Arizona BBQ Company
Can’t decide between barbecue and Mexican food? This Gilbert smokehouse blends both cuisines into enticements such as brisket tacos, pulled pork burritos, and loaded chicharrons (pork cracklings made in-house). A sauce bar offers six varieties, including a tangy chipotle sauce. If you can save room – and it will be difficult – churros and sopapillas await for dessert. 1534 E. Ray Road, Gilbert (map), 480-361-4180.
Arizona Wilderness Brewing
If your guests are craft beer drinkers, this Gilbert brewpub is a must visit. Voted the best new brewery in world by RateBeer.com in 2014, Wilderness features an ever-changing lineup of beers brewed with Arizona grains, produce, nuts, and other local products. Creative burgers made with Arizona grass-fed beef and locally baked buns highlight a top-notch menu. 721 N. Arizona Ave., Gilbert (map), 480-497-2739.
The Chuckbox
In a metro area where new restaurants seem to pop up daily, this rustic shack adjacent to ASU has been feeding hungry college students since 1972. The menu is simple: Delicious burgers (or, if you must, chicken breasts) grilled on a mesquite grill and topped with jalapeño jack cheese and green chiles. About the only thing that has changed since the ’70s is it now serves beer. 202 E. University Drive, Tempe (map), 480-968-4712.
Cotton & Copper
Taking its name from two of the historic ‘‘Five C’s’’ that built Arizona’s economy (the others being cattle, citrus, and climate), this south Tempe public house showcases the bounty of Arizona. The menu, designed to look like a Territorial-era newspaper, offers Arizona-themed cocktails and dishes like tepary bean spread, corn dumplings, rabbit bolognese lasagna, and venison medallions. 1006 E. Warner Road, Tempe (map), 480-629-4270.
Farmboy
Smoked meats sourced from Arizona ranches, produce from Arizona farms, and bread and rolls baked in-house from Arizona grains are the building blocks for the farm-to-table menu at this fast-casual restaurant and market in south Chandler. The scratch kitchen pickles its own vegetables and makes its own mayo and ketchup. Even the beers and wines are from Arizona. 1075 W. Queen Creek Road, Chandler (map), 480-361-2153.
Kai
If money is no object, the high-end showcase at Wild Horse Pass resort southwest of Chandler is Arizona’s most acclaimed restaurant. The menu features Native American cuisine with global accents, such as cocoa and mesquite cured duck and mesquite-dusted fry bread. For the ultimate splurge, try one of the multi-course tasting menus, which start around $300 per couple ($500 with wine pairings). 5594 Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Chandler (map), 602-385-5777.
The Ostrich
As the story goes, Chandler founder Dr. A.J. Chandler, a veterinarian who raised ostriches and was the owner of the San Marcos Resort until 1937, stored ostrich feathers in the resort’s basement, which at some point was sealed off for decades before being rediscovered and turned into a vintage craft cocktail lounge in 2015. Italian food can be ordered from the pizzeria upstairs. 10 N. San Marcos Place, Chandler (map), 480-917-4903.
Pier 54
Out-of-state visitors enjoy few things more than eating and dining outdoors while there’s waist-high snow back home. Most Valley restaurants have patios, but this Tempe waterfront bar and grill is all patio and overlooks an urban lake. The menu focuses on salads, sandwiches, burgers, and tacos. Not hungry? You can simply lounge with a cocktail while listening to live music. 5394 S. Lakeshore Drive, Tempe (map), 480-820-0660.
Queen Creek Olive Mill
Arizona’s only working olive farm and mill offers hourly tours of its 100-acre operation, which includes a market, restaurant, and huge patio. You can buy bottles of olive oil in dozens of flavors – such as chile, Mexican lime, bacon, or dark chocolate – as well as stuffed olives, tapenades, and many other products. The eatery’s menu of bruschetta, pizzas, panini, and gelato reflects the owners’ Italian heritage. 25062 S. Meridian Road, Queen Creek (map), 480-888-9290.
Rustler’s Rooste
If cowboy kitsch is what you’re looking for, you’ll find it at the Arizona Grand Resort’s western-themed steakhouse in Ahwatukee. Rattlesnake and fries (pictured) is the featured appetizer – you can even buy an ‘‘I Ate the Snake’’ T-shirt – but the menu otherwise safely sticks to steaks, barbecue, and burgers. The food may not be spectacular, but the mountaintop views of the city at night are. 8383 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee (map), 602-431-6474.
San Tan Flat
This western-themed steakhouse at foot of San Tan Mountains in Queen Creek has an open-air bar with picnic tables and campfires around a live-music stage, where there’s country music (and usually dancing) five nights a week. You can eat inside under the dining room’s wagon-wheel chandeliers or order ‘‘takeout’’ to enjoy at one of the picnic tables under the stars. 6185 W. Hunt Highway, Queen Creek (map), 480-882-2995.
Tortilla Flat
A drive up the twisting-turning Apache Trail east of the Valley offers fantastic views of the Superstition Mountains and Canyon Lake – with the perfect rest stop at this former stagecoach stop. Stretch your legs and grab lunch or dinner at the Superstition Saloon, where the walls are covered with dollar bills and the bar stools are saddles. And don’t miss the prickly pear gelato at the country store. 1 Main St., Tortilla Flat (map), 480-984-1776.
