Category: Food & Drink News

🚗 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

🍕 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

🥟 Lovesack Dumpling, the funky storefront eatery that opened on Roosevelt Row in downtown Phoenix last month, is changing its name to Lovebite Dumpling. The move comes after a lawsuit threat from furniture company Lovesac. Lovebite offers boxes of Asian-style

🚫 If you’re a fan of Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, or Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, you can breath a sigh of relief. Bloomin’ Brands, the parent company of all three concepts, announced it will close 41 restaurants

🌮 Lawrence Smith, chef and co-owner ofone-year-old Mexican restaurant Chilte at the restored Egyptian Motor Hotel in downtown Phoenix, has been chosen as one of three founding members of Taco Bell’s new chef-centric collaboration program, TBX. Working out of Taco

💻 Starting today, you can make a reservation at popular Denver-based breakfast chain Snooze, which has seven Valley restaurants and two in Tucson. Reservations rules Reservations are available Monday through Friday, but not weekends. Parties of up to four people

🚫 The 16th annual Original Barbeque & Beer Festival, scheduled for March 30 at Wild Horse Pass Resort in Chandler, has been canceled. The announcement In an email to ticket holders, organizer Forty 8 Live writes: ‘‘With a heavy heart,

🍝 Since opening Dec. 12 at Mesa Riverview, Fazoli’s has been smashing records – including biggest first-day and first-week sales – for the 36-year-old fast-casual chain that has more than 200 locations nationwide. What’s next? It’s the Valley’s first free-standing

🍣 Shinji Kurita, chef and founder of ShinBay in Old Town Scottsdale, has left the acclaimed sushi restaurant, saying he no longer can work 80 hours a week, according to Phoenix Magazine. Kurita launched and operated ShinBay in Ahwatukee from

Chris Osborn, a beloved figure in the Valley’s food and beverage community for three decades, passed away Tuesday. He was just 46. The Scottsdale native, known as ‘‘Oz’’ to his many friends, began working in restaurants at age 14. He

🏀 Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal made a surprise visit to his 9-month-old Big Chicken fast-casual restaurant in downtown Gilbert on Sunday. The current TNT commentator met with members of the six youth basketball teams sponsored by the restaurant, signing

🦞 Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux in southeast Mesa will celebrate its ‘‘grand reopening’’ under new management at 11 a.m. Wednesday by giving the first 100 guests to enter the restaurant a chance to win free food and drink for a year.

👩🏽‍🍳 Local First Arizona, which has incubated more than 200 restaurants and food businesses since 2017 through its Good Food Boot Camp and community kitchens in Mesa and south Phoenix, has launched a third community kitchen in Maryvale. Twelve female

💵 The owner of famed Phoenix soda fountain MacAlpine’s, which opened in 1929 but has been closed since 2020, has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $93,500 to reopen. The diner, located on the northeast corner of Seventh Street and

🍕 Starting today, Fire & Brimstone, the wood-fired pizzeria inside Barnone at Agritopia in Gilbert, will be closed for two to three weeks to remodel the kitchen. The kitchen will be expanded by taking over the former LetterCraft space next door.

👨‍🍳🍻 When you’re known for making some of the best beers in Arizona, where do you look for a chef to head your first kitchen? In the case of Wren House Brewing, it’s Bacanora. The Phoenix brewery is partnering with

✋ Remember when Little Miss BBQ announced last year it would open its third Phoenix location in the former Honey Bear’s BBQ building near the southwest corner of Central and Thomas? It ain’t gonna happen. Owners Scott and Bekke Holmes

💵 Arizona Restaurant Week bills itself as a ‘‘statewide affair,’’ but someone apparently forgot to tell Tucson. More than 100 of the city’s best restaurants will participate in Sonoran Restaurant Week from Sept. 8-17 – the same dates as Arizona

🛠🚧 Downtown Chandler (see post) isn’t the only Valley city working on a food hall. Downtown Mesa also is planning one, although the concepts are significantly different. What: Mesa is partnering with non-profit Local First Arizona, which already has a

🛍🥤Nearly 20,000 people at two Valley outdoor shopping centers have taken advantage of Arizona’s new law allowing them to enjoy adult beverages in designated areas. The law: Phoenix-based Vestar’s pilot Sip & Stroll program, which allows shoppers 21 and over