Phoenix has grown into a serious dining destination, with the broader metro area, including Scottsdale and Tempe, drawing attention for desert-driven cuisine. Across the region, chefs are incorporating the flavors and ingredients of the Sonoran Desert. Many of these restaurants are not just popular local spots, but buzzy newcomers earning recognition nationwide. Here are five exciting newer restaurant openings to check out now.
Drop Dead Gorgeous
Opened in May 2025 in Tempe, Drop Dead Gorgeous is a 1970s style cocktail bar from local hospitality group Pretty Decent Concepts, channeling vintage glam with disco balls, dark neon lighting and a Studio 54 aesthetic. Expect cold martinis, small bites and an intimate setting.
Signature drinks include the Mega Viral, made with tequila, pisco, melon liqueur and yuzu along with the backroom martini, dirty martini and primrose martini. There is also a $10 happy hour menu Sunday through Thursday. On the food side, standout bites include caviar and mozzarella, sexy tendies with sweet Korean chili and real crab rangoon made with hand-picked crab.
Filthy Animal
This jungle-inspired wood-fire restaurant is the latest from Pretty Decent Concepts, the local hospitality group behind Drop Dead Gorgeous. Filthy Animal opened in March 2025 on Mill Avenue in Tempe. Expect animal prints and a menu described as “a feast of fire feeding the primal animal within.” Its location near Arizona State University belies the dressed-up night-time clientele. Complimentary valet Thursday through Sunday is an added bonus.
Popular dishes include pibil dumplings filled with beef short rib as well as the ancho chili glazed pork chop served with linguica fried rice. Splurge on the 42-ounce tomahawk with peewee potatoes and sesame chimichurri. Another standout is the melted cast iron brie with brie with red grapes and grilled strawberries.
Cleaverman Steakhouse
At Arizona Center in downtown Phoenix, Cleaverman Steakhouse is an upscale 10,000-square-foot restaurant that seats more than 300 guests. It debuted in November 2025 and pairs prime and wagyu cuts with a meticulous cocktail program. Popular menu items include the prime rib, crab cake, Yorkshire pudding and hot seafood tower.
Standout drinks include the Cleaverman Martini, made with celery-infused gin or vodka and the Artful Dodger, a mix of chai-infused cognac and pineapple. Just opened and hidden inside the restaurant is Uppercut, a 16-seat counter serving a 14-course steak omakase focused on house-aged beef.
Society Swan
Society Swan brings a polished French-American brasserie feel to Scottsdale Fashion Square. At Scottsdale Fashion Square, the restaurant pairs velvet booths and polished cocktails with a menu that ranges from sushi to brasserie favorites. Signature dishes include black truffle spaghetti, the truffled brie baguette, Maine lobster roll, wagyu skirt steak with black truffle maître d’ butter and French onion soup topped with aged Gruyère. Drinks are a major draw here too, especially the seven “World Famous Martinis.”
Truffle dumplings for Jonathan Gold food review of Din Tai Fung in the Americana Mall in Glendale on December 16, 2013. (Photo by Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesDin Tai Fung
The first Arizona location of famed Taiwanese dumpling house Din Tai Fung lands in Scottsdale Fashion Square bringing their meticulously crafted xiao long bao to the desert. Inside, guests will find a lantern-lit bar and an open kitchen where workers hand-fold the brand’s famously delicate 18-fold soup dumplings. Beyond the dumplings, popular dishes include the pork chop fried rice, garlicky green beans and cucumber salad.
Also set to open in 2026, Pablo’s will bring an immersive nightlife concept to downtown Phoenix, with multiple bars and a nightclub-style experience.