200 FOOD & DRINK SEPTEMBER 25, 2025 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2025.C0M | BEST OF PHOENIX 2025 room. The answer to our long-held Willy Wonka fantasies, the small alcove is a free- for-all in which guests can take home lolli- pops, jelly beans, peanut brittle and other sugary delights. If you don’t have the cash for a Ra Ra Room membership, we recommend making friends with some rich Phoenicians as soon as you can. e e e B E S T P L A C E T O TA K E A F O O D I E COURSE 7366 E. SHEA BLVD., #106, SCOTTSDALE 480-687-0491 COURSERESTAURANTAZ.COM At COURSE, diners learn how to linger. The meal is based on a prix-fixe menu that has a choice of five or eight courses, and the point is to savor each seasonal dish, whether it’s a Chilean sea bass accompanied by lobster mousse, pork loin with peach and goat cheese or chocolate bread pudding with banana, rum and cinnamon. Chef Cory Oppold features a modern approach to cuisine — integrating deconstructed dishes as well as foams. Weekday pricing starts at $135, which is reasonable for a multi-course restaurant experience. Oppold’s presenta- tion earns him additional kudos — many dishes look like they belong to a modern art museum. e e e B E S T P L A C E T O TA K E A N I N F L U E N C E R THREE THIRTY THREE 430 N. SCOTTSDALE ROAD, #101, TEMPE 480-590-7215 THREETHIRTYTHREERESTAURANTS.COM What would we do without influencers? How would we find the hidden gems (that everyone has known about for years) in the local dining scene? How could we exist without 20 nearly identical videos of the “best new restaurant in Scottsdale” every week? We kid, but linger on TikTok or Insta- gram long enough, and you’ll see certain similarities among influencer content. They go crazy for a creatively plated appetizer or a swanky dining room. They love crowning a new best place to eat or drink. Is someone in your life trying to make it in the local influ- encer scene? Make a reservation at Three Thirty Three. Located at the Watermark on the border of Scottsdale and Tempe, Three Thirty Three made a huge splash in the Valley dining scene when it opened late last year. The $10 million Asian fusion restaurant boasts an expansive dining room anchored by an enormous LED screen depicting trop- ical fish, a golden dragon statue, a DJ booth and a menu that includes $600 steaks finished tableside. It’s a content creator’s dream. e e e B E S T P E P P E R G R I N D E R SEXY ROMAN 7277 E. CAMELBACK ROAD, SCOTTSDALE 602-609-7002 SEXYROMAN.COM Everything is a little bit extra at Sexy Roman, the new restaurant at the W Scottsdale hotel. From the gold-covered beans accenting the espresso martinis to the cold smoke billowing off the seafood tower and the drink cart that shows up when you turn your table light from white to red, this is a dining expe- rience designed to delight and impress. And speaking of impressive, when your meal arrives at your table and your server asks you if you want fresh pepper, please say yes. Because then you’ll get to take a gander at Sexy Roman’s pepper grinder, a bright red, yard-long behemoth. It’s silly, surprising and fun, and makes for a great photo op. e e e B E S T R E S TA U R A N T W I T H A L I T T L E B I T O F E V E R Y T H I N G TESOTA 300 W. CAMELBACK ROAD 602-989-8456 TESOTAPHX.COM With his other two restaurants, Gallo Blanco and Otro Cafe, chef Doug Robson has already shown us what he can do when creating modern Mexican eateries — crave-worthy, consistently good dishes served in cozy envi- ronments. Tesota’s vibe is equally welcoming, and the menu is full of globally influenced dishes. Starters give you options like plump harissa shrimp, where sweet and heat interact, leaving juices to get soaked up by an accompanying baguette. Entrees range from noodle dishes, including a yakisoba and a puttanesca, showing worldwide inspira- tion. Vegetables are prominently featured and are never treated like afterthoughts. A charred cabbage is made complete with a yogurt masala topping and pistachio pesto. A white sweet potato with miso butter, pepitas and crème fraiche in its orbit is another star. Weekend brunch in nice weather comes with a live jazz soundtrack on the patio. e e e B E S T A U T H E N T I C A R I Z O N A R E S TA U R A N T FRY BREAD HOUSE 4545 N. SEVENTH AVE. 602-351-2345 FRYBREADHOUSEAZ.COM Lots of people will tell you many things (of varying value and levels of insight) about food in Phoenix. But do us a favor and pay particular attention to a restaurant whose offerings celebrate the city’s most important and authentic cuisine: Fry Bread House. Since 1992, the James Beard Award-winning restaurant (the brainchild of Cecelia Miller, a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation) has been serving up native tacos, hominy stew, loaded tostadas and, of course, sweet fry bread (among other treats) in a community- oriented manner. It’s not just that the food is delicious, or that it’s an integral part of our multifaceted culture. It’s that the restaurant has maintained its homegrown appeal this whole time, and no matter how big or vast Phoenix becomes, these simple, deeply fulfilling dishes always prove important. They’re not just plates of fried bread and meat and beans, but rather a current depic- tion of the simple, earnest ingredients that have supported and fueled a city and its people for years. The Fry Bread House is our shared home for the things that matter most: food, friends and the joy of a life lived well. e e e B E S T H I S T O R I C R E S TA U R A N T THE STOCKYARDS STEAKHOUSE 5009 E. WASHINGTON ST., #115 602-273-7378 STOCKYARDSSTEAKHOUSE.COM There’s no sawdust on the floors, kitchy bright cowboy spurred boots in the corners or life-sized bull in the center of the dining room. But make no mistake: The Stockyards Steakhouse is a serious piece of Arizona history. When this iconic Phoenix establish- ment opened in 1947, it nourished workers at what was the largest cattle feedlot in the world at the time. Over the decades, The Stockyards and the adjacent 1889 Saloon became a favorite gathering spot for cattlemen, bankers and politicians alike. Meticulous upkeep of original furnishings keep the vintage elegance on point. The hand-carved custom mahogany bar and cattle tables-turned-dining tables are func- tional reminders of the restaurant’s past. Booths dedicated to Sandra Day O’Connor, the Gammage family and Barry Goldwater are nods to the state’s legends. The menu pays homage to the restaurant’s origins with signature steaks and prime rib, not to mention calf fries, a.k.a. Rocky Mountain oysters, a menu staple since Day One that remain a popular and dare-worthy snack. But the restaurant and saloon’s reputation as one of the Valley’s most haunted places seals the historic status. A spot this old is bound to have a few ghosts, after all. e e e B E S T R E S T A U R A N T W I T H A V I E W ORANGE SKY 9800 E. TALKING STICK WAY, SCOTTSDALE 480-850-8606 TALKINGSTICKRESORT.COM/DINING/ORANGE- SKY Orange Sky’s name is arguably a bit on the nose, but it’s hard to hold it against them. The 15th-floor restaurant at Talking Stick Resort offers sweeping, 360-degree views of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community that are best enjoyed at sunset. If you’re dining at the luxe restaurant, do yourself a favor and arrive early to take photos from the large deck and spy the sharp beauty of the McDowell Mountains. You may see a soaring hawk or wild horses galloping across the land below. Orange Sky’s dining room has floor-to-ceiling windows that allow you to enjoy the view while you savor steaks and seafood. It’s a splurgy night out, to be sure. If the restaurant is too rich for your blood, you can grab a chair and a drink in Orange Sky’s lounge without losing your view of the Valley’s cotton candy skies. e e e B E S T R E S T A U R A N T P AT I O CIBO 603 N. FIFTH AVE. 602-441-2697 CIBOPHOENIX.COM Located in one of downtown Phoenix’s historic neighborhoods, this Italian pizzeria and restaurant occupies a 1913 bungalow. Inside, the home has beautifully restored hardwood floors, exposed red brick and stained glass windows to make for a lovely dining experience. But the outside patio area that surrounds the historic home might be the highlight of a visit to Cibo. The enclosed area, which has plenty of tables for diners to choose from, is open all year long. It’s
