Pickleball Cuisine
Not all culinary heroes wear toques – and not all trends are dish-driven. An offshoot of the activity-dining craze fostered by Topgolf and Dave & Buster’s, and modern cousin of the classic bowling alley, pickleball courts are serving aces in Valley hospitality.
According to David Johnson, CEO of the International Association of Pickleball & Padel Facilities, there are about 20 million pickleball players in the United States. “Pickleball has been the fastest growing sport in the last four years,” he says.
With the meteoric rise of the sport, three pickleball lifestyle centers with dine-in restaurants have opened in the Valley over the past three years: Chicken N Pickle in Glendale, Electric Pickle in Tempe and, most recently, Dink & Dine in Mesa. All three family-friendly facilities have full menus that include everything from deviled eggs and burgers to rotisserie chicken and Alaskan halibut along with craft cocktails, local beer and wines by the glass.
Dink & Dine sports director Riley Palmer says the restaurant is popular with pickleball players but also attracts people who don’t play the game. Diners can also play lawn games, listen to live music, watch sporting events on TV and engage in first-rate people watching. “I dare you to not have fun,” Palmer says.
Looking forward to 2026, Georgia-based Pickle and Social will open in Scottsdale with a “chef-inspired” menu of American classics and a bar featuring local brews.
Pickleball may be trending, but it’s not the only “game” in town. PopStroke, a miniature golf course in Scottsdale designed by Tiger Woods, has a full-service eatery, ice cream parlor and bar; and Revel Surf, an entertainment venue in Mesa with surfing and high diving, offers modern American cuisine with cocktails, beer and wine at its beachside café.