Scottsdale has always had a reputation for good food. The city is lined with restaurants of all shapes and sizes. From amazing small hole in the wall eateries through to fancy 5-star dining, this is a city that has it all.
Today we are going to talk a little bit about our top 5 favorite restaurants in Scottsdale. We’re going to try and include places that suit all tastes and budgets, so hopefully you will find something on here that sounds like what you are looking for.
Let’s get started.
Franco’s Italian Café
You can never go wrong with good Italian food. And you’re going to find that in abidance at Franco’s Italian Café. The skilled chef here uses the freshest ingredients from the local area to make a traditional Florentine style menu (with a modern twist). The bruschetta here is especially tasty, be sure to check out the Filet Mignon and the Spaghetti Cruda too!
The Mission
The mission is probably one of the most romantic restaurants on this list. It’s dimly lit with candlelight and mood lighting which sets a personal and intimate atmosphere that feels like it’s straight out of a movie. They serve a modern twist on Latin classics and have a small but excellent variety of dishes on their menu that are mainly cooked on their traditional grill.
Roaring Fork
This is one of our all-time favorite restaurants in Scottsdale. There is something incredibly satisfying about great food cooked over a woodchip fire. This isn’t really a great place to come if you’re a vegetarian because meat is the specialty of the house (but vegetarian options are available). It’s a great spot for lunch but also perfect for an evening out with friends too.
Café Monarch
This is a super special place that is one of the jewels in Scottsdale’s crown. The food here is impeccable with a reasonably small (but excellent) variety of café style dishes on the menu. Both sweet and savory options are available, but it’s more of a lunch place than a dinner place.
While the food is great here, it’s the location that makes this place so special. It has indoor seating, but most people love to sit outside on the sunny patio. There is an abundance of monarch butterflies flying around the dining area most of the time (which gives the café its name). It’s an almost magical experience eating here, it kind of feels like it’s something straight out of a fairytale.
Virtu
This is one of Scottsdale’s newest restaurants, but it’s already made a huge name for itself. It was actually listed as one of Americas best new restaurants in America by Esquire magazine. It’s a modern take on Mediterranean cuisine with a wide range of fresh meat and seafood on the menu. It’s a reasonably small restaurant with a large reputation, so you’re going to need to book far in advance if you want to get a table. But trust us, it’s worth it.
Conclusion
It was hard to limit this list to such a small number of restaurants. Scottsdale truly is blessed with an incredible amount of brilliant eateries throughout the city. Any one of the restaurants on this list is a safe bet for an impeccable lunch or dinner – so you can pick any of them with confidence.
Bon Appetit!
