Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, which means the spooky season stretches all week long. Restaurants and bars across the Valley are getting in on the fun with themed menus, pop-ups and festive sips. Here are some of the highlights worth sinking your teeth into.
Jim Bob’s Burgers: ‘Books and Belchers’
9 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday & Saturday at Worth Takeaway in downtown Mesa
Worth Takeaway’s beloved annual Bob’s Burgers pop-up is back, and this year’s theme is literary: think Lord of the Onion Ring and Wuthering Bites. Expect a ‘‘Burger of the Day’’-style menu, decor inspired by the show’s restaurant, staff in character, and themed merch. Costumes are encouraged but not required.
Bookworms, take note: through the BOB-IT reading program with Mesa Public Library, readers can pick up an October reading log at Worth Takeaway, Myke’s Pizza, or the Mesa Public Library downtown, then bring it to the pop-up for a BOB-IT pin (while supplies last), which earns a free personal pizza at Myke’s Pizza.
Smoke & Savor: Halloween Edition
5:30-8 p.m. Wednesday at Quiessence in south Phoenix
Something wicked is coming off the smoker. This Halloween pop-up pairs smoky fall flavors with lawn games and a movie under the stars at The Farm at South Mountain. The centerpiece is a $65 smokehouse meal kit (serves 1-2) with Graveyard Brisket, Hollow’s Eve Pulled Pork, Crypt Wedge Salad, Witch’s Fingers (pickled cucumbers), Dirty Little Secret Rice, and Jack-o’-Lantern Cornbread.
Cocktails, beer, wine and desserts are sold separately, and costumes are encouraged. Kits are available on-site while supplies last, or reserve yours in advance online.
Hulaween
All week at all three Hula’s Modern Tiki locations
Hula’s is putting the creepy in tiki with Spooky Seasonal Sips, and each location pours its own lineup. Cocktails are $12 unless noted, and mocktails are $8.
- Uptown Phoenix: Order the Witches’ Brew, a caramel-apple rum punch, or Pumpkin in the Dark ($15), made with coffee liqueur, whipped cream vodka and cold brew. The mocktail is the Monster Mash.
- Old Town Scottsdale: Try the Morgue-a-Rita, a blackberry-ginger margarita, or the Last Drops of Lestat, with gold rum and Orange Crush. The mocktail is the Ghoul Whip, a green take on Dole Whip.
- High Street: Go for the Oogie Boogie Man, which pairs pandan liqueur with aged rum, or Witch Season, a gin drink with elderflower and blackberry. The mocktail is the Pumpkin Kahuna.
Hash-O-Ween
Thursday-Saturday at all six Hash Kitchen locations
Brunch gets ghoulish with Graveyard Cannoli Donuts topped with Oreo crumbles and gummy worms, Monster Mash Mimosas finished with caramel apple or pumpkin spice cotton candy, and Dracula’s Bloody Mary with a spicy chamoy rim and a set of novelty dentures.
On Halloween, DJs spin spooky tunes at every location, and select spots offer build-your-own trick-or-treat totes for loyalty members. Bonus: through Saturday, buy $100 in gift cards and get $30 back.
Spooky Island
Through Sunday at The Hot Chick in Old Town Scottsdale
Ruh-roh! The Hot Chick has been taken over by Spooky Island, an immersive ‘‘Scooby-Doo’’=themed Halloween pop-up with themed decor, photo ops, and a menu of seasonal bites and sips.
Look for the Scooby Snack, Ruh Roh Rita, Piña Ghoulada, the shareable Spooky Island Punch, and the towering Super Shaggy Sandwich. Book through OpenTable.
Oreo Dirt Cake Bundtlet
All week at all 15 Nothing Bundt Cake locations
For a treat that doubles as a hostess gift or party favor, Nothing Bundt Cakes debuts a personal-sized Oreo Dirt Cake Bundtlet: chocolate cake studded with Oreo cookie pieces, filled with chocolate pudding, and crowned with a gummy worm. It’s a sweet pick for under $10.
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