Where to eat.

If a friend flew in tomorrow, this is the list we would hand them. In order.

1. 01

   Pizzeria Bianco$$

   Pizza / Downtown

   Start here. Chris Bianco changed what people think Phoenix food is, and the Margherita still holds up. Go early or go late.

2. 02

   Beckett's Table$$$

   New American / Arcadia

   Where you take people who want to feel taken care of. Short rib, a great wine list, and owners who are actually sommeliers.

3. 03

   Crudo$$$

   Italian / Arcadia

   The one food people always end up talking about. Handmade pasta, house cheese, and cocktails that deserve their own trip.

4. 04

   Little Miss BBQ$$

   Barbecue / Phoenix

   Central Texas brisket that Yelp ranked the single best barbecue in America for 2026. Get there early, they sell out.

5. 05

   Marisco Boys$$$

   Seafood / Seventh Street

   The seafood room everyone is trying to get into right now. Get the aguachile and sit at the bar.

6. 06

   Steak 44$$$$

   Steakhouse / Arcadia

   When it is a real occasion. Dark, polished, and the service is the reason people keep rebooking.

7. 07

   Carolina's Mexican Food$ValueHidden gem

   Mexican / Phoenix

   A tiny counter making flour tortillas by hand since 1968. Cash-cheap, no atmosphere, unbeatable.

8. 08

   Glai Baan$$

   Thai / Phoenix

   People drive from Tucson for this. Order the crab fried rice and whatever the server pushes.

9. 09

   Tee Pee Mexican Food$$ValueHidden gem

   Mexican / Phoenix

   Sonoran-style since 1956, and the room has not changed much. That is the whole point.

10. 10

    La Grande Orange$$

    Cafe / Arcadia

    The Arcadia corner that does everything: pizza, breakfast, a grocery, a patio. Weekend mornings are a scene.

Punches well above what you pay. Take the whole family without thinking about it.

• Taco Viva$Value

  Mexican / Phoenix

  A 4.7-star taco shop good enough to crack Yelp's national Top 100 at No. 52.

• Carolina's Mexican Food$ValueHidden gem

  Mexican / Phoenix

  A tiny counter making flour tortillas by hand since 1968. Cash-cheap, no atmosphere, unbeatable.

• Tee Pee Mexican Food$$ValueHidden gem

  Mexican / Phoenix

  Sonoran-style since 1956, and the room has not changed much. That is the whole point.

• Da Vang$ValueHidden gem

  Vietnamese / Phoenix

  Strip-mall Vietnamese with a massive menu, from pho to banh mi.

• Huarachis$Value

  Mexican / Roosevelt Row

  Casual, generous and deeply satisfying, right by the murals.

• Pad Thai Cafe$ValueHidden gem

  Thai / Phoenix

  A no-frills Thai standby that keeps topping local lists.

• Corazon de Agave$$

  Mexican / Phoenix

  No. 41 in the country on Yelp's 2026 Top 100: enchiladas suizas, cochinita pibil and a serious mole negro.

• Taco Viva$Value

  Mexican / Phoenix

  A 4.7-star taco shop good enough to crack Yelp's national Top 100 at No. 52.

• Testal$$Hidden gem

  Mexican / Grand Avenue

  Hand-pressed masa and northern Mexican cooking on Grand Avenue. Locals guard this one.

• Carolina's Mexican Food$ValueHidden gem

  Mexican / Phoenix

  A tiny counter making flour tortillas by hand since 1968. Cash-cheap, no atmosphere, unbeatable.

• Tee Pee Mexican Food$$ValueHidden gem

  Mexican / Phoenix

  Sonoran-style since 1956, and the room has not changed much. That is the whole point.

Also worth it: El Chullo, Okay Maguey, Blanco Cocina + Cantina, Huarachis, Richardson's

• Pizzeria Bianco$$

  Pizza / Downtown

  Start here. Chris Bianco changed what people think Phoenix food is, and the Margherita still holds up. Go early or go late.

• Crudo$$$

  Italian / Arcadia

  The one food people always end up talking about. Handmade pasta, house cheese, and cocktails that deserve their own trip.

• Parlor$$

  Italian / Phoenix

  Pizza and handmade pasta with sauces from produce grown in garden boxes out front.

• Nook Kitchen$$

  Italian / Central Phoenix

  Some of the best Neapolitan pizza in town, plus handmade pastas.

• Tutti Santi Ristorante$$$

  Italian / Phoenix

  Nina's long-running kitchen, a Phoenix Italian benchmark.

Also worth it: Adela's Italian, Di Maggio's, Michelina's

• Da Vang$ValueHidden gem

  Vietnamese / Phoenix

  Strip-mall Vietnamese with a massive menu, from pho to banh mi.

• Glai Baan$$

  Thai / Phoenix

  People drive from Tucson for this. Order the crab fried rice and whatever the server pushes.

• Lom Wong$$$

  Thai / Phoenix

  Regional Thai cooking that lands on every serious Valley list.

• Chanpen Thai Cuisine$$

  Thai / Phoenix

  A longtime Thai standby locals keep in rotation.

• Seido Sushi$$$

  Sushi / Phoenix

  Precise, quiet sushi away from the noise.

Also worth it: Sushi No Mexican Roll, Mr. Baan's Bar and Mookata, Pad Thai Cafe, Thai E-San, Yutaka Japanese Restaurant, Pure Thai Kitchen

• Marisco Boys$$$

  Seafood / Seventh Street

  The seafood room everyone is trying to get into right now. Get the aguachile and sit at the bar.

• Steak 44$$$$

  Steakhouse / Arcadia

  When it is a real occasion. Dark, polished, and the service is the reason people keep rebooking.

• Stockyards$$$

  Steakhouse / Phoenix

  Arizona's original steakhouse, open since 1947. Aged steaks and prime rib in a Wild West saloon room.

• The Capital Grille$$$$

  Steakhouse / Biltmore

  Hand-cut, house-dry-aged steaks and a serious wine list at Biltmore Fashion Park.

• Durant's$$$

  Steakhouse / Central Phoenix

  A red-leather Phoenix institution. Everyone enters through the kitchen.

Also worth it: Lincoln Steakhouse & Bar, Wren & Wolf

• Bobby-Q$$

  Barbecue / Phoenix

  Big-portion barbecue and steaks, a Valley staple since 2005.

• Naked Q BBQ$$

  Barbecue / Phoenix

  Top-rated Phoenix barbecue without the fuss.

• Beckett's Table$$$

  New American / Arcadia

  Where you take people who want to feel taken care of. Short rib, a great wine list, and owners who are actually sommeliers.

• Ingo's Tasty Food$$

  American / Arcadia

  Burgers, bowls and a patio that stays busy.

• Little Miss BBQ$$

  Barbecue / Phoenix

  Central Texas brisket that Yelp ranked the single best barbecue in America for 2026. Get there early, they sell out.

Also worth it: Copper State Barbecue, Gibson's Smokehouse, Golden Oak Barbecue + Taproom, The Henry, The Gladly, Windsor, The Macintosh

• Hash Kitchen$$

  Brunch / Arcadia

  Build-your-own bloody mary bar and a room that runs loud and fun.

• La Grande Orange$$

  Cafe / Arcadia

  The Arcadia corner that does everything: pizza, breakfast, a grocery, a patio. Weekend mornings are a scene.

• Original Breakfast House$$

  Breakfast / Phoenix

  Rated the best breakfast in the area year after year. Diner classics with a twist.

• Brunch Snob$$

  Brunch / Phoenix

  Elevated brunch without the attitude. Order the Mother Clucker.

• JOJO Coffeehouse$$

  Brunch / Phoenix

  Coffee and a proper breakfast in one stop.

Also worth it: Sunshine Breakfast Bar, The Toasted Owl Cafe, Sophia's A Brunch Counter

• Press Coffee$

  Coffee roaster / Phoenix

  Voted best roaster by both New Times and PHOENIX magazine.

• Provision Coffee$

  Coffee / Phoenix

  One of the city's strongest bean stops.

• Giant Coffee$

  Coffee / Phoenix

  A midtown standby with a proper morning crowd.

• Lola Coffee$

  Coffee / Phoenix

  Central Phoenix's reliable pour.

• Songbird Coffee & Tea House$Hidden gem

  Coffee / Roosevelt Row

  A tiny bungalow shop on the downtown coffee crawl.

Also worth it: Futuro Coffee, Cortez Coffee Roasters, Lux Central, Jobot Coffee & Bar, Sip Coffee & Beer, Cafecito

• Kid Sister$$Hidden gem

  Wine bar / Phoenix

  A neighborhood wine bar with seasonally rotating tapas: broccoli toast with red curry, beef tataki, good pours.

• Postino Arcadia$$

  Wine cafe / Arcadia

  The original, in a former post office. Bruschetta boards started here.

• O.H.S.O. Brewery$$

  Brewery / Arcadia

  Nano-brewery and distillery right on the canal, dog people welcome.

• Greenwood Brewing$$

  Brewery / Roosevelt Row

  Female-owned brewery in the arts district, light and airy.

• Four Peaks Brewing$$

  Brewery / Phoenix

  Home of Kilt Lifter, the state's best-known beer.

Also worth it: Arizona Wilderness DTPHX, Spire Bar, Front Pourch Brewing, Luana's Coffee & Beer

• Nami Korean Kitchen & Sushi$$

  Korean / Phoenix

  Korean plates and sushi under one roof.

• Green Corner Restaurant$$Hidden gem

  Mediterranean / Phoenix

  Fresh Mediterranean plates at neighborhood prices.

People’s Choice

Phoenix picks its favorite.

Our top 10 is on the ballot. Vote for your favorite, and if the one you love is missing, write it in below. Enough requests and it makes the list.

1. 1

   Pizzeria Bianco

   Pizza

   Vote
2. 2

   Beckett's Table

   New American

   Vote
3. 3

   Crudo

   Italian

   Vote
4. 4

   Little Miss BBQ

   Barbecue

   Vote
5. 5

   Marisco Boys

   Seafood

   Vote
6. 6

   Steak 44

   Steakhouse

   Vote
7. 7

   Carolina's Mexican Food

   Mexican

   Vote
8. 8

   Glai Baan

   Thai

   Vote
9. 9

   Tee Pee Mexican Food

   Mexican

   Vote
10. 10

    La Grande Orange

    Cafe

    Vote

No votes yet. Cast the first one.

One vote per person, per city. Change your pick anytime.