Last week Phoenix New Times celebrated the cream of the crop with our 37th annual Best of Phoenix edition. Here are our top picks for ethnic restaurants in metro Phoenix Best Mediterranean Restaurant Princess Market and Deli This family-owned and -operated market and restaurant has been chugging away in Mesa…
We realize that $14 for either a breakfast dish or a plate of tacos might inspire the raising of an eyebrow or two. Before you get your face out of shape, the cost is worth it in the case of Pomegranate Café’s Wild Western Tacos. The dish is a value…
Downtown Phoenix’s dining scene will get a little bigger when SoSoBa ramen restaurant opens this December. The location will be the second for the noodle shop and cocktail bar. The original SoSoba opened in Flagstaff last November. The experiment was a joint venture among Tyler Christensen, Joel Dry, and chef…
The Guilty Pleasure: Marshmallow Crispy Oreos Where to Get It: Grocery stores Price: $3.99 What it Really Costs: Your fond memories of elementary school snacks and a possible lawsuit from Kellogg’s. Just to be clear, the only reason Marshmallow Crispy Oreos aren’t called Rice Krispies Treat Oreos is because Kellogg’s…
We may not be able to make a quick escape to the beaches of Mexico, but that doesn’t mean we can’t eat like we have. For insanely fresh seafood, we headed to Restaurant Sinaloa, an unfussy restaurant in the heart of Mesa. Restaurant Sinaloa is a mariscos (seafood) eatery serving…
Canada’s most famous snack continues its American invasion with the arrival of Smoke’s Poutinerie at Gila River Arena. Smoke’s Poutinerie, which calls itself the “World’s Largest and Original Poutinerie,” hails from Toronto and is known for its inventive take on the classic québécois dish. Poutine, of course, is the winning…
55th Annual Greater Phoenix Greek Festival Friday, October 9, through Sunday, October 11 Join in the Greater Phoenix Greek Festival this weekend and enjoy Greek food, music, dancing, and other artisanal crafts. From Friday through Saturday at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, festival goers can enjoy a variety of Greek…
Big news, Starbucks devotees: As of October 2, there are eleven Valley locations of the popular coffee chain with pending liquor license applications. What does this mean? Starbucks Evening stores are coming to Metro Phoenix. Starbucks Evening isn’t exactly new. The first location opened in Seattle’s Captiol Hill neighborhood in…
For years, Phoenicians drove from all parts of town to a run-down strip mall in Tempe to get wood-fired pies at a little spot called Classic Italian Pizza, known far and wide as one of the best pizzerias in the Valley. Last year, the restaurant moved to a better strip…
The Guilty Pleasure: A.1. Halloween Whopper Sandwich Where to Get It: Burger King Price: $4.99 What it Really Costs: The dream that a Big Mac x Whopper collaboration could one day happen. Burger King put out a Whopper that has a black bun, and it’s turning people’s poop green. In…
It’s the second month in a row that a total of 16 restaurants in the Valley scored a ‘D’ from the county health inspector, a higher number than usual for our monthly list. The newly opened Crust location in downtown Chandler made the list, as did Cafe Tranquilo at the…
When a new spot opens in town, we can’t wait to check it out — and let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead a peek inside restaurants that…
Where: Scramble When: 6 a.m to 2 p.m. daily Dish: Santa Fe Eggs Benedict Price: $12.28 (including tax and tip) The Setting: Scramble is an order-at-the-counter breakfast and lunch spot, and diners walk past a brightly lit menu and a small beverage case before placing orders and taking seats. The…
We’ve put the palate to the test in Drinking Problems, a video series in which our tasters, ranging from a James Beard Award-winning chef to a comedian who simply appreciates a good drink, give us the good, the bad, and the ugly of what they’re drinking. In this episode, three…
It’s been about three years since the Good Food Finder website went live. And though there have been a lot of changes in the passing years, the goal for the project has always remained the same: to help people find sources for good local food. Last month, Local First Arizona…
Grand Avenue fans have something new to celebrate. After Bragg’s Factor Diner announced that it will be shuttering its doors on October 4, Chef Silvana Esparza of Barrio Cafe and Barrio Urbano revealed that she will be setting up shop in the space once occupied by the vegan cafe. We spoke to Esparza…
September was a big month for restaurants in Tempe, with three openings and one closing. Anyone looking for food in Tempe can now find burritos at Sun Devil Stadium, European food on South Mill, and more. On the flip side, Revival closed in downtown Tempe after a whirlwind run. Openings…
The Guilty Pleasure: Pulled Pork Cheese Fries Where to Get It: Wendy’s Price: $2.99 What it Really Costs: A little bit of the Southern gentleman/belle in all of us. When cheese fries aren’t enough, Wendy’s decides to throw a couple of other ingredients on top of them and call it…
Though not as well-known as other Mediterranean restaurants east of ASU’s Tempe campus, Tasty Kabob has faithfully been serving Persian food since 2003. And with a much more traditional atmosphere and menu than many of the others, Tasty Kabob offers an entirely different taste of Middle Eastern cuisine than you may…
SanTan OktoberfestSaturday, October 3 The eighth annual SanTan Oktoberfest is going down this weekend in downtown Chandler. From 3 to 11 p.m., festival goers can wear their lederhosen and dirndls while enjoying craft beer, German cuisine, and polka music. Beer games (including a beer pong tournament) will take place, as…
Pizza without a layer of bubbling cheese is pretty much a no-go for most pie lovers — and that includes vegans. An increasing number of pizza restaurants are adding non-dairy cheese options, with varying success. We visited locations of two pizza chains with multiple locations around the Valley to check out…
Esther Agaba can’t seem to decide what to call her popular African restaurant on West Camelback Road. The former Fu-Fu Cuisine, barely three years old, was renamed Esther Cuisine not long ago, and has recently been rechristened Love Cuisine. The one thing that each version has had in common is…
