Spending a whirlwind few days in Phoenix was amazing, especially getting to eat all the delicious foods waiting around every corner! I tried to snap a picture or two of each place we went and I’ll do my best to give you my real opinion on what we got!
Matt’s Big Breakfast
825 North First Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85004
The thing I liked most about Matt’s was that it wasn’t an overly complex menu with breakfast dishes that were trying to be something else. It was just scratch made, hearty breakfasts. I ordered a scramble with their country potatoes and sourdough toast. The first thing I noticed is that their portions are incredibly generous! In fact I only made it through about half of my plate before I was so stuffed I thought they might have to roll me away!
The toast came extra buttery and with a side of fresh made strawberry preserves. The egg scramble was a little dry in my opinion, but I like my eggs on the runnier side, even when scrambled. The potatoes were perfect! I love a good breakfast potato (who am I kidding I love all potatoes) and this one was out of the park good. They also had bottles of homemade ketchup on the tables and homemade hot sauce on the ready in the back. Amazing!
La Santisima
1919 North 16th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85006
Heading back from the Desert Botanical Garden on day two we decided to hit up this little taco shop we had heard about from a couple locals. Turns out it was actually a pretty big Mexican restaurant with a pretty incredible taco menu. Of course I can’t not mention the salsa bar. I love a good salsa bar and this one was amazing with 12 different options!!
I went with their traditional quesa, which is where our modern day quesadilla originated. It is made with raw masa that is fried until crispy, then folded and filled with whatever kind of meats, cheeses and other goodies you could ever want. My sister and I decided it was like a quesadilla meets an empanada with a little pupusa thrown in. Basically magic in a masa shell! I also couldn’t help myself, but order some of their gourmet tacos as well. I went with a variety and tried the al pastor, arrachera, and adobada. Everything was great and I am going to be having cravings until I make it back again I am sure!
Breakfast Club & Barista Bar
4400 North Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
The wait for breakfast at this hip “club” was more than we had time for, but we did swing through their coffee bar for a morning jolt on our way to Taliesin West. The coffee was good, the vibe was fabulous, and the food I saw walking past me looked out of this world!
Berdenas
7051 E 5th Ave Suite I
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Little did I know when I randomly stumbled in to Berdena’s, I was about to have Phoenix’s winningest avocado toast. Smashed avocado’s, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt was all it took to win my heart. Definitely worth the pickup if you’re in the Scottsdale area.
The Arrogant Butcher
2 E Jefferson St #150
Phoenix, AZ 8500
As soon as we got off the plane I was famished and we needed to grab something to eat. Since there is no better place to be during happy hour than a shady outdoor table, with a warm breeze, and half off appetizers we headed downtown to The Arrogant Butcher. We were delighted by an overly generous portion of house made soft pretzels and provolone fondue and a platter of carnitas nachos with, you guessed it, even more fondue!
Sweet Republic
9160 E Shea Blvd #105
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Because long hot days are only made better by ice cream, a trip to Sweet Republic was definitely in order. The samples were freely flowing and there were so many choices that I debated trying to take ice cream to go, but quickly realized I couldn’t do that. I settled instead for a Pecan Turtle Sundae. Loaded with a scoop of Butter Pecan, plus a scoop of Salted Butter Caramel, then topped with butter pecans, hot fudge, salted caramel sauce & whip cream. Mmmmmm…
Snoh
801 N. 2nd Street
Phoenix Arizona 85004
My sister is a lover of shaved ice, and I am always up for trying something new so we went for it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t too impressed and neither was she. The “snoh” was overly dry and make a big flaky mess when we tried to eat it. The flavors were lacking and it felt like a sad shadow of what it could have been.
