It was a very busy year for launching restaurants, breweries, and bars in the East Valley, which saw more than 100 newcomers open their doors.
Some are additional locations of existing concepts, such as The Brass Tap in downtown Gilbert, Uncle Bear’s Brewery Taproom & Yard in south Gilbert, and Brooklyn V’s Pizza in south Chandler.
But there are plenty of brand new faces as well. Here are 27 of the most notable food and drink concepts that made their E.V. debuts in 2018, including a half-dozen that opened just this month:
Tempe Public Market Cafe: All-day neighborhood hangout on the northeast corner of Rural and Warner in south Tempe is the third Valley restaurant from chef Aaron Chamberlain and his brother, Dave. (January)
Flying Basset Brewing: Airline pilot Rob Gagnon and his wife, Sara, named their Gilbert brewpub on the northeast corner of Cooper and Ray after their basset hounds, Lieutenant Dan and Angela Basset. (January)
The Social Hall: Restaurant and bar offering American food with Latin American influences moves into longtime Minder Binders building on the northeast corner of McClintock and University in Tempe. (January)
Tres Tempe: This office park restaurant blends flavors from three regions – the American Southwest, Spain, and the Mediterranean – into one ambitious menu on the west side of Price about a quarter mile south of Guadalupe. (February)
Osteria: Rustic Italian restaurant on the southeast corner of McKellips and Alta Mesa in northeast Mesa offers an all-day menu with coffee drinks, salads, housemade pastas, and wood-fired pizzas and meats. (March)
The Nitro Live Icecreamery: Dessert shop on the northwest corner of Cooper and Warner in Gilbert offers custom-made ice cream dishes frozen with liquid nitrogen while customers watch. (March)
OHSO Gilbert: Jon Lane finally opens the first E.V. location of his popular, pooch-friendly brewpub in downtown Gilbert, which includes a second, separate restaurant – The Novelist – within the restaurant. (April)
Las Palmas Cantina: Mill Avenue entrepreneur Julian Wright ventures to downtown Chandler to transform the former Vintage 95 on Boston Street, a block west of Arizona Avenue, into a Mexican street-style seafood haven. (May)
QuartHaus: Peter Sciacca’s beer and wine bar is part of a gated half-acre complex with a basketball court, grassy area, and soon-to-open market on the southeast corner of Washington and Chicago in downtown Chandler. (May)
Farmboy Market, Meats, Sandwiches: Oren Molovinsky’s smokehouse restaurant and small market on the southwest corner of Alma School and Queen Creek in south Chandler specializes in local meats and produce. (May)
Hash Kitchen: One of Scottsdale’s most popular brunch spots – whose signature offerings include a flight of mimosas – makes its E.V. debut near Whole Foods on the southeast corner of the Loop 101 and Ray in Chandler. (July)
Cotton & Copper: Craft restaurant and bar, which pays homage to Arizona and its Territorial past on the northeast corner of Rural and Warner in Tempe, snagged rising star chef Tamara Stanger from Helio Basin Brewing. (August)
Ghost Ranch: The Chamberlain brothers launch their second E.V. project of the year, a modern Southwest restaurant on the same corner as their Tempe Public Market Cafe (listed above) in south Tempe. (September)
Sonsons Pasty Company: Cornwall natives Julie Groom and her mother, Sonia ‘‘Sonson’’ Williams, offer made-from-scratch stuffed pasties on the northeast corner of Recker and Brown in northeast Mesa. (September)
The White Rabbit Bar: Prohibition Era-themed basement speakeasy on the northeast corner of Gilbert and Cullumber in downtown Gilbert pairs a menu of small bites with classic handcrafted cocktails. (September)
Jin Shabu: The East Valley’s first Korean-style shabu-shabu restaurant opens in the Lee Lee International Supermarket plaza on the northeast corner of Dobson and Warner in Chandler. (October)
Four Silos Craft Coffee & Beer House: All-day restaurant and bar takes over the former Yo Waffle space at the south end of the Bashas’ plaza on the southeast corner of Higley and Elliot in northeast Gilbert. (October)
Hundred North Bar Kitchen: The owners of Gilbert Convenience Mart open a Mediterranean-influenced restaurant next door on the northwest corner of Gilbert Road and Bruce Avenue. (October)
Snakes & Lattes: Canada-based ‘‘board game cafe’’ concept, which offers a full menu of game-friendly foods, opens its first U.S. location in the former Z’Tejas building on Sixth Street, just west of Mill, in downtown Tempe. (October)
Elbows Mac N Cheese: California-based concept dedicated to America’s favorite comfort food – and other cheesy dishes – makes its Arizona debut on the southeast corner of Gilbert Road and the Santan Freeway in Gilbert. (November)
Galeto Brazilian Steakhouse: Award-winning, all-you-can-eat Oakland, Calif., restaurant launches national expansion plans with a location on the southeast corner of the I-10 and Ray in west Chandler. (December)
Varsity Tavern: Texas-based upscale sports bar and nightclub takes over prominent second-floor home vacated by Hooters on the southeast corner of Mill and Fifth Street in downtown Tempe. (December)
Bonchon: Seoul-based restaurant chain famous for its Korean-style chicken wings makes its Arizona debut in the former America’s Taco Shop space on the northwest corner of Kyrene and Elliot in south Tempe. (December)
Helluva Brewing: With a motto of ‘‘Suds and Smoke,’’ this Chandler brewpub on the northeast corner of McClintock and Ray features a delicious menu of ribs, tri-tip, pulled pork, and other smoked items. (December)
Desert Monks Brewing:Â Five Intel coworkers with a passion for home brewing open a brewery and taproom at Gilbert Town Square, a shopping and entertainment complex on Gilbert Road between Warner and Ray. (December)
Flix Brewhouse: After a delay of nearly two years, downtown Chandler finally sees the opening of a brewery/cinema concept on the southwest corner of Arizona Avenue and Chandler Boulevard. (December)
