Best Southern American Restaurants in Central Phoenix

Been a fan of the chef since he graced the Phoenix area with his talents many years ago, and as such have seen him work within the constraints of everything from executing a four star hotel restaurant menu, doing food court style low country comfort food noshed off of bar stools, to his own open kitchens done his own way. I've seen him launch careers by nurturing local talent, providing space for pop-up dinners and guiding them through a service. Consistently, every time I've had the pleasure, there's always been a dish served that drops an involuntary hush over the table when tasted; it's usually something humble, a braised vegetable and rice or similar, but elevated, such that even if you're not a gourmand, you know you've just had something in its best possible form. That's just a small part of what he means, I think, when he says "make it nice." So I'm always a little floored by one of his meals, and specifically in this space I'm also grateful for the ease of service and how everyone you encounter is finely attuned to your comfort. If you're looking for culinary skill, inventiveness, and gracious hospitality, you've got it all here.

Chicken salad is fantastic! Our waiter was excellent!

I loved the vibe of the restaurant. The food was delicious. Our waitress was friendly and the music was on point. Definitely will be going back.

Our food was delicious, our server was fantastic & the restaurant was fun. LOVE the live music!!

We enjoy coming to Copper and Sage. Not sure but there is a difference in the food whereas a year ago, we really enjoyed the flavors but I think, for example, the blistered shishitos aren't as charred as before, and the steak and frites, the steak was a bit more than mid rare. We still appreciate the ambience and the wait staff. It was busy I believe for the bar so drinks ended up taking quite a while to get - almost 20 minutes.