Author: Jess Harter

The East Valley’s first mobile food court will get a “soft launch” when a half-dozen food trucks congregate in downtown Gilbert from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Starting next weekend, the food court will take place 5-9 p.m. Fridays, as well

Anzio Landing, which has been serving Italian food for 23 years at Mesa’s Falcon Field Airport, has moved two miles east to the Village at Las Sendas. It takes over the former Zocalo Kitchen space next to Breadsmith. Owner Rich

Huge news for Mexican food fans in the East Valley: Los Reyes de la Torta, the Valley’s acclaimed tortas (Mexican sandwiches) shop, is expanding to Tempe. The original Seventh Street location has received national acclaim from numerous TV shows and

Handlebar & Grill, the latest concept from Mill Avenue restaurateur Julian Wright, officially opens its doors at 3 p.m. today. Located on the west side of Mill, between Sixth and Seventh street, Handlebar is modeled after a German beer garden

Bourbon Jacks Bar & Grill, the newest addition in downtown Chandler, opens its door today with grand-opening ceremonies from 4:30-5:30 p.m. The self-proclaimed “urban country” restaurant and bar is located on Boston Street, just west of Arizona Avenue. As of this

Don’t know how I missed this, but Coal Burger quietly closed its Chandler location over the summer. The eco-friendly burger bar was located next to corporate its sibling, Grimaldi’s Pizza, at 56th Street and Ray. From what I can tell, the

TQLA, a tequila-centric restaurant and bar, opens today on Val Vista, just south of U.S. 60, in Mesa. The Dana Park venue is a spinoff of the original in Houston. It offers the same Mexican and Southwestern dishes as the

Tonight is the grand opening of Boss Hogg’s Saloon, the newest venture by the group of guys behind Humble Pie, The Living Room, and The Sushi Room. And while their previous restaurant concepts skew toward older, laid-back, upper-end demos, Boss

It’s a great time to be an East Valley BBQ fan. At least five new BBQ joints have opened in the last five months. The latest is 5 Star BBQ & Grill, which took over the longtime Taco Bell building

Honey Bear’s BBQ, a Valley fixture for more than 25 years, has closed its south Tempe restaurant, although it will continue to use the space for delivery and catering. The Tennessee-style BBQ joint opened at Priest and Elliot in 2004.

After a soft opening last week, Brooklyn Eddie’s Subs holds its official grand opening today on the northwest corner of Elliot and Cooper (Stapley) in Gilbert. Beside an array of hot and cold subs, the Brooklyn-style delicatessen offers hot dishes

After last week’s planned opening was scuttled by a defective cooler, Bad Mother Cluckers finally has opened its doors in Tempe. The eatery, which serves rotisserie chicken, is located on the north side of University just east of Mill. Menu

If you were planning on getting some free rotisserie chicken today or Saturday at Bad Mother Cluckers, you better make other plans. Looks like the Tempe restaurant’s grand opening is on hold. “We are bummed!” reads a notice on BMC’s website. “Due

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, a Lousiana-based fast-food chain, opens its first East Valley restaurant Friday in Tempe. The new store, located on the northeast corner of University and Rural, serves only one entree: chicken fingers (fresh, never frozen) with its

MXSW reader Ron Youngblood passes along this announcement: The original R.T. O’Sullivan’s, on Southern just east of Alma School in Mesa, is closing its doors Saturday, Aug. 25. Since opening 15 years ago, the spacious sports grill, which has more

Just five months after unveiling Postino in Gilbert, prolific Valley restaurateur Craig DeMarco has leased the other half of the building for a brand-new Mexican concept. Postino opened its third Valley location in March – DeMarco’s first foray into the

When I talked to Brian Banasek earlier this year, the former S’Bistro chef was running nearby De La Cruz Bistro and negotiating to buy the downtown Mesa restaurant. Suffice to say, things didn’t go well. After several frustrating months, owner Omar