More awards, roundups and reminiscences from the year in Valley dining
Best International Import
Mensho Ramen
When Tokyo-based ramen kingpin Tomoharu Shono opened his first Arizona ramen shop in Mesa last summer, customers frequently waited more than an hour just to get in the door, and the fervor hasn’t abated. Like its counterparts in Japan, Mensho offers quick service and discourages lollygagging, but don’t assume the frenetic pace means you’re getting fast food. Each high-quality bowl brims with bouncy hand-made noodles, buttery meat and mind-blowingly good tori paitan (chicken-based broth). It’s artisanal ramen without a drop of pretense. Find a full review on page 196. 805 N. Dobson Rd., Mesa, 480-257-3021, mensho.com
Best Domestic Import
Uchi
Austin-based chef and empire-building restaurateur Tyson Cole has had great success with Uchi, the creative, fusion-y Japanese restaurant and sushi bar that earned him a James Beard award and enough wherewithal to open six more. You’d think a seventh location in Scottsdale would be a pale, stale imitation of the original, but every aspect of Scottsdale’s hottest new hangout feels fresh and fantastic. What’s not to love about its cozy digs, great bar, creative cocktails, bargain-priced (and exceptionally good) happy hour and wildly creative sushi and sashimi preparations? Nothing. So, for us, this repeat is on repeat. 3821 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, 480-916-0916, uchirestaurants.com
Best New Restaurant for Vegans
Orchard Tavern
To be perfectly blunt, it wasn’t a chart-topping year for the animal-protein-averse crowd. This we know from quizzing our resident staff veg-head, associate editor Madison Rutherford. (Two recent high-profile vegan-restaurant closures, Sin Muerte and Early Bird Vegan, steeled our impressions.) But one new restaurant in 2024 did excite Maddie’s meatless passions: Orchard Tavern in North-Central Phoenix, almost solely on the strength of its garden board, a charcuterie-like platter of roasted veggies and fried pita shears, drizzled with pesto. They have solid salads, too. 7100 N. 12th St., Phoenix, 602-633-2600, orchardtavernphx.com
