Warning: The following could be hazardous to your waistline. From tongue-tingling tiraditos to coal-fired Ibérico pork morsels that will make you weep, relive a singular year in Valley dining with our picks for the new restaurants most worthy of your immediate gastronomic attention. Because they won’t be new forever.
By Nikki Buchanan, Marilyn Hawkes & Craig Outhier
Photography by Angelina Aragon, Rob Ballard, Tim Chow, Mirelle Inglefield, Jill McNamara, Madison Rutherford, Grace Stufkosky & Melissa Valladares
BNR Criteria
- Must have opened between October 2023 and September 2024 in Greater Phoenix.
- Must be an original concept. No chains or out-of-state imprints.
- Must be amaaaazing.
PHOENIX magazine’s Best New Restaurant of the Year
Beginner’s Luck
7240 E. Main St., Scottsdale, 480-571-0416, beginnersluckaz.com
Opened: February 2024
Last winter, chef Bernie Kantak and co-owner Andrew Fritz (the dynamic hospitality duo behind Citizen Public House and The Gladly) took a small, oddly shaped space set at the end of a blind retail alley in Old Town Scottsdale and turned it into a bustling all-day restaurant frequented by tourists and beloved by locals. The place is a winner, and luck has nothing to do with it. These longtime pros intuitively understand what we all want right now: straightforward, affordable food with a touch of sophistication, seriously good coffee, clever craft cocktails, a happy hour full of craveable noshes and a welcoming home away from home for all who hunger and thirst. Perhaps more profoundly, they also have a knack for giving us things we didn’t know we wanted, like sweet versions of focaccia with the slightest veneer of crunch, made daily in a variety of flavors, from peach to cinnamon bun. Kantak, Fritz and crew constantly strive to get better, and they do, which is why this plucky, consistently great newcomer deserves to be our No. 1 new restaurant of 2024.
Did You Know?
The restaurant’s Frontierland-like space in Old Town previously served as the home of two admired but short-lived restaurants: Piccolo Virtù and Nonna Urban Eatery.
Azlin
401 W. Clarendon Ave., Phoenix, 602-252-7363, goclarendon.com
Opened: March 2024
A classic stealth opening, Azlin debuted in March to what one might call “negative fanfare.” Led by chef Pierce Azlin, a veteran culinary gun (The Maggiore Group, Fox Restaurant Concepts) making his above-the-title debut, the restaurant quietly slid into Doug Robson’s old Gallo Blanco space in Midtown’s Clarendon Hotel without – how does one put this politely? – capital bandwidth for new décor and the like, and certainly not a public relations agency. And who the hell ultimately cares? From charred confit tomatoes drizzled with pesto on a cloud of ethereal stracciatella cheese to short rib barbacoa with pickled Fresnos to the chef’s instantly iconic, spicy-funky chicken fried rice, Azlin outpunches its weight like no other new Valley restaurant in 2024. Even the hamachi crudo, a dish so ubiquitous that one PHOENIX editor shudders every time she spots it on a menu, is special here. With any justice, the fanfare is coming.
Did You Know?
Well, it’s not a “fun fact,” but it’s interesting. The Clarendon is where The Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles was murdered by car bomb while investigating a real-estate fraud story in 1976.
Barley & Smoke
10144 W. Lake Pleasant Pkwy., Peoria, 623-572-2816, peoriaartisanbrewing.com
Opened: March 2024
Attached to Peoria Artisan Brewery and accessed by secret passage, this handsome, 30-seat hideaway is everything a speakeasy should be – classy, cozy and brimming with potable possibilities. Besides clever craft cocktails and a small but sophisticated wine list that ranges from Mosel to Monterey, B&S has curated an impressive collection of artisanal bourbons, scotches, whiskeys, tequilas and mezcals, best enjoyed at the gorgeous bar overlooking the bustling open kitchen. But B&S is more than just a great bar – it’s a great restaurant, offering a dozen creative, globally inflected dishes, many bearing the smoke and char of the kitchen’s wood-burning oven. Pork belly with cured watermelon is a crunchy, smoky standout, as are grilled oysters with marrow jam and gin and tonic mignonette. Then again, the fantastic house-made bread, served with a lighted candle made of beef tallow, would be reason enough to put this hidden charmer on our list.
Did You Know?
Ironically, Prohibition advanced the craft of mixology, forcing speakeasy bartenders working with harsh, low-quality spirits to add fruit juices, flavored syrups and spices to cocktails to improve their taste.
Cielo Rojo
1919 N. 16th St., Phoenix, 602-358-7882, Phoenix, cielorojo.restaurant
Opened: March 2024
With its modern black and white exterior, elegant desert mural and streamlined bar, Cielo Rojo doesn’t look like your average Mexican restaurant, and it isn’t. Owned by the Maldonado family of Mariscos Playa Hermosa fame, this upscale new venture celebrates the hearty, complex dishes of Guanajuato, the pork-producing state adjacent to Oaxaca. Carnitas with cueritos (pickled pork skin) ably demonstrates the kitchen’s wondrous ways with pork, but other regional specialties – spicy mole (bolstered with nuts, seeds and chiles), enchiladas mineras and variously filled largas (a specialty quesadilla from the Maldonados’ hometown) – are enough to make CR instantly indispensable to diners hungry for something other than ubiquitous AZ-Mex fare. The bar turns out Mexico-inspired cocktails and Mexican wines, adding another layer of regional richness and diversity to the Calle 16 dining corridor.
Did You Know?
Made by the wives of Guanajuato’s silver miners to keep their men full all day, enchiladas mineras were traditionally stuffed with cheese and onions, then covered with a hearty red chile-based stew full of potatoes and carrots.
Huarachis Taqueria
814 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, 602-773-1413, huarachis.com
Opened: December 2023
Dying to get a crack at chef-owner Rene Andrade’s soulful Sonoran cooking at Bacanora since he won the James Beard Best Chef Southwest award last June? Join the club. It’s the toughest reservation in town. Our advice: Pivot to Bacanora’s adorable sister restaurant, a roomy, painted-pink taqueria in RoRo with a hip playlist and relaxed vibe. Mercifully, snagging a table or barstool seldom requires a wait (certainly not an interminable one). What’s more, some of Andrade’s famous specialties (say, carne asada) are on offer here, too. Bring your tribe for generous platters of char-grilled ribeye steak and sweet but spicy whole-roasted chicken, served with Andrade’s famous beans and potatoes, both Bacanora standbys. Not surprisingly, Huarachis also cranks out huaraches (duh) and classic street tacos, making it the most casual, affordable restaurant on our list.
Did You Know?
Masa-based huaraches originated in Mexico City in the 1930s, when street vendor Carmen Gómez Medina decided to enlarge the classic tlacoyo masa cake and make it oblong and slipper-shaped (like the Mexican sandal of the same name), then top it (rather than stuff it) with cheese, meat and other goodies.
Le Âme Parisian Steakhouse
4360 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, 489-697-6201, globalambassadorhotel.com
Opened: December 2023
Thanks to its luxurious Old-World décor, this French-inspired steakhouse in The Global Ambassador is transportive, and if we’re not exactly in Paris, well, we’re someplace glamorous and cool, a haven where servers treat you like royalty and French baguettes come stuffed with Brie and truffle honey. Although the menu wanders the globe – you’ll find duck spring rolls and tuna melts tucked among the frites and salades – French classics are the kitchen’s forte. Imagine bubbling French onion soup, hand-cut steak tartare (zesty with mustard and crème fraîche), perfectly cooked steak frites, a lovely roast chicken and puffy profiteroles… in short, the bistro dishes we all know and love. Le Âme eloquently proves that traditional French food is always en vogue.
Did You Know?
Legend has it that in 774, Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne visited the monastery in northern France where Brie was invented and was so taken with the stuff he arranged for regular deliveries of it to his palace in Aachen.
Kembara
5350 E. Marriott Dr., Phoenix, 480-293-3936, kembaradesertridge.com
Opened: December 2023
There’s no single attribute that places this sexy resort restaurant in the culinary firmament, but rather a magical mash-up of extraordinary elements that propel it to greatness. On a balmy night, dinner on the lush patio feels like an instant vacation, while the restaurant’s dark, sultry interior invokes remote locales like Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur. But if food’s the thing (and it is), note that celebrity chef Angelo Sosa and his ultra-talented chef de cuisine Penny Tagliarina take diners on a mind-bending culinary tour of Asia, featuring luxe riffs on the street foods of Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Japan. Many of the dishes are unfamiliar to all but the most seasoned travelers; most are almost too beautiful to eat; and few are found anywhere else in town. After feasting on crunchy lamb spring rolls, chili crab, beef rendang and sugar-dusted Vietnamese coffee doughnuts, you’ll feel as if you’ve been whisked away to someplace wildly exotic – and, in a way, you have.
Did You Know?
Chili crab, the quintessential dish of Singapore, was invented in the mid-1950s by Madam Cher Yam Tian, who added chile sauce to stir-fried crabs and began selling them from a pushcart on the beach.
the larder & the delta
2320 E. Osborn Rd., Phoenix, 602-388-4874, thelarderthedelta.com
Opened: September 2024
Chef Stephen Jones, acclaimed for his elevated take on Southern food, ran a small, sunny restaurant of the same name near Downtown Phoenix for five years before closing it in late 2023. But while the original restaurant had the casual energy of a diner (and the Nashville hot chicken to go with it), larder 2.0 is decidedly upscale – even genteel. Comfortably inhabiting the old country-chic Binkley’s space in Midtown Phoenix, Jones and his team deliver service that’s cordial but formal, which is exactly what we expect from a seasonally inspired 12-course tasting menu priced at $155 per person. Wine pairings and extras such as caviar, truffle or foie gras transform an already elegant dinner into a lavish event, and as the evening unfolds, we come to understand what Jones has been trying to tell us all along: that Southern cooking can be just as sophisticated and exalting as any other regional American cuisine – even when grits and pig trotters are involved.
Did You Know?
The Muscogee tribes of the Southeastern U.S. turned ground, dried maize into a porridge, introducing the dish we now call “grits” to European colonists in the early 16th century.
Pyro
4300 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, 602-755-0049, pyrophx.com
Opened: March 2024
A Pre-ordained “big deal” in Valley dining, this lavish Modern Asian restaurant in East Phoenix managed to make Robb Report’s list of the 27 most beautiful restaurants in the U.S. – before it even opened. Consequently, Valley culinary thought leaders seemed a bit standoffish in the early going. That hearth-grilled Ibérico pork starter sprinkled with pickled daikon? Terrific, but not quite life-altering. A plate of supple frenched lamb chops with black garlic jus? Glorious, but a little salty. Lost in all the hype and anti-hype, and House of Hackney-upholstered banquettes and handmade Japanese pendant lamps, was the essential daring and gusto of the cooking. To put it in terms that Pyro’s Omaha-based owners might appreciate: The place really swings for the fences. And not just with the kimono-patterned barstools.
Did You Know?
Tom Allisma, the president of Pyro parent company Flagship Restaurant Group, is a licensed architect who leads the design teams for all his restaurants.
Shimogamo Sushi & Grill
2320 E. SanTan Village Pkwy., Gilbert, 602-595-6448, shimogamoaz.com
Opened: March 2024
At first blush, Daisuke Itagaki and Mika Otomo’s trim new Gilbert outpost seems like nothing more than a casual, trial-size version of the Shimogamo mothership in Chandler. Unlike the original restaurant, it’s open for lunch, when temaki – inexpensive, taco-like sushi handrolls – and traditional noodles rule the menu. It’s all great, but dinner is where this sexy new upstart really finds its identity, providing plenty of exciting new territory to explore, even for Shimogamo loyalists. Starting at happy hour, Itagaki unleashes an exciting selection of Japanese classics, including okonomiyaki (the savory pancake found everywhere in Japan but almost nowhere in Phoenix), robatayaki (high-end, charcoal-grilled dishes using ingredients such as Wagyu beef) and yakitori, a multitude of grilled and skewered chicken preparations foundational to Japan’s izakayas. It’s just what Gilbert needs, a lively but sophisticated little spot turning out many dishes you won’t find anywhere else.
Did You Know?
After WWII, when Japan suffered a rice shortage, okonomiyaki emerged as a cheap, filling alternative. Often filled with cabbage and meat or seafood, it’s cooked on a teppan grill and topped with mayo, pickled ginger and katsuobushi (salty dried bonito flakes).
2024 BNR Honorable Mentions
The Ends
PHOENIX dining critic Nikki Buchanan found much to love at this hoppin’ new Old Town gastro-lounge from Gelato Spot legend Tommy Plato. Find the full review on page 193. 7137 E. Stetson Dr., Scottsdale, 480-367-9900,
endsrestaurant.com
Santo
“I would happily pour [chef Roberto Centeno’s soy-splashed macha beef broth] over anything,” Buchanan wrote in her description of the Arcadia fusion restaurant’s birria dumplings. Also recommended: the grilled pork chop for two.
4418 E. Osborn Rd., Phoenix, 480-272-6799, santoarcadia.com
Tesota
Doug Robson’s new non-genre eatery on Camelback got mixed early returns from PHOENIX staffers, but Buchanan ultimately warmed to its “worldly and unpretentious” menu. 300 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, 602-989-8456, tesotaphx.com
Vayal’s
PHOENIX food writers were unanimous in their praise of this mom-and-pop Indian eatery in Midtown, which specializes in flatbread-like kothu parotta and specialties of Southern India. 507 W. Thomas Rd., Phoenix, 480-401-2206, vayalskitchen.com
Pretty Penny
“You see the term ‘breaking all the rules’ wishfully slapped on all kinds of things, but here’s a restaurant-cocktail-lounge combo that’s genuinely doing some rule-breaking, to delicious and endearing effect,” PHOENIX editor Craig Outhier wrote of this upstart RoRo spot, singling out “the revelatory house oysters… uplifted with green apple and frosty gusts of citrusy, sorbet-like granita.” 504 E. Roosevelt Rd., intastewetrust.com
