Arizona is a state of cultural, geographical, and culinary riches. Picture soaring, red-striated buttes and undulating canyons. Verdant rows of palm trees growing dates straight out of desert soil. Working ranches hosting cowboy-style picnics under a sky full of stars. Home to our country’s only natural wonder of the world, the Grand Canyon, as well as the sweeping Sonoran Desert, Arizona boasts not only natural excellence but strong cultural ties to neighboring Mexico, and a storied Indigenous history that remains thoroughly alive today. From the buzzing capital of Phoenix, to laid-back Tucson, to gorgeous Sedona and beyond, the state begs to be explored in full, and one of the best ways to do that is by hopping into a car and letting your stomach be your guide. Here, highlights of some of the most notable dining styles Arizona has to offer.
Farm-to-Table Excellence
In Arizona, the produce isn’t just locally sourced (though, yes, those buttery pistachios on Pizzeria Bianco’s nationally famous Pizza Rosa are in fact grown in Arizona)—the table you’re eating from just might be on the farm itself. Around the state, picture-perfect agricultural meccas like Tirrito Farm in Willcox, Harvest at Castle Hot Springs in Morristown, and Aravaipa Farms Orchard & Inn in Winkelman offer the unique opportunity to stay overnight, dine on-site, and experience firsthand the bounty of nature through guided hikes and other activities.
Just outside Phoenix, you can sign up for outdoor yoga classes and chow down on fresh eggs and house-smoked meats at The Farm at South Mountain, and at Joe's Farm Grill in Gilbert, you can post up at a charming midcentury burger stand supplied by Agritopia, the urban farm that surrounds it. If you find yourself in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, a majestic land of stunning rock formations, don’t fail to fill up on traditional Navajo cuisine at The View after a day spent exploring the park with Navajo guides.
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Indigenous Delights
Arizona's Indigenous communities have a rich culinary tradition that is passed down through generations. At the James Beard Award-winning Fry Bread House in Phoenix, you can dine on a menu of Tohono O'odham Nation classics from chef-owner Cecelia Miller, like fry bread tacos and rich stews passed down from the family archives (if you’re there on a Friday or Saturday, don’t miss their white menudo, a secret recipe).
In Tuba City, the Navajo-style mutton stew at Hogan Family Restaurant is a must-try, and in Whiteriver, Café Gozhóó serves as an Apache community-based vocational training center and restaurant, dishing out Native American staples like squash stew, red chili, acorn stew, and nada’ban, a deliciously moist-on-the-inside, crisp-on-the-outside Apache-style cornbread. Want an even more immersive experience? Check out the Thunderbird Lodge in Chinle, a trading post built in 1896, where you can stay overnight amid the historic Navajo cliff dwellings and dine on traditional Navajo tacos and stews.
Regional Mexican Innovation
Mexico isn’t a monolith, and outside the country itself, there’s nowhere better to explore its rich regional diversity than its neighbor across the border. Arizona plays host to a variety of Sonoran-driven dining destinations, from the more traditional family-style fare at La Cocina de la Abuela in Nogales, to the hip and innovative Bacanora in Phoenix (where the almost daily-changing menu is centered around chef Rene Andrade’s wood-fired grill), to Barrio Bread in Tucson, where James Beard Award-winning baker Don Guerra leads the city's local heirloom grain movement with fresh-baked loaves of crusty pain au levain printed with his signature flour cactus.
In Mesa, Taco Chiwas celebrates its Chihuahuan heritage in taco form (wash them down with one or several of the owner’s beloved hibiscus margaritas!), and in Cave Creek, The Tamale Store crafts some of the state’s finest packets of Mexico City-style steaming cornmeal goodness fresh every day. Seeking something a bit more coastal? Phoenix’s Mariscos Playa Hermosa serves a hot rock molcajete overflowing with carne asada, fried fish, grilled shrimp, and grilled chicken that must be tasted to be believed.
Community-Based Culinary Offerings
Arizona is rife with food festivals, so time your visit accordingly. In Tucson, you can sample some of the region's best chiles in September at the Chile Festival, or tamales at the Tamal & Heritage Festival in December. In Phoenix, $2 tacos can be scarfed in abundance between lucha libre wrestling events and Chihuahua beauty pageants at the Arizona Taco Festival in October. January is date-worshipping season in Yuma, where the Medjool Date Festival pays homage to its most candy-esque crop. And come June, the Pine-Strawberry Festival, located in neighboring north-central Arizona mountain towns Pine and Strawberry, showcases snacks and desserts made from locally grown strawberries.
Can’t plan your trip around a festival? No worries! There are far more frequent community-driven culinary experiences to be had. At Terra Farm + Manor in Prescott, luxury farm stays come with group cooking classes, forest trail rides, and gourmet meals prepared by renowned chefs. Cloth & Flame hosts immersive pop-up dinners inside lavender fields, dappled canyons, and the middle of the desert at sunset, while the Cowboy Cookout at Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch provides guests with an authentic cowboy dining experience (read: desert trail rides followed by steaks under the stars). And for a breathtaking view of the East Valley of Phoenix—and time to hang out with a colorful collection of exotic rescue birds—The Perch Brewery is a must-visit.
Ready to discover (and taste) it all for yourself? Visit Foodiesaz.com to plan your trip.