Phoenix restaurants, nice but not too fancy or challenging :/

May 3, 2024 4:26 PM

Thanks to all the help in this thread, I am leaving tomorrow for a week in Arizona to celebrate my dad’s 80th birthday. He likes good food, but nothing overly fancy, spicy, or too unfamiliar. Where should we eat for his birthday our last night, when we will be in Phoenix?

I’m not really going to worry about food except for dinner on his actual birthday, Saturday the 11th. We are staying at Element Scottsdale at SkySong, so it would be great if the restaurant wasn’t super far away, but that’s not a priority.

After looking around, I was thinking of Fellow Osteria or Buck and Rider Camelback because he likes Italian or fish. I’d like to know if I’m on the right track, if one of these is a better fit, or if there are better options. No spicy! His idea of fancy but not too fancy are restaurants on The Hill in St Louis, if that helps.

Bonus: we fly out the next day, which is Mothers Day, nightmare for breakfast. I was thinking we just try to eat early at a diner or someplace casual. Any thoughts on that?

Thank you!

posted by TrarNoir to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

I don't have a specific rec, but based on similar Dad profiles, take the best steak house listing you can afford that's recommended in the thread or elsewhere.
posted by atomicstone at 4:49 PM on May 3

Best answer: I'm not an expert on the Scottsdale scene but recently had a very nice meal at Citizen Public House, which doesn't seem too far for you.

(If you have a hankering for sweet treats anywhere in there, though, check out the Sugar Bowl!)
posted by Tandem Affinity at 4:51 PM on May 3

The Henry. You will probably want a reservation.
posted by Sassyfras at 5:57 PM on May 3

Fellow Osteria is fantastic, great food, fun drinks and excellent customer service.
posted by jennstra at 7:14 PM on May 3

For brunch, I'd suggest Chelsea's Kitchen. Not a diner, but it has great food, nice patio, near the airport.

Pitch Pizza, on Thomas, not far from Sky Song, is fun. It's casual, with excellent food.
posted by jennstra at 7:24 PM on May 3

I wonder what you and your dad might think of The Welcome Diner; my wife is from near Scottsdale, and we go there almost every time we visit Arizona. You could also go to Pizzeria Bianco, but I don't have a good line in on whether or not Phoenix/Scottsdale folks think it's overrated compared to the national coverage it's received in the last ten years. I had a great time there, but it might be tough to get in without a reservation.
posted by IcarusFloats at 9:28 AM on May 8

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! I ended up taking Tandem Affinity's suggestion of Citizen Public House, followed by Sugar Bowl. Citizen was just right, if a little too loud for old folks, and dad loved the short ribs. Sugar Bowl is adorable. All of the other suggestions were on the right track, too, especially atomicstone's steakhouse idea and Sassyfras's suggestion of The Henry.
posted by TrarNoir at 9:23 AM on May 15 [2 favorites]