Arizona’s culinary landscape is full of surprises, unusual eateries, and amazing food worth traveling for, from contemporary sushi to posh gastropubs. Experience them all with this guide to the Grand Canyon State’s world-class restaurants.
1. Christopher’s Restaurant
At Christopher’s Restaurant and Crush House, managed by renowned local chef Christopher Gross, classic French dining meets the best of American cuisine. The restaurant offers a variety of dining options, ranging from casual bar-side dining in the Crush Lounge to glamorous tasting menus that are both inventive and audacious. A team of highly skilled mixologists and a world-class sommelier to craft or choose the perfect drink to complement your dish. Whatever choice you prefer, you can expect the same level of precision and finesse that you would expect from a high-end restaurant.
2. Beckett’s Table Restaurant
Beckett’s Table is a refined comfort cuisine restaurant leading the way in establishing the reputation of its location in central Phoenix’s growing neighborhood. It takes pride in offering an upscale menu in a casual setting without sacrificing the gourmet experience, and this commitment has helped it become a popular local hangout as well as a gastronomic destination for those seeking chef-driven menus united by culinary flair and a commitment to getting the most out of the freshest possible ingredients.
3. Kai Restaurant
Kai is the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort’s crowning glory. The restaurant closes every summer for its cooks to travel across America in search of the boldest and brightest flavors for their cuisine, which has a Native American theme. This menu takes the classic flavors of Native American tribes from all over the world. It gives them modern and innovative twists, resulting in one-of-a-kind and unforgettable dishes.
4. Binkley’s
Chef de cuisine Kevin Binkley’s eponymous restaurant, another of OpenTable’s top 100 American restaurants, serves unique four, five, and six-course tasting menus of nouvelle cuisine. His recipes, which can also be ordered a la carte, creatively blend European and American ideas. Binkley’s Restaurant is a tiny town restaurant with truly world-beating potential (its Cave Creek home has a population of only 5000 people).
5. Citizen Public House
The Citizen Public House, a recent addition to the Arizona culinary map that has swiftly established a vast reputation, puts a high-dining spin on the typical public house with a modern gastropub-inspired menu and an outstanding assortment of craft brews. The restaurant is a terrific stylish hangout spot, standing out in Scottsdale, which is already home to many fantastic eateries.
6. ShinBay
ShinBay is the home of Japanese cuisine in Arizona and is one of the top 100 restaurants in America, according to OpenTable. It offers a modern and contemporary take on Japanese cuisine, emphasizing Omakase dining. Omakase is a Japanese concept where the chef chooses the meals rather than ordering them a la carte, comparable to a tasting menu. This style necessitates a competent chef with a refined palate, which ShinBay’s executive chef achieves with his selection of complementary items.
7. Virtu
Virtu is a hidden gem in Scottsdale’s Old Town, serving a worldwide take on Mediterranean flavors. Their menu frequently changes to reflect the best of seasonal vegetables, giving the restaurant the distinct sense of an upscale farmer’s market if farmer’s markets served beautifully prepared food and blended a killer cocktail menu.
8. Criollo Latin Kitchen
Many restaurants serve Latin flavors or fusion cuisine, but none do it better than Criollo Latin Kitchen. Taking fresh local ingredients and infusing them with Latin passion is no easy task, but Criolla pulls it off with ease with each dish. The menu features cuisine from Haiti to Brazil throughout South and Central America.
9. Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails
Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails is a great dining destination from dusk to late nights, as it leads the rebuilding of downtown Tucson. The restaurant brilliantly combines French cuisine with an expanded concept of American cuisine, which encompasses the cuisines of the country’s prominent historical immigrants. Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails, as the name suggests, is more than just a kitchen, with a drink menu fit for kings, making it Tucson’s hottest hangout area.
10. House of Tricks
The House of Tricks has everything you need for a fantastic meal. The cuisine is a contemporary American selection as elegantly presented as the restaurant’s décor, with a unique turn-of-the-century facade in a remodeled blueprint shop left on the classy side of run-down. However, visit during the summer to experience the House at its best, when its tree-lined patio eating area opens out to become one of the most romantic settings in the state.
