Author: Jess Harter

Valley-based YC’s Mongolian Grill, a build-your-own stir-fry concept, opens its third Valley location at 11 a.m. today near the northwest corner of the 101 and Raintree in north Scottsdale. The menu: Diners customize a bowl with veggies, rice, noodles, and

Loco J’s Tacos & Tequila, a polished Mexican restaurant with a full bar, has opened in the former Barro’s Pizza space on the northwest corner of Tatum and Dynamite in Cave Creek. The menu: Eight kinds of tacos, burritos, enchiladas,

Dave’s Hot Chicken, a Los Angeles-based fast-casual chain specializing in Nashville-style hot chicken, opens at 11 a.m. today in the former Burger King building on the southeast corner of Cooper and Baseline in Gilbert. Star power: The 5-year-old concept, which

Sprouts Farmers Market and Press Coffee, both based in Phoenix, are teaming up for the first-ever Press location inside a Sprouts store. The space: Located at the Sprouts on the southwest corner of Seventh Avenue and Osborn in Phoenix, it

Churro Nest, a Vietnamese-inspired dessert shop, has replaced the short-lived Churroholic, which had made its Arizona debut in May, at Tempe Marketplace. The menu: Churros, churro dogs, churro and ice cream, rice paper pizza, Crab Rangoon, fried skewers, rice puffs,

Sakura Sushi, a 5-year-old restaurant in Ahwatukee, has opened a second all-you-can-eat location next to Target on the northeast corner of U.S. 60 and Power in east Mesa. The menu: All-you-can-eat sushi is $18.99 at lunch and $26.99 at dinner.

Jefe’s Cantina, a Mexican eatery with a full bar, has replaced the short-lived Loco Amigo’s, which had moved into the former Burger IM building on the southeast corner of Price and Willis in south Chandler in May. The menu: Burritos,

Four restaurant brands were revealed Tuesday as concessionaires inside ASU’s new hockey arena, which opens this weekend, in Tempe: Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers, a Scottsdale-based concept with 13 Valley locations, the most recent at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix; Venezia’s

Lucky’s Pizza, which has been serving New York-style pies in Glendale since 1993, has opened a second location in the Bashas’ plaza on the northeast corner of Lake Pleasant Road and 99th Avenue in Peoria. The menu: Thin-crust and Sicilian

The Rec Pizza & Detroit Eats, a popular Michigander gathering place that closed in June, has reopened under new ownership on the northwest corner of Lake Pleasant Parkway and Beardsley in Peoria. The menu: Detroit-style rectangular pizzas, coney dogs, Better

Award-winning downtown Phoenix cocktail bar Undertow opens its second location at 4 p.m. today at Epicenter at Agritopia on the northwest corner of Higley and Ray in Gilbert. The space: With a hand-carved bar top and a figurehead salvaged from

Fire Tiger Dessert Cafe, an international chain with locations in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, made its U.S. debut in the former Pho Winglee strip-mall space just south of H Mart near the southeast corner of Main and

Mochinut, a Los Angeles-based chain that made its Arizona debut in Tempe last year, has opened its second Valley location next to Lee Lee International Supermarket on the southwest corner of Cactus and 75th Avenue in Peoria. The menu: Mochi

Blue Corn Cafe & Bakery, a sister concept to acclaimed Hope’s Artisan Bread, has opened across from Murphy Park on the northeast corner of Glendale and 58th Avenue in downtown Glendale. The menu: Breads, breakfast sandwiches, quiches, parfaits, muffins, brownies,

Black Rifle Coffee Company, a Utah-based chain whose coffee is sold at Quik Trip and other Valley locations, has opened its first Arizona coffee shop near the northeast corner of Indian School and 40th Street in east Phoenix. The history:

Tempe-based drive-through chain Salad and Go has opened its 42nd Valley location – and 66th overall – on the northeast corner of 44th Street and Oak in east Phoenix. The menu: Chef-designed salads, wraps, breakfast burritos, and soup. The history:

Hope Peshlakai, who operated a popular roadside food stand in east Mesa for a decade, has launched a bricks-and-mortar Navajo restaurant, Hope’s Frybread, on the northwest corner of Mesa and Second Avenue near downtown Mesa. The space: The 30-seat, counter-service

Hole 9 Yards, a sports bar billed as largest dedicated cornhole venue in the world, has opened in the former Goodwill space on the northwest corner of Gilbert and Guadalupe in Gilbert. Attractions: Besides 26 lanes of cornhole, Hole 9 Yards

Chickadees Chicken and Fries and Grindhouse Espresso Bar have opened in the former Oasis Cafe space near the southeast corner of Camelback and Buckboard Trail in Old Town Scottsdale. The menus: Chickadees offers a half-dozen fried chicken sandwiches, as well

Matty G’s Steakburgers & Lobsta’ Rolls opens its fifth Valley location at 11 a.m. today in the building formerly home to sports bar The Local Chandler on the southwest corner of Wall and Chicago in downtown Chandler. The menu: 29

By the Bucket, the fast-growing takeout concept that sells spaghetti and meatballs by the bucket, has opened its eighth Valley location on the northwest corner of Greenway and 59th Avenue in Glendale. The menu: 1.5-pound, 1-pound, and half-pound buckets of

Peixoto Coffee, a 7-year-old coffee shop and roastery in downtown Chandler, will open its second location at 6 a.m. Tuesday at Epicenter at Agritopia on the northwest corner of Higley and Ray in Gilbert. The company: Julia Peixoto Peters, whose

San Francisco-based Ike’s Love & Sandwiches has opened its eighth Valley location on the southeast corner of Camelback and the Piestewa Freeway in Phoenix. The menu: More than 800 sandwiches, many named for Bay Area celebrities, featuring its proprietary Dutch

St. Urban, the ninth concept from Valley restaurateur and chef Christopher Collins, opens at 4 p.m. today above Collins’ Neighborly Public House at The Colony on Seventh Street, between Montebello and Missouri, in uptown Phoenix. The concept: St. Urban is

Gordos Tacos, a small, family-run Mexican eatery, has opened in the former Don Cafe space on the southeast corner of 90th Street and Via Linda in central Scottsdale. The menu: 13 tacos, five burritos (or bowls) and a half-dozen ‘‘classics,’’

The Taco Spot, a Mexican eatery that launched near downtown Chandler in 2020, has opened its third location on the northwest corner of Country Club and Baseline in Mesa. The menu: Tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, vampiros, and nachos. Other locations:

Rosie’s Taco Shop, a new concept from the founders of Oscar’s Taco Shop, has opened its third Valley location – and first in the East Valley – on the southeast corner of McQueen and Guadalupe in Gilbert. The menu: Nine

Tempe-based Salad and Go is celebrating the opening of its new location in Peoria by giving away 200 free salads Saturday afternoon. What: Starting at 3 p.m., the first 200 guests that visit the location on the northeast corner of

Ghost Ship, a new pirate-themed bar from downtown Phoenix club empresario Steven Rogers, will have its soft opening at 5 p.m. today inside The Grand on the southwest corner of Central and McKinley. The space: Located in one of The

Big’s American Sports Bar & Grill, a popular neighborhood hangout in Fullerton, Calif., has opened a second location at the P83 shopping and entertainment complex on the southeast corner of the 101 and Bell in Peoria. The history: Big’s debuted

Scottsdale-based Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers has opened its 13th Valley location in the former Friday’s Front Row space at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in downtown Phoenix. The menu: Half-pound burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, and wings and more

Zazu Kitchen & Bakery, a family-run Mediterranean restaurant, has opened in the Albertson’s plaza on the southeast corner of Union Hills and Cave Creek in north Phoenix. The menu: The kitchen offers chicken and beef shawarma plates, gyros and other

KP Cuisine, a restaurant specializing in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food, has opened in the former Jade Star Chinese strip-mall space on the northwest corner of Bell and 99th Avenue in Sun City. The menu: Kebabs, shawarma, falafel, and tikka

The Joy Lush Club, a neighborhood bar and bottle shop, has opened on the northwest corner of Central and Camelback in uptown Phoenix. The space: The nearly 2,000-square-foot space formerly was home to arcade bar Bonus Round, which closed in

Gastromé Market, a wine-and-cheese-focused store and cafe, will hold its grand opening celebration Saturday on the northeast corner of Doubletree Ranch and Gainey Center at Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale. The space: A 3,500-square-foot market offers wines, cheeses, and handcrafted artisanal

Belly Kitchen & Bar, a Southeast Asian restaurant that opened in Phoenix’s Melrose District in 2020, officially launches its second location today at Epicenter at Agritopia in Gilbert. The space: Epicenter is a new mixed-use development at Agritopia on the

Las Vegas-based Houston’s Hot Chicken, the latest in a growing number of Nashville hot chicken eateries flooding into the Valley, has made its Arizona debut on the southeast corner of University and Rural in Tempe. The space: It takes over

Little Jupiter Cafe, an independent coffee shop and community space, has opened in the strip mall on the northwest corner of McQueen and Guadalupe in Gilbert. The menu: In addition to a variety of coffee drinks (including seasonal specials), Little

Yama Sushi House, a popular Japanese restaurant that debuted in central Phoenix in 2016, has opened its fourth Valley location at the Park West shopping center on the northeast corner of Northern and 99th Avenue in Peoria. The menu: 25