This sort of thing is my bag! I live in south Scottsdale, work in Phoenix and hang out a lot it Tempe. So my choices favor those locations.

Pig & Pickle - Don't let the name fool you. It's not a BBQ place. I've had a wide range of dishes there, from mussels to polenta to pot roast to trout (to name a few). They do some weird desserts, and you should try the vinegar pie if they have it ... the menu is very seasonal. Great beers and cocktails, too.

Cornish Pasty Co - I love the pasties, but I usually go here for dessert - the chocolate bread-and-butter pudding in particular. Beer selection could be better.

Umami - Best ramen place around. If you're here in the winter and need to warm up, this is perfect.

The Parlor Pizzeria - My favorite fancy wood-fired pizza around, with far better variety than the over-hyped and over-rated Pizzeria Bianco.

Cafe Lalibela - I've eaten Ethiopian food everywhere I see it, but this is still me favorite. I usually go for a vegetarian combo and some asa wat.

Takamatsu of Chandler Inc - When I need Korean food, this is my top choice. The meal is never finished until you can no longer walk under your own power.

Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co - The most adventurous brewers around. Not everything they do pleases my pallet, but I give them props for pushing boundaries.

Fate Brewing Company - Try any of their IPAs or their candy bar milk stout. I also like their Irish nachos.

SunUp Brewing Co - The only place around that always has at least on cask ale.

HAZELROCK Coffee + Sweets - Super new coffee house that offers flights of cold brew. By the time you're here, they might also have nitro-charged cold brew. Great traditional espresso drinks, too.

Maverick Coffee - Another new place that is putting the established coffee houses on notice. Try a piccolo or a flat white. It's owned by Australians, and people who have been to Australia will definitely notice a hint of Aussie coffee culture here.

Bei Sushi, Bar, Asian Cuisine - This is where I go when I want sushi.

Honorable mentions to Craft 64, O.H.S.O. Eatery + nanoBrewery and Los Sombreros South.

LOVE Crudo, THE best is Virtu Honest Craft, Steak 44, Blue Hound - these are all in very different parts of town.. so really depends on where you're staying and you're price range.

Have a BLAST!!

So many to choose from! Just depends on your mood and the atmosphere you are going for!

The Windsor Chelsea's KitchenAlchemy Restaurant and Wine BarKazimierz World Wine Bar

Federal Pizza , Phoenix Public Market Cafe , Harumi Sushi , The Henry , Songbird Coffee & Tea House , True Food Kitchen

For great comfort food and casual atmosphere, Try The Vig Uptown. Food you recognize but done just a bit differently. My son works there, and the service has always been great no matter the location. I frequent the one at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, the one on Fillmore in downtown Phoenix, and sometimes the one in Arcadia, especially breakfast.

Salerno's in Gilbert, which is originally from our home town in Chicago and our fav family run restaurant for 50 years now!  It's most of our friend's fav restaurant too. Whenever we get together, we all go there! Best food EVER!!! Check it out!!!

Bourbon Jacks for great burgers!

Love Postino Central Winecafe, Barrio Queen, The Herb Box - all have multiple locations!

Breakfast Lo-Lo's Chicken & Waffles or Matt's Big Breakfast! Not the locations in the airport go to the originals downtown. Lunch or Dinner Pizzeria Bianco!  Be prepared for a wait at all of them.

Cibo's is great, its great Italian classics in a cozy "Historic Digs"