What about a bar area to day drink and bar hop? Staying at the Hyatt Regency Downtown PHX but will obviously Uber/Lyft to anywhere. We want a low key, nothing fancy day/night so we can be in bed by 10 PM and start drinking for the game at 7 AM the next morning.
He’s either kidding or picky. It’s not Portland or anything but there are a lot of solid ones. Biggest issue is they’re all spread out, definitely going to rack up some big Uber expenses. Downtown PHX is pretty low key. Stay the fuck out of Old Town Scottsdale and off Mill in Tempe, especially on NYE. Downtown I highly recommend the Whining Pig and Bitter and Twisted. I can get into more detail on downtown bars/restaurants if you want.
Wren House has awesome beer, but it’s small and I would go early in the day because it doesn’t seem like a big NYE spot, if that’s what you’re also looking for. Still, I would t miss it.
Separate note, Phoenix open was nuts two weeks ago. Probably the most fun golf tournament I’ve ever attended.
Thinking about doing 3-4 day resort getaway in Sedona for our anniversary next year. Have any of you guys been, any recommendations or suggestions? Enchantment seems pretty sweet.
Just stayed at Enchantment for the weekend 3 weeks ago. It's a nice place, definitely relaxing if that's what you're looking for. Lots of great hikes around that resort as it's super secluded. We Uber'ed to downtown from there and it was a bit of an ordeal but not much of an inconvenience if you are just going to drive or just stay at the resort. Sedona is beautiful but it really isn't my ideal idea of a vacation destination with the limited dining and drinking scene. Elote Cafe is a must if you venture outside the resort. Sedona Brewing Company and Mooney's (not far from Elote) are also worth a stop. Fly into Phoenix, Flagstaff and Prescott will be much more expensive and maybe save you 30-60 minutes driving. Fire away if you have any specific questions, The B1G Kucktis and I have been there several times.
Prescott’s a fun town, was there for a wedding a couple of months ago, and it’s great. I also really enjoy Sedona, it’s surreal to look at the first time.
Next time we end up there I think we'll do that. Mariposa and Elote seem to be the best. I believe the owner of Mariposa has a few other restaurants up there and basically runs the limited dining scene that doesn't include Elote. For how many tourists go up there it really blows my mind how few really good restaurants there are.
yeah the food and drinking aspect of going there was mostly all bad not really why you go there but was a bummer
Don’t disagree with this at all. Although to be fair I don’t think Phoenix has a top tier dining scene either. Did have a great meal at Quiessence at the Farm though on south mountain. Did the tasting menu a couple of years ago and it was great.
Quiessence is awesome, I've done the tasting menu there as well. The Valley has a good emerging dining scene, certainly not anything top tier though. There are some really spectacular restaurants but the food culture here is really just starting out. It's definitely not a dining destination by any means but I think there's a pretty wide array of good options if you look in the right places.
CRUjiente tacos was really interesting high end tacos. Killer margaritas/tequila based cocktails too. Taqueria la Hacienda was a great taco truck right by the airport. Only spent like 36 hours in Phoenix though.
There’s certainly good places to eat in Phoenix, didn’t mean to imply it’s a shit hole in that regard but i do wish it had some really truly elite options, and I feel like Quiessence is as close as it gets in that regard.
https://binkleysrestaurant.com Have been told it's actually worth the money, I haven't eaten here myself. https://www.facebook.com/RestaurantProgressPHX/ Better than Quiessence IMO
I don't think you're ever going to find any Michelin-starred places here, just a tough sell outside of tourist season.
We stayed at the Hilton Bell Rock and loved it. We only ate out once and it was at Hideaway House. It was very good.
Tons of great hikes and Enchantment is awesome. We normally stay at Orchard Canyon on Oak Creek - I’d highly recommend if you want to zen out and eat some amazing food. Elote is the best.
This my favorite Chili's https://www.chilis.com/locations/us/arizona/tempe And after you're done with tendies and crispy boys, go here http://www.topsliquors.com
What do you want to do? Scottsdale or Phoenix can be clubby or chill, Tempe is just a college town with nice weather.
I think downtown Phoenix has the best mix; I'd do Bitter & Twisted, Whining Pig, Little Rituals (hotel bar but worth it), Hanny's, the Churchill (container park of different places) Angels Trumpet, Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company, Carly's Bistro. Plenty of other options but those are all the top cocktail bars and beer bars/breweries . I've lived in this part of Phoenix for 5 years, it's changed a lot with stuff opening up. SoSoBa has a reverse happy hour every night 12-2 AM if you like ramen and/or cheap stiff drinks. It's a little bit off the main drag of bars but walkable. Old Town Scottsdale is fine too, the clubs are avoidable. It's just much more touristy. Brat Haus and Goldwater Brewing Co are my favorites there. Tempe's main drag is all college bars. It's not a bad scene if that's what you're looking for.
I’m there a lot for work but usually just stay in the airport vicinity. Since I’m now moving the family out there I just found a place to rent in oro valley for the first year to get our bearings. I’m excited, exploring the non airport regions of Tucson has been eye opening.