The Best Restaurants and Bars in Downtown Phoenix

List
Written By Chris Hall
Downtown Phoenix.

Image from Rylan Hill on Unsplash.

Where: The area between the 60, the 17, I10, and the 202… the big square between the freeways.

Downtown Phoenix is the cultural center of Phoenix—it’s got tall buildings in the core, the Roosevelt district full of indie restaurants and bars along the northern border, and concert venues, arenas, and hotels spread throughout. It’s got James Beard Award winning restaurants, Spirited Award winning cocktail bars, cheap eats, high-end dining, and everything in-between. If you’re looking for the best of the best, you’re in the right spot.

And don’t forget to add this list to your maps app of choice. Next time you’re in downtown, you’ll only be a click away from your next great meal.

Skip to:

Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner • Drinks

Breakfast / Coffee / Carbs

Mexican / 4 Yumpoints

1. Gallo Blanco

Gallo Blanco is known for a lot of things, but two things make it a Phoenix breakfast staple: the flapjacks and the chilaquiles. Sure, you could get something else, but that’d be pretty ridiculous. Phoenix Magazine says they’re the best in town. Phoenix New Times say they’re the underrated reason to show up. AZ Central also mentions them in their Top 100 Restaurants in Phoenix list, but not before their also famous elote (seriously, get the elote). Also get a margarita—they’re excellent, too.

Coffee Shop / 4 Yumpoints

2. Chaconne Patisserie at FUTURO

Technically you can get Chaconne pastries at a bunch of places, but the most unique—by far—is FUTURO. It’s a super mod coffee shop with stark minimalism. Very moody vibes. And the coffee menu is mostly Spanish (cold brew is always in English for some reason)… which I guess feels futuristic in its own way. And Chaconne pastries? They were a 2022 James Beard semifinalist, which means they’re producing some of the best in the country. That’s good.

American / 3 Yumpoints

3. Matt’s Big Breakfast

Back when it opened, Matt’s was basically a restaurant in a tiny house, and there was a line out the door until around noon. Fortunately for us, they’re in a much larger spot now, and the food is just as good. You’ve got your breakfast staples: pancakes, omelettes, and scrambles. You’ve got daily specials, which is what you should probably order, no matter what they are. And you’ve got the famous Chop and Chick—the most amazing pork chop paired with a runny egg and some side potatoes. If my last meal happens to be breakfast, that might be what I ask for.

American / 2 Yumpoints

4. Welcome Diner

To be clear, Welcome is really only a breakfast spot on the weekends, so don’t show up on Tuesday morning expecting eggs. If you’re there for weekend brunch though, you’re in for a treat, because Welcome Diner has been serving up elevated diner food since the beginning of cool things being in Phoenix. There’s a chance it was the original cool thing (if this version of cool is your version of cool), although my hazy timeline has Lux opening around the same time. Anyways, expect the hipster version of American standards, plus some drinks to keep things interesting. And expect some good people watching—it’s very different than Scottsdale people watching, but still very entertaining.

Burgers / 1 Yumpoint

5. Stoop Kid

What I really want for breakfast is coffee and a bagel. I’m a simple guy. Stoop Kid one-ups that by taking Bagelfeld bagels (arguably the best bagels in town) and making them into delicious breakfast sandwiches. But the real best thing about Stoop Kid is the vibe. It’s located in the Churchill (which is one of the cooler food halls in town), and kind of splits its graphic design between urban/NY and goth metal. Come for the bagels and bagel sandwiches, leave with merch.

Lunch

Pizza / 13 Yumpoints

1. Pizzeria Bianco

Pizzeria Bianco is one of those places you can go for dinner, but if you do lunch instead (go right when it opens), you’ll avoid the massive crowds. And honestly, I prefer the space when the outside sun peaks in and brings real texture to all the exposed brick and interesting textures. Don’t go too light though, unless you’re looking to take your kids to the Science Center next door though—you’re going to want a little bit of everything. Get some spiedini, even if you don’t know what that is. Get a salad, even if you don’t normally do salad. And by all means, get a couple (at least) of Chris Bianco’s famous pizzas. And get some wine or something. Live a little.

Mexican / 5 Yumpoints

2. Testal

Ever since Chipotle became a thing, we’ve been trained that burritos are like mountains to climb. Gut bombs that require naps, or at least a couple hours without lunch meetings to try to digest. Testal’s burritos aren’t like that at all—they’re more like slightly large rolled tacos. At first it seems weird, but then you take a bite and get it. A Testal burrito is like a little work of art (a James Beard semifinalist-level work of art)—a little messy, with more deliciousness than you’ll ever be prepared for. And if you’re like me, you can always get two.

Burgers / 3 Yumpoints

3. Bad Jimmys

Bad Jimmy’s is a hipster throwback diner burger spot, serving up exactly what you know you really want out of life. Double smash burgers… hell yeah. Soft serve with a magic shell… hell yeah. And a Cowboy Song to top it off (it’s a Miller High Life paired with a shot of Old Grand Dad Bourbon)… hell yeah. Phoenix Mag and AZ Central both say it’s special (bordering on essential), so just make it happen. And maybe get some extra napkins while you’re at it.

Soul Food / 3 Yumpoints

4. Ms. White’s Golden Rule Cafe

Ms. White’s Golden Rule Cafe has been the hub of Phoenix soul food since 1964, and everyone who like fried chicken, catfish, and greens has stopped by at some point in their desert journey. Heck, even Lolo’s Chicken and Waffles—the other biggest soul food spot in town—started at Ms. White’s (Larry “Lolo” White is Ms. White’s grandson). So if you’re into this kind of food and have some time budgeted for a post-lunch nap, you owe it to yourself to try out the original best spot in town.

Vegan / 3 Yumpoints

5. Earth Plant Based Cuisine

Not everyone out there will be looking for Vegan food, but if you are, Earth Plant Based Cuisine is consistently on the best-of-Phoenix rotation. And even for non-vegans, this place is kind of great. Instead of your standard vegan sandwiches and wraps, Earth’s menu is primarily Mexican food—floutas covered in avocado cream, tacos with alt meats that really work in the format, and a whole list of milkshakes that’ll make you wonder why cow’s milk is used at all.

Dinner

Mexican / 17 Yumpoints

1. Bacanora

If you’re looking for great Mexican food in Phoenix, Grand Ave. has to be your top destination. And sitting front and center on the funkiest part is Bacanora, the most (currently) lauded restaurant in town. Chef Rene Andrade and his grill just won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest, and was listed as one of New York Times’ best restaurants in America in 2022. And the local accolades look more like a flood, appearing in every best-of list this town has to offer. The only downside is that reservations are hard to get. Figure it out.

Thai / 8 Yumpoints

2. Lom Wong

Glai Baan was the first great Thai spot in town, but Lom Wong is now the torchbearer for wildly delicious, authentic flavor. When you go to Lom Wong, don’t go in expecting to order your “usual.” There’s no Pad Thai, there’s plenty of curry (the freshest hand-ground stuff), but there’s nothing called “Yellow Curry” or “Red Curry” on the menu. Instead, you’re getting more creative dishes you’ll have to just trust. And trust you shall. As local food journalism legend Dominic Armato says, “The year may come when I don’t have some dish from Lom Wong on my (Best Bites of the Year) list, but (this year) is not yet that year.”

French / 7 Yumpoints

3. Sottise

Sottise is a restaurant that just doesn’t exist in the burbs. And it doesn’t really exist in the middle of downtowns either. Sottise is an upscale but approachable French restaurant in a super-cool bungalow off downtown enough to be laid back, but close enough to not have to only play the hits to survive. There’s a lot of seafood here, which seems rare for a French place in Phoenix. Lots of other proteins too, and many in dishes I’ve seen elsewhere, but have never tried. But the real winner here is the patio—there’s something Uber-European feeling about having escargot on a perfect patio while splitting a bottle of wine.

Italian / 5 Yumpoints

4. Tratto

Tratto is Chris Bianco’s fancy Italian place, and that’s about all that needs to be said. It doesn’t have any Bianco pizza, but the attention to detail in the ingredients and preparation, and the level of craft is the same (if even more elevated). Just note that this isn’t your typical red-sauce style of Italian food—the food here is pretty wild, and might scare away your in-laws who are used to simple preparations of American-style dishes. These are more interesting flavors—some with southwest-inpired flourishes—prepared how I’d imagine an old Italian family would prepare them in actual Italy.

Mexican / 6 Yumpoints

5. Chilte

In my head, Chilte is the spunky little brother of Bacanora, which itself is the spunky son to the recently closed Barrio Cafe. Both are getting national attention—Rene Andrade of Bacanora recently won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest, and Chilte has been on Esquire and Bon Appetit’s list of Best New Restaurants in America. Both are serving up Mexican food focused around grilled meats and authentic flavors. And both have chefs that legitimately seem exciting, ready for the national attention they’re already getting. And they’re right down the street from one another. Theoretically you could go to both in a night and figure out the true champ. Please report back.

Drinks

Cocktail Bar / 13 Yumpoints

1. Bitter & Twisted

Right down the street from the Phoenix Suns basketball stadium you’ll find Bitter & Twisted, taking up most (or all?) of the ground floor of the historic Luhrs building, which famously was the Arizona Prohibition HQ back when that was a thing. And in it, you’ll find the best large-scale cocktail bar in the state, with a menu consisting of every cocktail you could ever want. Classics to new concoctions, rare spirits to an entire page of alt Negronis. It’s big, impressive, and most importantly, delicious.

Cocktail Bar / 11 Yumpoints

2. Little Rituals

Behind Bitter & Twisted, on the 4th floor of a building housing the dream-team combo of Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn (I know, I’m sweating too) is Little Rituals, one of the best hotel bars in the country (it’s on almost every national list). The vibe is more relaxed than B&T, the cocktail menu is a little more curated, and the food is definitely a little better. You can’t go wrong with either, it just depends on what kind of night you’re looking to have.

Cocktail Bar / 5 Yumpoints

3. Barcoa Agaveria

Most cocktail bars you find cover roughly the same ground—classic cocktails, twists on classic cocktails, and a spirits list containing all the high-end hits. Sometimes what you want though is some focus. Barcoa is that, editing the typical bar thing down to agave spirits (and its cousins like sotol). It’s split into two levels—the upstairs is more of a casual situation with easy drinking agave hits, while downstairs is for the nerds. It’s got a wild spirits list, drinks meant to challenge your understanding of agave cocktails, and lots of branded ice. And if you’re really in for the night, you can book a 90-minute private tasting with their in-house agave specialist.

Cocktail Bar / 3 Yumpoints

4. Quartz

Quartz isn’t the kind of place you should go to if you’re not at least a little adventurous. The place itself isn’t too outlandish or anything (although there’s definitely a unique vibe), but the cocktails themselves are a little something extra. It’s like the experimental kitchen for drinking, and that’s just the normal part of the bar. If you get a reservation for the Cave—the bar within the bar—you’re in for a real wild time. I don’t think there’s a single cocktail on the menu that has less than seven ingredients.

Brewery / 3 Yumpoints

5. Arizona Wilderness DTPHX

When it opened up in Gilbert years and years ago, Arizona Wilderness seemed like the future. Every brewery in town had a lager and an IPA, but Arizona Wilderness rolled in with sours flavored by local desert fruits and open-air yeasts; farmhouse ales using spontaneous fermentation, and ales using local honey and hand-foraged spruce. Every taste was new, even though beer had been blah to me for years. Then the downtown location opened up and brought the same quality to a much bigger space. It’s lovely, especially on the patio on a nice day.

Chris Hall
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