9 Great Restaurants in Phoenix

Binkleys Restaurant is a fine-dining restaurant near Aztec Park in Phoenix that presents well-crafted New American dishes. The chic restaurant’s legendary fixed price menu features at least 10 courses and sometimes as many as 20. The menu also changes depending on the freshest ingredients available and what’s in season.

You’ll want to take your time to enjoy every course along with add-ons like the chef’s specials, caviar, wine pairings, and wagyu. The restaurant advises a full 3.5 hours to truly enjoy this gastronomic experience.

Barrio Café often finds itself on lists of great restaurants in Phoenix, thanks to highlights of Mexican dishes that include cochinita pibil (slow-roasted pork) and chiles en nogada (poblano chiles stuffed with picadillo). The James Beard Award-nominated chef behind Barrio puts an innovative spin on Mexican regional cuisine, abandoning the usual tacos and burritos for rich, layered flavours.

Barrio Café's creations contain ingredients like authentic cheeses and zesty chiles. You might start with guacamole that’s prepared right at your table, preparing for a long, leisurely meal that can be capped off with deep-fried fritters drizzled with caramel for dessert. 

The Bread and Honey House is a breakfast spot in Phoenix that has a few tables with a compact American/Mexican menu. Many find it a hidden gem for breakfast, brunch, and lunch in the city. Plates are simple but inspiring, some of which have a cult-like following.

From the menu are the usual breakfast burritos, but they’re extra hearty and satisfying with tortillas that are stretched tight with soft, doughy folds, and filled to the brim with potato chunks and scrambled eggs. Crepes are sprinkled with broken pecans and sliced strawberries. Dishes for lunch are just as delightful – not overly jazzy but just right, like fish tacos with generous portions of flaky cod with a Modelo battering.

Avanti is one of the great restaurants in Phoenix where the owner will stop by your table to ensure everything is to your liking. The retro vibe includes black-and-white decor, while the menu features classics such as homemade lasagne and linguini carbonara.

Avanti Restaurant has long been a favourite in the city since 1974, tempting residents and visitors with its excellent pasta and sauces. That’s not a surprise when you consider that it was founded by enterprising Italian immigrants from Tuscany and Sorrento.

Carolina’s Mexican Food is the dining spot in Phoenix if you're a fan of fresh-made tortillas. Hot and pillowy, it’s the stuff of local food legends that attracts hungry diners to line up its counter. Anything wrapped up in one of the house-made tortillas is sure to please, from burritos and tamales to tacos. You might want to order a dozen or more to bring home. 

Don’t be fooled by the humble exterior – Carolina’s Mexican Food is the place to go to eat well and be pleased. It’s great for a quick breakfast, lunch, or dinner when you’re craving authentic but no-nonsense Mexican food.

The Larder + The Delta is a Southern-inspired food stand inside the DeSoto Central Market in Downtown Phoenix. It focuses on dishes that utilise the best of Arizonan ingredients in a varied and imaginative changing menu.

The chef’s long history in fine dining shines through with eclectic bites like his signature cauliflower, lightly fried in a hot sauce/blue cheese blend. He can also sling some mean charred pork belly sliders. Another standout is the Kentucky fried quail, served with a sausage and red bean gravy, as well as a foie gras biscuit.

FnB Restaurant is one of the most innovative restaurants in Phoenix. Since 2009, it has managed to consistently develop a menu that’s focused on local produce. In fact, its chef was recognised as among the best in the Southwest.

Every ingredient at FnB Restaurant is carefully selected at local markets from the state’s family farms. The result is a menu with farm-fresh and vegetable-focused dishes for both vegetarians and meat-eaters. Must-tries include the flash-fried eggplant with pistachio, dill, and honey, and the duck breast with olive relish, Spanish chorizo, and saffron rice.

Kai is a 5-star restaurant in the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass. It presents dishes using ingredients grown on local Native American tribal farms. The restaurant's name translates to “seed” in the Pima language.

The Native American influences are evident in many dishes, such as the grilled buffalo tenderloin with saguaro blossom syrup, cholla buds, and a smoked corn puree. There’s also a tasting menu that can be enjoyed with or without carefully curated wine pairings, but the prickly pear margarita is especially refreshing and ideal for a meal enjoyed on the patio with a view of the Estrella Mountains.

Chelsea’s Kitchen is a casual yet iconic neighbourhood restaurant in Phoenix. Nestled in what looks like a single-storey Arizona brick ranch house with a large front porch, it exudes warmth and comfort with a huge brick fireplace and a patio overlooking the canal.

While dishes on the menu may seem simple at first glance, each one is first-class. Standout dishes include dixie pan-fried chicken, prime rib prepared in the restaurant’s smoke yard, and Pescado Veracruz with halibut from the Sea of Cortez.