By Jess Harter
By Jess Harter
By Jess Harter
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🍕 Pizzicata has opened a new location near the southwest corner of the Loop 101 and 59th Avenue in Glendale, bringing its distinctive Italian concept – and its signature Pinsa Romana – to the West Valley. The restaurant traces its
🔥 After closing last spring due to a fire, Arcadia favorite Eat Up Drive In is returning Saturday, Jan. 17, with a refreshed space plus several new menu additions, including the launch of daily breakfast service. Known for its “cooked
🍣 Sakura Sushi, which closed its three popular East Valley locations last month after its owner was arrested on human trafficking charges, has reopened one of its all-you-can-eat restaurants. The Ahwatukee location on the southwest corner of Elliott and 48th
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🐓 Twist Hot Chicken has brought its fiery fried chicken to south Tempe with a new location opening in the former Donut Parlor space on the southeast corner of Elliot and Priest. The locally owned concept debuted in Peoria in
🥗 Salad and Go is coming home. The Gilbert-born drive-thru salad concept – which closed 41 locations in Texas and Oklahoma in September – is closing all 32 remaining stores in those states and refocusing on Arizona. Launched in 2013
🥪 Sandwich lovers in the West Valley have a couple of new options this week. Today, Chicago-based Potbelly brings its toasted-sandwich classics like the A Wreck and Italian, plus soups, shakes, and cookies, to its 10th Valley location at P83
🚫 Ra Sushi, a Scottsdale-born concept that expanded to more than two dozen states, has closed its longtime restaurant in Ahwatukee. The location opened in 2001 next to the AMC Ahwatukee 24 theaters on the southwest corner of I-10 and
🥩 The Scottsdale Quarter dining scene is about to get a shake-up. Etta – the Italian restaurant that’s been operating at the high-profile corner space since 2022 – served its final guests Saturday. In its place comes The Guest House,
🍕 Mesa has a new destination for slice lovers with the opening of York Pizza, a neighborhood pizzeria that leans hard into classic New York-style comfort. The shop, on the southwest corner of Baseline and Pennington (halfway between Dobson and
Sorry! While most of MouthBySouthwest.com is free to read, MXSW Insider articles are for paid subscribers only. Learn how to become an MXSW Insider.
One of the West Valley’s most-anticipated new restaurants has been 86ed. Tavern Park – a two-story venue with a sports bar, climate-controlled indoor park, rooftop lounge, and nightclub all under one roof – planned to replace the closed Modern Round
Clive Collective has ambitious plans to open five new Valley restaurants and bars in 2026. The hospitality group will be doing it without celebrity chef Beau MacMillian. The former ‘‘Iron Chef America’’ winner and two-time James Beard Award semifinalist known
Sorry! While most of MouthBySouthwest.com is free to read, MXSW Insider articles are for paid subscribers only. Learn how to become an MXSW Insider.
🇮🇳 ITLU, a vegetarian South Indian restaurant, has opened in the space formerly home to Vietnamese restaurant La Sen on the northeast corner of Dobson and Germann in south Chandler. ITLU is the space’s fifth occupant since 2013. It began as
Lee Cohn, co-founder and leader of the Valley’s legendary hospitality group Big 4 Restaurants, passed away Friday morning at the age of 78. He had been battling pancreatic cancer since 2024. ‘‘He was my best friend, mentor, father, and favorite
From global heavyweights finally landing in metro Phoenix to buzzy new concepts from some of the Valley’s top restaurateurs, 2026 is shaping up to be a major year for the Valley dining scene. Here are 10 upcoming openings I’m looking
🧁 Sprinkles Cupcakes – the boutique bakery that helped launch the modern cupcake craze in the mid-2000s – has closed its Scottsdale location as part of a nationwide shutdown. Candace Nelson, who founded Sprinkles in Beverly Hills, Calif., in 2005
🔥 Now open on the southwest corner of University and Roosevelt in Tempe and operating Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays for lunch and dinner, Wild BBQ blends traditional Texas barbecue technique with a few unexpected global influences. The Middle Eastern owners
Starting next week, you’ll see some changes to the MXSW newsletter. One of the biggest: It may no longer be published every weekday. I know that may be a little disappointing to some – many of you have told me
