Category: Food & Drink News

The Thirsty Lion, a Portland-based chain of gastropubs, will open its fourth Valley location this fall at Desert Ridge Marketplace in northeast Phoenix. It will be located on the southwest side of the area known as The District. ‘‘Desert Ridge

Salad and Go, a Gilbert-based drive-through chain launched as a healthy alternative to fast food, is making a major menu change this week. Since its debut six years ago, Salad and Go’s menu has featured eight ‘‘core’’ 48-ounce gourmet salads

Board & Brew, a California-based chain of surfboard- and skateboard-themed sandwich shops, will open its first Arizona location in Tempe. It will move into the former Even Stevens sandwich shop, which closed in March, on the east side of Rural

Tempe Public Market Cafe, which closed in early May for several weeks of remodeling, reopens today on the northeast corner of Rural and Warner in south Tempe. Physical changes to the 17-month-old restaurant include long high-top tables that have replaced

After its two wood-fired ovens were shut down for a day and a half by a technical issue, Craft 64 in downtown Chandler is making pizzas again (as co-owner Josh Ivey demonstrates above). ‘‘We were down for 36 hours,’’ says

Condolences to the family and friends of Go Lb. Salt co-owner Aaron Eckburg, who passed away unexpectedly over the weekend. Eckburg died Saturday morning from an aortic dissection, according to his wife, Liz. He was 48. The Eckburgs launched their Gilbert-based artisan salt

Mr Brews Taphouse, a Wisconsin-based chain of burger-and-beer eateries, will make its Arizona debut on the southwest corner of Alma School and Germann in south Chandler. It’s taking over the strip-mall space that formerly was home to the Chandler Gourmet

Longtime East Valley barbecue restaurateur Clay Caldwell apparently knows more than smoked meats. The founder of Waldo’s BBQ and Caldwell County BBQ is opening a hot dog shop called Clay Dawgs on Gilbert Road just north of downtown Gilbert. The stand-alone

Zesty Zzeeks Pizza & Wings, a trio of family-owned pizzerias in the East Valley, is planning to open a fourth location later this year in south Chandler. The restaurant will be a newly constructed building on the southwest corner of

Big news for barbecue lovers in the East Valley: Naked BBQ, one of Arizona’s best ’cue joints, is coming to Chandler this summer. The well-regarded smokehouse’s third location will take over the former Pizza Five85 space on the southeast corner

Borderlands Brewing, an 8-year-old Tucson brewery best-known for its Noche Dolce vanilla porter and Citrana sour gose, is expanding into the Valley. Borderlands Brewing & Public House will take over a former auto body shop on the southwest corner of

Truland Burgers & Greens, a popular Tucson eatery since 2016, will open its second location later this year in downtown Chandler. It will join several other restaurants in the new Overstreet development on the southwest corner of Arizona and Chandler

Someburros, the East Valley-based chain of fast-casual Mexican restaurants, will open its first Phoenix location on the northeast corner of Seventh Street and Camelback this summer. “It’s been a dream of mine for some time to open a Someburros in

Matt’s Big Breakfast, the popular breakfast and lunch eatery, is opening a new location on the southwest corner of Scottsdale and Thunderbird in Scottsdale this fall. “Scottsdale was hungry,” owner Matt Pool says. “Local fans have even submitted suggestions on

Spooky’s Swirls, a horror- and sci-fi-themed, gluten-free bakery with a rotating display of movie props and wardrobes, is coming to the northeast corner of Alma School and Elliot in Chandler. The bakery is headed by pastry chefs Lola Forbes and Chris

Huge news for East Valley taco lovers! Tacos Chiwas, considered by many aficionados to make the best tacos in Phoenix, is coming to Chandler this summer. The husband-and-wife team of Armando Hernandez and Nadia Holguin debuted Tacos Chiwas on the southwest

Fate Brewing, a pair of Scottsdale-based brewpubs that recently gained the rights to their original name, will open a third East Valley location Wednesday, May 15, south of the ASU campus in Tempe. The new 6,000-square-foot brewpub will be located

Sean Hayes and Jo Ann Franko, the couple that owns 2-year-old Tipsy Cactus TapRoom & Bottle Shop in southwest Mesa, are launching a small-plates restaurant in east Mesa next month. Share Craft Kitchen & Bar will be located in the Safeway

In April 2018, MXSW reported local Mexican restaurant chain Barrio Queen was planning to open a location at Tempe Marketplace by the end of the year and was looking for a site in Queen Creek. It’s taken longer than expected, but both

I was shocked and saddened to learn of the recent passing of Clara Spataro, who, along with her husband, Giovanni, owned and operated La Calabria Ristorante in Gilbert. A memorial was held at the Italian restaurant on Sunday. I first met

Say goodbye to Beaver Choice, the sit-down restaurant with an eclectic menu of Polish, Scandinavian, and Canadian dishes. The 9-year-old restaurant, located on the southeast corner of Extension and Baseline in Mesa, is transforming itself into a fast-casual concept. No

Dilla Libre, formerly known as United Lunchadores Street Gourmet, will open its second bricks-and-mortar location in south Scottsdale next month. The quesadilla and street taco shop will take over the 2-year-old Pho King Asian-Mexican fusion restaurant on the northeast corner of Hayden and Thomas.

The Sleepy Whale, a craft beer bar and bottle shop, will hold its grand opening at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 4, on the northwest corner of Arizona and Frye in downtown Chandler. The 2,400-square-foot building with a 1,100-square-foot patio will

Tempe Public Market Café, which opened last August on the northeast corner of Rural and Warner in south Tempe, will close Monday, May 6, for several weeks of renovations. The changes, which will allow the order-at-the-counter restaurant and bar to

Brat Haus, a sausage-and-beer joint in Old Town Scottsdale, has applied for a liquor license for a north Phoenix location. Launched in July 2012 by restaurateur Dave Andrea and chef Payton Curry, the concept is loosely modeled on a German

It looks like Phoenix Ale Brewery Central Kitchen is opening a second location in Scottsdale. The gastropub, a partnership between Phoenix Ale Brewery (which doesn’t serve food) and former NYPD Pizza CEO Rich Stark, opened in uptown Phoenix in May

The Buffalo Spot, a California-based chicken and ribs chain, will open its second East Valley restaurant on the southeast corner of Val Vista and Williams Field in Gilbert. It’ll take over the building that formerly housed Bush’s Chicken, which closed

Craft 64 pizzeria and bar will hold three hiring fairs seeking managers, servers with bar shifts, bussers, and barbacks next week at its new downtown Chandler location: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, April 23; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, April 25; 10

White Castle, which last August announced plans to expand to Arizona, finally has broken ground on its debut location just north of Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on the northwest corner of Via De Ventura and the Loop 101 in

Jimmy & Joe’s Pizzeria has announced its specials for April. The slice of the month is sausage, pineapple, ricotta and garlic on pesto crust (pictured). The Eegee’s frozen drink flavor of the month is Watermelon Pineapple Splash. Jimmy & Joe’s has locations

Last week, Cuisine & Wine Bistro in Gilbert added additional hours to accommodate a new lunch menu. Today, it adds a whole extra day. For the first time in four years, the family-run restaurant and wine bar on the northeast

Cuisine & Wine Bistro in Gilbert is expanding its hours in order to launch a new lunch menu Tuesday, March 26. The restaurant and bar had been opening at 3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Starting Tuesday, it will open at 11:30 a.m.

A huge fire broke out around 6 a.m. today and destroyed longtime Tempe sports bar Doc & Eddy’s near the northeast corner of Rural and Baseline in Tempe. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Charlotte

Shake Shack, the popular New York City-based chain of fast-casual burger eateries, finally is coming to the East Valley. The location will be built in the SanTan Village shopping center on the northeast corner of SanTan Village Parkway and Williams Field in

Buono’s Pizza, which recently reopened in southwest Mesa, is changing its name to Amici Pizza. According to the announcement: ‘‘‘Amici’ directly translates to ‘friends’ in Italian, a fitting name as Amici Pizza should be a place where friends and family alike

If you haven’t checked out Bella Gusto Urban Pizzeria in Chandler yet, here’s the perfect opportunity: The artisan pizzeria and Italian restaurant is celebrating its third anniversary with a week of specials: Today: Special muffuletta pizza and Italian ‘‘beignets’’ (zeppoles); Wednesday: Debut of

It’s Fat Tuesday, which means it’s time for paczki. The decadent Polish pastries, similar to doughnuts, traditionally were made to use up all of the fat, sugar, eggs, and fruit in a household before Lent. If you didn’t make your own this year,

Over the weekend, I got a peek at the construction progress at Craft 64, the acclaimed pizzeria and bar in Old Town Scottsdale that is taking over the former La Stalla Rustica Cucina space near the new Flix Brewhouse in downtown Chandler. The restaurant’s front windows

Big changes are in the works at Cider Corps in downtown Mesa. The craft cidery and taproom is expanding its production capacity, installing a bottling line, making room indoors for Myke’s Pizza, and adding a patio. It’s all possible because Cider

Kind Hospitality, the Mesa-based company that runs several restaurants at Valley airports, announced it has purchased six of the eight Macayo’s Mexican restaurants in the Valley. Woody and Victoria Johnson opened the first Macayo’s, then known as Woody’s El Nido, in Phoenix

The Chandler Craft Spirits Festival has a new name for its sixth year: The Arizona Craft Spirits & Cocktail Festival. The 21-and-over event, which promises ‘‘more spirit samples and entertainment opportunities’’ this year, will be held 3-9 p.m. Saturday, April 27,

Anthony Serrano, former owner and chef of El Palacio Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, has joined Ginger Monkey in south Chandler as a temporary guest chef and culinary consultant. Serrano says he is helping the two-year-old Ginger Monkey with ‘‘planning an amazing new

JC’s Steakhouse in Gilbert launches a weekly jazz and wine night featuring saxophonist Rachelle Romeo and drummer Roy Cameron at 6 Tuesday, Feb. 26. Customers who buy a bottle of wine for $30 or more will receive a second bottle for

We now have an opening date for Culinary Dropout at the Yard, the newest addition to the downtown Gilbert dining scene. Fox Restaurant Concepts announced the 25,000-square-foot venue will open Wednesday, April 3, on the northeast corner of Gilbert Road

Drunk Monk, a new tiki bar and restaurant taking over the former Cowboy Ciao in Old Town Scottsdale, will hold a hiring fair from 2-6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, and Thursday, Feb. 21. The Polynesian concept is seeking kitchen staff, hostesses, servers,

Tacos N More, a local family-owned Tex-Mex grill and salsa bar concept, will open its third Valley location on the southwest corner of Alma School and Queen Creek in south Chandler. The restaurant, which offers an all-day menu of burros, tacos, combo

The Ahwatukee A’fare – a Prohibition-themed evening of art, jazz, dance, drinks, and bites – has been canceled. The first-time fest had been scheduled Saturday, Feb. 2, at Desert Foothills Park in Ahwatukee. No reason was given for the cancellation.

After 33 years in a Tempe industrial park, the original Spinato’s Pizza is moving to a larger, more high-profile space. But it won’t be going very far – just a little over a block. The family-run, Chicago-style pizzeria announced it will close its

Condolences to the family and friends of East Valley restaurateur Federico Estrada, who died this week after a year-long battle with cancer. He was 39. Estrada, the owner of Julia’s Mesquite Mexican Grill in Chandler and Mesa and the father of four young

Modern Oysterbar & Chophouse, a new steak and seafood concept, is scheduled to open by the end of this month on the southwest corner of Scottsdale and Gold Dust in Scottsdale (map). It takes over the 6,000-square-foot space that formerly housed

Good news for Hangar 9 fans: The Chandler bar and grill, which closed in November after its lease ran out, has found a new home just up the road in Gilbert. Hangar 9, which operated for three years on the northwest

PDQ, a Florida-based fast-food chain specializing in chicken tenders and chicken nuggets, has announced its first East Valley location will open Sunday, Jan. 20. It’s located between Panera Bread and Tilted Kilt on the southwest corner of Warner and Priest

Farmboy Market, Meats, Sandwiches in south Chandler has introduced several new menu items and a weekly food box featuring locally sourced ingredients. The new menu items include: The Cuban Guajiro sandwich (pictured): House-brined and -smoked ham from Wilson Farms in Buckeye

The hottest trend in pizza nowadays is cauliflower crust. For the health-conscious, the crust is low in carbs, and most people find it quite tasty. Venezia’s Pizzeria – which has five Valley locations, including four in the East Valley – is

R Taco, a Dallas-based chain of fast-food taco shops, will make its Arizona debut this fall on the southwest corner of Santan Village Parkway and Williams Field near the SanTan Village shopping center in Gilbert. The concept originally was called

La Ristra New Mexican Kitchen in Gilbert is accepting orders now for its sixth annual Hatch Chile Sale on Sept. 7-8. The restaurant’s staff makes a trip to Hatch, N.M., at the end of every summer to buy a yearly supply of

It’s been a bizarre two weeks for Even Stevens, the Utah-based chain of sandwich shops that has East Valley locations in Chandler, Gilbert, and Tempe. On July 18, Even Stevens was locked out of its Tucson location. The building was emptied, and a notice posted by the

With football season fast approaching, Chandler sports bar The Local is still looking for its cornhole boards, which were stolen June 2. The boards are 2 feet by 3 feet and feature ASU mascot Sparky on a gold background. Anyone

Flancer’s has announced a ‘‘selfie’’ photo contest in which you can win free pizza just by posting on social media: Take a creative photo with your Flancer’s meal. Post the photo on the Gilbert location’s Facebook page or the Mesa location’s page. Share

Salad and Go, the Gilbert-based chain of drive-through salad shops, begins its Lower Price Initiative today by dropping the price of its salads with chicken or organic tofu from $7.18 to $6.82. The initiative, announced last month, is an ambitious, four-stage plan to lower

You can add Craft 64 in Old Town Scottsdale to the list of local restaurants and bars opening early to show World Cup games. The award-winning pizzeria and craft beer bar will open at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 11, for

Metalachi, the world’s first (and apparently only) heavy metal mariachi band will headline the musical lineup at this year’s Rockin’ Taco Street Fest in downtown Chandler. The seventh annual fest will take place noon-9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15. Besides tacos from