later, there aren’t many eateries in Phoenix we prefer to this unassuming strip mall restaurant/market. It’s hard for us to order anything other than the chicken shawarma plate, which comes with spiced meat, pil- lowy basmati rice, hummus, tabbouleh, and Haji’s legendary garlic sauce. But we’ve been known to opt for the gyros, big chunks of meat lounging in a tangy tzatziki sauce. The appetizers are fantastic, partic- ularly the baba ghanoush, which is per- fectly smokey and accompanied by a few slim pickle slices. Leave time at the end of your meal to browse the aisles of the mar- ket that shares space with the eatery; the flavors you just enjoyed will undoubtedly act as culinary inspiration for your home cooking. EEEEE Authentic Ethio African Spices 1740 East McDowell Road 602-252-2286 ethio-african-spices.business.site We get it: African cuisine can be a little in- timidating to the uninitiated. That’s why it’s such a comfort that the staff at Authen- tic Ethio African Spices are more than will- ing to weigh in on your order. This is our go-to, budget-friendly place for Ethiopian food. It’s cozy, affordable, and absolutely delicious. Go with the meat or vegetarian sampler platters. The portion sizes are pretty large, so two people can comfortably share a large entree without going hungry. Sometimes, though, we just make a meal out of the appetizers, like the sambusas (veggie or beef) or the spicy wings in ber- bere sauce. Authentic Ethio African Spices is currently closed for renovation (you can see the cool new signage when you drive past on McDowell Road), but it’s sched- uled to reopen in October. We can’t wait to get back in there. EEEEE Cafe Chenar 1601 East Bell Road, Suite A-11 602-354-4505 cafechenar.com It might not matter to you that Cafe Chenar in north Phoenix is certified ko- sher under the supervision of a local rabbi, but it means that thousands of observant Jews have a restaurant they can safely pa- tronize in a city that doesn’t have many ko- sher options. What definitely should matter to you is that Cafe Chenar is the only place in town to sample Bukharian cuisine (the food of Jews from Uzbeki- stan). If it sounds daunting, it shouldn’t. This is hearty comfort food that wouldn’t be out of place in a Midwestern kitchen. We love the dumplings selection here, which includes pelemi (meat dumplings in clear broth) and fried potato piroshkis. The Cornish game hen with garlic fries isn’t particularly exotic, but it’s remarkably sat- isfying. Nothing is too expensive, either, so we suggest showing up with a group and ordering family-style in order to try the full range of what Cafe Chenar has to offer. Chompie’s 9301 East Shea Boulevard, Scottsdale 480-860-0475 And other Valley locations chompies.com Chompie’s is the kind of story we love: A family moves here from New York, opens a deli, and more than 40 years later, they’re beloved a local chain with outposts around metro Phoenix and generations of fans. We don’t even try to make it through one of their “mile-high” sandwiches — the enor- mous pile of meat is too much for smaller appetites. But we happily chow down on classic Jewish dishes like potato knishes, cabbage rolls, and matzah ball soup (the first thing we run for when we’re feeling under the weather). Chompie’s pays special attention to Jewish holidays, and always has takeout and dine-in specials for Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, and the like. The Paradise Valley Mall location closed earlier this year when the mall closed for good, but we can’t wait for its new storefront to open near 32nd Street and Cactus Road. 181 SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2021.C0M | BEST OF PHOENIX 2021 f o o d & dr i Snk T JEWI B E S H D E LI B E S T RES T AA FRIC U R AT AN N B E TS A RES T KU OR SAN HERT
