Diners' Choice: Neighborhood gem restaurants in Phoenix

OpenTable

Updated January 05, 2025

Looking for the best restaurants that are the best neighborhood gems in Phoenix? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Marigold Maison - Phoenix

4.9

4.9 (579)

$30 and under

Indian

North Central Phoenix

About the restaurant

Marigold Maison is casually elegant with a menu full of dishes that will impress any diner. We provide a relaxed atmosphere amid a gorgeous, eclectic décor in addition to a comfortable outdoor seating area. A frequent winner of Open Table's "Diners' Choice" award, our food and overall dining experience never disappoints.

Top review

BonnieVIP

Dined on Jan 3, 2025

Marigold Maison is a local favorite. Great location for outstanding Indian food. We shared the Gobi Manchurian as a starter, and two kinds of tikka masala and eggplant as mains. Both came with plenty of yummy rice and mains were super-flavorful. The decor is modest and appropriate, and the staff is amazingly welcoming and kind. Wish there was a better wine list of a BYOB option.

Base Pizzeria

4.9

4.9 (492)

$30 and under

Pizzeria

Central Phoenix

About the restaurant

Base Pizzeria is built off a simple concept, bringing food back to Base. We believe that clean eating isn’t just a buzz word; it’s a way of life. By creating locally sourced, organic pizza from sustainable sources, Base Pizzeria allows us to stay true to our core principles:

Look after yourself
Look after the environment
Look after your community

Everything we do at Base aims at honoring these principles while creating food that is creative, simple and delicious and we have a lot of fun while doing it. And really, isn’t that what it’s all about?

Top review

bobVIP

Dined 7 days ago

We love the team at Base. The service is outstanding. The pizzas are out of this world. We just feel so welcome anytime we go to visit our friends at Base.

Highball

4.9

4.9 (223)

$31 to $50

Cocktail Bar

Downtown Phoenix

About the restaurant

**Reservations are available up to 14 days in advance at www.Highballphx.com/reservations for parties of 10 or less guests. For parties larger than 10, please contact us via email, or at the Large Parties tab on our website.

Experience Highball, Downtown Phoenix’s award winning neighborhood cocktail bar & lounge, featuring a rousing collection of spirits and invigorating cocktails. Curated for the adventurous, cocktail forward and late-night revelers, industry folk, and everyone in between. Led by veteran bartenders and industry professionals, Highball’s programming is inspired by unifying avant-garde, playful ingredients and memory-jogging flavors, propelled by an inclusive community feel with something for everyone to enjoy.

Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards Regional Nominee "Best New US Cocktail Bar 2022", "Best US Bar Team" 2023, "Best US Cocktail Bar" & "Best US Bar Team" 2024

Top review

Rachel

Dined on Dec 15, 2024

I’m a regular here, love the vast cocktail options. They cover a plethora of tastes. The vibe is always on point for everything from date night to girl night. This recent visit lacked service and attention so hoping it was a one off.

Tutti Santi - Phoenix

4.8

4.8 (1655)

$31 to $50

Italian

North Central Phoenix

About the restaurant

Tutti Santi by Nina is a traditional Italian family restaurant.

Top review

BrandonVIP

Dined 2 days ago

The food was amazing. The staff were on top of everything and very nice and knowledgeable. We will definitely return and try more dishes.

Lou's Bar and Grill - Papago Golf Course

4.8

4.8 (76)

$30 and under

American

Central Phoenix

About the restaurant

Lou's is the perfect place for any occasion, whether that be happy hour with friends, watching the game, family dinners, or special occasions! Designed by renowned architectural firm Douglas Fredrikson Architects, Lou’s dining room gives off a cool-clean, stone-and-steel vibe paired with a wonderful indoor-outdoor feel when the massive garage-style sliding doors are opened to a rich green lawn and golf course. The bar features outdoor seating on two sides when the windows are drawn up, offering spectacular views of the setting sun gleaming off Papago Buttes.
*Please note Holiday hours vary.*

Top review

Janelle

Dined on Jan 4, 2025

Wonderful family experience and great waitress. Will be back for sure

Il Bosco - Roosevelt Row

4.8

4.8 (23)

$30 and under

Pizzeria

Downtown Phoenix

About the restaurant

Enjoy a taste of original wood fire pizza from Italy right here in the historic and famous Roosevelt Row in downtown Phoenix. Our menu is curated by our very own Pizziaolo, Chef Chris . All dough and ingredients prepared fresh daily to excite your taste buds from one of the most popular pizzerias in Phoenix and Scottsdale since 2012. Try our house signature pizza, our Valentina, specially blended red sauce, perfectly cupped pepperoni, Calabrian chile, fresh mozzarella and finished with our locally source hoeny. Truly and experience you will tell everyone about. Voted 1, 2 and 3 over the last 6 years as the best pizzeria in Arizona. Voted number 1 on the Wizard of Za's top 100 list 5 out of last 6 years. Voted People Choice top 3 in Phoenix twice in four years. This little spot is a spot out of old Italy. Inside is small, yet robust with character and highlighted with our open kitchen atmosphere. Come experience this charming pizza destination spot.

Top review

ZacharyVIP

Dined on Jan 7, 2025

Enjoyed the food, ambience, and service. Everything went as expected - delicious meal and the team was quite attentive to our large party. Will certainly be back!

Orchard Tavern

4.7

4.7 (53)

$30 and under

American

West Phoenix

About the restaurant

Step into a one-of-a-kind experience at Orchard Tavern, where the bar boasts a charming dog theme, showcasing renowned canine artists such as Boris Klein, Theodore Degrade, and Dick de Groot. The living room exudes a nostalgic ambiance adorned with vintage whisky bottles from the 1920s and cherished family heirlooms, creating a unique and inviting atmosphere that pays homage to both artistry and history. Immerse yourself in the distinctive blend of canine creativity and vintage charm that sets our venue apart from anything you've encountered before. The restaurant was built around a vitage 1920s soutwestern territorial house, with original fireplaces and ceilings and rich, warm decor in the lounge and our private wine cellar. In a nod to Phoenix's heritage and our bright future, these historic spaces flow into a light, open dining room and patio.

Top review

Teresa

Dined 4 days ago

Good food, comfortable seating and great service. Nice patio with heaters when needed.

The Vig North Central

4.6

4.6 (259)

$30 and under

Comfort Food

North Mountain

About the restaurant

The VIG restaurants are upscale taverns featuring a contemporary Chef-driven menu, handcrafted cocktails, & local draft beer in a casual environment. We proudly source our ingredients locally and prepare them in a scratch kitchen.

Top review

AnneVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Beautiful venue! Food ad service was spot on! Burrata app was delicious!

The Genuine

4.6

4.6 (517)

$30 and under

American

North Central Phoenix

About the restaurant

Our mission is to consistently create a food forward, aesthetic, and genuine experience to bring people around the table for all of life's moments.

Top review

CharlotteVIP

Dined 4 days ago

We had a delicious meal, great cocktails. The service was good. No real complaints other than I was not a fan of a table close enough to the door that you could feel the cold air coming in

Discover more

Experience

Valentine's Day 2025

Experience

Happy Hour 7 Days A Week 3pm - 6pm

BackYard - Desert Ridge

3.9

3.9 (59)

$31 to $50

American

Desert Ridge

About the restaurant

Now Open at Desert Ridge Marketplace!

Meet your friends at Backyard, where the game is always on! Park it in front of one of our massive TVs or challenge your friends to a game of your own in our open-air playground. Dog-friendly (dog park opening soon!) and fun-driven, Backyard is comfortably familiar, while keeping things exciting on a daily basis! So grab your furry (and non-furry) friends and swing on in for a good time.

Top review

TracyVIP

Dined on Jan 7, 2025

Fun place great staff. I had the pizza and beer both great.

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