Author: Jess Harter

First & Last Kitchen+Bar is expected to open next month in the space formerly home to Rott n’ Grapes and its basement speakeasy Onyx on the northeast corner of Roosevelt and Third Street in downtown Phoenix.

Crawfish Cafe, a popular Houston-based Viet-Cajun crawfish and seafood concept, will make its Arizona debut early next year in front of the Mekong Supermarket on the southwest corner of Dobson and Main in west Mesa.

Florida-based I Heart Mac & Cheese‘s second Valley location on the southwest corner of Scottsdale and Bell in north Scottsdale – which MXSW reported in June – has announced it will open next Wednesday, Oct. 20.

Little Asia Cuisine, a restaurant offering sushi, ramen, Southeast Asian dishes, and Hawaiian plates, has opened in the strip mall on the northeast corner of Cactus and 43rd Avenue in Phoenix.

Famed Chicago-based chain Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, which made its East Valley debut at Mesa’s Dana Park in August, is building its sixth Valley location on the northeast corner of Val Vista and Pecos in Gilbert. Opening day TBA.

Mango Crazy, a California-based chain of Mexican street-food inspired eateries best known for its aguas frescas, will make its Arizona debut on the southeast corner of Arizona and Pecos in Chandler. Opening day TBA.

Although the official grand opening isn’t until Friday, Matt’s Big Breakfast, a locally owned group of popular breakfast-and-lunch eateries, has opened its fifth Valley location at Arrowhead Ranch on the southwest corner of 75th Avenue and Rose Garden in Glendale.

Valley-based Press Coffee opens its ninth location at 6:30 a.m. Friday in the 200 EVB office building on the northeast corner of Second Street and Van Buren in downtown Phoenix. You can get $1 drip coffee all weekend with proceeds donated

Someburros, a local chain of family-run fast-casual Mexican restaurants, opens its 12th location Friday near the southwest corner of Signal Butte and Guadalupe in southeast Mesa. There will be grand-opening giveaways all weekend.

Caldwell County BBQ owner Clay Caldwell is transforming his 2-year-old Clay Dawgs, a mesquite-fired hot dog shop on the northwest corner of Gilbert and Juniper in Gilbert, into a Tex-Mex concept called Caldwell County Mexi-Q. It’s expected to debut in

Fly Bye, the new Detroit-stye pan pizza and chicken ‘‘ghost kitchen’’ concept Sam Fox launched in December out of The Yard in central Phoenix, is opening a second location at Desert Ridge Marketplace in northeast Phoenix next summer.

Badlands Bar & Grill, an all-day American comfort food restaurant that’s a sibling concept to Chicago restaurant Dakota 94, is taking over the former Tres space on the west side of Price, about a quarter-mile south of Guadalupe, in Tempe.

Crust Simply Italian, an Italian restaurant in Scottsdale and downtown Chandler, is planning to open a third location on the southwest corner of Williams Field and Recker in Gilbert. The new location, expected to open by next summer, also will

Someburros, a local chain of family-run fast-casual Mexican restaurants, will open its 12th location Friday in the Eastmark community near the southwest corner of Signal Butte and Guadalupe in southeast Mesa.

Two days after opening its fifth Valley location in Cave Creek, Fat Willy’s Family Sports Grill will launch its sixth location Wednesday in the former Teakwoods Tavern & Grill space on the southeast corner of Gilbert and Williams Field in

Buzzed Bull Creamery, a Cincinnati-based chain that infuses alcohol into ice cream using liquid nitrogen, will make its Arizona debut this month in the former Creamistry space at the Scottsdale Waterfront on Marshall Way just north of the canal. The