With more than 300 sunny days per year, daytime temps that rarely dip below 65, and an armada of resorts, Phoenix, Arizona is a great getaway for any group gathering that prioritizes pool time, day drinking, and a few rounds of golf. But the city’s appeal goes deeper: The area’s natural beauty inspired designers and artists like Frank Lloyd Wright, Maxfield Parrish, and Paolo Soleri. And despite its enormous growth (the metro area topped 5 million last year), the increasingly diverse city still retains a frontier spirit: Newcomers are reinventing everything from its food scene to its art circuit, making Phoenix one of America’s best under-the-radar destinations.
Eat here now
The astonishing variety of Phoenix’s new bars and restaurants reflects the city’s expanding tastes. Lawrence Smith and Aseret Arroyo’s new-school Mexican spot, Chilte, opened as a food truck in 2020, now has a permanent home in the recently revived retro-cool Egyptian Motor Hotel downtown. Smith’s creative menu has earned Chilte a dedicated fan base: Think lamb neck flautas cloaked in a rich mole, flavored with Chinese chorizo. It’s tough to snag one of the 36 seats at chef Rene Andrade’s spot, Bacanora, on busy Grand Avenue but definitely worth the effort. At this paean to the flavors and techniques of Sonoran cuisine, must-orders include the coal-roasted bone marrow with smoky birria sauce and charred elote smothered in a spicy lime crema.
Downtown cocktail spot Quartz is really two bars in one. The lively, neon-lit front room serves jewel-toned concoctions, like the bright blue, coconut-forward Sea of Aquamarine. In the back is a moody, intimate lounge that mixes drinks such as the Tomb of the Fizzy Kitty (with ingredients like scotch, fernet, black-cherry cola, and lime). Yotaka Promtun-Martin grew up in a village in the northern Thai province of Chiang Rai, cooking alongside her mom, aunts, uncles, and grandma. At her newly opened downtown restaurant, Lom Wong, she and her husband, chef Alex Martin, share family recipes, like sweet and spicy ba mee haeng moo dang (egg noodles with minced pork and char siu).
Take a hike
Unless you’re visiting in the summer, when temperatures are in the triple digits, exploring Phoenix’s desert landscape is essential. The city is surrounded by mountains (that’s why it’s called the Valley of the Sun), so no matter where you are, you’re close to great trails. The locals refer to ascending one of the mountain’s two main trails, Cholla or Echo Canyon, as “Climbing Camelback,” which correctly suggests that there will be some scrambling. But the steep trails are short (Echo Canyon is a little over two miles round trip) and worth the burn for their expansive city views. The Mormon Trail to the Hidden Valley Loop in the South Mountain range is especially picturesque. The four-mile out-and-back has dramatic terrain, like narrow pathways through rock formations. If you come in May, you’ll see the giant saguaros blooming with white flowers.
