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There are many incredible culinary options to take advantage of on your next trip to Scottsdale. Enjoy traditional southwest cuisine, make a reservation at one of over 600 restaurants, experience the local food truck culture, and/or take a delectable journey to some of Old Town’s most notable dining establishments with Arizona Food Tours! No matter what type of cuisine you prefer, there are plenty of places to eat in Scottsdale. Here are a few of our favorite dining experiences in Scottsdale.
Food Tour in Scottsdale
During our food tour, we sampled pulled pork street tacos with meat that had been smoked & slow braised for 12 hours at The Mission. We sampled flavorful olive oils and vinegars at Outrageous Olive Oils and Vinegars and enjoyed Tom Ka Gai soup and vegetable spring rolls at Malee’s Thai Bistro. We had quite the spread at 5th & Wine, including hummus, tzatziki and cucumbers, two types of bruschetta, homemade meatballs, fried pickles, and burrata caprese, along with a sangria toast! At Cowboy Ciao we got to try the famous Stetson salad and next door at Super Chunk we were treated to a sampling of freshly baked cookies! To read more about our Old Town Food Tour, click here. And for more information on the variety of tour options provided by Arizona Food Tours, check out their website.
Food Trucks in Scottsdale
Every Saturday night from 6:30-10:30 pm at 5th Ave & Goldwater, locals and visitors alike gather for great food, live music, and good ol’ Scottsdale community fun, known as the Food Truck Caravan.
On any given Saturday you will find up to 15 trucks gathered caravan-style to provide patrons with a variety of flavors and cuisine types.
The trucks that were present on the night we went included: The Maine Lobster Lady, The Grilled Cheese Truck, Gourmet Command Center (Philly Cheese Steaks/Gourmet Sub Sandwiches), Pho King, Udder Delights (Ice Cream), and Torched Goodness (Creme Brulee).
Although there were a lot of choices, we only had so much room in our bellies, so we visited The Grilled Cheese Truck and the Maine Lobster Lady.
We were hoping to hit up Torched Goodness, but they were sold out of creme brulee before we got the chance to visit their truck. Must’ve been good!
We enjoyed our food under the caravan tent, which was packed with pillows and area rugs.
The ambiance was superb. It was neat to see all ages of the Scottsdale community come together for an evening of good food, music, and companionship.
Awesome Mexican Food in Scottsdale
Jalapeno Inferno, is located just a few minutes drive from the Sonoran Preserve.
Since it was our first visit to Jalapeno Inferno, the waitress gave us a complimentary green corn tamale appetizer.
Confession, we don’t normally like tamales, but this one was amazing! It tasted like sweet corn bread bursting with flavor!
Sam ordered the “Stacked” Enchiladas- Thick corn masa patties fried golden crunchy and “sandwiched” between shredded chicken, spicy Hatch chiles, and JI’s famous red enchiladas sauce; served with corn and black beans.
Dad ordered a combo plate with one enchilada and a hard-shell taco.
(All combo plates come with refried beans and rice and you can choose 2 or 3 items)
I also ordered a combo meal and chose a spinach enchilada (topped with toasted almonds) and a cheese enchilada. The spinach enchilada was DELICIOUS!!
I would highly recommend you visit Jalapeno Inferno if you are ever in the Scottsdale area!
Quaint Bar in Scottsdale
Another place definitely worth a stop if you’re in Old Town Scottsdale is Karsen’s.
Karsen’s is a tiny little bar/restaurant in a strip mall with just a few tables and stools inside and two tables outside in the day time.
Sam ordered the Chipotle burger with bacon and I ordered a portobella sandwich with pesto, served with sweet potato fries. The food was outstanding!
Great Happy Hour in Scottsdale
We had read that Stax had a pretty good happy hour menu and the food looked great, so we decided to check it out for ourselves! So glad we did! Everything was great!
Happy Hour specials included $3 beer, cocktails, sangria, wings, sliders, and other small bites. We tried both the white and red white sangria. Both were tasty!
The sweet potato tater tots… so good!
I ordered a turkey burger slider and a mini-grilled cheese sandwich (w/ mushrooms!) and I certainly wasn’t disappointed with my selections!
Healthy Dining in Scottsdale
After the grilled cheese, Mexican, and finger foods we had sampled throughout the week we were in the mood for something healthy and fresh, and based on the reviews, The Farm at South Mountain seemed like the place for us!
The grounds were beautiful!
We ate at the Farm Kitchen, one of a few restaurants on the grounds. It’s the original restaurant at The Farm serving delicious sandwiches, fresh soups, seasonal salads and made-from-scratch baked goods in picnic baskets.
I ordered the Farm Garden Sandwich, which included avocado, sprouts, tomatoes, cucumbers, herb mayo, Havarti cheese, and organic field greens on nine-grain bread. Yum-o!
We enjoyed our lunch under the shaded patio area.
The food was a little pricey, but it usually is when ordering delicious healthy, organic food.
Best Gelato in Scottsdale
And what trip is complete with a stop to the local ice cream store/gelateria? That’s Amore Gelato, was rated #1 on Tripadvisor of all the restaurants in Scottsdale at our time of visit, so it didn’t take much convincing to get us there!
The owners are from Italy, so they really know how gelato should be done! The flavors were plentiful! I honestly felt guilty for trying so many, but they all looked so good!
After a plethora of samples, I finally decided on half toffee, half biscotti. Man, was that good gelato! Just like I remember from Italy! It was so good, we went back the next day for seconds!
This is just a handful of the over 600 restaurants to choose from. With so many wonderful places to eat in Scottsdale, choosing where to go is the tough part!
Click here to learn more about how we spent a week in Scottsdale and please feel free to download our Scottsdale/Phoenix Destination Guide for quick reference to help with planning your own Arizona getaway.