Priscilla Totiyapungprasert|Arizona Republic
Local restaurateurs and franchise owners in metro Phoenix brought a variety of new food and beverage options in recent months.
New dining options include a furloughed chef serving tacos from his driveway, several vegan restaurants and a Korean corn dog joint next to H Mart. New doughnut shop openings should also satisfy those with a sweet tooth.
At the time of writing, there is a rise in COVID-19 cases in Arizona as the state reports a shortage in both ICU beds and health care workers. To learn what safety measures a restaurant is implementing, it's best to call ahead and ask.
Socially distant, outdoor dining is considered generally safer than indoor dining. Although restaurants may offer dine-in services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends delivery or pickup services to lessen the risk of COVID-19 spread.
Belly
Former Welcome Diner chef Michael Babcock opened Belly, a restaurant and cocktail bar inspired by the owners' trip to Ho Chi Minh City. The Melrose neighborhood joint serves clay pots, Vietnamese sandwiches and fried rice with vegetarian options.
Details: 4971 N. 7th Ave., Phoenix. 602-296-4452, bellyphx.com.
Blanco Tacos & Tequila
Fox Restaurant Concepts continues to expand in Arizona with its new location of Blanco Tacos & Tequila in downtown Phoenix. The restaurant chain serves items such as Mexican street corn, short rib machaca and guacamole cheese crisps.
Details: 123 E. Washington St., Phoenix. 602-899-8102, blancotacostequila.com.
BoSa Donuts
BoSa Donuts confirmed a slate of seven new doughnut shopsopeningthroughout 2021, with the first of the locations coming to San Tan Valley. The Arizona chain is best known for its classic fried doughnuts, but also offers sandwiches and boba.
Details: 37591 N. Gantzel Road, Suite 100, San Tan Valley. 480-699-6884, bosadonutsaz.com.
Cantina
The Presidio Residents Club in Goodyear welcomed a casual Mexican restaurant, Cantina. Menu items include seafood campechana, elote fries, surf and turf burrito, and cauliflower pineapple pastor tacos.
Details: Presidio Residents Club, 18209 W. Calistoga Dr., Goodyear. 623-248-8545, cantinapresidio.com.
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Cantina Gueros
Cantina Gueros is the latest from Westside Concepts, a Peoria-based group that includes Haymaker restaurants and NW Coffee. The restaurant serves a variety of tacos and burritos, plus all-day breakfast.
Details: Lake Pleasant Crossing Shopping Center, 25315 N. Lake Pleasant Pkwy., Peoria. 623-440-3680, cantinagueros.com.
Chin Up Donuts
This doughnut shop began with owner Alex McEntire experimenting from her apartment with a countertop deep fryer. Her shop offers sweet and savory flavors, such as the Whoa Wasabi doughnut with wasabi glaze, topped with a ginger-infused caramel drizzle.
Details: 7325 E. Frank Lloyd Wright, Suite 103, Scottsdale. 480-912-1240, chinupdonuts.com.
The Hudson Eatery & Bar
This casual Tempe restaurant has an outdoor patio and serves a variety of sandwiches, including sliders on brioche buns, Philly cheesesteak, and a barbacoa sandwich with pico, avocado and Monterey Jack cheese on sourdough.
Details: 1601 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe. 480-699-4173, hudsontempe.com.
Jupiter Rings Wings & More
This chicken wings shop in Phoenix, known for both traditional and vegan wings, opened its second location in El Mirage. Along with boneless and bone-in wings, Jupiter Rings serves different kinds of loaded fries including buffalo chicken fries and garlic shrimp cheesy fries.
Details: 12313 NW Grand Ave., Suite F-G, El Mirage. 623-440-2755, jrwings.com.
Early Bird Vegan
Vegan food truck Trash Panda launched its first restaurant in south Phoenix, serving burgers and sandwiches, including a pan dulce ice cream sandwich, plus green smoothies and coffee using beans from Quetzal Co-Op in Phoenix.
Details: 1712 E. Broadway Road, Suite 3, Phoenix. 602-612-3578, facebook.com/EarlyBirdVegan.
Europa Pastry
Europa Pastry Cafe, formerly located on 16th Street and Maryland Avenue, closed seven years ago to go strictly wholesale. But baker Carl Makowski is back with a retail spot. The shop's most popular items include cookies, cinnamon rolls, Polish pączki, chruściki and other European pastries.
Details: 7575 N. 16th St., Suite 23, Phoenix. 602-368-7148, instagram.com/europapastry.
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Flavors Plant Based Cuisine
Flavors Plant Based Cuisine is a new food truck that can be found at The Village in Glendale every Saturday for the Cosmic Vegans pop-up market. Menu items include tacos, burgers and Asian-inspired bowls with soba noodles or black rice.
Details: 480-216-3240, flavorsplantbased.com. For weekly schedule go to streetfoodfinder.com/FlavorsVegan.
GuacStar Kitchen & Cantina
Self-described as the "plant-based party place," this Tempe restaurant features vegan Mexican dishes, such as enchiladas de calabacitas. The menu was developed by chef Rene Andrade, with executive chef Clinton Lomayma at the helm, bothformerly ofGhost Ranch.
Details: 920 E. University Dr., Suite 204, Tempe. 480-219-9272, guacstar.com.
Jersey Mike's
A franchise location of Jersey Mike's, a popular sub sandwich chain, opened in Buckeye. Open since 1956, the restaurant has more than 1,500 locations across the United States.
Details: 1177 S. Watson Rd., Buckeye. 623-248-0517, jerseymikes.com.
Kitsune Brewing Company
Arizona's only Black-owned brewery opened out of north Phoenix's Simple Machine Brewing Company. While the pandemic slowed down brewer Tyler Smith's plans for a ramen shop and brewery, people can pick up Kitsune's first beer Forager, a hazy IPA made with Galaxy and Citra hops, at Simple Machine.
Details: Based at Simple Machine Brewing Company,701 W. Deer Valley Road, Suite 1, Phoenix. facebook.com/KitsuneBrewCo.
Lone Spur Cafe
This Scottsdale restaurant advertises its "great cowboy food, great cowboy service, and genuine cowboy charm." Lone Spur cafe serves a wide selection of hearty breakfast dishes, as well as burgers and chili.
Details: 15600 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale. 480-534-7663, facebook.com/lonespurcafenorthscottsdale.
Lure Fish House
The California seafood restaurant opened its first Arizona location at The Shops Gainey Village in Scottsdale. Menu items include miso-glazed sea bass bowl, Veracruz fish chowder, and the Seafood Louie salad with Dungeness crab and shrimp.
Details: 8877 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. 480-676-3323, lurefishhouse.com.
Mike Winneker's driveway tacos
When Mike Winneker found himself furloughed from Artizen, the restaurant he led inside Camby hotel, he downloaded Nextdoor and started slinging tacos from his driveway in south Scottsdale. Winneker posts the changing menu on his Instagram.
Details: Follow instagram.com/mikevinegar for menu and more info.
Pasta 78
This build-your-own-pasta restaurant makes its pasta fresh on site and offers gluten-free options. Guests can build their pasta bowl by choosing one of the several pasta options as well as a house-made sauce, protein and toppings.
Details: 2780 W. Chandler Blvd., Suite 6, Chandler. 480-855-1794, pasta78.com.
Sink or Swim
This late night food truck near Arcadia was started by Barter & Shake bartenders Andrew Felix and Bryan McCarrick. Recent menu items have included Vietnamese-inspired bowls, tacos and Sonoran hot dogs.
Details: 3626 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. instagram.com/sinkorswimphx.
Sister Helen
This Phoenix restaurant offers a simple menu including hot dogs made with Schreiner’s sausage and Noble Bread bun, chopped salad and hand-cut fries with a variety of sauces, from chimichurri to buttermilk herb. Wash it down with a House Collins.
Details: 1820 W. Northern Ave., Suite 140, Phoenix. 602-870-0313, sisterhelenphx.com.
Someburros
The fast-casual, family-owned Mexican food chain opened its latest location in south Chandler. Someburros, started by George and Mary Vasquez, has a nearly 35-year history in the Valley and is best known for its burros.
Details: 5095 S. Gilbert Road, Chandler. 480-597-6043, someburros.com.
Stoop Kid
Bagel snobs have something to look forward to at Stoop Kid, the newest addition to The Churchill in downtown Phoenix. The restaurant serves New York-style bagels from Bagelfeld’s, bagel sandwiches and burgers, with a coffee program arriving soon.
Details: The Churchill, 901 N. 1st St., Phoenix. getstoopkid.com.
Testal
Taste the flavors of northern Mexico at Testal, located in the Grand Avenue Arts District. The restaurant’s menu focuses almost exclusively on burritos and gorditas, a thick tortilla-like pocket stuffed with various fillings. Vegan options are also available.
Details: 1325 Grand Ave., Suite 1, Phoenix. 602-384-9993, testalphx.com.
Two Hands Corn Dogs
A popular Korean street food arrived next to H Mart in Mesa. Two Hands Corn Dogs offers sausages, cheese or combination sausage and cheese on a stick, which are deep fried in batter, then coated with various seasonings and sauces. One popular one is wrapped in potato cubes.
Details: 1933 W. Main St., Suite 6, Mesa. 480-366-4527, instagram.com/twohandscorndog_arizona.
The Wayward Taphouse
This craft beer and wine bar on Grand Avenue was started by former employees of Wren House Brewing Company. People can expect Arizona offerings, such as beers from neighboring Grand Avenue Brewing Company and wine from Page Springs Cellars.
Details: 1028 Grand Ave., Phoenix. 602-671-7900, thewaywardaz.com.
Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade
The lemonade shop known for its hand-pressed, fruit lemonades expanded with a new location in Peoria. Along with lemonades Wow Wow offers açaí bowls, smoothies, toasts and cold brew coffee. Customers also have the option to swap cane sugar for monkfruit.
Details: 24775 N. Lake Pleasant Pkwy., Suite 101, Peoria. 623-248-5068, wowwowhawaiianlemonade.com.
Xanadu Coffee Shop
Xanadu Coffee Company, a coffee roasting co-op based in Phoenix, opened a brick-and-mortar coffee shop in central Phoenix. The shop serves hot and iced coffees, plus pastries and light bites. People can also purchase coffee and tea subscriptions online.
Details: 625 N 7th St., Phoenix. 602-283-4000, xanaducoffee.com.
Know of a restaurant opening or closing? Reach the reporter at Priscilla.Totiya@azcentral.com. Follow @priscillatotiya on Twitter and Instagram.