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🇩🇪 Kings Döner: A must-visit for döner lovers, this north Phoenix shop serves up authentic German-style döners (pictured) – tender, spiced-to-perfection shaved meats served on panini-pressed pide flatbread, complemented by crunchy vegetables and tangy sauces. Flavorful and satisfying.
🔥 Chubby Skewers: Nestled in southwest Mesa, Chubby Skewers offers a vibrant dive into northeast China street food. With savory grilled meats and colorful veggies, the menu’s build-and-grill-your-own options are a skewered dream. You and your friends can have a sizzling good time until 2 a.m. nightly.
🥒 Little Pickle: This former Jewish deli pop-up, now firmly rooted at the Esplanade in Phoenix, is all about big flavor in small packages. Artisanal sandwiches like its signature pastrami, house-roasted turkey, and classic egg salad are both delicious and nostalgic.
🍸 Shiv Supper Club: Looking for an elevated yet intimate dining experience in Old Town Scottsdale? Shiv’s modern speakeasy vibe is matched by a menu featuring global influences with a local flair. Expect innovative cocktails, bold flavors, and a selection of memorable dishes.
🥤 Milkshake Factory: Beyond classic milkshakes, this sugar lover’s dream come true in south Chandler pushes the boundaries with decadent toppings like candy overloads and house-made whipped cream. It’s a playful, nostalgic throwback with an Instagram-worthy aesthetic.
Joe’s Crab Shack in Tempe
🦀 Joe’s Crab Shack has closed its longtime Arizona Mills location – the Houston-based chain’s last remaining restaurant in Arizona. The casual seafood concept had 138 locations nationwide in 2017, but that number steadily has dwindled to just 16 today.
RnR Gastropub in Scottsdale
🍔 RnR Gastropub, the Old Town venue perhaps best known for its large two-story patio overlooking Scottsdale Road, has shut down after 15 years. It’s the latest closure from Evening Entertainment Group, which shuttered its final Sandbar in 2024 and Chauncey Social in April.
Gruyere & tomato ice cream, anyone?
🍨 Salt & Straw, the Portland-based ice cream shop in Gilbert, has released its annual Summer Pie Series. This year’s most unusual flavor? Gruyere and Tomato Custard Tart – made with tomato jam and cheese baked into a tart that’s diced and mixed into salt and pepper custard ice cream.
🍔 Virtù Honest Craft in Scottsdale has launched a Burger at the Bar series. Every Wednesday in June. an all-new burger will be served at the bar – and only 12 burgers will be made each night. This week’s burger: a triple-stack smash with sherry caramelized onion and bacon piquillo marmellata.
🍝 Élephante, the recently opened upscale coastal Italian restaurant at Scottsdale Fashion Square, has turned last month’s Arizona Restaurant Week offer into a summer lunch special available 11 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays. The three-course prix-fixe menu is $40 per person.
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Acclaimed baker & coffee roaster teaming up
🚧 A new coffee and bake shop with an impressive pedigree is coming to downtown Phoenix this summer. MXSW Insiders can read about it here.
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