From contemporary sushi to upscale gastropubs, Arizona’s culinary scene is full of surprises, unique restaurants and fantastic food worth travelling for. Discover them all with our guide to the world-class restaurants of The Grand Canyon State.
Classic French dining meets the best of American cuisine at Christopher’s Restaurant and Crush House, run by famed local chef Christopher Gross. The restaurant offers a number of dining options from casual bar-side dining in the Crush Lounge to an classy tasting menus that are both adventurous and ambitious, plus a team of expert mixologists and a world-class sommelier to craft or choose the perfect drink to complement your dish of choice. Whatever option you choose however, you will find the same precise attention to detail and finesse that you expect from a high class restaurant.
Beckett’s Table is a restaurant offering sophisticated comfort food, and which is leading the way in raising the reputation of its location in an emerging part of central Phoenix. It prides itself on providing an upscale menu in a casual restaurant without having to sacrifice the gourmet experience, and this dedication has made it both a popular local eatery and a gastronomic destination for those looking for chef-driven menus united by culinary flare and a dedication to getting the best out of the freshest possible ingredients.
Kai is the jewel in the crown of the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort. A Native American theme pervades their food, with the restaurant closing every summer for its chefs to voyage throughout America to find the boldest and brightest flavours for their menu. This menu takes the traditional flavors of Native American tribes everywhere and puts highly modern and innovative twists on them, making for one of a kind and unforgettable dishes.
Head chef Kevin Binkley (previously featured in our guide ‘The Top 10 Chefs in the Southwest You Should Know’) offers signature four, five and six course tasting menus of nouvelle cuisine in his eponymous restaurant, another of the restaurants voted in the best 100 American restaurants by OpenTable. European and American influences combine in fascinating way in his dishes, which can also be ordered a la carte. Binkley’s Restaurant is a small town restaurant (its Cave Creek home is a town of only 5000) with truly world-beating potential.
A recent addition to the Arizona culinary map, which has quickly developed a major reputation for itself, the Citizen Public House takes a high-dining spin on the traditional public house, with a modern gastropub-inspired menu and impressive array of craft beers. The restaurant is a perfect modern hang out space, setting itself apart in Scottsdale, a city already chock-full of fantastic restaurants.
Another of the OpenTable top 100 restaurants in America, ShinBay is the home of Japanese cuisine in Arizona. Offering modern and contemporary version of the cuisine, with a speciality in Omakase-style dining. Omakase is a Japanese concept in which dishes are selected by the chef rather than a la carte, similar in style to a tasting menu. This style depends on a strong chef with a perfect palate, and ShinBay’s head chef makes this look effortless with their selection of perfect complimentary dishes.
Serving a global twist on Mediterranean influences, Virtu is a hidden treasure in Scottsdale’s Old Town. Their menu is ever-changing to follow the best of seasonal produce, giving the restaurant the unique feel of an upscale farmer’s market, if farmer’s markets served beautifully presented food and also mixed a menu of killer cocktails.
Many restaurants offer Latin flavors or Latin fusion food, but few do it as well as the Criollo Latin Kitchen. Taking fresh local ingredients and making them vibrant with Latin passion is no mean feat, but Criolla manages it with aplomb with every meal. The menu sings with dishes from across South and Central America, from Haiti to Brazil.
Leading the redevelopment of downtown Tucson, Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails is a great dining spot from evening into late nights. The restaurant combines French gastronomy with an extended idea of American cuisine, which includes the cuisines of the country’s main historic immigrants, and does it to stunning effect. As the name suggests, though, there is more to Downtown than just its kitchen, with a cocktail menu worthy of kings, making Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails Tucson’s hottest hang-out spot.
House of Tricks, Tempe | Courtesy of La Bocca Urban Pizzeria + Wine Bar
House of Tricks
The House of Tricks has all the ingredients for a magical eating experience. Offering a unique turn-of-the-century exterior in a renovated blueprint shop left on the classy side of run-down, the menu is a contemporary American selection as exquisitely presented as the restaurant’s interior. Go in the warmer months to see the House in its prime, however, as its tree-lined patio dining area opens to become one of the most romantic spots in the entire state.
