10 most notable restaurant & bar openings in December

In roughly chronological order:

🍝 Élephante: The upscale coastal Italian restaurant from Santa Monica, Calif., opens a second location in the former Crate & Barrel space at Scottsdale Fashion Square. (see story)

🍣 Three Thirty Three: The high-end Asian-inspired concept is the long-awaited flagship restaurant at The Watermark development overlooking Tempe Town Lake. (see story)

🌮 Moe’s Southwest Grill: The fast-casual chain of Mexican restaurants with a Southwest twist returns to Arizona with a new location in Goodyear. (see story)

🌮 Blanco Reserva: Fox Restaurant Concepts debuts an elevated version of its Blanco Cocina & Cantina at PV in northeast Phoenix. (see story)

🍕 Russo’s New York Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen: The international chain based in Houston makes its Arizona debut at Cannon Beach in southeast Mesa. (see story)

🍕 Johnny T’s Brooklyn Pizzeria: One of the owners of former viral sensation Andiamo Pizzeria reopens a new pizzeria in its central Scottsdale space. (see story)

🍝 Saint Pasta, a popular Italian food truck that left its brick-and-mortar home at The Pemberton in 2022, takes over the old The Larder & The Delta space in downtown Phoenix. (see story)

🐐 Flavor Eatery & Lounge: The American-Caribbean fusion restaurant moves into the space formerly home to short-lived Ted’s Refreshments at Hayden Square in downtown Tempe. (see story)

🍽️ Flour & Thyme: Chef Ivan Jacobo’s sibling concept to his fine-dining Anhelo opens in Anhelo’s former space at the Orpheum Lofts in downtown Phoenix. (see story)

🤠 Not My First Rodeo: The country-western bar and restaurant takes over the former Geisha a Go Go space in Old Town Scottdale. (see story)

You can find all of December’s restaurant and bar openings here.