Yelp's annual ranking of the 25 best new restaurants in the country put Filthy Animal on Mill Avenue at No. 1, Phoenix New Times reports. The jungle-themed restaurant from Pretty Decent Concepts took over the former P.F. Chang's space at the bottom of the Mill Avenue district and cooks over an open fire, with a menu that pulls from Asian, Mexican and tropical flavors. Yelp called it a "serious dining destination."
Source: Phoenix New TimesRusso's New York Pizzeria publicity photograph accompanying the opening announcement. Image source: What Now Phoenix
Russo's New York Pizzeria is now open at 521 S. College Ave., its second Arizona location, What Now Phoenix reports. Local franchisees Kristina and Christian Alvarez serve giant New York slices, a 28-inch Giant Party Pizza, fresh pasta, chicken parmesan and Italian sandwiches. The dough ferments for 24 hours and the kitchen cooks with no seed oils.
Source: What Now PhoenixThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Living Faith Pumpkin Patch, 1945 E. Guadalupe Road, runs Oct. 21 to 31 and is free, with a scavenger hunt and yard games, according to Raising Arizona Kids' 2026 pumpkin patch guide.
Source: Raising Arizona KidsThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Fear Farm at 1475 N. McClintock Dr. says its Field of Fear Maze officially opens Saturday, Sept. 26, with haunts running select nights through Nov. 14. This year's lineup includes Beyond the Veil, Mr. Tasty's Funhouse and Sirens Wake, plus carnival rides. Tickets are sold online.
Pup Festival takes over Tempe Marketplace, 2000 E. Rio Salado Pkwy., on Sunday, Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There are dog races for wieners, small dogs and big dogs, a costume contest, an agility course, rescue adoptions, pet vendors and pup cups. It is a free dog event.
Source: Pup Festival (Eventbrite)Oktoberfest publicity photograph; not documentation of the upcoming edition. Image source: Downtown Tempe
Four Peaks Oktoberfest returns to Tempe Beach Park, 80 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., Oct. 9 to 11. Hours are Friday and Saturday 5 p.m. to midnight and Sunday noon to 10 p.m. Admission is free, with German food, beer tents, live music from rock to polka, a carnival and the Runnin' for the Brats 10K, 5K and 1K. Organizers call it a Tempe tradition of more than 50 years, and it benefits Tempe Sister Cities.
Source: Downtown TempeThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Tempe Marketplace hosts Boo to Bloom on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 5 to 8 p.m., at The District Stage, 2000 E. Rio Salado Pkwy. Families can trick-or-treat from store to store and join Dia de los Muertos activities, a costume contest, face painting, crafts and giveaways. Raffles benefit Make-A-Wish.
Source: Tempe MarketplaceThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Phantom Fox Beer Co. and its partner pizzeria Goat & Ram are expanding from downtown Mesa into the former Illegal Pete's at 525 S. Mill Ave., near Fifth Street, opening Oct. 8. Phoenix New Times reports 20 brews on tap, including a seasonal OktoberFox Marzen, alongside Goat & Ram's bubbly pies topped with smoked marinara, pepperoni and Italian sausage. It is one of several bar-and-restaurant duos splitting one roof around the Valley this fall.
Source: Phoenix New TimesThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Valley Dollz is planning a soft launch on Oct. 2 at 511 W. University Drive, What Now Phoenix reports. The idea came from the founder selling her own brand at pop-up markets and hearing other women vendors ask for one shared storefront. Inside, women-owned businesses rent racks or shelves, so shoppers find Y2K fashion, vintage and secondhand clothing, jewelry, skincare, soap and handmade goods in one place, plus work by local women artists and a workshop space for classes.
Source: What Now PhoenixThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mia Culpa, the cocktail lounge tucked inside Scott Conant's Roman God of Fire at 80 S. Rio Salado Parkway, opens September 25, per Phoenix New Times' fall preview. Guests get a confessional moment before they are admitted to the vice-inspired bar. It is from Pretty Decent Concepts, the group behind the airplane-themed Carry On and the hidden lounges Drop Dead Gorgeous, Filthy and Trophy Room, so expect inventive drinks in an over-the-top room.
Source: Phoenix New TimesThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Downtown Tempe's running list of new businesses puts three additions in September 2026: Russo's NY Pizza, The Sandwich Spot at College and 6th, and Rally House at 7th and Mill. They join a 2026 class that already includes Roman God of Fire at Rio and Mill, Culinary Gangster near 5th and Mill, Ciao Pizza at 6th and Maple, and OG Taco and CASA Cantina at 6th and Mill. Still on the coming-soon list: Phantom Fox Beer Co. with Goat & Ram near 6th and Mill and Novel Ice Cream on 5th, both estimated this fall, plus Level 1 Arcade Bar at University and Mill in November. Opening dates move, and the district updates the list as it learns more.
Source: Downtown Tempe AuthorityDowntown Tempe location photograph; not a photograph of the announced market. Image source: Tempe Independent
The Tempe City Hall Farmers Market launches Sunday, Oct. 11, the Tempe Independent reports, with small-business vendors selling produce, baked goods, ready-to-eat food and handmade items. It runs 8 a.m. to noon from October through April and 7 to 11 a.m. from May through September. The market is organized by Jon Przybyl of Proof Bread and Meg Kabotie Adakai, founder of the Flagstaff Mountain Town Market, in partnership with the city. Mayor Corey Woods called it a place to shop, spend time together and enjoy downtown Tempe.
Source: Tempe IndependentThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Tempe's free Movies in the Park is back on the north soccer fields at Kiwanis Park, Baseline Road and Ash Avenue, at dusk (about 6:30 p.m.) on Oct. 2 (GOAT), Oct. 9 (Hoppers) and Oct. 16 (The Goonies), the city's parks newsletter says. Oct. 23 adds the free Family BOO Bash from 6 to 10 p.m.: costume parade and contest at 6:30, train rides, face painting, a dance party, then Toy Story 5 at 7:30. Come early for the Tempe Play Mobile, live music from Casey Ryan and snow cones.
Source: City of Tempe Parks & RecreationThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Urban Hip-E, a healthy eatery, made its Arizona debut at 950 S. Mill Ave., per Copper Courier's Sept. 10 list of new metro Phoenix restaurants. Tempe landed seven spots on that list, including Motherboard, a vegan deli at 2240 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 113; Daydreamer Coffee at 1020 E. Apache Blvd.; Social Bean at 715 S. McClintock Drive; and French Toast Cafe at 1245 W. Elliot Road.
Source: Copper CourierThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Roman God of Fire, the newest project from Pretty Decent Concepts and chef Scott Conant, is open at 52 E. Rio Salado Parkway with woodfired Italian cooking. Copper Courier's Sept. 10 roundup of August openings lists rigatoni alla carbonara, pizza bianca and a 12-ounce New York strip on the menu. It shares the list with six other new Tempe spots, including Culinary Gangster and Urban Hip-E on Mill Avenue and Daydreamer Coffee on Apache Boulevard.
Source: Copper CourierThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nothing Bundt Cakes opens its Tempe Marketplace bakery Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 2010 E. Rio Salado Parkway, Suite 120. The center's listing says the "First 300 Guests upon Nothing Bundt Cakes' opening at 9 AM will each receive one (1) FREE Confetti Bundtlet," while supplies last and limit one per guest. The giveaway is tied to the brand's National Bring the Joy Day celebration, listed from 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Source: Tempe Marketplace eventsThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Desert Dance Theatre presents the 27th Annual Arizona Dance Festival on Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 24 to 26, 2026 at the Tempe Center for the Arts Studio, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway. The festival features more than 30 dance artists and companies from around Arizona and out of state, with a different lineup each night and a post-show Q and A with the choreographers. Interactive pre-show performances in the TCA lobby are free and open to the public, 6:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 6 to 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $20 for students and groups of 10 or more, $23 senior and military, $25 adult, plus service fees, through the TCA box office.
The city bought the 1912 Tempe National Bank building at 526 S. Mill Ave. and closed on the 1898 Tempe Hardware building at 520 S. Mill Ave. A plan to lease both to local small businesses goes to a final council vote Sept. 10. Consignment shop Tempe Toes already operates in the hardware building.
Source: HoodlineThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Downtown Tempe lists Carmen at Sixth and Mill with an estimated fall 2026 opening, part of a run of new Mill Avenue spots that also includes Rally House and Novel Ice Cream.
Source: Downtown Tempe AuthorityThe Sandwich Spot brand food photography; the Tempe storefront is not pictured. Image source: RestaurantNews.com
The Sandwich Spot opens its newest location in Tempe on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. The chain is known for made-to-order specialty sandwiches, signature housemade sauces and fresh-baked bread, and lists full sandwiches at $13.95, halves at $8.95 and lunch specials at $8.50. The Tempe store is owned and operated by franchise partners Timothy Redelsperger and Mike Sayre. A street address was not given in the announcement.
Source: RestaurantNews.comThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Downtown Tempe lists SINGALONG BROADWAY at Tempe Center for the Arts on Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. The same calendar has Dancing for one-n-ten at the center Sept. 12 and a Pedal Haus beer pairing dinner Sept. 3. Admission details are not posted on the calendar, so check with the venue.
Source: Downtown TempeThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Four Peaks Oktoberfest lists Oct. 9, 10 and 11 in Tempe, with free general admission and VIP passes for sale. The event benefits Tempe Sister Cities, and organizers call it a Tempe tradition celebrating more than 50 years. The official page lists conflicting hours for the final day, so confirm times there before you go.
Source: Four Peaks OktoberfestThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
Phoenix New Times reports Culinary Gangster opens Aug. 27 at 501 S. Mill Ave., Mea Culpa follows Sept. 25 at 52 E. Rio Salado Parkway, and Carmen is targeting late September to early October at 640 S. Mill Ave. Phantom Fox Beer Co. and Goat and Ram are still listed for Oct. 8.
Source: Phoenix New TimesThe Tempe skyline. Area context photograph; the business or event in this story is not pictured. Photo: Siphonophora · CC BY-SA 4.0
PHOENIX magazine's July openings roundup lists Bar Ocho at 715 S. Rural Road, doing street tacos, smashburgers, crispy habanero wings and handcrafted cocktails. Delhi Palace also relocated to 801 E. Apache Boulevard with curries, tandoori and an unlimited buffet.
