Read the full list of 2023 Best of Phoenix winners here.
Best British Pub: George and Dragon
4240 N. Central Ave There aren't very many British pubs in the Valley, but out of the slim pickings, George & Dragon is undeniably the best. Grab a stool by the bar, a high-top table in the main dining room decked out with football flags and scarves or a table in the cozy side room filled with royal memorabilia. Start with a pint, such as a Boddingtons or Smithwick's on tap, before digging into the menu. Highlights include the bangers and mash; the chicken curry, available as an entree or stuffed into a flaky pasty; and the Sunday roast, available, you guessed it, on Sundays. Mint sauce is available for those who wouldn't contemplate eating lamb without it. Finish off with a sticky toffee pudding and maybe a game of darts.
Best Irish Pub: The Dubliner
3841 E. Thunderbird Road The local Irish pub scene has gotten a wee bit smaller in recent years after beloved spots like Rosie McCaffrey's, O'Connor's and Rula Bula each went belly up. Thankfully, The Dubliner is still around and remains not only the Valley's longest-running Irish pub but also its best. How has it survived? It ain't just the luck o' the Irish, fella. The northeast Phoenix spot offers all the comforts of an authentic public house — including Emerald Isle-style decor, imports like Smithwick's and Harp on draft and a wall of whiskeys — plus a full menu of great Irish (Guinness-braised beef, Molly Malone mussels) and not-so Irish (their Reuben sandwich is top-notch) selections. Around the bar are the most colorful regulars you'll encounter outside of County Cork, and the weekends always feature a mighty craic with sets by the Valley's best Celtic musicians and bands. It's been that way since Seamus McCaffrey (the local publican behind the downtown Phoenix pub of the same name) opened The Dubliner in 1984, when it was reportedly the first bar in town with Guinness on tap. Go for an evening and you'll swear off other local pubs.
Best Italian Restaurant: Andreoli Italian Grocer
8880 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale A decade ago, this pick would have earned howls of disapproval from the red sauce, white tablecloth and Chianti crowd. But Phoenix seems to have finally figured out that one of the most talented Italian cooks in the nation has been here all along, slinging his uncompromising vision of what Italian food is and should be, waiting for the day when everybody else would finally catch up. Boy, have they, and not a day too soon. Andreoli Italian Grocer is constantly packed lately, and it's no wonder why. The casual trattoria-style fare served at Giovanni Scorzo's counter service market may seem humble, but those who know, know. There's no pizazz or flash here. Just excellent ingredients, simply prepared with a maniacal attention to detail and tradition. Scorzo and his family can do it all, from the fresh-baked breads to the house-cured charcuterie to the perfect pasta and panini to the stunning dessert case. This is Italian food for Italians — simple, soulful and elegant. If you don't like it, Scorzo will tell you you're wrong. And he's probably right.
Best French Restaurant: Sottise
1025 N. Second St. A whitewashed bungalow with a roomy front porch and exposed brick interior may not immediately bring to mind exquisite French cuisine, but Sottise puts guests in a Gallic frame of mind from the first sip or bite. It would be worth a trip just to enjoy the casually elegant ambiance at this attractive downtown historic home, but the food and drinks are on par with anything you might find at top Parisian cafes, countryside brasseries or while sitting by the Riviera. Its seafood specialties — from jumbo tiger prawns to a knockout salmon rillette — are fresh and delicate, and the classic escargot de Bourgogne in garlic butter sauce could not be more tender or well-executed. Even the deviled eggs are transcendent. Everything on the menu boasts the best-sourced ingredients, from the humble little gems salad to the caviar menu for all you big spenders. The refreshing cocktails and superbly chosen wine list, packed with cherry-picked all-stars from Alsace, Burgundy, Bordeaux and more, round out the experience. Sure, it's a bit pricey, but think of it this way: It's like a whirlwind vacation to the best of all things French without the expense of plane tickets and hotels.
Set in one of Phoenix's revered historical buildings, Ms. Martha serves up delectable island dishes.
Ms. Martha's Caribbean Kitchen
Best Caribbean Restaurant: Ms. Martha’s Caribbean Kitchen
1820 W. Northern Ave. Here are our personal rules for dining at Ms. Martha's Caribbean Kitchen: Check the hours before you go. Make sure you have time to wait. And maybe don't visit that one week of the month when you're hanging on till the next paycheck hits. Tucked away in a North Phoenix shopping center, Ms. Martha's serves mouth-watering Caribbean fare on a limited schedule (three days a week with a fairly early closing time). We love the gently fried and impossibly flaky pates filled with beef, fish or veggies; the deep, rich flavor of the oxtails, which we like to order on a bed of rice and beans; and the pleasantly spicy jerk chicken. Nothing at Ms. Martha's comes quickly (good food rarely does) or cheaply, but none of that will matter after one bite of a perfectly spiced goat curry.
Best Vietnamese Restaurant: Pho Thành Restaurant
1702 W. Camelback Road Pho Thành Restaurant is a Phoenix staple. Located on Camelback Road next to adjoining ice cream and boba tea shop Milk Run, the Vietnamese restaurant has been welcoming customers for more than a decade, and it's part of a long-standing legacy of family-owned eateries. And at this large restaurant, everyone is family. It's a gathering place for the Valley and welcomes a cross section of Phoenix residents all there to enjoy bowls of steaming hot pho, sugar cane shrimp or rice congee. We recommend starting with the build-your-own spring rolls. Order one of the bánh hi dishes and a multitude of meats, cold vermicelli noodles, fresh veggies and herbs will arrive at your table. Dip a piece of rice paper into a provided dish of water, and once it softens, fill your spring roll with all your favorite things, roll it up and enjoy. The flavors of rich meats and aromatic herbs are an exciting indication of the rest to come.
Best Thai Restaurant: Lom Wong
218 E. Portland St. Over the past few years, Yotaka and Alex Martin have achieved nothing less than a total reinvention of the standard by which Thai restaurants in Phoenix are measured. With a heartfelt hat tip to Glai Baan for raising the bar and setting the stage, Lom Wong stepped into a city brimming with halfhearted Americanized dishes and challenged Phoenix diners to embrace Thai cuisine on its own terms. That tremendous gamble that has paid off in spades, mostly because the food at Lom Wong is so flipping good that even Americanized Thai fans set in their ways are left agape. Eschewing the big city Bangkok-style of their contemporaries (there's no pad Thai, get over it), the Martins have focused instead on faithfully re-creating the hyperlocal specialties of rural Thailand, with a particular focus on the Moklen cuisine of southern Thailand and the northern cuisine of Yotaka's native Chiang Rai. They pound their own curry pastes, squeeze their own coconut milk and cut their own noodles, resulting in a wild display of technicolor flavors unparalleled in this town and — to be frank — in most of the country.Best Korean Restaurant: Hodori
1116 S. Dobson Road, Mesa Before the summer of "Gangnam Style," the rise of BTS and the K-drama invasion, a handful of mom-and-pop Korean restaurants held down the fort, but suddenly we're awash with a bevy of international Korean chains. Some of them may have a leg up on a specific dish or genre, but as an all-purpose destination for a variety of soulful homestyle food, it's tough to beat Hodori, the grande dame of the Phoenix Korean scene. Now owned by a former employee, Hodori remains as tasty and comforting as ever. Kimchi or seafood pajeon kick things off with a crisp crust and supple interior. Cold noodles like fiery bibim kuksoo or the ice-flecked broth of mul neung myun feel like they were made for Arizona. The barbecue won't match that of the better KBBQ joints, but it's still quite good and the perfect complement to Hodori's outstanding soups and stews. And mountainous shared platters like the bosam — pork belly wrapped in cabbage with kimchi and doenjang — or a cauldron of budae jungol, with its ramen noodles and thick slices of Spam, make this the perfect place to bring a horde of friends or family.
Various side dishes, kimchi jjigae, rice, and lettuce leaves for wrapping surround the meat at the grilling table in Sizzle Korean Barbecue in Phoenix.
Meagan Mastriani
Best Korean Barbecue: Sizzle Korean BBQ
21001 N. Tatum Blvd. #36 Yeah, it's a bit bougie, and some might bristle at the a la carte format and phalanx of tableside grill cooks. But the fact remains that if you're looking to stuff your gullet with the best Korean-style grilled meats Phoenix has to offer, it's awfully tough to make a case against Sizzle Korean BBQ. Hyunwook Lee set his sights on elevated fare from the get-go, trucking in top-shelf meats from a Korean butcher in Los Angeles and prepping them with exceptional care. In doing so, he raised the bar and carved out a niche for premium Korean BBQ theretofore unheard of in Phoenix. Cuts of beef and pork with stunning marbling unfurl on the grill in front of you, and while it's fun to cook your own, most of the tableside cooks will do a better job if you let them. Marinades avoid the common trap of being too cloying, while sauces are potent and sparingly applied, but the truth is that these succulent, sizzling slips of meat are so good on their own, they don't really need either.
Best Japanese Restaurant: Hana Japanese Eatery
5524 N. Seventh Ave. Hana Japanese Eatery is a perennial favorite located just north of the Melrose District. On any given evening, Lori Hashimoto's restaurant is abuzz with activity: Sushi chefs work with precision, servers hustle around the two-room space, and folks from around the neighborhood wait patiently for to-go orders. The menu gives diners plenty of options of both the sushi and non-sushi variety. The vegetable tempura, chicken katsu and spicy tuna will delight fans of classic Japanese fare, but more adventurous diners will find plenty to explore. We love the perfectly chewy takoyaki, octopus dumplings with Japanese mayo, house-made sauce, pickled ginger, green onions and bonito; and the Hana Pride roll, crafted with six kinds of fish with pickled burdock root, avocado, asparagus and sprouts wrapped in cucumber. Choose one of Hana's many sake and Japanese beer options and prepare for a feast.
Get ready for spicy, savory, sweet and sometimes mouth-numbing (thanks to Sichuan peppercorns) flavors at Old Town Taste.
Jackie Mercandetti Photo
Best Authentic Chinese Food: Old Town Taste
1845 E. Broadway Road, Tempe When you walk into Old Town Taste in Tempe, the first thing you notice is the turquoise. It's not the most traditional color scheme for a Chinese restaurant, but the teal-colored walls accented with murals, teal chairs and teal booths make for a distinctive appearance. But the bright decor will cease to draw the eye once your food appears on the table. Old Town Taste serves Sichuan-style cuisine, and the byword here is "spice." Chongqing-style chicken, a specialty, comes out delicately fried, accompanied by green beans and polka-dotted with chiles. Fried lamb with cumin is rich and earthy, and Special Flavored Pork Ribs have an incredible barbecue pork flavor as you nibble the meat off the bones. The restaurant also serves more Americanized Chinese dishes, like General Tso's chicken and kung pao shrimp, but you can find those anywhere. When at Old Town Taste, lean into the more authentic side of the menu.Best Canto-American Chinese Food: Jade Palace
8876 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, Scottsdale The unique style of Americanized Cantonese cuisine has seen its share of devotion and derision over the decades, but if you grew up on it, there's no substitute. Canto-American has recently engendered a new wave of appreciation for its unique cross-cultural charms, the key being that Americanized Chinese food doesn't have to be greasy to-go counter Cheapinese. Jade Palace is unquestionably Americanized, but it executes the classic takeout fare with skill. Meats are lightly dusted and crisply fried rather than entombed in a thick batter sarcophagus. Sauces are thick and sugary-sweet, but they're vibrant and flavorful rather than tasting of cornstarch. Juicy potstickers are deftly pan-fried, the sizzling rice soup actually sizzles, and the titanic New York egg roll still looks like a bloated, deep-fried dirigible, but the filling is fresh, the casing is crisp and it boasts the unmistakable, sweet nuttiness of a light smear of peanut butter. It's not Chinese, exactly, but it's ours, and it's delicious.
Best Indian Restaurant: City of Spice
2945 E. Bell Road If there's one universal truth about Indian cuisine, it's that you'll never get everyone to agree on the best. There are too many regions, too many styles, too many inflexible preferences. But if there's one Indian restaurant that got us the most excited this year, it's assuredly City of Spice. On the surface, it looks like any other family-run Indian restaurant lining Bell Road, save for the lack of a buffet. But that lack of a buffet is the first clue that City of Spice is different. Brothers Azher and Syed Uddin hail from Hyderabad, and along with Azher's wife, Bhoomi, the trio have pushed to maintain a level of quality they feel is lacking in most Phoenix Indian restaurants. It started with a refusal to let their food slowly languish in a steam table, an unpopular choice that allowed them to focus on preparing everything to order. And it continues with their commitment to India's regionality, working to prepare each dish as faithfully as possible rather than presenting hacked versions built on the same base. Their rich flavors and complex blends of spices positively sing, and between the dosas, biryanis, sauces and breads, there isn't a miss on the menu.
Curry Corner is a favorite among students and residents in Tempe.
Jackie Mercandetti
Best Pakistani Restaurant: Curry Corner
1212 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe You might know Curry Corner from late-night visits during your college years at ASU, or you may recognize it from a 2013 episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." But however you were introduced to this Tempe destination, the food is enough to bring you back. A blend of Indian and Pakistani recipes make up the menu, along with some student-friendly spins like the tikka masala fries. Our favorite way to sample multiple dishes at once is with a thali, a large, metal tray with individual sections filled with meat or veggie curries, rice and naan. The Arabic thali blends even more flavors and comes with creamy hummus. Dry meats are cooked tandoori style and include a selection of wings and kebabs. Finish the meal with kheer, a type of chilled rice pudding, or a sweet and tangy mango lassi.Best Middle Eastern Restaurant: Haji-Baba
1513 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe We are blessed in metro Phoenix with a deep roster of tried-and-true Middle Eastern restaurants and markets, and yet we always return to Haji-Baba. Why, you ask? Familiarity and comfort are factors. Virtually nothing has changed in the 20-plus years that we've been going there, from the menu options to the friendly service. But mostly, it's the food. Haji Baba makes the juiciest, most delicious chicken shawarma we've ever had, and the pungent garlic sauce it's served with is perfection. We frequently make room on the table for starters such as the crispy falafel and the flaky spanikopita. And we always leave time to step over to the market side of the space after our meal, where we add chunks of fresh feta cheese, Arabic coffee and bags of spices to our bill.
Stewed chicken, house-made cheese, cabbage and greens on injera from Authentic Ethio African Spices.
Chris Malloy
