Top spots: The 5 best new restaurants in metro Phoenix of 2022 - so far Order the miso lover ramen at MotomotoĮasily the most impressive building in downtown Phoenix, the historic Hotel Monroe is an art deco skyscraper that helped set the scene for Hitchcock's legendary horror flick "Psycho." Of course, that's not readily apparent inside the dining room at Motomoto, a new Japanese spot on the ground floor of the hotel, now called the Hilton Garden Inn. The restaurant did just open, so I'm excited to see where the kitchen takes us as they find their footing.ĭetails: 1212 E. The flavors at Zu are intense, and while they don't always work, they very much intrigue. Bitter perilla leaves were julienned and plopped over the pasta, like fresh arugula might be in an Italian restaurant.
The restaurant's standout dish is a Korean riff on fettuccine made with fresh squid ink noodles and meaty king mushrooms in a sumptuous pollock roe sauce hit with parm. The menu here is serious and utilizes Korean staples in ways I've never seen, like hamachi sashimi dotted with millet and drizzled with maesil plum tea. Pocha refers to a Korean style of street food where vendors set up makeshift bars under tarps and serve cheap snacks like chicken skewers and tteokbokki rice cakes. I swear, at one point they were bumping the soundtrack to "The Lion King."
When you order mandu dumplings, a server unveils a glass tray filled with campfire smoke that pours over your face as the sounds of Fallout Boy rage through the speakers. Tempe's first gourmet Korean concept, Zu & Pocha is super ambitious and all over the place. (But maybe that's because I'm still trying to understand James Joyce.) The "enjoyment zone," aka the menu, was one of the more exciting reading experiences I've had in a long time. Ghanaian and Nigerian song lyrics are posted all over the bohemian chic dining room, which specializes in "healthy, happy food" like goat pepper soup and groundnut delight. "If you broke, na your b'ness," reads a sign on the wall at this lively West African restaurant near downtown Phoenix. And one late night in Tempe, I settled into a large booth for a showy take on Korean street food.Īmong the many newly opened spots around metro Phoenix, these are the places I suggest trying first. Just down the street in downtown Phoenix, I discussed sake with a bartender who served green tea-colored hard-boiled eggs stuffed with salmon roe and topped with matcha foam. I sipped peanut soup while listening to Ghanaian rap songs at West Hut.
Recently, three stood above the pack, serving West African comfort food, high-concept Korean fare and gourmet izakaya served on the ground floor of an art deco hotel. More than two dozen restaurants opened across metro Phoenix this August and as I compile the monthly list of new restaurants, I like to visit the places that catch my attention. View Gallery: Head to these 3 new restaurants in Phoenix and Tempe for dinner
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