thx for all the great stuff – my family goes up to Phoenix every now and then, so we are always looking for new things to do

OOps! Phoenix is misspelled in the listing (which I’m sure has been pointed out to you by now). Looks like another great guide!

YAY! Finally something on Downtown Phoenix. I’m so happy. FYI – The Paisley Violin on NO LONGER byob :) See how helpful I am?

I have lived in Phoenix all of my life and have never visited half of these! Now I have a great list of new places to check out!

I grew up in Phoenix/Scottsdale, and I’d say this is a pretty great list!

I second the recommendations of Lisa G’s and MacAlpine’s and would also suggest Radio Milano (right across the street from Postino’s) for the best dinner I’ve ever had in the city. Also Chelsea’s Kitchen for lunch or dinner and The Vig for drinks/burgers!

This is a great list, thanks!

Oh man, wish I’d had this guide when I went to Phoenix a couple months ago. I did manage to check out a few of these spots (did the 3 hour wait for Pizzeria Bianco) but would have loved to have hit up a few more. Maybe next time!

These suggestions are all amazing! I’ve lived in the Phoenix metro area for 13 years and couldn’t agree more. Here are a couple other food suggestions:

- Rito’s: (907 N 14th St.) Rito’s probably has the best burritos in Phoenix. The menu is short and sweet, but it’s a good thing. This place is a true hole-in-the-wall “restaurant,” tucked away in a inner-city neighborhood. The only downside is the hours — I think they close at 4 on weekdays and aren’t open at all on the weekend.

- Delux: (3146 E Camelback Rd.) A high-top, blue-lit community table really sets the mood for this little burger shop. Every time I’ve gone to Delux it’s been packed, and I’m not surprised. Their burgers have just the right combination of toppings (like caramelized onions, gruyere and arugula) and the sweet potato fries are the best. Ever. Plus, they have tons of beers on tap.

- Cornish Pasty Co.: (960 W University Dr # 103, Tempe) Downtown Phoenix is great, but Tempe (home to ASU) has some amazing eats, like Cornish Pasty Co. Owned by Dean, a cute British guy, this place serves up pasties … best described as glorified hot pockets. I’m probably not selling it well here, but just know that the Pasty Co. is in the heart of Tempe and it might as well be the lifeblood of the city. It’s cheap (about 6 – 7 bucks for a huge brick of food), it’s fun and it’s the most deliciously bad for you food you’ll ever eat.

- The Farm at South Mountain: (6106 S 32nd St.) I didn’t even know this place existed until two years ago when I attended a wedding there. The Farm is really … unique … in AZ. First of all, it’s a pecan grove. That’s unexpected. The Farm has a couple different restaurants –a breakfast/brunch spot, a lunch place and then the upscale Quiessence, which is well-known to the Valley as being a top-notch eatery. All of the restaurants use locally grown produce (a lot of it comes from the garden plot at the back of the property). Diners can take their checkered baskets and sit at the well-worn picnic tables underneath the pecan trees. It’s beautiful!

This is great! I hardly get the chance to go downtown, but you’ve definitely given me a reason to. Thanks!

I’m a native and happy to see Vintage Solutions on your list. Stop in at Lizabel’s Treasures down the street. Also: if you’re in the Melrose District (7th Avenue, Indian School to Camelback), check out Retro Redux (great Steelcase selection), FIGS, and all the other shops on both sides of the street.

Great guide! You hit all my favs. I used to live in the Woodlea District and loved walking the dog over to Copper Star for a coffee. I highly highly recommend the Barrio Cafe, but get there before it opens so you don’t have to wait hours for a table. La Grande Orange has great breakfast, and Postino was my favorite drinks and appetizers spot. Sushi Eye in Tempe is amazing.

Since I am Phoenix native…I love this post! There are great recommendations here and some new places I hadn’t heard of. I will definately be giving them a try in the near future.

Thank you!

Wow, that is quite a list. I love the scenery of the southwest. Next time I am down that way I’ll have to drop in and visit some of those places to eat.

Awesome list! I second Celeste above–Delux is not to be missed! My favorite date spot in all of Phoenix!

What a great list! There are so many of my favorite places listed here. Yay Phoenix!

oh wow! have never been but always wanted to and now am dying to!! great job, Cat!!

Thanks for a great guide! I just moved downtown and I’m always looking for new spots to check out. Way to do our city proud! :)

Also have to second Delux and The Farm at South Mountain as worthwhile additions. Every single restaurant on the original list is fantastic. Love the focus on Central Phoenix – so much vitality and charm there that often gets overlooked.

I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing most of these places. They really are fantastic spots and are helping Phoenix shake off it’s “strip mall”, “chain restaurant/store” persona.

If you enjoy those spots, you’ll enjoy the Grand Avenue Festival, taking place September 26th. It is celebrating local artists, small business owners and the adaptive reuse of historic buildings. There will be tours of historic buildings, open artist studios, musical performances and fashion shows all built around the theme of adaptive reuse and recycling. For more information, check out the website at http://www.grandavenuefestivalaz.com. I’ll see you there!

Thank goodness for this list. My parents live in Chandler so I’m in the PHX area at least once a year. Also, my family friends who are my age and have grown up and still live in Phoenix are amazingly uninformed when it comes to non-chain shopping and eating. So thanks so much!

I am an AZ native and grew up in the ‘burbs of Phoenix. My husband and I moved to central Phoenix about three years ago. Every single one of these places is worthy of your visit.

A new place opening up in the Melrose District is the Two Hippies Breakfast Joint. They have a fabulous taco shack on Camelback Rd. (Two Hippies Beach House) so I’m sure their new place will be just as tasty.

You can get the satisfaction of Urban Cookies without coming to Phoenix and order online. They have the best cookies ever!

What a great city guide, thank you! There are a couple new-to-me places I’m going to be sure to visit.

Wow, this is amazing! I recently had an Arizona feature on my blog {http://nicoleossola.com/arizona/}, but we mainly focused on Tucson…I’ll be sure to point readers here for the definitive guide to Phoenix! Thanks!

Thai Rama was great on my last visit, Galleries are great too!

I’m so excited for this list as I have been a local for most my life and never even heard of half of these establishments.

Thank you!

Excellent guide, Catherine! I’m a born and raised phx native and am so thrilled with the growing art and indie scene. No longer are we dominated by strip malls, box stores, and chain restaurants.

Nice guide! There’s more than a few places in town that I hadn’t checked out yet- now I will!

Good job, Catherine. You make Phoenix sound like a great place to visit. Can’t wait to come out and experience all the cool places you’ve discovered.

DA Modern is actually gone. :(

Aw, this list actually made me homestick for Phoenix. So many awesome places, and it’s just great that Phoenix keeps growing in this cool arty direction.

If you visit in March, there’s always Art Detour. It’s like First Fridays but during the day and all weekend long.

This is a great list. I am a Phoenician myself and agree with the reccomendations listed here. One place I would love to reccommend is Sundrops Nail Spot. I usually take people there after we have visited LGO. Great mani/pedi place so cute and locally owned.

Love the Phoenix list!
Could you include places in
North Phoenix/Scottsdale in this list?

Anyone who knows about La Tacqueria Hacienda, Conspire and others on this guide knows Phoenix well. May I recommend Gallo Blanco Cafe at the Clarendon Hotel, muy nice. Also, Lola Tapas has great food and drinks. Thanks!

Thanks so much for the tips! I live in Yuma, AZ which is about 2 1/2 hours away. We go visit family and they always go to the malls. How nice to be able to show them some new places!

OMG!!! Thank you!!! I’ve been reading DS for so long and always wish there’s a list for arizona!!! This is really helpful, thank you so much!!

another Phoenix native (born and raised!) chiming in with my glee at my city being featured here! We get overlooked a lot because people think that we’re all about chains and big box stores…couldn’t be further from the truth!
And be sure to ride that “fancy dancy” light rail- it’s fabulous: cold clean and quick!

Arizona’s desert is amazing and reading this makes me so homesick! I’m going to be corny for a second – to hear people speak so highly of my hometown warms my heart. Thank you!
-Desert girl living in Portland

We love these suggestions! We have reviews and more things to do in the Phoenix area here: http://www.thehotsheetblog.com. Enjoy!

I am from phoenix and this is a great list. I am actually in the airport right now on my way home from school to arizona! Perfect timing.

I would also add Chino Bandito!! Its chinese mexican fusion in a low key/very causal (ok its in a strip mall) location, but the food is so interesting and delicious! The chile rellenos and jerk chicken with refried beans are to die for.

A couple of Scottsdale and north Phoenix must visits:
Old Town Scottsdale -
The Mission – the succulent tacos, the guac, the Mexican street corn… mmmm!
AZ88 – old standby – fabulous martinis
Cowboy Ciao – the chopped salad is the most amazing, crave worthy thing, it will haunt you! And then head over to Kazimierez for vino and a great grotto atmosphere
North Phoenix –
Bomberos – fab. wine bar with some of the best South American bands out on the patio
Richardson’s – once they reopen – incredible New Mexican cuisine – thier menu will be served at Dick’s Hideaway and the Rokerij until they rebuild (after the fire!)
Yeah Phoenix!
- A proud native

Postino is great, one more to add is Cave Creek Coffee Company – Great music venue, and even better food!

A+++!
I’m so proud of you, Phoenix!

This is an awesome guide to Phoenix! Nice job! There are a lot of familiar places on here :)

I am a new transplant to Casa Grande and have been sorely disappointed out here with restaurants or the lack of or anything of any artistic resemblance. I moved from Sonoma, Ca. so needless to say had everything wonderful around me. I will definitely be adventuring out to try some of these places and looking forward to having rave reviews of my own to add to your site. Thanks

Wish I had this list last year!!!! I love AZ and found Phoenix to be not all that exciting. I think I was just with the wrong company….

Another great place to find hand made amazing gifts is PRACTICAL ART, located at 5070 North Central Phoenix AZ 85012 .One and a half blocks north of Camelback . Perfect place to find unique useful items of all types, in all media, exclusively handcrafted by local artisans!!! Awesome!

Hallelujah! I’ve been waiting patiently for a long time for a guide to Phoenix! Looks like a lot of fun places I’ve never visited…can’t wait to get out to these spots!

I love living in Phoenix, and this is really a great guide! Thank you for putting this all together! I would love to see a list of people’s favorite thrift stores around Phoenix as well.