The Phoenix Melrose District is more than just a bonanza of gay bars and adorbs vintage stores – it’s also one of the Valley’s most dynamic dining biomes, with new restaurants constantly popping up along Seventh Avenue.
Wanwaan
One of more than a dozen takeout- and delivery-only eateries in the new Highland Food Hub, this Yelp five-star ghost kitchen specializes in kai kra ti (sausage with egg) and other Northern Thailand street delicacies. Other HFH options include Rite Yah Suh Jamaican Vibez and El Rey’s Tacos and Cars, the latter spinning out primo Baja-style fish tacos with a toasted banana pepper on the side. 720 W. Highland Ave., highlandfoodhub.com
Vayals Indian Kitchen
Melrose’s most recent addition – it opened in early February – instantly becomes its go-to spot for lusciously pigmented tandoori chicken, green-pea-jeweled mutter paneer and regional rarities like chicken varuval, a rustic Tamil dish tasting of lemon, cinnamon and toasted almonds. 507 W. Thomas Rd., 480-401-2206, vayalskitchen.com
Szechwan Kitchen
A classic mom-and-pop set in a repurposed Long John Silver’s, this Chinese-American diner offers a handful of hard-core regional specialties to go with its audience-friendly selection of kung paos, egg foo young and spring rolls. Case in point: Chongqing spicy chicken, unabashedly fired up with numbing Sichuan peppercorns. 4402 N. Seventh Ave., 602-248-3807, szechwan-kitchen.com
