September is here, and to celebrate, the Phoenix food scene is ushering in honey-inspired menus, Oktoberfest, and plenty of fall happenings. But the biggest buzz of all? The Michelin Guide just made its Southwest debut.
While Arizona didn’t take home any stars, plenty of restaurants and chefs still have reason to rejoice thanks to the recognition and awards the prestigious group dished out. Have a tip? Send us a note via Instagram or by emailing info@diningout.com.
The 411
Michelin Has Spoken
The Michelin Guide made its Southwest debut last week, and while Arizona didn’t take home any coveted stars, we still have plenty to be proud of. Seven Arizona restaurants earned Bib Gourmand distinctions, 12 landed on Michelin’s Selected Restaurant list, and three local culinary standouts received individual awards. We’ve got the full rundown, plus a few thoughts on who Michelin missed, in our 2026 Michelin Guide recap.
Tee Off for Arizona Teens
Scottsdale’s Kasai Japanese Steakhouse is hosting its fourth annual Fire & Fairways Charity Golf Tournament. The event includes a $5,000 donation benefiting Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers, which provides free music, arts and vocational programming for Arizona teens. The September 21 event at Westin Kierland Golf Club includes golf, a lunch buffet, complimentary beverages, raffles, and prizes.
Garlic Breath Time
It’s time for the 13th Annual Garlic Festival at Queen Creek Olive Mill, happening September 19, 20, 26, and 27. Attendees can sample four varieties of organic garlic grown on-site, plenty of garlic-inspired menu offerings, a Garlic and Olive Oil 101 class, estate tours, a gourmet vendor alley, live music, sunset sangria flights, DIY olive crowns, and much more.
More Press for the Press
PRESS Coffee strikes again. The coffee company is opening its 21st Phoenix location inside an Arcadia office building at 5090 40th St. A grand opening is scheduled for September 12 and 13 with complimentary treats, giveaways, and other festivities.
Lemonade for a Cause
AZ Lemonade Stand is partnering with nonprofit The Singletons to help single-parent families affected by cancer. Through Sept. 20, the Arizona-based beverage company, known for its small-batch lemonades, will donate 10% of all online sales to the charity. Place your orders to sip for a worthy cause.
The Joy Bus Hits the Big Screen
The Joy Bus in Phoenix has a new 21-minute documentary, Meals That Matter, focused on the nonprofit’s mission of providing free, medically tailored meals to cancer patients and the growing “Food Is Medicine” movement.
The nonprofit delivered its 100,000th meal in June, making this a fitting time to share the mission. The documentary will be available nationally online through the Global Peace Film Festival September 20 to 27 before heading to October’s Show Low Film Festival.
Third Times a Charm
Mendocino Farms just opened its third Valley location in Arcadia at 4325 E. Indian School Road. The new restaurant is getting first dibs on a few menu additions, including a Fajita Steak Salad and Wrap and a fall version of The Seasonal GOAT with Pink Lady apples, goat cheese, dried cranberries, honey-roasted almonds, and hot citrus honey.
Ready, Set, Hut!
Pigskin fans, restaurants around the Phoenix metro area are ready to embrace you this season. Here’s where to post up for game days, trivia nights, and fantasy football leagues:
- Dirtbag’s Phoenix: Bills Mafia has a Phoenix home this season. The newly remodeled Dirtbag’s is a Bills Backer Bar, showing every Buffalo game across 30 TVs and massive indoor and outdoor LED screens. Bills fans can score $3 Labatt Blue bottles and the $17 JA17 Meal with five wings, a Fireball shot, and a Labatt Blue, plus giveaways. University of Arizona and other NFL games will also take over the screens throughout the season with food and drink specials and group packages.
- The Hot Chick: Steelers, Colorado Buffaloes, and Michigan Wolverines fans unite in Old Town this season, with game-day specials including $8 six-piece wings, $10 potato skins, beer buckets, pitchers, and even personal pony kegs delivered tableside. The bar plans to host NFL Sports Trivia September 8 at 7 p.m., so here’s your chance to show off your not-so-useless, deep archival football knowledge.
- Rack: ASU and Iowa Hawkeyes fans, catch your college games here. NFL Sundays bring plenty of big-screen action too, as well as pool tables, bar bites, and cocktails. The Old Town Scottsdale bar hosts its own NFL Trivia on September 29.
- El Camino: Settle in for football with the game sound on, cold drinks, smashburgers, wings, and fried chicken tacos. The kitchen stays open until midnight daily, making it a convenient stop for kickoff or post-game cravings.
- Title 9 Sports Grill: Phoenix’s women-focused sports bar is getting into fantasy football with its 20-team T9 Fantasy Football Challenge. League members receive 10% off on game days throughout the season, with a $200 Title 9 gift card going to the first-place finisher and $50 gift card to second place. The league is another way the Melrose District bar is creating community around sports while keeping women’s athletics part of the regular lineup.
- Twin Peaks: Fantasy football leagues can make a party out of draft day with three package options, a $50 gift card for the league commissioner, and a $5 bonus card for every drafter. Wall-to-wall TVs and plenty of space also make it an option for watching games throughout the season.
On the Menu
Indulge in the Bee-autiful
It’s National Honey Month, and no one is more ready than Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows, thanks to the resort’s onsite beehives. To get in the spirit, Andaz is offering a lineup of honey-inspired specialties on its menu, including Weft & Warp’s Honey Glazed Donut with Citrus Pastry Cream and Honey Oat Shaken Espresso in the mornings, and the Lavender Bee, Buzzy Bee, and Honey, I’m Home cocktails in the afternoons and evenings. For dessert, try the Burnt Honey Gelato with freeze-dried honey and toffee bits.
Oktoberfest Shenanigans
Craft 64 is leaning into the spirit of sweater weather with a full Bavarian-inspired, from-scratch menu that runs now until the end of October. German flavors abound with wood-fired pizzas, smoked wings, desserts, and house-brewed beer. Try the Flammekueche with smoked sausage and garlic-rosemary cream cheese on an everything bagel crust; The Bavarian with fig jam cream cheese; and for dessert, a house-made cannoli with Bavarian cream and honey.
Don’t Miss This Week
Need some dining out recommendations? This week, we are bringing you a few of the newly minted Michelin recommendations.
Thursday: I’ve always felt like a cool kid dining at Kid Sister, and now even more so that they took home a Bib Gourmand designation. The neighborhood wine bar in Central Phoenix is known for its seasonal menu and approachable wine list. Off the summer menu, I dig the Tuna Crudo with charred peppers and peaches and the Squash Salad with a lemon vinaigrette. The wine list of course, delights, with fun options like a lemony English sparkling wine.
Friday: Chef René Andrade just took home Michelin’s Southwest Young Chef Award. Reservations at his wildly popular Bacanora can be difficult to snag—and likely more so now—so we’re stopping into his casual eatery instead.
The Original Huarachis Taqueria, which also earned a Bib Gourmand, offers shareable plates like the carnitas platter with house-made flour tortillas, beans, salsas, and elote. Like Bacanora, the restaurant focuses on heritage and Indigenous ingredients cooked over a wood fire. We recommend a side of Asada Fries, too, washed down with a Mexican Coke.
Saturday: Chef Charleen Badman took home Michelin’s Southwest Mindful Voices Award for her work with local farmers and purveyors, meaning there’s never been a better time to visit FnB in Scottsdale. We have our eye on the Italian-style Baked Pork Ribs and Braised Niman Lamb with orzo, mint, and preserved lemon.
