Where to eat and drink near Phoenix Convention Center: 15 bars, restaurants to try

Andi Berlin and Bahar Anooshahr, Arizona Republic
·8 min read

Whether you're at the Phoenix Convention Center for Fan Fusion or the NFL Experience, there's no reason to eat overpriced fast food. There are plenty of great restaurants and bars within a 10- or 15-minute walking radius that are well worth checking out.

From spicy chicken sandwiches to Cambodian cocktails to an animal-themed bar with an entire menu section dedicated to bread, here are some fun spots to try right now in the downtown area.

Sottise

Housed in a beautifully restored bungalow smack in the middle of downtown's hottest drinking district, the second restaurant from TJ Culp and Esther Noh of Restaurant Progress is a love song to Parisian cafes and homey dishes of the French countryside.

Part wine bar, part restaurant, part vinyl music venue that gets considerably louder as the evening moves on, it's also a sleek place to party. There's barely anything in the way of entrees and most of the sharable plates are very small and very delicious.

Details: 1025 N. Second St., Phoenix. 602-254-6378, sottisephx.com.

Monroe's Hot Chicken

The fried chicken sandwich at Monroe's Hot Chicken in downtown Phoenix.
The fried chicken sandwich at Monroe's Hot Chicken in downtown Phoenix.

Monroe's is a favorite of some local professional athletes like Larry Fitzgerald and DeAndre Ayton, and it's a great option for a casual lunch. The small menu of chicken sandwiches is the work of local legend Larry White of LoLo's Chicken and Waffles. The man knows his stuff, from the batter down to the fresh and crispy pickles.

Details: 45 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix. 602-872-7100, monroeshotchicken.com.

Cornish Pasty Co.

This wood-paneled, three-story temple of pasties offers more than 40 different varieties of the British baked hand pie, from traditional shepherd's to vegan tikka masala, Greek chicken to New Mexican adovada. Come hungry, because they are pretty filling. Even more so when paired with a pint, which we highly recommend.

Details: 7 W. Monroe St., Phoenix. 602-374-8500, cornishpastyco.com.

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Via Della Slice Shop

A slice of white pie with sesame seed crust at Via Della Slice Shop in downtown Phoenix.
A slice of white pie with sesame seed crust at Via Della Slice Shop in downtown Phoenix.

Via Della has unstoppable flavor combinations. The cheesy white pie is downright perfection. Every bite has a sweet tinge of caramelized onions that melt right into the greasy mozzarella. Dusted with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for some extra oomph, the toppings are fairly simple and restrained, down to the sesame seed-studded crust. The shop also does a mean grandma square, and its iconic Phoenix Pie with spicy soppressata and homemade hot honey is a marvel.

Details: 222 N. Fifth Ave., Phoenix. 602-341-6327, viadellapizza.com.

Taco Boy's

Order the cabeza burrito at Taco Boy's.
Order the cabeza burrito at Taco Boy's.

Taco Boy's has all the trappings of a true Sonoran taqueria: a mesquite grill, banda music playing from the speakers and a bunch of dudes chopping hunks of meat behind a long counter. They make their carne asada soft and juicy rather than smoky and charred and they recommend stuffing your burro with beans and some melted cheese.

Details: 620 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix. 602-675-3962, aztacoboys.com.

Pizzeria Bianco

The Sonny Boy with salame and olives is one of the most popular pies at Pizzeria Bianco.
The Sonny Boy with salame and olives is one of the most popular pies at Pizzeria Bianco.

Chris Bianco is the best pizza maker in the business, and his small restaurant in historic Heritage Square is simply charming. Sit on the patio to enjoy perfect, bubbly woodfired pizzas made with the best olives oils, local Sonoran White flour and his proprietary tomato products. The Sonny Boy is topped with smatters of thick-sliced soppressata and an effortlessly charred, whisper-thin crackle of salty tomato savoriness. There's a reason this restaurant has garnered two James Beard Awards, including one in 2022. It's simply wonderful.

Details: 623 E. Adams St., Phoenix. 602-258-8300, pizzeriabianco.com.

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Wren & Wolf

Wren & Wolf is a new all-day dining and drinking venue opening on Central Avenue in downtown Phoenix.
Wren & Wolf is a new all-day dining and drinking venue opening on Central Avenue in downtown Phoenix.

This downtown restaurant and cocktail bar looks like a cross between a hunter's game room and a page from the "Cabinet of Natural Curiosities." Most people probably are drawn in by the wild animal decor, but the food menu is equally ambitious with plates, such as wild boar ragu with Sonoran pasta and a 12-hour braised oxtail pappardelle. But, the cocktails are the highlight of the show with savory drinks like the Shishito Out of Luck made with blanco tequila and shishito peppers.

Details: 2 N. Central Ave., Suite 101, Phoenix. 602-562-3510, wrenandwolf.com.

Trophy Room

Antique rifles and trophies fill the walls at the soon to open Trophy Room on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, in Phoenix AZ.
Antique rifles and trophies fill the walls at the soon to open Trophy Room on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, in Phoenix AZ.

After a meal at Wren & Wolf, escape to Trophy Room through an entrance at the back of the restaurant. The theme is the exact opposite of the restaurant. In place of taxidermy, there are guns and bullets worked into the decor. The lounge is a no phones allowed space, as the owners want guests to be present for the immersive experience.

Details: 2 N. Central Ave., Suite 101, Phoenix. 520-477-8847, bestcocktailbarphoenix.com.

Pa'La Wood-Fired Cooking

The second location of a beloved Italian restaurant, Pa'La is all about thoughtfully sourced seafood, both cooked and served raw in sashimi-like crudos. Shrimp, boquerones and obscure fish like seabream dominate the daily menu. The dough is cold fermented before getting fired up in an impressive Neapolitan wood-burning oven perched at the back of the restaurant.

Details: 132 E. Washington St., Phoenix. 602-368-3052, palakitchen.com/downtown.

Kaizen

Senor Larry roll with big eye tuna, panko shrimp, spicy crab mix, cucumber, avocado, jalapeno cilantro mix and tsuyuzu from Kaizen in Phoenix.
Senor Larry roll with big eye tuna, panko shrimp, spicy crab mix, cucumber, avocado, jalapeno cilantro mix and tsuyuzu from Kaizen in Phoenix.

Kaizen is the sushi spot to see and be seen in downtown Phoenix. With its open floor plan on the bottom level of The Lawrence Building, a vintage warehouse office space, this restaurant exudes urban sophistication. Expect seafood with pan-Latin flourishes like Peruvian octopus tiraditos, tomato ceviche and scallop aguachile with a yuzu chile sauce.

Details: 515 E. Grant St., Suite 100, Phoenix, 602-432-0752, kaizenphx.com.

Little Rituals

Sidepiece is a single-malt Scotch Whisky-based cocktail. “Balancing the Scotch with a sweet, fruity apple brandy, crisp lime juice and creamy butterscotch honey was a great start," said bartender, Chanel Godwin-McMaken. "But it all came together once we added a quick mist of a Scotch spray, and a savory sweet garnish of honey dusted with black and white sesame seeds.”

Located on the fourth floor of Residence Inn/Courtyard by Marriott Phoenix Downtown, Little Rituals is considered by many to be one of the best cocktail bars in Phoenix. There are over 30 drinks on offer, each illustrated in a menu book that divides the cocktails into six groups: daily rituals to start or end the visit, delicious rituals that feature exciting and comforting flavors, refreshing rituals made to battle the heat of the Sonoran desert, stirred and silky rituals, indulgent rituals that proffer complex flavors and exotic rituals that generally are highly spiced. The menu includes a few food items like pho French dip, an award-winning impossible burger and Vietnamese caramel clay pot wings.

Details: 132 S. Central Ave., 4th Floor, Phoenix. 602-603-2050, littleritualsbar.com.

The Pemberton

With the tagline "for the community, by the community" The Pemberton PHX offers everything from craft beers to yoga in the front yard.
With the tagline "for the community, by the community" The Pemberton PHX offers everything from craft beers to yoga in the front yard.

This bumping food truck park is located on the grounds of a 100-year-old mansion called The Sarah H. Pemberton House, which features a labyrinth of paths and greenery. Vendors switch up regularly, and offerings have included everything from French pastries and wine at Moiselle to Baja hot dogs. In addition to the ever-changing array of international cuisines, The Pemberton is also a fun spot to shop for vintage clothing, grab a tiki drink or sip a local craft beer.

Details: 1121 N. Second St., Phoenix. pembertonphx.com.

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Rough Rider

Bar manager Heather Gerry serves the Montezuma's Castle cocktail (from left) along with the President's Julep and West Coast Experience cocktails at Rough Rider restaurant and cocktail bar in Phoenix.
Bar manager Heather Gerry serves the Montezuma's Castle cocktail (from left) along with the President's Julep and West Coast Experience cocktails at Rough Rider restaurant and cocktail bar in Phoenix.

Hidden in the basement of a towering office building, this bar is inspired by the lore of perhaps our most adventurous president, Theodore Roosevelt. The cocktail menu is divided into four sections: punch drinks, cobblers, traditional cocktails and classics. Punch drinks are made with tea, the cobblers with house-made jams; traditional cocktails are made with recipes from the 1800s. Rough Riders also offers a food menu with mains like a bone-in pork chop and desserts like s'more cake and a banana foster creme brulee.

Details: 1001 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. 602-675-0439, roughrideraz.com.

Khla

A Saigon Sour at Khla in Phoenix.
A Saigon Sour at Khla in Phoenix.

Tucked in a little alleyway and lit by hanging paper lanterns, this new cocktail bar looks like a Southeast Asian hideaway. The speakers blare funky Cambodian pop music and the walls are decked out with vintage movie posters. It shares a building with Phoenix's buzziest new regional Thai restaurant Lom Wong, which is conveniently located next door, but the cocktails here are so good, you can make a night out of it just munching on spicy, lime leaf bar nuts and drinks. If you only try one, make it the Devil's Deal, which is made with Thai chile-infused mezcal, lemongrass and yumberry syrup.

Details: 218 E. Portland St., Phoenix. khlaphx.com.

Garden Bar

Kim Haasarud and her husband, Kevin, turned a Phoenix neighborhood home into a bar and named one of their drinks, Kilroy Was Here, after one of the families that previously lived in the home.
Kim Haasarud and her husband, Kevin, turned a Phoenix neighborhood home into a bar and named one of their drinks, Kilroy Was Here, after one of the families that previously lived in the home.

Nationally recognized mixologist and beverage consultant Kim Hasaarud opened Garden Bar in a historic downtown bungalow in December 2021. In the cozy digs, she and her team make some of the most inventive cocktails in town, many of which feature local ingredients from honey to chiltepin peppers. The cocktails change seasonally, but some favorites available year-round include Queen Bee, made with Ford's gin, heirloom genepy, pineapple, egg white, lemon, bee pollen and honeycomb, and comes beautifully decorated with a butterfly-shaped garnish.

Details: 822 N. 6th Ave., Phoenix. 602-824-3285, gardenbarphx.com.

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Reach the reporter at BAnooshahr@azcentral.com. Follow @banooshahr on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Best Phoenix restaurants and bars near the downtown Convention Center