Author: Jess Harter

The co-owners of the now-closed Teakwoods Tavern & Grills in Chandler and Gilbert have been sentenced to jail time and ordered to pay more than $3 million in restitution and fines for failing to pay taxes. George Krotonsky was sentenced to one and

🍕 Today is Star Wars Day – May the 4th be with you – which means Stars Wars-themed food and drink specials around the Valley. For example, Myke’s Pizza in downtown Mesa is celebrating with Star Wars-themed pizzas, such as a Darth Tater Pizza,

🌮🍔 Papa Locos Tacos & Burgers, a self-described halal Mexican restaurant, has opened in the former Jalisience Mexican Food space on the northeast corner of Lindsay and Warner in Gilbert. The fast-casual concept’s original location is in Tucson, and there’s another in Nogales. In addition

Spinato’s Pizzeria & Family Kitchen opens its sixth Valley location at 11 a.m. today at Epicenter at Agritopia on the northwest corner of Higley and Ray in Gilbert. Chicago-style pizzas with a sweet sauce are Spinato’s signature menu item, but there also are sandwiches,

🧾 A pair of Scottsdale restaurants – Maple & Ash and its sibling Etta – have agreed to pay $20,000 in civil penalties for charging diners an extra fee without properly notifying them. The Chicago-based restaurants reportedly had been charging diners an extra 3.5%

You can win free food Saturday when Speedy Street Tacos relocates to the northeast corner of Washington and 40th Street in east Phoenix and rebrands itself as the Valley’s ninth Mesquite Fresh Street Mex. Brothers Naser and Ahmad Alatrash, who opened Speedy Street in 2016,

🌮 Caliente Mexican Grill, a two-year-old fast-casual concept in north Scottsdale, has opened a second location on the southeast corner of Deer Valley and 19th Avenue in north Phoenix. House specialities include the Plato Caliente with steak, chicken, chorizo, and carnitas;

🍍 Rochelle Daniel of Atria in Flagstaff was named Top Chef and Mark Tarbell (pictured) of Tarbell’s in Phoenix received the Food Pioneer Award (aka lifetime achievement award) in the Arizona Restaurant Association’s 2023 Foodist Awards. The full list of this year’s winners, ‘‘as chosen by

🍺 Gilbert-based Arizona Wilderness Brewing will open a fourth location next year on the northwest corner of McDowell and 15th Street in Phoenix. The 10,000-square-foot building formerly was home to a commercial florist. The new location will be similar to the Gilbert

🇲🇽 Tulum Modern Mexican, a fine-dining restaurant inspired by the popular Mexican beach city of Tulum, has opened at the Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale. It’s located on the second level in WaterDance Plaza, next to Kabuki Japanese Restaurant. Tulum’s menu offers a

Award-winning Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue wraps up its 14-year run in Cave Creek with a Going Away Party from 4-9 p.m. Saturday. Owners Bryan and Donna Dooley announced the barbecue joint’s impending closure in February. Saturday’s celebration will feature a buffet with all of BBMB’s

💎 Quartz, the Valley’s newest ‘‘immersive cocktail experience,’’ opens at 4 p.m. today in a storefront space on the southeast corner of Van Buren and Fourth Avenue in downtown Phoenix. It’s the first standalone bar from Instrumental Hospitality (Belly Kitchen & Bar, Sin Muerte) in

🌮 After a long and unlikely journey, Casa Ramos has reopened on the north side of Main Street, between Stapley and Gilbert, in central Mesa after a six-year absence. Ben Ramos debuted Casa Ramos in Heber in 2006. His son, Kenny, opened a

🍔 Paradise Valley Burger Company, which has been serving up award-winning burgers in north Phoenix for the last 12 years, has opened a second location on the southwest corner of Rural and Baseline in south Tempe. The strip-mall space briefly was home

🍝 Old-school Italian restaurant Tomaso’s on Camelback, a Phoenix institution for nearly a half-century, announced it will close May 20. Tomaso Maggiore and his wife, Patricia, opened the restaurant on the southeast corner of Camelback and 32nd Street in 1977. Tomaso

Las Vegas-based Sugar Factory, a celebrity-favored restaurant, bar, ice cream bar, and candy store, will make its Arizona debut May 1 at Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale. A huge menu features lots of savory items – burgers, sandwiches, tacos, pasta, steaks, and more –

🏈 Arizona Wilderness Brewing releases Strong Safety, a hazy triple IPA to benefit the Pat Tillman Foundation, on draft and in cans today at its Gilbert and downtown Phoenix locations. In honor of Tillman’s number (42) when he played football for ASU, 

Duke’s Roadhouse, a new concept from one of the owners of The Stillery, is taking over the former A1 Pawn building near the southwest corner of Maricopa Road and the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway in Maricopa. Steve Kovach, a Chandler developer, says

BYOV, a 100% plant-based eatery specializing in sushi and a few Mexican dishes, has opened near the southeast corner of Arizona and Ray in Chandler. Its name is an acronym for Bring Your Own Veggies. The menu offers 13 vegan

🔒 New American gastropub The Double Dutch Kitchen & Cocktails has closed after 21 months on the northeast corner of Dobson and Germann in south Chandler. No explanation was given for the closure. A sibling concept, The Kettle Black Kitchen & Pub in downtown Phoenix,

🍩 Voodoo Doughnut, a Portland-based chain of iconic doughnut shops known for its unusual flavors and signature pink boxes and decor, will make its Arizona debut in Tempe. The company says the store will open ‘‘later this year’’ between Whataburger and Someburros on

🌯 It’s National Burrito Day, and Mexican restaurants throughout the Valley are offering deals today, such as: Salt & Lime Modern Mexican Grill in Scottsdale is celebrating with all-you-can-eat bean and cheese burritos (pictured) for $25. Some restrictions apply. Someburros is debuting a

⛳️ The Falls, a casual American restaurant and bar overlooking Granite Falls golf course, has opened in the former Coco’s building on the southeast corner of Sunrise and Clearview in Surprise. It’s part on the ‘‘resort-style’’ Sun City Grand neighborhood. The menu offers

🎰 Lucky Lou’s American Kitchen, a Las Vegas-themed American grill, has opened in a portion of the former California Pizza Kitchen building at Dana Park on the northwest corner of Val Vista and Baseline in Mesa. The new concept, which shares the

🍛 Tap N Tikka, an Indian scratch kitchen and bar, has soft-opened in the former TC’s Pub & Grub building on the southeast corner of Gilbert and Ray in Gilbert. It becomes the space’s fourth occupant in less than a decade, following