Northwest of Phoenix in central Arizona sits the energetic city of Glendale. With a variety of restaurants offering a broad spectrum of cuisines and ambiances, from casual eateries to fine dining places, it has become one of the state’s most popular culinary destinations.
The greatest eateries in Glendale use ingredients like cilantro, lime, chile, and cumin to highlight the diversity of the Southwest’s flora and fauna. Whether showcasing beloved classics like tacos or daring dishes like goat or rattlesnake, fresh, local ingredients excel. These restaurants offer plenty of classic fare in addition to inventive dishes.
In addition to serving delicious food, these eateries celebrate Glendale’s history by fusing Native American, Mexican, and cowboy influences to provide a genuine local experience. Diners get a taste of the people and nature of the Sonoran Desert through the architecture, décor, and hospitality.
The top 13 restaurants in Glendale are highlighted in this article; they all have unique menu items, lively atmospheres, and standout dining experiences that perfectly capture the city’s culinary landscape. These restaurants, which serve everything from mouthwatering date smoothies to BBQ to unique fusion, show why Glendale has grown to be a culinary hotspot for foodies.
The Best Restaurants in Glendale for Southwestern Fusion: The Mint Modern Mediterranean Grill
The Mint Modern Mediterranean Grill is the place to go for foodies looking for a contemporary take on Mediterranean dishes. This fast-casual restaurant combines recipes from the southwest and North Africa to create vibrant grain bowls, flatbreads, salads, and other dishes that may be eaten in or taken to go. Global taste influences blend harmoniously together in any combination that YOU put together in your bowl.
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Create a base of leafy greens, rice stick noodles, organic farro, or quinoa, then top with pickled veggies, crunchy toppings, spicy proteins, and zesty condiments. With so many options—braised lamb, spicy shrimp, falafel, and shawarma chicken—every return encourages new gastronomic explorations! With flavorful spreads like muhammara roasted red pepper beneath flowing haloumi cheese or seasoned lamb, their flatbreads are equally satisfying.
Mint’s light and airy modern decor, sprinkled with pendant lights, makes you want to stay and enjoy these palate-pleasing dishes indoors or out on the street. This multicultural kitchen delectably satisfies the need when a worldwide gastronomic experience calls without ever leaving Central Avenue.
The Best Restaurants in Glendale for Farm-to-Table Dining: Virtù Honest Craft
Tucked away in Catlin Court, Glendale, Virtù Honest Craft dazzles diners with its painstakingly sourced New American cuisine that emphasizes ingredients from Arizona. The 40-seat restaurant is intimate and modern, with an open kitchen where patrons can see chef and owner Gio Osso meticulously prepare each dish for the season.
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Recipes feature bright flavors like citrus, honey, and peppers, and their availability changes according on what local farms are growing that season. Virtu is skilled at balancing unusual textures and flavors, as seen in dishes like deer ragu over beetroot fettuccine or squid ink tonnarelli sprinkled with sea urchin cream. In addition to pasta dishes, the restaurant creates inventive dishes like quail filled with balsamic grapes and duck breast with a fermented honey sauce.
The cost of fine dining remains affordable considering the caliber of food coming from the kitchen. To elevate their culinary experience, guests should book Virtù’s chef table, where they will receive individualized attention and be able to observe food being prepared within inches away. This place features intimate settings and understated sophistication, showcasing Arizona’s natural richness in its delicious cuisine.
The Best Restaurants in Glendale for Craft Beer: Historic Downtown Glendale Restaurant Crawl
Historic downtown Glendale’s many gastropubs, beer-focused restaurants, and craft breweries—all conveniently located within walking distance of one another—will make beer enthusiasts fall in love! As one of the best beer towns in America, Glendale offers a wide variety of beers to suit every taste, including stouts, IPAs, and pints made locally.
Beer enthusiasts might easily spend all afternoon sampling speciality brews and food at various bars and restaurants along Glendale Avenue. Start by filling up on locally sourced Mexican food at Calico, a nearby restaurant, or artisanal wood-fired pizzas and salads at Speakeasy Pizza. After that, go across the way to State 48 Brewery to sample their house-made Vanilla Cream Ale or Hazy IPA, both of which are brewed in copper kettles on-site.
Proceed southward along 58th Avenue until you reach Saddle Mountain Brewing Co. Saddle Mountain’s taproom, which is located in a former motorcycle store, serves more than 24 beers, including the well-known Pass Mountain Pale Ale and Rain Crow Oatmeal Stout. Enjoy delicious pub fare such as poutine fries, fish and chips, and wings while soaking up the alcohol.
Visit the original 1912 building of Historic Brewing Dragoon, Glendale’s first craft brewery, to round off your wild adventure. Before you hobble back to your downtown hotel or bed and breakfast, join your friends at the bar to try their rotating taps, which are served directly from conditioning tanks. Taking this path makes it easy and delightful to sample Glendale’s bustling craft beer culture!
The Best Restaurants in Glendale for Weekend Brunch: Morning Glory Cafe
When you ask Glendale residents where to get the best breakfast, most will vouch for Morning Glory Café. Nestled between two neighborhoods in the heart of Glendale, this charming cottage cafe is a popular choice for holiday meals and weekend brunches. Morning Glory serves hearty scrambles, crispy home fries, and fluffy pancakes along with freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee from Arizona. They pride themselves on doing the simple things really well.
To keep things interesting, try their delectable Redneck Benedict, which comes with buttermilk biscuits, country gravy, and fried chicken tenders. Don’t forget to sample their famous Carne Adovada Burrito, which is served in a large tortilla and has potatoes, cheese, smoky Hatch chilies, and succulent pulled pork.
In addition to its delicious food, Morning Glory has a devoted following because to its charming Upcountry design of distressed wood, pastel colors, and vintage touches. Everyone is welcome to enjoy this home away from home with seats on the outdoor patio. Run by a mother-daughter team from the area, you can anticipate amiable service and encounters with employees that truly embody the concept of “where everybody knows your name.” This not-so-hidden neighborhood gem is so popular that lines extend for miles!
The Best Restaurants in Glendale for Fine Dining: T.Cook’s at Royal Palms
The sophisticated T. Cook’s at Royal Palms is the best restaurant in Glendale for special occasions. Nestled behind soaring palms and surrounded by dazzling lights, this Mediterranean restaurant exudes Old World charm within the renowned Royal Palms Resort & Spa. Since it first opened on the property in 1948, T. Cook’s has gained recognition for its refinement and dependability. It is praised for its flawless service, large wine list (with over 10,000 bottles), and food that rivals that of America’s best restaurants.
White tablecloths and a pretty formal dress code hint to an elegant dining experience to come. Start your evening with a variety of appetizers, such as grilled Spanish octopus, Dungeness crab cakes, and duck liver pâté. Choose an off-the-grill meat for your main course, such as a leg of Colorado lamb or a bone-in New York strip, which is cooked just to showcase the meat’s outstanding flavor and quality.
Risotto with wild mushrooms or grilled asparagus in spring are examples of seasonal sides that enhance without being overbearing. Don’t forget to enjoy their flame desserts prepared tableside, such as banana foster, which give a touch of old world theater to your dinner. With its legendary past, acclaimed subterranean wine cellar, and unwavering standards, T. Cook’s effortlessly whisks patrons away to Europe for an enchanting culinary sojourn.
The Best Restaurants in Glendale for Happy Hour: Bandera
With a focus on 200+ wine varieties and a farm-to-table menu of modern comfort cuisine, Bandera is an American kitchen and wine bar. However, weeknights from 2 to 6 p.m. are the perfect times to visit this neighborhood restaurant to take advantage of their fantastic happy hour specials. Savor half-priced specialty drinks, wine pours, and beers while nibbling on appetizers like short rib tacos, wild mushroom tartines, and burrata crostini during these hours.
Offers this substantial draw a bustling local after-work crowd that mixes both inside Bandera’s airy back patio and outside. Happy hour cocktails like their Prickly Pear margarita poured over frozen fruit ice cubes and their Tempranillo sangria, laced with dates and honey from Arizona, are sure to quench your thirst. Stay awhile and pair it with the buttermilk fried chicken sliders or duck confit—deals this amazing are worth it!
Beyond happy hour, Bandera tempts diners with elegantly presented comfort food such as Colorado leg of elk, grilled sea scallops, and rack of lamb coated in herbs. For more laid-back dining, savor sharing appetizers, delicious burgers, and brick oven pizzas while lounging on the granite-top bar and watching a game. Owing to its chic surroundings and welcoming neighborhood atmosphere in Glendale’s historic downtown, customers are glad to stay long after happy hour ends.
The Best Restaurants in Glendale for Mexican Food: Carolina’s
It’s not difficult to locate delicious Mexican food in Arizona. However, what sets Carolina’s apart from the others is its extensive menu including genuine foods presented with an abundance of warmth. Guests at this vibrant restaurant and cantina savor Mexican cuisine through well cooked classics that pay homage to the owners’ Sonoran background.
Carolina’s is well-known for its freshly produced guacamole served at the table, which is created from Hass avocados, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. Tamale varieties such as chicken mole and chili con carne, which have won awards, are also excellent appetizers. After indulging in Carolina’s substantial yet deftly flavored trademark dinners and combination platters, there’s hardly any space left.
A variety of steak cuts are available for encasing grilled vegetables in warm flour or corn tortillas along with the sizzling fajitas dish. Do you miss carnitas? Tender, braised pork is served within enormous burritos and street tacos stuffed to the gills by Carolina’s. Salmon al mojo de ajo is highly praised by seafood enthusiasts for its perfectly pan-seared salmon fillets paired with a robust garlic sauce.
Every day is a fiesta with a long variety of mezcal and tequila drinks enhanced with purees of mango and prickly pear. All night long, guests savor Carolina’s genuine delicacies in a bustling yet cozy ambiance. Approaching this cantina head-on always ensures a vibrant, wonderful experience south of the border.
The Best Restaurants in Glendale for Local Ingredients: Haus Murphy’s
Grab a seat at Haus Murphy’s for a classic Glendale neighborhood pub experience. Serving “cool comfort food” created with local, fresh ingredients in a fun, dog-friendly setting is the family-run gastropub’s specialty.
Beer lovers can drink ales and lagers from their 40 taps of locally brewed brews at any time of day in the cozy indoor beer garden and terrace complete with misters. Order appetizers to go with your beer, such as big soft Bavarian pretzels or Loaded Tater Puffs baked with cheddar, bacon, and green onion.
Proceed to Haus Murphy’s sophisticated pub fare, which includes their classic Haus Chopped Salad topped with candied pecans and blue cheese vinaigrette, or try their Green Chile Burger piled with Hatch green chilies. Heartier tastes are satiated by weekly delicacies like savory pot pies and Beer Can Chicken. All diets have alternatives here, with veggie burgers and gluten-free buns.
In order to obtain premium ingredients for consistently fresh meals and sides, the proprietor keeps close ties with dairy farms, growers, and cattle ranches in the West Valley. This neighborhood hub offers a pleasantly tasty, very local food while passionately supporting Arizona’s farmers, brewers, and products.
The Best Restaurants in Glendale for Sushi: Harumi Sushi
Top of many rankings of “best sushi” is Harumi Sushi, the sushi hotspot of Phoenix’s west valley. This classy Japanese restaurant strikes a perfect mix between incredible freshness and flavor and artful presentation. Though it caters to local tastes, Harumi, a restaurant owned by Japanese people, maintains a strong link to Japanese culture. As a result, there is some of the most delicious and authentic sushi outside of Japan.
Sushi chefs source and cut the seafood properly to ensure maximum enjoyment and flavor. Classic nigiri and sashimi slices are paired with brilliant flavors and colors in signature maki rolls like the Red Dragon and Paradise roll. In addition to delicious raw seafood, the restaurant prepares classic Japanese cooked dishes like tempura, udon noodle bowls, hibachi, and pot stickers.
Harumi’s innovative food is complemented by an appealing atmosphere created by its sleek black-lacquered décor and sophisticated lighting. Service that is both attentive and unobtrusive encourages diners to thoroughly enjoy their meal rather than being a distraction. It is highly recommended to make reservations in order to enjoy front row seats with a view of the bar and the chef at work. Harumi Sushi is a great place to have delicious Japanese food in a cozy setting.
The Best Restaurants in Glendale for Pizza: Oregano’s Pizza Bistro
Locals in Glendale go straight to Oregano’s Pizza Bistro for the greatest pizza. Since its 1993 opening, this vibrant, kid-friendly restaurant has been serving up pies in the styles of Chicago and New York straight from its brick ovens. Oregano’s, which has multiple metro locations now, is known for its flavorful, substantial pizzas that are served in a lighthearted setting.
What, then, sets these pizzas apart from standard pizza joint fare? First, those furnaces are filled with hot, freshly made dough that is only rolled by hand. Next, for a major melt factor, substantial portions of whole milk mozzarella are added. Lastly, a ladleful of Oregano’s vine-ripened pizza sauce—blended in-house from tomatoes canned at their freshest—is applied to each pie. What was the outcome? An ideal crust on which to build imaginative flavor combinations.
Classic options like the meat-heavy Five on Five or the Veggie are always a good choice, but you can also try some of the more daring options on the menu, including Thai Chicken or Mediterranean Delight. The light, charred cornicione crust of the dough holds the toppings in place. Seeking for a lighter meal? Try a calzone or create your own pizza with up to 75 toppings. Next, wash it down with a Kilt Lifter beer from the area. With its colorful design and carefree attitude, Oregano seems like your favorite hangout. You will want to bake pizza when it tastes this wonderful!
The Best Restaurants in Glendale for Date Shakes: Sugar Bowl Ice Cream Parlor
Savoring a rich and smooth date shake at Sugar Bowl Ice Cream Parlor epitomizes traditional American culture. Since it first opened in the 1950s, this vintage soda fountain and lunch counter has become a symbol of Glendale. Even now, people still love Sugar Bowl for its delicious pastries, sandwiches, hot dogs, and its one-of-a-kind, dreamy date shake.
Rich, earthy-sweet in flavor, the shake is made with excellent dates that are supplied from Deglet Noor Valley in Phoenix, just down the road. You can order the traditional version, which is made with vanilla ice cream and blended till it’s thick and frosty, or you can get creative and make it with chocolate or strawberry ice cream. Unable to decide? Taste the well-known Date Royale, which has swirls of vanilla and chocolate.
Sugar Bowl serves traditional ice cream shop fare including hot fudge sundaes, banana splits, malts, and floats in addition to its delicious shakes. Their burger melts and crispy fries are also highly praised by guests. This landmark still has the impression of traveling back in time with its cheery décor of retro booths and counter seats, pink and teal neon signage, and friendly personnel. For comfort food, nostalgia, and the greatest date shake in Arizona, stop into this quaint little bit of Glendale.
The Best Restaurants in Glendale for BBQ: Little Miss BBQ
Little Miss BBQ is the best in Glendale when it comes to smoked meats. In a funky, relaxed atmosphere, this 450-seat restaurant offers expertly smoked proteins prepared by a championship-winning pitmaster. With seats available both inside and outside, the laid-back atmosphere entices visitors to unwind with an ice-cold drink and mouthwatering barbecue.
The menu features slow-smoked prime meats, such as pulled pork, brisket, pork ribs, sausage, and wings, that may be purchased by the pound or served on platters and sandwiches. Platters that are perfect for meat lovers come with your choice of two or three meats plus traditional sides like cornbread, potato salad, and baked beans. The famous Sunburn Potatoes, crispy bits dipped in hot queso, are a must-try.
Eat some of the menu’s munchies, like cheesy tater tots, fried pickles, and jalapeño poppers, to satisfy your hunger while you wait for your order. Little Miss BBQ offers mouthwatering meats that melt in your mouth, and their huge portions and locally brewed beer make for a great experience any day of the week. This restaurant shows that excellent barbecue doesn’t have to be ostentatious.
The Best Restaurants in Glendale for Tacos: Tacos Paquime
Tacos Paquime has the greatest tacos in Glendale, so stop looking elsewhere. This laid-back eatery specializes in real Mexican street food that is made according to the owner’s family recipes, such as tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. Every day, fresh tortillas are prepared in-house and filled with a variety of meats, including pollo, lengua, carnitas, and carne asada.
The rich, vivid tastes of the meats and fillings are brought out by the delicate, freshness of the homemade corn tortillas and salsas. The vampiros taco with melted cheese and the taco campechano with steak and chorizo are two of the most popular dishes on the menu. For a unique twist, try serving tacos on freshly cooked blue corn tortillas.
Try one of Paquime’s cool aguas frescas, such as horchata or jamaica, with your tacos. The cheery, inviting area honors the culture and people of the Casas Grandes and creates the ideal atmosphere for a real, mouthwatering taco party. This family-run gem provides a lot of taste for a reasonable price.
Conclusion
With a wide variety of restaurants to satisfy every taste, Glendale’s eating scene has blossomed, offering everything from hearty southwestern cuisine to bold global fusion. The city’s great cultural diversity and Valley of the Sun location make it the perfect place for chefs to find the best local ingredients and incorporate traditional flavors into modern dishes.
These eateries attract with their warm hospitality, colorful decor, patio areas for enjoying the sun, and live entertainment, in addition to their inventive cuisine. Favorites like Bandera Gastro Pub, Little Miss BBQ, and Carolina’s Mexican Restaurant effortlessly transform mealtimes into unforgettable evenings spent fostering community connections.
To truly capture Glendale’s cozy atmosphere, walk between its many well-known restaurants, mom-and-pop stores, and craft breweries—especially downtown—into your surroundings. Sun-drenched patios, beautiful haciendas, and vibrant nightlife locations complement the bold menus offered by this burgeoning city, which offers guests everything from late-night schnitzel at historic Haus Murphy’s to weekend breakfast at Morning Glory Cafe and happy hour small plates at Virtù Honest Craft.
The availability of excellent dining options at almost every price range is praised by locals as one of the main benefits of living in Glendale. Securing a seat at any of these premier local eateries ensures that guests receive a warm welcome and delicious cuisine in a town full of southwestern charm.