Simplicity and traditional Peruvian flavors shine at Mister Pio.

Justin Nasralla

As strands of Christmas lights start to shine, another season begins like clockwork this time of year. Newspapers, magazines and online media outlets release their lists of the best new restaurants of the year. Many of these lists focus on one particular city or state. The larger, national round-ups tend to include 50 or 100 spots.

However, Eater just released its 2025 list, and the food website’s editors selected just 15 restaurants from around the entire country. While we wouldn’t like to tackle the monumental task of narrowing down the whole nation’s restaurants into such a short list, we’re thrilled to see one Phoenix spot make the cut.

Justin Nasralla loads the two-day dry-brined chickens onto the Josper rotisserie oven at Mister Pio.

Casual, counter-service spot Mister Pio opened its tiny shop on Thomas Road in October 2024. There, chefs and co-owners Justin Nasralla and David Goluboff put their former fine-dining experience to work, cranking out Peruvian chicken over Japanese-style charcoal in a rare Josper rotisserie oven. The resulting chicken is juicy and tender, with crispy skin roasted to perfection.

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Served by the quarter, half or whole bird, or shredded in a sandwich, the pollo a la brasa is served with almost impossibly fluffy, thick-cut fries and fresh, locally sourced salads.

Each dish also comes with your choice of tasty salsas, including red rocoto, bright yellow aji amarillo and a verdant aji verde. Pair the colorful meal with an almost neon yellow, bubble-gum-like Inca Kola to complete the Peruvian experience.

According to Eater, it’s one of the top 15 best restaurants to open over the past year or so. It’s the only Arizona spot on the list, where it sits alongside standout eateries in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.

“There’s nothing more elemental than chicken roasted over a roaring open flame,” Eater correspondent Matthew Kang wrote. “This sort of simplicity isn’t just sophisticated; it’s primordially satisfying.”

We couldn’t agree more. Thanks to slightly different cutoff dates, we included Mister Pio on the Phoenix New Times list of the best new restaurants of 2024. Regardless of which list or year it technically falls into, Mister Pio should make your personal list of Phoenix restaurants to try as soon as possible.

Mister Pio

4502 E. Thomas Road