Author: Jess Harter

🍹 Lazy Bird Kitchen & Cocktails, a restaurant specializing in elevated comfort food and craft cocktails, has opened at Park West on the northwest corner of the 101 and Northern in Peoria. It takes over the 6,820-square-foot building previously home

🍗 Midwest Wings, a local mini-chain of fast-casual eateries, has opened its third Valley location on the southeast corner of Rural and Broadway in Tempe. The menu offers wings and tenders in 17 flavors – 12 wet and five dry

🇹🇭 Thai’d Up Rice & Noodles, a small eatery specializing in Thai food to go, has opened in the Walmart plaza on the southwest corner of Bell and Tatum in northeast Phoenix. Besides the namesake dishes, the menu offers stir-fry

🍞 South Tempe has a new sourdough bakery: Copper State Bread has opened on the Sprouts plaza on southeast corner of Rural and Elliot. Owner and baker Bryan O’Connor – whose dad was a chef and his mom a pastry

🥢 Niu Mama Kitchens, an Asian-themed food hall, has soft-opened in the EoS Fitness plaza on the southwest corner of Glendale and 43rd Avenue in Glendale. Diners can order from five indoor food stalls: Pho Mama (Vietnamese pho) Lao Ma

🥣 Busby’s Soul Bowls, an all-day soul food concept, celebrates its grand opening from 3-7 p.m. Friday in the Food City plaza on the southeast corner of Hardy and Baseline in Tempe. The breakfast menu offers build-your-own biscuit bowls with

🥗 The Mix by Chic Chef, a walk-up gourmet salad bar and lunch spot from chef Nik Fields, has opened at the Arizona Center in downtown Phoenix. It joins another Fields business, The Grind Coffee Shop, in a dual-concept hub

🥃 Spirit House, the downtown Chandler cocktail concept from SanTan Brewing & Distillery, opens a location at Sky Harbor Thursday.  Located between gates D14 and D17 in Terminal 4, the speakeasy-style space will offer tasting flights, clean pours, classic drinks,

🍕 Grotti’s Pizza, a family-owned pizzeria serving slices as well as whole pizzas up to 20 inches, has opened on the northeast corner of Val Vista and Riggs – across the street from Basha High School – in south Gilbert.

🥢 The Orange Chicken Spot, a family-run eatery offering Chinese-American cuisine, has opened just south of Ted’s Hot Dogs on the southwest corner of McClintock and Broadway in Tempe. The highlight of the fast-casual menu, not surprisingly, is orange chicken.