27 Best Restaurants in North-Central Arizona, Arizona

This dapper bistro in the heart of downtown Williams, with warm lighting and romantic booth seating, blends American, Italian, and Asian ingredients into creative and delicious fare. Specialties include a starter of crisp tempura shrimp salad with house-made cocktail sauce and mains like charbroiled salmon with basil butter over cranberry–pine nut couscous. The well-selected wine and beer list is one of the most extensive in the region.

Don't be put off by the name, a tribute to its past identity—this charming restaurant inside the Jerome Grand Hotel is the standout choice in town for fine dining, good wines, and wonderful vistas. Burgundy interior walls hung with local artists' work create a warm and romantic setting for creative Southwest fare. Signature dishes include prickly pear pork tenderloin and sea bass with a poblano chile–Chardonnay-lemon sauce. The roasted butternut squash soup, with just the right blend of sweetness and spice, is divine.

This restaurant and microbrewery is a popular, casual, and family-friendly place with a pleasant patio. Wood-fired pizzas include the Enchanted Forest—with brie, portobello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, spinach, and artichoke pesto. Expect serious amounts of garlic on whichever pie you choose. Sandwiches, such as the Margarita Chicken (marinated in tequila and lime), come with a hefty portion of tasty fries. You won't regret ordering one of the down-home desserts, like the super-gooey chocolate bread pudding. Among the excellent microbrews on tap, the Red Rock Raspberry ale is a local favorite. Beaver Street Brewery, along with its sister brewery Lumberyard Brewing Company, is a stop on the Flagstaff Brewery Trail.

This is a great place to enjoy a coffee, eggs Benedict, or a burger while people-watching on Whiskey Row. The café/bar, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, has been restored to its original 1901 style. The service at the counter is brisk and will leave you plenty of time for antiquing or museum-browsing for the remainder of the day.

Locals and tourists alike swarm to this spacious, old-school eatery for scrumptious breakfast (served all day) and lunch, served by a friendly waitstaff. One hundred and one omelet options are the stars of the show and include such concoctions as a basic ham and cheese and the quirky peanut butter, jelly, and banana, purportedly Elvis Presley's order back in the day. Warm homemade biscuits always hit the spot. An extensive lunch menu that includes everything from Mexican dishes to a Greek salad rounds out the offerings.

At this restaurant catering to carnivores, you can hang out in the casual Cowboy Club or dine in the more formal Silver Saddle Room, where suede booths are surrounded by cowboy art and a pair of large cattle horns. High-quality cuts of beef are the specialty, but the burgers, grilled trout, and vegetable pot pies are delicious, too.

Patterned after a '50s-style high-school hangout (but with cocktail service), this diner pleases kids and adults with a large menu of family-priced American classics—good burgers and fries, barbecue pork sandwiches, salads, and mesquite-smoked ribs. A large mural of the town's heyday along the "Mother Road" and a historic car on the roof make this a Route 66 favorite. Kids enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and jukebox tunes.

Formerly a popular diner and soda fountain known as Twisters, this Thai restaurant serves curries, noodle dishes, and tom yum soup. Sip beer or tiger milk tea, a form of boba, and finish with a scoop of ice cream surrounded by Route 66 nostalgia. The menu has kept a few Twisters' favorites on the menu, including burgers and milkshakes, for those feeling nostalgic. 

With juicy burgers made from locally sourced, antibiotic- and hormone-free beef, this is arguably the best burger joint in the Southwest. Freshly cut fries lightly dusted with herbs, veggie burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, and organic salads round out the menu. In summer, try to arrive on the early or late side of lunch and dinner to avoid the lines.

Breakfast, lunch, and coffee on the run has risen to new heights with the presence of this friendly café on Route 66, a few miles east of downtown Flagstaff. Exceptional smoothies, breakfast burritos, and two avocado toast options, plus generous salads and sandwiches with house-made dressings and sauces accompany the coffee bar.

After the climb up the stairs from Main Street to this former boardinghouse, you'll be ready for the hearty burgers, chili, cheese steaks, and ribs that dominate the menu. Lighter fare, including salads and veggie wraps, are also available. Eat on the outside deck overlooking Verde Valley or in the upstairs dining room, where "Claire," the resident ghost, purportedly hangs out.

You might not expect to find sophisticated cooking in Cornville, 6 miles east of Cottonwood, but the German fare here, made using organic produce whenever possible, proves it can be done. Game like elk and bison, plus recipes such as Trout Almondine and lamb chops with demi-glace are all beautifully presented, and the sauerbraten and Wiener schnitzel don't disappoint. A lighter lunch menu includes salads, burgers, and crepes.

Don't let the name mislead you: this South-of-the-border Route 66 diner serves breakfast (all day), lunch, and dinner in a bright space decorated with Día de Los Muertos–inspired paintings. House specialties include a green chile pork enchilada topped with two eggs and J.B.'s Volcano: a mound of chilaquiles drenched in that same green chile pork, loaded with chorizo and crowned by an over-medium egg. Order a breakfast cocktail or coffee to complement your morning meal. Burritos and street tacos dominate the lunch and dinner menu.

Mesquite-grilled meats and beer brewed exclusively for the restaurant are the specialties at this classy bar and grill, a sort of local institution set in a restored, polished-up 1890 mercantile building. The baby back ribs, prime rib, and fresh fried catfish are standouts. Businessfolk do their moving and shaking at lunchtime here, and the spirited bar stays open until 10 pm.

The healthful fare at this mostly organic grocery and deli runs the gamut from grab-and-go sandwiches and the well-stocked salad bar to hot items like honey-glazed salmon, cheese or chicken enchiladas, and turkey meat loaf. Get supplies for your red-rock picnic or relax at the indoor-outdoor dining area.

Tasty standards complement some of the best Uptown canyon vistas at this modern Mexican restaurant with a lovely balcony. The smoky kick of the salsa, along with the sun-kissed scenery, may transport you south of the border, but dishes are prepared under the auspices of owner Carla Butler, a dietitian who shuns the traditional use of lard and cholesterol-containing oils in favor of healthier options—with delicious results. A south-of-the-border breakfast is served on weekends.

Faux pine boughs, pine dining booths, and curtains that only a grandma would hang lend a country charm to this diner known for its extra-large pies and downhome country cooking. Breakfast lovers dig into homemade cinnamon rolls, huevos rancheros with pork green chile, and omelets, while later in the day sandwiches, steaks, ribs, salads, and pastas dominate the menu.

One of a chain of Mexican restaurants spread throughout the state, this location dishes up standard south-of-the-border fare like enchiladas, nachos, and shredded beef burritos, as well as more unique offerings such as snapper Veracruz and mole. Save room for dessert; the impressive menu has all the Mexican restaurant staples, from churros and flan to deep-fried ice cream. The full-service bar pours 10 different margaritas with the option to add one of seven different flavors, including prickly pear and jalapeño.

Good beer, good food, good service, and good prices—for a casual meal, it's hard to beat this cheerful restaurant on the town square. In addition to burgers, chili, fish-and-chips, and British-style bangers and mash, pizzas and salads are also on the menu. Fresh-baked beer bread comes with many entrées.

Ease into plush banquettes at this quiet, lace-curtained restaurant for classic French and Southwest-inspired dishes. Rack of lamb is the house specialty, and the Dover sole is a real find, far from the white cliffs. Cherry or banana flambé for two, prepared tableside, is an impressive dessert. There's a well-selected wine list, too. Service is formal, but resort-casual attire is acceptable.

Although it offers limited indoor seating, this Uptown hideaway behind a long row of tourist shops is worth a visit. It's super-casual, with just an ordering window where you can select pulled-pork sandwiches and homemade comfort food such as beans or coleslaw. The barbecue sauce has a bit of a kick, and the french fries (also made from scratch) are fabulous. Hours vary with the season (during winter they close at 7), so call ahead.

This cheerful Mexican restaurant, with light-wood booths and colorful designs, eschews heavy Sonoran-style fare in favor of the grilled dishes found in Guadalajara. The fish tacos are particularly good, and you can substitute grilled vegetables for the rice and beans if you prefer a lower-carb meal. 

Ask where to have breakfast, lunch, or a coffee, and nearly every Main Street shop owner will direct you to this tiny eatery at the fork in the road. The menu includes egg dishes, healthful salads and sandwiches, gluten-free pastries, and many coffee drinks.

Legend has it that the patrons who saved the Palace's ornately carved 1880s Brunswick bar from a Whiskey Row fire in 1900 continued drinking at it while the row burned across the street. Whatever the case, the bar remains the centerpiece of the beautifully restored turn-of-the-20th-century structure, with a high, pressed-tin ceiling. Steaks and chops are the stars here, but the grilled fish and hearty corn chowder are fine, too.