buchanan used to describe chef-owner Ruben Monroy’s burbling seafood molcajetes and iconic braised mole beef tongue, respectively. Turning out Modern Mexican fare essentially identical to that served in his longtime Tubac restaurant, Monroy has an instant hit on his hands. Just not strictly “new.”
Best Second Location: Hapa Food
3375 E. Shea Blvd., Phoenix
480-219-1133, hapafoodco.com
Opened: July 2025
Owners Michael and Leslie Zander opened the Sheaborhood location of their Hawaiian plate-lunch restaurant in the old Joy Bus Diner spot this summer, so now North-Central Phoenicians are learning what Mesans have known since the couple debuted in the East Valley two years ago: Their food is pretty much perfect. Like, Chris Bianco/Rene Andrade/Scott Holmes-level perfect – succulent, pit-style kalua pork and other familiar standards executed with such competence and rigor that it tastes like a whole new style of cuisine. We’re just ashamed Hapa didn’t make the list in 2022.
Sneak Peeks 2026
These in-the-works restaurants are due to hit the Valley in 2026… or even sooner.
Look for the best of them in next year’s BNR.
By Marilyn Hawkes
Alden
Overlooking the sculpture garden at Phoenix Art Museum, this exciting new on-site restaurant is named for Alden B. Dow, the visionary behind the museum’s original 1959 building. The in-house cafe is open for lunch and dinner, serving New American cuisine highlighting seasonal ingredients. (October 2025)
Pinyon
Hi Noon Hospitality (Buck & Rider, Ingo’s Tasty Food) opened this coastal Mediterranean restaurant on the Scottsdale Mall near AZ88 as we went to press. Pinyon celebrates flavors from Barcelona to Malta and gives diners “an authentic Mediterranean experience” using open-flame grilling. (October 2025)
Cleaverman
Riding a hot streak, Pretty Decent Concepts (Wren & Wolf, Carry On, Filthy Animal) will open this modern steakhouse that “feels both iconic and completely current,” according to founder Teddy Myers, plus two concepts embedded in the restaurant: Filthy Martini, a 62-seat ode to vintage hotel bars, draped in velvet and loaded with martinis; and Uppercut, offering an exclusive, omakase-style experience for 16 guests per night. All at the former Hooter’s spot at the Arizona Center. (December 2025)
Carmen
Julian Wright, the mastermind behind Pedal Haus and Devil’s Hideaway, is scheduled to open this tropical, Mexican-themed restaurant and bar on Tempe’s Mill Avenue with agave-based cocktails and two outdoor bars. (Late 2025)
JING
Jing Hospitality Management Group will open an eponymous restaurant at Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale. With locations in Aspen, Denver and Las Vegas, it serves global fusion cuisine made with locally sourced, organic ingredients. (Late 2025)
Wolf by Vanderpump
Led by restaurateur and reality TV personality Lisa Vanderpump, the scene-y space will occupy the rooftop at Caesars Republic Scottsdale. Inspired by its Lake Tahoe sister location, the menu will feature “decadent twists on classic dishes” and seasonal shareables. Wolf’s brash cocktail program will showcase desert-inspired, Instagram-worthy creations. (Late 2025)
Telefèric Barcelona
With restaurants in California and Spain, this vibe-y tapas restaurant is joining Scottdale Fashion Square’s reanimated porte-cochère nightlife hub, with a focus on Spanish small plates, paellas and innovative craft cocktails. (Late 2025)
DEPWAH
Restaurateur Heather Walker will dip into her Vietnamese heritage to open this elegant French-Vietnamese fine-dining concept “rooted in wellness, cultural fusion and soulful hospitality.” The Old Town Scottsdale eatery will also include a lounge and coffee bar, featuring Vietnamese coffee and artisanal matcha. (Late 2025/Early 2026)
Rosewood
The latest from Charles Barber Jr. (Aftermath Bar & Kitchen, Born & Bred) will open in downtown Gilbert with an upscale, chef-driven menu and innovative cocktails. The eatery, housed in the former The Bar space, will be open for dinner, weekend brunch and late-night cocktails in the lounge. Lunch will be added in the future. (January 2026)
il Bracco
The Texas-based Italian concept will open a 5,000-square-foot, new-construction restaurant with an expansive outdoor patio at Scottsdale Road and Rose Lane in Scottsdale. Expect house-made pastas, handcrafted salads, prime steaks and seafood, craft cocktails and a curated wine list. From Western Addition hospitality group. (January/February 2026)
Clive Collective
Mikis Troyan, Justin Massei and Food Network celebrity chef Beau MacMillan plan to launch five projects in 2026. Clive is opening a second Cala in the reimagined PV development, with Calita – a hidden cocktail lounge featuring sculpted walls and soft amber lighting – carved into a cave-like space inside the restaurant. The hospitality group’s 2026 slate also includes Ada, dishing out wood-fired coastal American cuisine with an emphasis on seafood and seasonal ingredients; KUZA Tori, which will celebrate Tokyo’s backstreet dining culture, featuring robatayaki, fresh sushi and noodle dishes; and Love Call, an intimate neighborhood bar with craft cocktails and locally inspired fare – all located in Downtown Phoenix. (Early 2026)
Commoner & Co.
From Ares Collective Group (Prep & Pastry) comes this Tucson restaurant, moving to Gilbert’s Verde at Cooley Station development. The relocated dining spot will offer modern, elevated fare with indoor and outdoor seating. (Early 2026)
Cowboy Seafood
Featuring meat and seafood cooked over a custom wood-fired grill and rotisserie spit, this restaurant from chef Christopher Collins and Common Ground Culinary (Grassroots, The Collins) will debut at Park Central in Midtown Phoenix. Expect robust barbecue offerings and fresh seafood flown in daily. (Early 2026)
Din Tai Fung
The long-awaited Taiwanese dim sum sensation will open at Scottsdale Fashion Square, serving its signature handcrafted xiao long bao dumplings, cucumber salad, wontons and noodle dishes. (Early 2026)
Harry & Izzy’s
Yet another addition to the reimagined PV development: this “approachable” steakhouse from Huse Culinary, an Indianapolis-based restaurant and retail food group. The menu sports premium steaks, seafood dishes, shareable appetizers and craft cocktails. (Early 2026)
Hornbill
Chef Jennifer Russo and mixologist Jason Asher of Juniper & Jigger Hospitality Co. are teaming up to open a lounge and restaurant centering on the cocktails and street food of Singapore. In the former Market by Jennifer’s space in Arcadia. (Early 2026)
Roman God of Fire
In collaboration with Food Network personality and James Beard Award winner Scott Conant, Pretty Decent Concepts (Wren & Wolf, Filthy Animal) will open this 8,000-square-foot Roman cuisine restaurant that’s “architecturally ambitious, atmospherically charged and gastronomically timeless,” according to a spokesperson. Inside, guests will find a hidden cocktail chapel called Forgive Me, Father, entered through a confessional. Located in Tempe’s Hayden Ferry Lakeside. (Early 2026)
Seafood City Supermarket
Essentially the Filipino answer to H Mart, the California-based grocery store features live fresh fish and crustacean tanks; complimentary cook-to-order service; and a food hall with pan-Asian restaurants serving savory dishes, sweet treats and street foods. Will open at Chandler Fashion Center. (Early 2026)
Pablo’s
The debut concept of Saguaro Nights Entertainment Group will open in Downtown Phoenix in the former McKinley Club. Each room has a different ambiance, with three bars, two intimate lounges, a central courtyard, lively front patio, billiards room and Night Tiger nightclub with dancing and tequila-driven cocktails. “Rumor has it there’s a hidden mezcal room,” a rep says. “But its entrance isn’t listed – it’s earned.” (Spring 2026)
Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille
Texas-based Perry’s will open its first Arizona outlet in Gilbert’s Northside at SanTan Village. The menu features Prime USDA aged steaks, prime rib, chops, seafood and chicken entrées with abundant sauces and sides. (Spring 2026)
Drake’s Hollywood
A high-energy chain known for its sultry mood, timeless American fare and the “World’s Coldest Martini,” it will open at First Avenue and Scottsdale Road in Old Town Scottsdale, site of the former Buca di Beppo. Drake’s has locations in West Hollywood, Dallas and Houston. (Mid-2026)
