Brian Nagele
Phoenix is Arizona’s largest metropolis, replete with a sophisticated array of museums, universities, city parks, and upscale spa resorts. It also lies in a picturesque valley with a dry, sunny climate to enjoy outdoor activities in the surrounding mountains and nature reserves.
For travelers and locals who want to customize their dining experience by providing their own libations to pair with dinner, Phoenix has a diverse array of BYOB restaurants to accommodate you.
The popularity of locally crafted spirits, artisanal microbreweries, and natural wines has consequently popularized the concept of BYOB experiences in restaurants that leave the alcohol pairings to their guests’ refined tastes.
So, grab your favorite bottle of wine or artisanal beer and head to one of Phoenix’s many BYOB restaurants.
Reathrey Sekong
1312 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85014
Phone: 602-451-9792
Located in the Idylwilde Park neighborhood in front of the beautiful Longview Park, Reathrey Sekong is a cozy and colorful Cambodian restaurant, specializing in food from the Khmer culture of Cambodia.
The setting is as wonderful as the food, with romantic Asian-inspired murals outside and a vibrantly colored interior replete with antique wooden furniture, Cambodian sculptures, fixtures, and paper lamps. The food at Reathrey Sekong is authentic, flavorful, and fresh, giving customers a wonderful education on Cambodian cuisine, which includes overlaps from its Thai, Vietnamese, and Laotian neighbors.
They make delicious spring rolls, and I especially enjoyed their hearty and flavorful Loat Cha noodles, short tubular rice noodles stir-fried with beef and bean sprouts then topped with a sunny side egg.
The Beach House
501 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85012
Phone: 602-277-0399
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The Beach House is a cute and funky taco and burrito stand in central Phoenix’s Biltmore Area. The restaurant decor is decidedly beach-bum chic, replete with an old 1960s VW van built into the restaurant’s carport that has a giant smiley face on the roof.
The California-style food and laid-back, friendly service will transport you to a groovier time and place. They specialize in Baja California-style tacos and burritos, using locally sourced farms and ranchers for the freshest food.
You simply pick your protein and whether you’d like it in taco or burrito form with your choice of sauce. I loved the Baja tacos with battered, fried white fish on corn tortillas topped with cabbage slaw and mango habanero sauce and served with pinto beans and rice.
Hana Japanese Eatery
5524 N 7th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85013
Phone: 602-973-1238
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Hana Japanese Eatery is a casual neighborhood sushi bar and Japanese kitchen in the Medlock Place neighborhood, just north of Camelback Village Square. The interior is a welcoming yet contemporary space with a white-tiled bar, wooden floors, and a spacious outdoor patio for enjoying a delicious meal alfresco.
Diners can watch the expert sushi chefs prepare beautifully plated rolls, sashimi, and cooked Japanese comfort food in real-time from the open kitchen and bar. I recommend starting with Kaki Fry, panko battered and fried oysters, or some pan-fried Japanese dumplings called gyoza, stuffed with pork and cabbage. It’s always fun to come with a crowd so you can order multiple plates to sample family-style.
Atlas Bistro
2515 N Scottsdale Rd #18, Scottsdale, AZ 85257
Phone: 480-990-2433
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Atlas Bistro is a fine-dining BYOB concept restaurant with a wine shop on its premises. Located in the fashionable Scottsdale suburb of Phoenix, Atlas Bistro is a New American bistro using locally sourced, sustainable ingredients in a tasteful and charming dining room with colorful paintings, white tablecloths, and fresh flowers on every table.
The great thing about Atlas is that it’s a one-stop shop for dinner and drinks. No need to stop at a liquor store or grocery before heading to dinner. Plus, since the staff knows what’s on the menu, they can guide your wine purchases to pair perfectly with your meal. The menu at Atlas is constantly rotating according to seasonal availability and is a lavish 5-course meal.
A Touch of European Café
7146 N 57th Dr C, Glendale, AZ 85301
Phone: 623-847-7119
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Owned and run by Polish natives Waldemar Okula and his wife Malgorzata, A Touch of European Café is a Polish eatery and café in a charming, warm atmosphere.
The quaint eatery has an Old World feel, with Waldemar running the kitchen and Malgorzata taking orders to bring you the most authentic scratch-made soups, kielbasas, and pierogies from the old country to the Glendale neighborhood.
I recommend starting with the pierogi, and you can choose between potato and cheese or sauerkraut and mushroom fillings. The kielbasa is also excellent, flavorful, and perfectly crisp on the outside, served with bacon and onions on toasted ciabatta bread with dill pickles.
This is comfort food at its best and tastes great with wine or beer, which you can bring with no cork charge.
Tutti Santi Ristorante by Nina
7575 N 16th St Ste 5, Phoenix, AZ 85020
Phone: 602-216-0336
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Founded in 1996 by matriarch and Italian-native Chef Nina Vincent, Tutti Santi Ristorante is a fine-dining Italian Bistro that uses Mama Nina’s hand-made recipes she grew up preparing for her family in a romantic and luxurious atmosphere.
Located in a wonderful rustic-chic dining space with old-school chandeliers and wall fixtures in the Piestewa Peak neighborhood in the Centre Pointe Shoppes, Tutti Santi is the most authentic Italian food in town.
I recommend starting with the salmon carpaccio with capers, shaved onions, and lemon. My favorite pasta dish was the Trio Di Pasta, with three different pasta samplings: Ravioli di Nina, spinach gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce, and tortellini in a creamy walnut sauce.
Ristorante Giuseppe
13610 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85254
Phone: 480-991-4792
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Another Scottsdale institution, Ristorante Giuseppe is the quintessential mom-and-pop Italian American restaurant, with friendly service, a casual and inviting dining room, and all your favorite pasta, sandwiches, and other Italian specialties at an affordable price. They invite you to bring your own wine to savor with your dinner with no corkage fee.
There’s a rotating list of daily specialties under 12.00$ for lunch and dinner with everything from hot sausage and pepper sandwiches to Chicken Cacciatore to Linguini with pesto. My favorite dish was the eggplant parmigiana, which was battered and fried to perfection, smothered in gooey mozzarella cheese, and smothered in marinara. Comfort food at its best.
L’amore Italian Restaurant
3159 E Lincoln Dr, Phoenix, AZ 85016
Phone: 602-381-3159
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Located in the heart of the Biltmore District, L’amore Italian Restaurant is a refined Italian bistro with a local neighborhood feel. They have live Jazz music Thursday-Saturday evening to serenade a delicious contemporary Italian meal.
There’s also a fabulous outdoor patio covered by a canopy of trees that still allow you to enjoy the spectacular panorama of mountains surrounding Phoenix. As per its name, L’amore is a perfect date-night restaurant for an intimate meal with your special someone.
I loved their shrimp scampi with jumbo shrimp sauteed in garlic, butter, and white wine. For the main course, I recommend the Veal Saltimbocca with prosciutto, mozzarella, and spinach over pasta and marinara.
North Italia
4925 N 40th St, Phoenix, AZ 85018
Phone: 602-324-5600
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Located in the Hacienda Granada neighborhood, North Italia is an upscale yet family-friendly Italian restaurant that uses fresh ingredients and authentic Italian imports to create an authentic Italian menu. Pasta and bread is scratch-made daily, and the contemporary industrial chic dining space has a bustling and lively atmosphere.
The menu at North Italia has a vast array of antipasti, cheese and charcuterie boards, house-made pasta, Neapolitan pizza, and elegant entrees. I loved their spicy rigatoni vodka with Italian sausage, crispy pancetta, shaved garlic, basil, and Grana Padano.
The Wagyu Skirt Steak Tagliata with grilled asparagus, arugula, cambozola polenta, and red wine mushroom ragu was pure perfection.
Pa’la
2107 N 24th St, Phoenix, AZ 85008
Phone: 602-795-9500
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Teetering between Camelback East and Coronado, Pa’la is a fine dining Mediterranean and Latin American fusion restaurant from innovative and visionary Chef Claudio Urciuoli.
Chef Urciuoli uses a custom-built wood-fired oven and steel grill along with locally sourced, market-driven ingredients to create a unique menu that has garnered acclaim in Phoenix New Times, Eater, and Phoenix Magazine.
Menus change daily, and you will have to check the daily offerings on their Instagram account to see what’s on the menu for dinner. The menu is a small, perfectly curated offering of wood-fired tapas, sandwiches, seafood, and grain bowls. I loved their wood-fired mussels and stewed calamari.
