Champions Sports Saloon

Champions Sports Saloon has been some sort of bar on the main drag in downtown Gilbert since the 1940s. It’s a roomy place, with a bar, tables and chairs, twinkling pinball machines lined along the right-hand wall, and an enclosed patio out back. The “sports” in the name takes the form of lots of games […]

Chandler Skate Park

To the uninitiated, Chandler’s Snedigar Park looks like an abandoned water park in post-apocalyptic-drought Phoenix. There’s an empty swimming pool with a ladder, giant concrete steps to nowhere, and what appear to be several kiddy pools surrounded by towering palms. But to anyone with a worn left sneaker and a full deck, this is a […]

Chanpen Thai Cuisine

Possibly the only Thai restaurant in south Phoenix, this tiny, unassuming spot from owner and chef Chanpen Ramonaitis is a hidden gem filled with satisfying, expertly prepared classic Thai dishes as well as a few more unique creations. Start with street food favorites like fried fish cakes and crispy Thai toast, then move on to […]

Chantico

Walter Sterling and the Ocotillo crew’s latest restaurant channels Mexican influences as far north as Sonora (a Sonoran rib-eye) and as far south as Yucatan (cochinita pibil). That cochinita sears the brain, and not just with chiles. An order brings a pile of richly spiced pork that retains the animal’s full charm, roasted in a […]