Skip to content
< All Blogs
See more posts

The Ultimate Guide to Restaurants in Scottsdale, AZ

By American Eats Staff
August 17, 2021
Café Monarch
Sel Restaurant
Atlas Bistro
Citizen Public House
ShinBay
FnB Restaurant
Chula Seafood
medium rare cooked steak from cafe monarch in scottsdale
Café Monarch
gourmet burger and side of parmesan fries from sel restaurant in scottsdale
Sel Restaurant
steak and rice from atlas bistro in scottsdale
Atlas Bistro
cheeseburger and fries from citizen public house in scottsdale
Citizen Public House
gourmet dish from shinbay in scottsdale
ShinBay
salad from fnb restaurant in scottsdale
FnB Restaurant
fresh oysters, salmon poke bowl, and cream cheese bagel from chula seafood in scottsdale
Chula Seafood

Pheonix, AZ, has made a name for itself across the country for its vibrant nightclubs, the iconic Desert Botanical Gardens, high-end resorts, and golf courses designed by the renowned Jack Nicklaus. As a resident of Pheonix living in this buzz of excitement, you might want to find a fantastic place to relax and enjoy an excellent meal. If this is you, you should plan to visit some of the restaurants in Scottsdale.

Over the last few months, we have been dining all over Scottsdale, and it’s been a fulfilling experience. Here are some of our top restaurant recommendations that should be at the top of your bucket list when visiting Scottsdale this summer.

 

1. Café Monarch

6939 East First Avenue, Scottsdale
(480) 970-7682

We can all agree that French dining is on a league of its own, but you don’t have to visit France to experience it. We discovered Café Monarch in Scottsdale, which offers top-class European-villa-style dining accompanied by a customized menu. This restaurant offers both courtyard and outdoor dining experiences, with the former being quite romantic with its soft star-like overhead lighting.

Café Monarch has built a reputation for itself by offering many luxurious products driven by scarcity. Reservations are capped at 25 diners per night, with the restaurant offering a tasting menu with 12 courses topped with other bites in between. Considering the exquisite fine dining experience you will have here; it’s no surprise that the restaurant was voted the second most romantic restaurant and the third best restaurant in the country by Travelocity.

 

 

 

2. Sel Restaurant

7044 East Main Street, Scottsdale
(480) 949-6296

There is usually just something unique about chef-owned and operated restaurants that make that special, but we always find it hard to point out. Sel Restaurant is owned and run by chef Braden Levine – quite a wonderful person; say hello to him when you are there. Chef Braden has built his restaurant’s reputation by keeping the food intensely creative through a blend of western and eastern traditions. This includes incorporating techniques and flavors from Mexico, Italy, India, and Korea.

At Sel Restaurant, you can enjoy amazing treats like caviar and truffle mac and cheese. There are also lamp dumplings with Persian pickles, uni carbonara, tamarind flavored barbecued octopus. On your first time at this restaurant, start with the tasting menu to know what to go for when you come back for your special occasion.

 

 

3. Atlas Bistro

2515 North Scottsdale Road, #18, Scottsdale
(480) 990-2433

We always have an intimate relationship with food, but before our visit to Atlas Bisto, whenever knew that there exist other levels that we were yet to explore. This restaurant on the northern side of Scottdale has been around for the last 19 years. Considering this, it’s no surprise that chef Cory Oppold has finessed his craft.

When we got to the restaurant, we started by taking some chilled lemon soup to amuse our taste buds as we waited for the proper course meal to be presented. When it was put on the table, it looked like a Piccaso of meals, and the artisan plate was the canvas. Everything was arranged beautifully in a way that the aroma bombarded your nostrils in a soft sequence. We finished the meal, ordered beignets and cheese, and felt like we should order more, but we were full. For the best experience at Atlas Bistro, make a reservation.

 

 

4. Citizen Public House

7111 East 5th Avenue, Scottsdale
(480) 398-4208

Citizen Public House is another chef-owned restaurant founded in 2011 and located in downtown Scottsdale. In its first year, it won numerous awards as the best restaurant in Arizona, thanks to the mastery of its chef-owner Bernie Kantak. Besides the fantastic food, what impressed us most about this restaurant is its unique classic interior.

Let’s go back and talk about the food because it was delicious. The Citizen Public House offers impressive food options like amoro flavored meatloaf, short ribs accompanied by cherry barbeque sauce, and their quite popular chopped salad identified as The Original Salad. There are also some exciting drinks that you can try, including barrel-aged cocktail creations that will likely take your evening back to how it was in the classic era.

 

 

5. ShinBay

3720 North Scottsdale Road, #201, Scottsdale
(480) 361-1021

Our search for the best restaurants in Scottsdale brought us to experience traditional Japanese cuisine is world-famous for its uniqueness. At ShinBay and you can experience traditional Japanese cuisine blended with a touch of modernity under the mastery of chef Shinjo Kurita. From our experience, enjoying Japanese cuisine takes time, and the restaurant recommends that you set aside at least two hours of your time. You can have anything from a rare selection of Japanese beer to nigiri.

ShinBay has space for private events with room for up to 13 guests where you can host your family, friends, and colleagues to celebrate special occasions. Keep in mind that you will have to provide your credit card number when making a reservation. Your information is only kept for 48 hours after your reservation cancellation or visiting the restaurant.

 

 

6. FnB Restaurant

7125 East Fifth Avenue, #31, Scottsdale
(480) 284-4777

FnB Restaurant offers indoor and al fresco dining that embodies the movements of seasonal and local trends that have recently become culinary buzzwords. The top chef at this restaurant is Charleen Badman, who has won several prestigious James Beard awards for his talent. FnB prides itself on its mastering of turning simple local produce into world-class, full course meals. We can attest that it was a pleasure enjoying a meal at this restaurant, imagining that what we are consuming might have been produced by someone we bumped to on the streets.

The local produced is turned into various international cuisines that will surely leave you wanting more though you are full. We fell in love with the FnB’s Swizz chard falafel and golden roasted locally raised chicken, topped with mozzarella, mustard bread crumbs, and fried egg.

 

 

7. Chula Seafood

8015 East Roosevelt Street, Scottsdale
(480) 621-5121

Do you want to take your seafood experience to the next level? We did that to ours at Chula Seafood, and we are already feeling like traveling back there to try something new that we already know we are going to love. This restaurant is low-key, which makes it perfect if you want to focus all your attention on the plate of seafood in front of you. We were impressed with their ultra-fresh fish toned with exotic add-ins like smoked pineapple.

At Chula Seafood, you can get to enjoy everything from swordfish pastrami, trout, lox, and smoked fish peaks. We advise that you try their tuna confit, green chiles, grilled Noble bread, and a side of chimichurri, if you feel undecided about where to start with all the mouth-watering options you can access. Don’t be shy to ask for more if you know you are enjoying it, but we doubt you will be able to as you will be too full after your first plate of seafood.

 

 

Scottsdale is a great place to dine and see a different side of Phoenix that you might not have been aware existed before. Bring along your family, friends, and colleagues to enjoy great meals and share wonderful experiences in the fantastic restaurants of Scottsdale. Remember to get out of your comfort zone and open up to new dishes and cuisines.