5 to try: Where to eat dinner before a show at the Mesa Arts Center

Nunthaporn’s Thai Cuisine

In 2009, owner-chef Nunthaporn Treekamol moved her well-respected restaurant from just off U.S. 60 to downtown Mesa (map) in order to be near the arts center. Her menu features more than 60 traditional Thai dishes, including seven different curries and five kinds of fried rice. About two-thirds of the dishes are $12 or less.

Republica Empanada

Empanadas come with a choice of 14 savory fillings or seven sweet ones at this pan-Latin bistro (map) from Mesa native Marco Meraz, whose grandmother, Jinette Meraz, provides the recipes for the fist-sized pastries. You’ll want two or three empanadas for a meal; fortunately, they’re just $3.50-$3.95 apiece.

Worth Takeaway

If you’re one of those people who think sandwiches are an art form, you’ll find the sandwiches at this family-run shop (map) are museum-quality masterpieces. Pretty much anything not made in-house is purchased from local purveyors. Tip: You also can order sandwiches while sitting at Oro Brewing next door.

Il Vinaio

This roomy restaurant and wine bar (map) combines the menu of a fine-dining restaurant with the casual atmosphere of a neighborhood wine cafe. Entree prices – mostly $15-$19 – are about half of what you’d pay for similar fare in a Scottsdale ZIP code. Happy hour specials run 2-6 p.m. every day except Mondays.

Mangos Mexican Cafe

Long before Chipotle and its copycats invaded the Valley, downtown Mesa had its own hugely popular fast-casual burrito and taco shop (map) – one with a much more diverse menu. Prices aren’t as cheap as two decades ago, but little else has changed over the years. The thick-cut chips and salsa remain some of the best you’ll find.