Arizona

Highway 89 north of Flagstaff is a long, quiet stretch of road, and most drivers heading for the…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 14

Summer in Phoenix can feel like living inside a toaster that never shuts off. That is why many…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 13

Some towns try hard to look like the Old West, and some never stopped being it. About an…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 13

Some buildings keep their stories in a museum case. This one keeps them behind the bar, in the…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 13

Some breakfast spots chase trends, and one little family diner in central Phoenix keeps making pancakes the way…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 13

Some dinners are just meals, and some are a reason to gas up the car and cross a…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 13

Some meals end with a mint, but the best ones in Arizona end with a puffy pillow of…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 13

Fry bread is one of those foods that tastes best when it comes straight out of the fryer…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 12

Bisbee is a small mining town tucked into the hills of southern Arizona, and it hides a dinner…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 12

In Arizona, mesquite is more than a desert tree. It is the fuel behind some of the most…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 12

Some Tempe hangouts come and go faster than a semester ends. One spot near the Arizona State campus…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 12

Phoenix can hit triple digits for weeks at a time, and plenty of retirees are done sweating through…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 12

Most people think of Arizona retirement and see one thing: a giant city where summer feels like an…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 12

Some meat lovers in Tucson have a confession to make. They keep going back to a restaurant that…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 11

Some people retire to golf courses, and others retire to a river. In western Arizona, a growing number…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 11

Some nights call for a paper bag stuffed with white cartons, a pile of fortune cookies, and enough…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 11

A good gyro is simple on paper: seasoned meat, tangy tzatziki, and a soft pita holding it all…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 11

Arizona is famous for saguaros, sunsets, and some seriously good Mexican food, so a proper Philly cheesesteak might…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 11

Phoenix can hit 110 degrees in summer, and somehow people here still line up for steaming bowls of…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 11

A good chile relleno is a small test of a kitchen’s skill, because the pepper, the cheese, and…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 10

Trails in the White Mountains have a sneaky way of turning a short morning hike into a long…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 10

Arizona might be famous for chiles and tortillas, but plenty of mornings here start with a plate of…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 10

Some towns make you work for your dessert, and Jerome is one of them. This old mining town…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 10

A warm tortilla straight from the press beats anything sealed in plastic on a grocery shelf. Across Arizona,…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 10

Arizona summers practically demand a cold treat, and some of the best ones come from places that look…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 10

Home prices in Prescott have climbed so high that many retirees are doing the math twice and still…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 9

Some Tucson families have been ordering the same plate at the same restaurant for longer than many of…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 9

Some restaurants chase trends every year, and some simply keep the lights on, the tables full, and the…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 9

Highway 87 climbs out of the desert and rolls right into Payson, where plenty of drivers hunt for…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 9

A warm concha and a cup of coffee can turn a plain morning into a good one. Arizona…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 9

Plastic skeletons and rubber bats are fine for a front porch, but they can only do so much.…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 9

Somewhere on Tucson’s east side, a waitress is carrying a milkshake with a sparkler in it, and the…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 8

Arizona sits hundreds of miles from the nearest beach, yet some of the best Mexican seafood in the…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 8

Ninety seconds is not much time. It is barely enough to read a menu, check your phone, or…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 8

Good ribs take time, and the best pitmasters in Arizona know there are no shortcuts. From a busy…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 8

Some Arizona Mexican restaurants are more than places to eat, because they are where birthdays, graduations, and ordinary…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 8

Some meals are only half finished until a slice of pie shows up. Arizona has a surprising number…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 8

Some of the best lunches in Arizona come from places where you order at a counter and grab…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 7

Some breakfasts fill you up, and some breakfasts quietly ruin plain toast for you forever. On the east…

By Emma Larkin · Oct 7