By Jess Harter
By Jess Harter
By Jess Harter
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🍷 Downtown Mesa’s once-maligned food and drink scene just keeps getting better and better. The latest addition is Rebel Wine Lounge, an elegant wine bar with a sidewalk patio and occasional live music, on the northwest corner of Main and Macdonald, just
🌭 The Valley’s collective appetite for Chicago fare seems endless. So it’s not much of a surprise that Illinois-based Portillo’s has opened a seventh Valley location (all since 2013) at Prasada North on the northeast corner of the Loop 303 and Waddell
🍓 On the heels of opening its second Valley store in Fountain Hills in March, Florida-based Graze Craze has launched a third on the southwest corner of Thunderbird and 32nd Street in north Phoenix. The stores specialize in grazing boards and boxes
🍺 Tempe brewery Catalyst Crafted Ales, which made its debut in October, has expanded by soft-opening a taproom in southeast Mesa. It takes over the former Cork Crush Wine & Beer House on the southeast corner of Ellsworth and Ray. Some remodeling
🌹 Condolences to the family, friends, and co-workers of longtime George & Dragon bartender Haylee Hunsucker, who passed away from complications following May 2 surgery to remove a malignant pituitary tumor. Hunsucker, who was 37, had worked at the English
🚗 Dragon Wok, a popular Chinese restaurant on the southeast corner of Ray and Cooper in Gilbert, is closed indefinitely after a vehicle drove into the strip-mall restaurant and the male driver died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The incident
🚫 Peacock Wine & Book Bar, which opened in 2019 on the southeast corner of Gilbert and Baseline in Gilbert, is closing June 15. ‘‘This was not an easy decision but one that had to be made,’’ owner Tracy Schoenley
🇮🇹 Little Joe’s Italian Market, a bricks-and-mortar spinoff of the East Coast Joe’s food truck, has opened in the former Matcha Grove space on the southeast corner of McQueen and Elliot in Gilbert. The menu features pizzas, pastas, and sandwiches to go.
🍗 Cogburn’s Big Wings, a country-themed sports bar concept, has closed its seven-year-old location on the southeast corner of Cooper and Warner in Gilbert. According to a notice on the door, the landlord locked out the restaurant for failure to
🍜 Cha Yen Pho & Boba, a strip-mall eatery offering Vietnamese and Thai food, has opened on the southeast corner of Seventh Street and Bell in north Phoenix. The menu includes 12 kinds of the namesake pho, plus rice vermicelli (bun),
🍲 BoSa Donuts, the local chain with 50-plus shops throughout the Valley, has launched its new concept, BoSa Kobe Hot Pot, near the northwest corner of University and Farmer in downtown Tempe. The restaurant, which takes over part of the former Dilly’s
🍕 Andiamo Pizza, whose opening I wrote about in February, temporarily closed over the weekend on the northwest corner of Scottsdale and Shea in central Scottsdale. The pizzeria’s rave reviews, especially a YouTube video from One Bite pizza reviewer Dave Portnoy, have forced
🍔 McDonald’s, concerned about slowing sales for four straight quarters, is considering launching a $5 meal deal to lure inflation-hit customers back to the world’s largest fast-food chain. It reportedly would include a McChicken or a McDouble along with fries and
🍔 Lenny’s Burgers on the northwest corner of Alma School and Warner in Chandler celebrates its 40th year in the Valley on Saturday with a classic car show from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., prize giveaways, and $4 single combo meals all day. Free.
The Sidewinder, a Southwestern-influenced diner concept from the team behind Progress and Sottise, has opened in the original Welcome Diner space on the northwest corner of Roosevelt and 10th Street in downtown Phoenix. What’s on the menu? Unlike its higher-end siblings, The Sidewinder offers a menu
Sibling zabiha halal concepts Papa Locos Tacos & Burgers and Jay’s Hot Chicken have opened a shared space on the southwest corner of Mesa and Brown in north Mesa. What’s on the menu? Papa Locos offers tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tortas, and seven specialty
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⛳️ The Adobe Bar & Grille, a reimagined rendition of the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club’s former Adobe Restaurant, has opened in the club’s new 19,400-square-foot clubhouse northeast of Camelback and 24th Street in midtown Phoenix. What’s on the menu? Executive chef Richard Castricone’s menu
🇰🇷 Nami Korean Kitchen & Sushi, a family-run restaurant whose specialty is Chuncheon dak-galbi (spicy chicken from the city of Chuncheon), has opened on the northeast corner of Cave Creek and Utopia in northeast Phoenix. What’s on the menu? Traditional Korean fare
