Author: Jess Harter

The Union Jack, a British restaurant, has taken over the former Skeptical Chymist Irish Pub on the southwest corner of the 101 and Frank Lloyd Wright in north Scottsdale. The food: The breakfast menu, including a full English breakfast, is

Mochinut, a Los Angeles-based chain that offers mochi doughnuts and Korean rice flour hot dogs, has made its Arizona debut on the southeast corner of Mill and Southern in Tempe. The menu: Doughnuts come in 25 flavors, from chocolate to

Ingo’s Tasty Food, a ‘‘gourmet food stand’’ concept that debuted in Arcadia in 2013, has opened a second location on the southeast corner of First Street and Washington in downtown Phoenix. The menu: Besides the salads, burgers, chicken sandwiches, and

Dallas-based Look Cinemas is taking over the nine-screen Flix Brewhouse, which has been closed since last year by the covid-19 pandemic,  on the southwest corner of Chandler and Arizona in downtown Chandler. The menu: Moviegoers can enjoy food ranging from

Buck & Rider, a 6-year-old seafood and steak restaurant in Arcadia, will open a third location at Epicenter, the mixed-use development at Agritopia on the northwest corner of Higley and Ray in Gilbert. The menu: A raw bar, sushi, seafood,

Air Guitar, a new concept that promises ‘‘to redefine the traditional convenience store by transforming a grab-and-go stop into a meaningful part of your day,’’ opens at 5 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, on the northwest corner of Higley and Ray

Panchita’s Mexican Food, a 10-year-old hole-in-the-wall restaurant in San Luis (southwest of Yuma), has opened a second location on the northwest corner of Kyrene and Elliott in south Tempe. The menu: Tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, menudo (Friday and Saturday), and

Obon Sushi + Bar + Ramen, which was founded in Tucson in 2015, is planning a new location at Biltmore Fashion Park on the northeast corner of Camelback and 24th Street in Phoenix. The menu: Steamed buns, ramen, Japanese and

El Hefe Supermacho Taqueria, a local concept arguably better known as a nightclub than a Mexican restaurant, reopens its Old Town Scottsdale location at 9 p.m. tonight after it was closed June 1 for a $1 million renovation. The menu:

Fat Willy’s Family Sports Grill, which has four East Valley locations, will take over the just-closed Teakwoods Tavern & Grill space on the southeast corner of Gilbert and Williams Field in Gilbert. The menu: Burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, tacos, and comfort-food

After abruptly closing its Gilbert Town Square location without notice last month, Valley-based Howler’s Restaurant & Sports Bar has reopened it just in time for the kickoff of the college and pro football seasons. The background: Howler’s closed Saturday, Aug. 21,

Popular West Valley taqueria Unos Tacos y Birria has opened a second, larger location in the space that formerly was home to The Halal Guys on the northeast corner of Stapley and Baseline in Mesa. The menu: Tacos, quesadillas, quesotacos,

Hole 9 Yards, a new bar billing itself as the ‘‘premiere cornhole venue in Gilbert,’’ is coming to the former Goodwill space on the northwest corner of Gilbert and Guadalupe. Who’s behind it? Dr. Todd Kisicki, co-owner with Nic Feinstein,

London-based Puttshack – which bills itself as ‘‘the world’s first and only upscale, tech-infused mini golf experience with global food and drink’’ – is coming to the Scottsdale Quarter on the northeast corner of Scottsdale and Greenway. The space: The

Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, a legendary Memphis-based chain that made its Arizona debut in downtown Mesa in January, will open a second location on the southeast corner of Van Buren and Fourth Avenue in downtown Phoenix. The menu: Hot

The Wandering Donkey food truck has launched a bricks-and-mortar restaurant – Wandering Donkey Taqueria & Tequila Bar – in the Bashas’ shopping center on the southwest corner of Bell and Thompson Peak in north Scottsdale. The menu: Nine specialty tacos

Someburros, the local chain of family-run fast-casual Mexican restaurants, announced its first West Valley location – and 14th overall – will be built on the southwest corner of the Estrella Parkway and Van Buren in Goodyear. The menu: 15 types

Bap and Chicken, a popular Korean fried chicken eatery in St. Paul, Minn., has chosen the former Habit Burger Grill on the southwest corner of Ray and 54th Street in west Chandler for its second location. The menu: Korean fried

Hi 5 Tea, a bubble tea shop that serves Thai and Vietnamese food, has opened near the southwest corner of Arizona and Warner in Chandler. The menu: Fried rice and noodle dishes, Thai curries, pad Thai, stir fry, pho, vermicelli

Filipino barbecue restaurant Flaming Pig has opened in the former Han Korean BBQ space on the northwest corner of Camelback and 15th Avenue in central Phoenix. The menu: Barbecued meats are available on sticks or platters. House specialties include pasingaw

Creamistry, a California-based ice cream concept, has opened its first West Valley location at Park West shopping mall on the northeast corner of Northern and 99th Avenue in Peoria. The menu: Custom ice cream treats are flash-frozen using liquid nitrogen

Tucson-based Eegee’s has broken ground on its second Valley location between Culver’s and Dutch Bros. near the southwest corner of Val Vista and the 202 in Gilbert. The food: The menu offers grinders (subs), fries, and salads, but the concept is

Inchin’s Bamboo Garden, an Atlanta-based chain of ‘‘elevated’’ south Asian restaurants, has opened its second Arizona location in the former Brunchies space near the southeast corner of Arizona and Boston in downtown Chandler. The food: An extensive menu focuses on

Chicago-based Lou Malnati’s has launched its first East Valley location – offering takeout and delivery only – at Dana Park on the northwest corner of Val Vista and Baseline in Mesa. The food: Chicago-style deep-dish and thin crust pizzas, pasta dishes,

Supreme Shawarma has taken over the strip-mall space that formerly was home to Turkdish Mediterranean Cuisine, which closed in March, on the southeast corner of Rural and Ray in Chandler. The food: Shawarma, kebabs, gyros, lamb chops, and more. Hours:

Salt Tacos y Tequila, a 5-year-old modern Mexican restaurant and bar at Westgate in Glendale, has applied for a liquor license for a second location at The Shops at Norterra on the northeast corner of the I-10 and Happy Valley

Washington-based Trapper’s Sushi Co. will open its second Arizona location in the former Squid Ink sushi bar space at CityScape in downtown Phoenix. The food: Asian fusion sushi rolls, nigiri, and all-you-can-eat sushi. The chain: Sushi chef Trapper O’Keeffe opened

Korea-based Myungrang Hot Dog will make its Arizona debut at the AZ International Marketplace on the northeast corner of Dobson and Broadway in Mesa. The chain: Launched in a small market near Korea’s Pusan National University in 2016, it has

Fryd Bird, a new fast-casual concept specializing in fried chicken, has opened on the northeast corner of Alma School and Southern in west Mesa. The food: Fried chicken, chicken wings, chicken sandwiches, and even ‘‘chickatsu’’ rice with a choice of

Christopher Collins, the chef-owner of Valley-based Common Ground Culinary, is opening two new concepts – Neighborly Public House and St. Urban – at The Colony in uptown Phoenix this fall. The space: The two-story building in the 1950s-era mixed-use development

Phoenix-based Manuel’s Mexican Restaurant & Cantina opened its eighth Valley restaurant today on the southwest corner of Arizona and Ocotillo in south Chandler. The building: Formerly home to Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant, which closed in May. The food: House specialities include

S. Maranto’s Italian Market and Bar, an Italian grocery with a bar that also will serve food, is coming to the southwest corner of Scottsdale and the 101 in north Scottsdale. The food: House-made pastas, breads, and meatballs. Sliced meats

Fat Papa’s, a gangster-themed Italian restaurant and bar, will take over the building formerly home to Perla Negra (and, before that, Pier de Orleans) on the southwest corner of University and Centennial Way in Mesa. The food: Traditional Italian entrees

The Caspian Cup, a dessert shop specializing in ‘‘gourmet’’ shaved ice, has opened in the food court at San Tan Village shopping center in Gilbert. The food: Besides more than dozen flavors of shaved ice, the menu offers popsicles, ice

The Union Jack, a British pub and restaurant, is replacing the former Skeptical Chymist Irish Pub on the southwest corner of the 101 and Frank Lloyd Wright in north Scottsdale. The food: The breakfast menu, including a full English breakfast,

Aaron and Jared Pool, the brothers behind the local chain Gadzooks Enchiladas & Soup, are working on a pair of new concepts at Park Central on the west side of Central about a quarter-mile north of Thomas in midtown Phoenix.

Saigon Bistro, a Vietnamese restaurant with a live lobster tank, has opened on the northeast corner of Arizona and Warner in Chandler. The food: Six kinds of pho, banh mi (sandwiches), noodle dishes, rice dishes, and specialties, including three different

Mesquite Fresh Street Mex, a local chain of fast-casual Mexican eateries formerly known as Mr Mesquite, will open its eighth Valley location on Saturday, Aug. 28, near the northwest corner of Happy Valley and 17th Avenue in northwest Phoenix. Grand

Andy’s Frozen Custard, a Missouri-based chain of quick-service frozen dessert shops, will construct its fourth Arizona location in the empty lot north of QuikTrip on the northwest corner of Gilbert and Warner in Gilbert. The food: Frozen custard sundaes, ‘‘concretes,’’

Matcha Cafe Maiko, a Hawaii-based chain of Japanese dessert shops, will make its Arizona debut on the northeast corner of Rural and University in Tempe. What is matcha? A finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea leaves

Tacos Tapatio, a food truck offering Jalisco-style tacos, burros, quesadillas, and mulitas, has made its debut on the northeast corner of Recker and Brown in northeast Mesa. The food: Diners can choose from carne asada, al pastor, pollo, and birria.

Phoenix breakfast-and-lunch eatery The Bread and Honey House has opened a second location on the southeast corner of Indian School and 48th Street in Arcadia. The food: An American/Mexican menu ranges from avocado toast and BLTs to chilaquiles (pictured) and

Glendale-based Throne Brewing has taken over the Pizza People Pub on Central Avenue, between Culver and Willetta, in downtown Phoenix and renamed it Throne Brewing & Pizza Kitchen. The food: While the Glendale brewpub’s menu focuses on sandwiches and burgers,

Great news for smokehouse fans: 3-year-old Caldwell County BBQ in southeast Gilbert – considered by many to serve the best barbecue in the East Valley – is opening a second location at the Queen Creek Botanical Gardens near the northwest

Illimitato Pizza, a year-old neighborhood pizzeria on the southeast corner of Ellsworth and Baseline in east Mesa, has launched a second location on the southwest corner of Power and Brown in northeast Mesa. The food: Pizzas, oven-baked subs, wings, salads,

The Paleta Bar, a New Mexico-based chain of Mexican dessert shops, will make its Arizona debut inside the University House apartments across the street from Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe later this month, followed by locations in east Mesa and

Serrano’s Mexican Restaurants will launch a new fast-casual concept called Pronto this fall in the south Tempe space that formerly housed one of its sit-down restaurants. The food: Build-your-own combos featuring Sonoran-style burritos, tacos, nachos, salads, and more. The space:

Taco Boys, the casual Mexican eatery that’s garnered rave reviews since opening in Phoenix less than two years ago, has opened a second location on the southwest corner of Rural and University in Tempe. The food: Tacos, vampiros, burritos, and

Pennsylvania-based Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, which made its Arizona debut in Glendale in 2018, will open a second location on the northeast corner of Arizona and Warner in Chandler this fall. The food: 150 flavors of ice cream, yogurt, Italian

Hope Peshlakai, who’s operated a frybread stand on Power Road in east Mesa for the past decade, is opening a bricks-and-mortar restaurant, Hope’s Frybread, on the northwest corner of Main and Macdonald in downtown Mesa. The food: The menu will

Lone Spur Cafe, a small chain of cowboy-themed breakfast-and-lunch restaurants that began in Prescott in 2005, will open its seventh and eighth locations in Mesa and Queen Creek this fall. The food: Hearty breakfast options include steak and eggs, cowboy

State 48 Brewery announced its seventh Valley concept – State 48 Brewery Roadhouse – will be built on a 4.5-acre parcel of land on the southeast corner of I-10 and Litchfield in Goodyear. The concept: State 48’s largest production brewery

Via Della Slice Shop, a family-run pizzeria, has opened on southwest corner of Van Buren and Fifth Avenue in downtown Phoenix. The food: Extra-large slices start at $3.50. Wings also are available on the soft-opening menu. The decor: A variety

Level 1 Arcade Bar, which opened in downtown Gilbert in 2019, is opening a second location on Main, between MacDonald and Drew, in downtown Mesa. The space: The Mesa location will be two stories for a total of 6,000 square

The owner of Pubblico Italian Eatery in Phoenix and Scottsdale is opening a new concept called Rockefeller on the northwest corner of Hayden and Doubletree Ranch in north Scottsdale. The food & drink: A small menu will focus on seafood

De Babel, a restaurant specializing in Middle East fare, has opened near the northwest corner of the 101 and Raintree in north Scottsdale. The food: Chef Suliman Saleem’s menu features hummus, falafel, gyros, shawarma, chicken tawook, lamb kofta, and more.

The Sheraton Phoenix Downtown announced its ground-floor restaurant space – empty since The District American Kitchen & Wine Bar closed in 2019 – will welcome a new concept this fall. The food: Southwest-inspired Carcara will highlight Native American- and Sonoran-inspired

Tennessee-based Oscar’s Taco Shop has opened its fifth Arizona restaurant on the northeast corner of Scottsdale and Deer Valley in far north Scottsdale. The food: Breakfast burritos ($6.99) served all day, along with a large menu of other burros ($4.49-$9.19),

Famiglia Modern Italian Trattoria has opened in the former Uncorked Wine Lounge & Eatery space near the northeast corner of Scottsdale and Frank Lloyd Wright in north Scottsdale. The food: Besides starters and salads, the streamlined menu features five house-made

A two-story burger and piano bar tentatively called Winfield’s – from former American Junkie owner Ryan Jocque – is coming to the southwest corner of Camelback and Saddlebag Trail in downtown Scottsdale. The space: Two single-story buildings were demolished to

Vero Chicago Pizza, the newly renamed chain formerly known as Buddyz Chicago Pizzeria, has opened its first franchise location – for takeout only right now – on the southwest corner of Val Vista and Williams Field in Gilbert. The menu:

Asian restaurant So Good Kitchen has opened on the northeast corner of University and Hardy in Tempe, taking over the space formerly home to Mr. Hunan. The menu: Standard pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, and tofu dishes with rice. (Pictured: Teriyaki

A pair of much-anticipated East Valley restaurants – Copper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant and North Italia – have announced they will open in September. Cooper’s Hawk update: The Chicago-based chain of Napa-inspired ‘‘upscale casual’’ wine bars (pictured), made its Arizona

Crave Pizza, a successor to one of the restaurants formerly known as Buddyz Chicago Pizzeria, has opened on the southeast corner of Sossaman and Guadalupe in east Mesa. The background: When the three other local Buddyz locations announced they were

Tempe’s short-lived bao burger eatery Deez Buns, which closed in May, is being replaced by a Korean build-your-own-bowl concept called Kbop on the northeast corner of Washington and Priest. Who’s doing it? Deez Buns co-founder Justin Jin Park (pictured), the

The Double Dutch Kitchen & Cocktails has opened in the building that formerly was home to The Ivy Mediterranean Lounge on the northeast corner of Dobson and Germann in south Chandler. The space: The Ivy closed in October 2020 after

El Taco Santo, which specializes in Sonoran-style grilled tacos and quesadillas, has launched a second Valley location on the southeast corner of Gilbert and Warner in Gilbert. The popular food truck opened its first bricks-and-mortar location in Ahwatukee in November

BlackSheep Wine Bar & Merchant, which offers house red or white blends for just $5 a glass, has opened on the northwest corner of San Marcos and Boston in downtown Chandler. It takes over the original home of DC Steakhouse,

The wait is over, Tucson-based Eegee’s finally opens its first Valley location at 9:30 a.m. Thursday on the southwest corner of Val Vista and Baseline in Gilbert. The 3,515-square-foot quick-service restaurant features a walk-up counter, a spacious dining room, and

Veggie Village, an Asian fusion eatery specializing in vegetarian and vegan fare, has opened at the new 99 Ranch Market on the northeast corner of Chandler and Dobson in Chandler. Besides noodle and fried rice dishes, the menu features more

StarZ American Bar & Grill,  a family-friendly sports bar, has opened on the northwest corner of Lindsay and University in Mesa. It takes over the 5,400-square-foot space that previously was home to Sharky’s Tacos & Tequila and, before that, Fat