First Taste: Guy Fieri's Phoenix Restaurant Doesn't Quite Make it to Flavortown

When a new spot opens in town, we're eager to check it out, let you know our initial impressions, share a few photos, and dish about some menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review, but instead, a peek inside restaurants that have just opened — an occasion to sample a few items and satisfy curiosities (both yours and ours).

Downtown Phoenix recently welcomed a new restaurant to the mix, a spot geared towards fans of both sports and the Food Network.

Guy Fieri's DTPHX Kitchen + Bar opened inside the new Caesars Sportsbook next door to Chase Field. We visited on an oddly quiet Saturday afternoon — a telltale sign that the Diamondbacks were playing an away game.

Absent the hustle and bustle of sports fans and shouting scalpers, the empty patio adjacent to the stadium was quite the contrast to the loud pre-gamers that usually frequent the area.

Inside the restaurant, televisions mounted on every possible wall echo the day’s sporting games and commercials advertising personal injury attorneys and HVAC companies. A fairly spacious downstairs floor plan showcases the red brick and well-lit bar with a line of tall stools.

The upstairs is roped off but naturally, we’re curious. After being tossed from waitress to security to shift manager, we are told we can’t take a peek at the upstairs area but to come back on game days when all seating is available.

Once seated, we are greeted by a smiling server eager to tell us about the menu. She walks us through Fieri’s most famous items including Trash Can Nachos, Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ Wings, the Bacon Mac-N-Cheese Burger, and Cajun Chicken Alfredo.

We stick with the items the Food Network star chef is known for — the Bacon Mac-N-Cheese Burger and the Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ Wings, figuring we can’t go wrong choosing his most popular grub.

While we wait for our food, we sip on two thirst-quenching cocktails, the Blueberry Bruiser and Flavortown’s Long Island. The Blueberry Bruiser is a light, refreshing spritzer made with gin, elderflower liqueur, house-made blueberry thyme syrup, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and soda water with a few blueberries for garnish.

The berry and citrus flavor is unmatched and undoubtedly delightful. The only thing that’s missing from this pink-colored drink is a sparkling pool on a hot summer day.

Flavortown’s Long Island is surprisingly light and easy to drink, made with vodka, gin, light rum, tequila, house-made sweet and sour mix, and Pepsi. It’s a soft yellow hue and comes with a lemon wheel perched on the rim of the pint glass. It’s a drink you could keep sipping while you get lost in the voice of an announcer calling the basketball game on a nearby TV.

We aren’t quite finished with our drinks when a metal tray and warm plate arrive at the table. Behold, the moment we’ve been waiting for — to try Fieri’s infamous American fare.

A gentle waft of the food smells of fried onions and sweet barbecue. The presentation of each dish is nice but simple with a petite basket of fries next to a messy burger and a plate of wings drenched in a fragrant red-brown sauce and topped with crispy green onions.

First, we try the Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ Wings. The smell is a bit more exciting than the taste yet they are a good balance between sweet and tangy. The wasabi ranch has a slight kick to it, which is the flavor companion the wings need. The bourbon brown sugar sauce is the highlight of the dish, as the chicken itself was mediocre at best.

Next, we cut into the Bacon Mac-N-Cheese Burger and it wreaks delicious havoc across the tray. Sticky macaroni and cheese noodles ooze out while the brioche bun falls apart on the bottom. It might not be the meal to eat on a romantic date. The nature of this burger is unavoidably sloppy and chaotic.

The six-cheese macaroni and crispy applewood bacon get lost in the savory mountain of burger patty and lettuce. It may not be the best burger you’ve ever had but it’s tasty.

The real winner of the table was surprisingly the fry trio. You can’t beat the perfectly crisped and salted waffle fries. Dip them in some spicy ranch and you’ll never look at a French fry the same way again. These are the perfect game-day snack.

Guy Fieri’s DTPHX Kitchen + Bar in Caesars Sportsbook is a low-key, modern American restaurant for sports fans or those simply looking for a quick bite to eat. The collage of busy televisions and sprawling bar make a great place to watch a game.

It’s a convenient stop on your way to or from a Diamondbacks game, and a good alternative to the long concession lines inside Chase Field. However, if you do visit Guy Fieri’s DTPHX Kitchen + Bar on game day, keep in mind that they only serve a limited menu.

While it has the Fieri name, this new restaurant in Downtown Phoenix might not quite be the visit to Flavortown you’re hoping for, but it is a fun, casual pit stop for simple cocktails and finger foods.

Guy Fieri's DTPHX Kitchen + Bar

201 South Fourth Street
602-462-3800
Hours: Sundays through Thursdays 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.