Our 20 Favorite Places You Need to Eat When Visiting Phoenix

Heading to Phoenix or Scottsdale on an upcoming trip and looking for restaurant recommendations? My husband Ward and I are sharing all of our favorite places to eat around the Phoenix area. We tried to keep it to a top 10 but we love so many places so we narrowed it down to a top 20.

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Food! We think food is one of our favorite fun elements to think about when we travel. We like to think about food even when we aren’t traveling! In today’s episode, my husband Ward and I share 20 of our favorite places to eat in the Phoenix area. We think just this list of food should inspire a trip to the Valley of the Sun!

Favorite Breakfast Restaurants in Phoenix

Morning Glory @ The Farm at South Mountain. This is in a beautiful outdoor farm setting where you can enjoy traditional breakfast items like waffles, french toast, and pancakes along with some Southwest-inspired dishes like breakfast tacos, burritos, and chilaquiles.

Matt’s Big Breakfast. Waffles, pancakes, omelets, breakfast burritos and fresh squeezed juice are made from scratch. There are three locations in Phoenix we recommend the locations downtown or near Camelback Mountain. The third location is inside of terminal 4 at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

Snooze an A.M. Eatery. They have all of the delicious breakfast options you could hope for from a brunch place. Eggs Benedict, pancakes, burritos, sandwiches, and kids meal options. There are 7 Snooze locations in Phoenix. If you go to the Downtown Gilbert location and the weather is nice, ask for a table on the back porch.

Hash Kitchen. Breakfast with some fun twists. Portions are large. Try out the Billionaire Bacon with is sprinkled with 24-carat gold flecks! We love the avocado toast, scramblers, and pancakes. They have 5 locations in the Phoenix area.

Delicious Mexican Food Options in Phoenix

Honestly, the options are endless in this category. In addition to the places we talk about in the podcast, we also love Someburros, Boca Taqueria, and Macayo’s. Here are three more of our favorites:

Barrio Cafe. Amazing flavors. Upscale Mexican food. Be sure to get the tableside guacamole and save room for the caramel-filled churros for dessert. I love the Chilies en Nogada and order it every time. You can also check out their sister restaurant, Barrio Queen which serves similar food in a casual table service atmosphere.

Chino Bandito. This is a Chinese and Mexican fusion restaurnat. The flavors are amazing. You get to mix some Chinese proteins and put them into quesadillas and burritos. You can have it with refried black beans and fried rice. Save room for the huge, free snickerdoodle that’s included with each meal. Very casual order at the counter place.

Carolinas. This is where we go when we want a traditional, greasy Mexican meal. The shredded beef taco with a cheese enchilada and rice and beans is a favorite combo. Ward also loves the carne asada (grill steak) burrito. Be sure to take a dozen tortilla home with you. They are made in house and fresh everyday!

Favorite Pizza and Mediterranean Restaurants

Pizzaria Bianco. This comes up in all of the top restaurant lists in Phoenix for good reason. The pizzas are simple, thin-crust, wood-fired works of art. There are three locations and our favorite is downtown in Heritage Square right next to the Science Center. You can valet park or park in the science center garage.

Cibo. Another great pizza option near downtown Phoenix. Bianco is our first choice but this is a close 2nd.

Bonus not mentioned in the podcast: Crave Pizza. This is in the far east valley (Guadalupe and Sossaman) but we think it’s worth the drive. Amazing deep-dish and thin-crust pizzas. Plus we love the chopped salad.

Green Corner. Fresh, made-to-order greek food. We love their gyro meat, chicken shawarma, and chicken kebabs. Be sure to also get the hummus, fries, greek salad, and baba gannoug (eggplant dip.) Each meal also includes a piece of their delicious baklava. They have 2 locations in Chandler and Mesa.

Our Favorite American Food Restaurants in Phoenix

Joe’s Farm Grill. If I could choose just one place to take a friend who is in town visiting, this would be my pick. We loved the fresh food! Burgers, salads, pizza, BBQ, and more. Plus we love the sides: beet salad, fries, sweet potato fries, fried zucchini. Don’t forget to try one of their freshly made super thick milkshakes. Food is ordered at the counter and you find a seat inside or outdoors at one of their many picnic tables. Don’t forget to check out the restrooms!

Liberty Market. This restaurant is housed in a former market in downtown Gilbert. We love the white pizza, tower burger, and best chicken sandwich. Don’t leave without trying a Salt River Bar!

Worth Takeaway. This amazing sandwich shop is located in downtown Mesa. I’m not usually a big fan of sandwiches but the crispy chicken sandwich here is truly special. We also love the buffalo ranch dip with housemade chips. You can turn any sandwich into a bowl, salad, or wrap. Seriously, you don’t want to miss this place.

Jalapeno Bucks. It’s a toss-up if this belongs in the American section of the Mexican section because it’s really a fusion of the two. They have delicious BBQ meat that you can get on a sandwich. (That’s delicious!) Our favorite thing is the brisket, bean and cheese burrito. You can also get the meat in a quesadilla. Be sure to order some mango salsa and chips and enjoy all of the different BBQ sauces.

Chelsea’s Kitchen. This is near Camelback Mountain in Phoenix. Amazing nachos, burgers, taco platters, and more. Be sure to enjoy a complimentary little chocolate chip cookie near the hostess stand. If the weather is nice, ask to sit out on the patio.

A Few Favorite Treats Around Phoenix

Balboas. We LOVE their dipped ice cream bars and dipped bananas. After dipping your bar in chocolate, you can choose from a bunch of topping to add to your bar. They also have a selection of delicious baked goods. This is located in Mesa, AZ.

Swig. We are big Swig fans around here. They have loads of soda and you can customize it to your liking. Lots of flavors, fruit, and cream options to add to your drink. There are a few Swig locations. If you aren’t near a Swig, you can go to Sodalicious or Sugar Rush. They are pretty similar. In addition to the drinks, all of these drink shops sell cookies and some other treats.

Great Gadsby. This is located in Gilbert, AZ and they have the most amazing Millionaire Shortbread. Basically like a Twix bar only much more decadent. Plus they have a nice selection of other baked goods like cupcakes, eclairs, macaroons, and cookies.

Topo. We love their soft-serve prickly pear ice cream you can dip in a white chocolate lime or chocolate sauce. This is right by Liberty Market, so after dinner there, walk across the street and enjoy and since cream cone.

Urban Cookies. We love their cookies, cupcakes and bars. Everything is so good! This is located just north of downtown Phoenix. They have gluten-free and vegan options too!

So many amazing food options! These are places that we have visited many times and love to go back to again and again. We hope we’ve helped you discover some great new restaurants to try next time you set out to explore the Phoenix area.