The Valley's upscale dining and gallery district, a short drive east, where FnB, The Mission and a cluster of Arizona wine tasting rooms run the Craftsman Court blocks.
FnB in Scottsdale is Charleen Badman's vegetable-forward room in Craftsman Court, where the chef won the 2019 James Beard Best Chef Southwest award.
Signature: Braised leeks, Seasonal vegetables, Arizona wines
Order: The braised leeks with mozzarella, mustard, breadcrumbs and a sunny-side egg, a Food and Wine top-ten dish.
Tip: The menu changes with what local farmers harvest; Pavle Milic's all-Arizona wine list is the room's second draw.
The Mission in Old Town Scottsdale is Matt Carter's modern Latin room, drawing on Spain, Mexico and South America in a dark stone-walled dining room.
Signature: Tableside guacamole, Pork shoulder, Latin small plates
Order: The tableside guacamole and the slow-roasted pork shoulder; Carter won the 2024 Arizona Food Pioneer Award.
Tip: The patio under the church wall is the seat to book; lunch runs daily and dinner fills the bar early.
Virtù Honest Craft in Scottsdale is Gio Osso's Mediterranean room behind the Bespoke Inn, a courtyard kitchen with an early James Beard new-restaurant nod.
Signature: Crispy-skin branzino, Handmade pasta, Caper brown butter
Order: The crispy-skin branzino with caper-infused brown butter, a fixture on Osso's changing menu.
Tip: The fig-tree courtyard is the seat to request; the tasting menu is the deepest way into Osso's cooking.
Cafe Monarch in Old Town Scottsdale is a family-run tasting-menu room on a string-lit alley, serving a changing eight-course menu of small, refined plates.
Signature: Eight-course tasting, Four-course prix fixe, Seasonal plates
Order: The chef's eight-course tasting, the deepest version of the kitchen's seasonal cooking.
Tip: The candlelit back alley is the seat to book; the menu is prix fixe only, no a la carte.
Mowry & Cotton at The Phoenician resort is a relaxed Scottsdale steak-and-cocktail room, plating grilled mains and smoked drinks in a luxe poolside setting.
Signature: Smoked cocktails, Grilled steaks, Wood-fired plates
Order: A grilled steak alongside one of the bar's signature smoked cocktails.
Tip: Set inside The Phoenician on Camelback Road; the resort patio is the seat in cool months.
Los Sombreros on Scottsdale Road is a long-running regional Mexican cantina set in a converted house, known for its mole and one of the best patios in town.
Signature: Mole poblano, Cochinita pibil, House margaritas
Order: The mole poblano and a house margarita on the patio.
Tip: The casita patio is the seat to book; weekends and snowbird season fill the small rooms fast.