Day-by-day eating plans for Phoenix: weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.
Day-by-day plans
Phoenix weekend: Sonoran dogs, James Beard plates
- ★ 4.7
- 2 days
- First-time visitor, two days
A weekend that pulls the Valley's defining foods into a single loop: the best pizza in the country, a James Beard Sonoran dinner, taquerias and a midnight bacon-wrapped dog.
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Day 1Saturday: pizza pilgrimage, Sonoran dinner, midnight dog
- Morning
- Start downtown with a stroll through Heritage Square, then an early lunch at Pizzeria Bianco for the Wiseguy before the line builds.
- Afternoon
- Drive 16th Street for a gordita at Tacos Chiwas, then a cocktail at Bitter & Twisted in the Luhrs Building.
- Evening
- Dinner at Bacanora on Grand Avenue for Rene Andrade's wood-fired Sonoran cooking, then a late bacon-wrapped Sonoran dog from El Sabroso Hot Dogs.
StopsPizzeria BiancoTacos ChiwasBitter & Twisted Cocktail ParlourEl Sabroso Hot Dogs
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Day 2Sunday: market morning, farm lunch, tiki nightcap
- Morning
- Breakfast at Matt's Big Breakfast downtown, then browse the Roosevelt Row Sunday Arts and Farmers Market for produce and local makers.
- Afternoon
- Drive south for a garden lunch at Morning Glory Cafe at The Farm at South Mountain.
- Evening
- Dinner at Steak 44 in Arcadia for a dry-aged prime cut, then a rum cocktail in the ship's hold at UnderTow nearby on Indian School Road.
StopsMatt's Big BreakfastRoosevelt Row Sunday Arts and Farmers MarketMorning Glory CafeSteak 44UnderTow
Scottsdale loop: fine dining and Arizona wine
- ★ 4.6
- 2 days
- Special occasion, two days
A two-day plan built around the Valley's top tables and the Old Town Scottsdale wine trail, from FnB and Kai to tasting rooms pouring Arizona wine.
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Day 1Day one: Old Town wine trail and FnB
- Morning
- Coffee and a pastry in Old Town Scottsdale, then a walk through the Marshall Way galleries.
- Afternoon
- Taste Arizona wine at the LDV Winery Tasting Room and Carlson Creek on the Old Town wine trail.
- Evening
- Dinner at FnB for Charleen Badman's vegetable-forward, James Beard-winning cooking, paired from Pavle Milic's all-Arizona list.
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Day 2Day two: Latin lunch, tasting dinner at Kai
- Morning
- Brunch at The Henry on Camelback before the drive south.
- Afternoon
- Lunch and tableside guacamole at The Mission in Old Town Scottsdale.
- Evening
- Drive to Chandler for the AAA Five Diamond tasting at Kai at Wild Horse Pass, with tribal buffalo and Gila River ingredients.
Phoenix on a budget: tacos, tortas and dogs
- ★ 4.4
- 2 days
- Budget eater, two days
Two days of the Valley's best cheap eats: Sonoran dogs, birria tacos, giant tortas, fry bread and old-guard Mexican rooms, almost all under $15.
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Day 1Day one: tortas, tortillas and a Sonoran dog
- Morning
- Buy warm flour tortillas at Carolina's and a bean-and-cheese burro for breakfast.
- Afternoon
- Lunch on an overstuffed torta at Los Reyes de la Torta on 7th Street, then birria tacos at Taqueria El Fundador.
- Evening
- End the night with a bacon-wrapped Sonoran dog from El Sabroso Hot Dogs, open into the small hours.
StopsThe Original Carolina's Mexican FoodLos Reyes de la TortaTaqueria El FundadorEl Sabroso Hot Dogs
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Day 2Day two: fry bread, carne asada and soul food
- Morning
- Savoury fry bread at The Fry Bread House, a James Beard America's Classics winner.
- Afternoon
- Carne asada tacos on house tortillas at Asadero Norte de Sonora.
- Evening
- Dinner of chicken and waffles at Lo-Lo's Chicken & Waffles on South Central.
StopsThe Fry Bread HouseAsadero Norte de SonoraLo-Lo's Chicken & Waffles
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