For most travelers, the best part of any vacation is the opportunity to taste the flavors of the area we are visiting. We starve ourselves in the days, weeks, and months, leading up to our getaways, knowing that we will be eating ourselves into food comas while traveling. That’s why a vacation during Scottsdale Restaurant Week may be the best vacation of all, planning a journey that involves both the beauty and warmth of early fall in Arizona and an authentic taste of the meals provided by the best restaurants in town! I Love Scottsdale loves Scottsdale Restaurant Week, and although it is primarily known as ARIZONA Restaurant week, taking place the second week of September, this guide to the best Scottsdale Restaurants participating in our favorite time of the year will have you eager to get the season started. Staying in one of our I Love Scottsdale vacation sanctuaries will just be the cherry on the top of the most delicious sundae you have ever tasted!
The Most Edible Time of the Year
There are actually two Arizona Restaurant Weeks, one held in the spring (generally the week before Memorial Day) and the one held the second week in September. Each of the participating restaurants offer a prix fixe menu during the week, providing diners with a taste of the chefs’ best meal creations. Held in towns all over the state, (so if you are road tripping during your stay, check out the Arizona Restaurant Week website to explore more participating restaurants) it is the Scottsdale restaurants we will be concentrating on for the moment. Our favorite participant, Fat Ox, 6316 N Scottsdale Road, is a chef driven establishment that focuses on modern renditions of classic Italian dishes. Every year is different, but 2023’s veal meatballs literally made our taste buds sing! Another participant in Restaurant Week, Los Sombreros, 2534 N Scottsdale Road, has been a local favorite since the 1990s, providing an innovative spin to our favorite Mexican dishes at an incredibly reasonable price. (It was $34-$44 pp in 2023, compared to a flat $44 pp for Fat Ox.) Prado at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia, 4949 E Lincoln Drive, provided an absolutely stunning menu in 2023, with dishes that included wild mushroom linguine and prime filet mignon with truffle potato puree and a riojo reduction. (In all cases unless otherwise stated, the prices are from 2023 and may change from year to year; Prado, charged $44 for their contribution to Restaurant Week.)
Round 2 of Scottsdale Restaurants Participating in Restaurant Week
Although our hearts are firmly rooted in the Southwest, our tastebuds love international delights, and Roka Akor, 7299 N Scottsdale Road, excited us with their entry, a Japanese feast that included sushi and Wagyu Skirt Steak with shisho chimichurri, all for $44. Mediterranean favorites were on the menu at Virtú Honest Craft, 3701 N Marshall Way, and we can’t tell you how much we adored their smoked duck breast served with charred peaches, especially when we were able to take the meal out to the patio, where late summer and early spring temps were still pleasantly comfortable.
Some visitors may begin to feel a little uncomfortable at the fancy fare we have described here, but even as the fancier and more expensive restaurants are still casual, we think the next restaurant up for discussion will make you feel more relaxed and at home. Citizen Public House, 7111 E 5th Avenue, continues with the pub tradition, serving chopped salads and pan seared scallops with sweet corn grits, but it is their desserts that had us practically licking the plate clean! Their malted bread pudding drizzled with praline pecan sauce almost surprised us into believing that we were dining in the heart of Georgia, and with a $33 dollar pp cost, you can bet we considered returning more than once!
Finally, the last Scottsdale participant in Arizona Restaurant Week, Deseo at Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, had more than a few tricks up their sleeve, serving Restaurant Week guests options that included Amarillo chili leche de tigre and pork belly anticucho, making us rub our own bellies in a very satisfied manner! Sadly, Deseo has closed and won’t be making any more Scottsdale Restaurant Week appearances, but we are sure that just leaves the space open for more Scottsdale delights!
Every Year Is Different
The participating restaurants tend to change from year to year, but do you want to know what doesn’t change? The comfort, luxury, and style you will find when you choose I Love Scottsdale to be the homebase of your epicurean adventures! Providing fully equipped gourmet kitchens that will let you attempt to make your own Southwestern meals, (If you have any room left in your stomach after tasting your way through Scottsdale, that is!) every night will be the best night at home with I Love Scottsdale. Reserve your favorite property today!
