Best Restaurants in Old Town Scottsdale (2026)
Our ranked guide to the best restaurants in Old Town Scottsdale, from The Mission and FnB to Toca Madera, with the walkable night built around dinner.
Why we wrote this guide
Old Town Scottsdale is the rare dining district you can walk end to end. Inside a few square blocks around Scottsdale Road, Main Street, 5th Avenue, Marshall Way, and the Waterfront, you get a James Beard kitchen doing produce-driven cooking, a candlelit Latin room glowing with Himalayan salt brick, a chef-owned Italian room two decades deep, and a modern Mexican steakhouse where the night starts loud and stays that way. The restaurants in Old Town Scottsdale run from serious tasting-menu rooms down to patio-and-margarita openers, and most of them sit a short walk from each other and from the nightlife that comes after. This is our ranked guide to the best restaurants in Old Town Scottsdale in 2026, built from the tables our guests ask for by name. Every venue below is one we know well and send our guests to. Last updated September 2026.
Looking for the table, not the reading? Tell us the night, the group, and the occasion and we will route you to the right room. The order below blends the quality of the kitchen with the setting and the occasion each room fits best, not just the accolade count. A note on how Old Town Scottsdale works: outside Las Vegas the restaurant reservation itself sits with the venue, so we point you to the right room, help you time it, and build the rest of the trip around it, including the walkable Entertainment District nightlife and the dayclub side.
The ranked guide
1. The Mission (Old Town, Brown Avenue)
Old Town Scottsdale's most atmospheric Latin table, and a room built for a slower, more sensory dinner. Chef Matt Carter works a deep pantry of dried chiles across duck carnitas empanadas, twelve-hour braised pork shoulder tacos, and chorizo porchetta, with meats and seafood coming off a pecan and mesquite grill. A wall of glowing Himalayan salt brick wraps the open kitchen and throws an ember-like light over the whole space, and the tableside guacamole from the molcajete cart is one of the most requested rituals in Scottsdale dining. It works for a date night, a celebration, or a group dinner before the night opens up a few steps away.
See The Mission.
Best for: the candlelit Old Town dinner that sets up a big night.
2. FnB (Old Town, 5th Avenue)
The quiet heavyweight of Old Town Scottsdale, tucked into Craftsman Court off 5th Avenue. Chef Charleen Badman was named James Beard Best Chef: Southwest in 2019, and her produce-forward cooking shifts with what Arizona farmers pull that week. Beverage director Pavle Milic built one of the country's most committed Arizona-focused wine lists, pouring Grand Canyon State bottles alongside his own Los Milics label. This is Scottsdale dining at its most serious and least stuffy, a short walk from the center of Old Town.
See FnB.
Best for: the food-first dinner for people who care about the plate and the glass.
3. Virtu Honest Craft (Old Town, Marshall Way)
The restaurant that first put Old Town Scottsdale on the national dining map, and more than a decade in it still feels like a well-kept secret. Chef and owner Gio Osso opened Virtu in 2013 inside the boutique Bespoke Inn on Marshall Way, earning a James Beard Best New Restaurant semifinalist nod and an Esquire Best New Restaurants nod in its debut year. The menu leans on a Mediterranean foundation with Italian roots and a seasonal point of view, anchored by the charred octopus that has been a fan favorite since day one. The heated tree-shaded patio is, regulars will tell you, the best seat in the house.
See Virtu Honest Craft.
Best for: the cooking-first special occasion in a small, grown-up room.
4. Citizen Public House (Old Town, 5th Avenue)
One of Arizona's original cocktail-centric dining destinations, in Old Town Scottsdale since 2011. Chef Bernie Kantak, a James Beard Best Chef Southwest nominee, built the room around the Original Chopped Salad, a cult dish officially recognized as an Iconic Dish of the State of Arizona, alongside coffee-rubbed short ribs with tart cherry barbecue sauce and pork belly pastrami with rye spaetzle. The space is warm and clubby, with private rooms in the corners and Benjamin's Upstairs, a fully private speakeasy, when you want the night to have its own address. Land early for the daily Social Hour or book the speakeasy for a group.
See Citizen Public House.
Best for: elevated comfort food and a serious cocktail program in the center of Old Town.
5. Cafe Monarch (Old Town, 1st Avenue)
Old Town Scottsdale's most polished fine dining room, and the pick when the night calls for that kind of evening. The kitchen runs a prix-fixe four-course format that shifts seasonally to showcase Arizona ingredients with global sophistication, from Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras to Japanese A5 Wagyu Strip. The dining room balances intimacy with candlelit booths, crisp white linens, and fresh florals, with a small shaded patio for cooler evenings. This is the space for anniversaries and unhurried, celebratory meals.
See Cafe Monarch.
Best for: the anniversary or milestone dinner that wants a tasting-menu arc.
6. Marcellino Ristorante (Old Town, Stetson Drive)
Old Town Scottsdale's most personal Italian room, chef-owned for more than two decades. Chef Marcellino Verzino grew up on a farm in Italy's Campania region and cooks what he and his wife Sima call cuisine alla Marcellino: fresh, seasonal, hand-made, with handcrafted pastas rolled in house and a serious selection of carne and imported wild game. The wine program earned a Wine Spectator Best of Award, and the amber-lit, piazza-like room, with live music on Saturday evenings, treats a long dinner as the point, not a problem.
See Marcellino Ristorante.
Best for: the leisurely Italian dinner that feels like a night in Italy.
7. Toca Madera (Old Town, Waterfront)
A modern Mexican steakhouse on Goldwater Boulevard near the Scottsdale Waterfront, and one of the names our Scottsdale partner recommends most consistently. The room builds around a centerpiece tree trunk meant to recall the wood used in Mayan temples, with small plates designed for sharing, a tequila and mezcal-forward bar, and the signature Noble Margarita. Energy climbs as the night goes on. It splits neatly between pre-dinner cocktails and a full, animated group dinner.
See Toca Madera.
Best for: the high-energy group dinner that already feels like the start of a night out.
8. Maple & Ash (Old Town, Waterfront)
The Arizona outpost of the Chicago steakhouse concept from chef and partner Danny Grant, now run day to day by executive chef Cody Finch, anchoring the Camelback Road Waterfront stretch of Old Town Scottsdale. The room wraps plush leather booths and a dramatic wood-burning hearth in moody sophistication, and the menu centers on dry-aged steaks grilled over maple and ash woods, flanked by Hamachi Crudo. The wine list holds a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. It pulls equally for power dinners, romantic tables, and festive group toasts.
See Maple & Ash.
Best for: the celebratory steak dinner with a genuine wine cellar behind it.
9. Diego Pops (Old Town, Scottsdale Road)
Old Town Scottsdale's playful take on modern Mexican, in a former Southwestern pottery shop on Scottsdale Road with one of the best patios in the district. The kitchen puts a modern, playful twist on Mexican classics, and the signature Brussels Sprout Nachos are the dish everyone orders and talks about. Margaritas, a daily happy hour from 3 to 6, and a loud-in-the-good-way crowd make this where a Scottsdale night tends to start, not end. It is approachable, colorful, and built for sharing across a big table.
See Diego Pops.
Best for: the casual tacos-and-margaritas opener before the night gets moving.
10. Postino (Old Town, Scottsdale Road)
The Old Town Scottsdale outpost of Arizona's original wine cafe, set in a 1960s former bank branch with soaring ceilings and a wall built from more than 10,000 vintage matchbooks. The move is the bruschetta board, four from roughly ten toppings, generous enough to pass around, backed by an approachable, well-priced wine list poured by staff who make the unfamiliar feel safe to try. It runs polished-casual and social, busy at happy hour and again late, which is exactly why it books well as a Scottsdale opener a few blocks north of the clubs.
See Postino.
Best for: the easy wine-and-bruschetta start to an Old Town evening.
How to choose, fast
The most atmospheric Old Town dinner: The Mission.
Food-first and award-winning: FnB or Virtu Honest Craft.
The polished anniversary table: Cafe Monarch.
Italian: Marcellino Ristorante for the leisurely room, Maple & Ash for the hearth-and-steak version.
A group night that starts loud: Toca Madera or Diego Pops.
An easy opener before the clubs: Postino or Citizen Public House.
Why the Old Town Scottsdale reservation is worth planning
The best tables in Old Town Scottsdale move fast, and they move faster on the weekends that draw a crowd. Reservations get hard to come by around the WM Phoenix Open in early February, one of the biggest weeks on the Scottsdale calendar, and around the Barrett-Jackson collector-car auction in January and Cactus League spring training from February into March. Layer on the spring and fall resort high season and the standard busy Old Town weekend, and the marquee rooms book out well ahead for the best seating times. The public reservation apps show you what is left, not what is possible. Outside Las Vegas the dining reservation itself runs through the venue, so what we do is point you to the right room for the occasion, flag the chef's counter, bar, and tasting-menu formats that often stay open after the main book closes, and build the rest of the trip around dinner.
The rest of the night
Our Scottsdale partner focuses on the nightclub and pool-club side of the trip, with dinner as the anchor point. Old Town is walkable and dense with rooftops, lounges, and clubs, so once your table is set we build the evening around it: the right room after dinner, bottle service, table placement, and a smooth handoff from the last course into the Entertainment District a short walk away. The dayclub and pool side of Scottsdale is ours to coordinate too.
The process for you is short:
Tell us the night, the group size, and the room (or tell us the vibe and we will pick).
We come back with the plan: the dinner to target, the timing, and the nightlife booked around it.
You confirm. We handle our part.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best restaurants in Old Town Scottsdale?
For the most atmospheric Old Town dinner, The Mission leads with its candlelit, salt-brick room and wood-fired Latin cooking. For food-first, award-winning kitchens, FnB and Virtu Honest Craft are the two James Beard-caliber rooms in the district, and Cafe Monarch is the pick for a polished prix-fixe anniversary table. The right answer depends on the occasion, so we rank by fit above, not just accolades.
What are the best bars in Old Town Scottsdale for dinner and drinks?
Citizen Public House is one of Arizona's original cocktail-centric dining rooms and a serious drinks program in Old Town, while Toca Madera pours a tequila and mezcal-forward list behind its signature Noble Margarita. Diego Pops is known for its margaritas and a daily happy hour, and Postino runs an approachable, well-priced wine list that makes it a natural opener. Any of these work as the bar-forward start to an Old Town Scottsdale night.
Is Old Town Scottsdale walkable, and can I do dinner then nightlife?
Yes, and that is the whole appeal. Old Town Scottsdale packs its restaurants, rooftops, lounges, and clubs into a few walkable blocks around Scottsdale Road, Main Street, 5th Avenue, and the Waterfront, so you can start with dinner and move to the Entertainment District on foot. That walkable handoff is exactly what our Scottsdale partner coordinates: we time the reservation and line up the club, the table, and the bottle service so the night flows without a gap.
How far in advance should I book an Old Town Scottsdale restaurant?
For an ordinary weekend, a week or two ahead usually holds a good table at most rooms on this list. For the WM Phoenix Open, Barrett-Jackson, or a Cactus League spring-training weekend, plan several weeks out, and further for the smaller rooms like Virtu Honest Craft or Cafe Monarch. If the main dining room is full, ask about the chef's counter, bar seats, or a tasting-menu slot, which often stay open after the primary book has closed.
Do you book Scottsdale restaurant reservations?
Outside Las Vegas, the dining reservation itself sits with the restaurant, so you book the table direct with the venue. What our partner handles in Scottsdale is the nightlife and pool-club side of the trip. Tell us the dinner you are building around in Old Town and we will coordinate the club, the table, and the dayclub or pool day so the whole night lines up.
Reserve your Scottsdale table
Tell us the night, the group, and the occasion. We will point you to the right room in Old Town Scottsdale and build the rest of the trip around dinner, from the walkable Entertainment District clubs to the pool day.
Build a plan with us
Browse every Scottsdale restaurant we recommend to round out the trip.
Build a custom itinerary with our concierge team. Pair the venues mentioned above into a single concierge-confirmed evening. See the full Las Vegas events calendar for every upcoming DJ and pool party across the city.
Keep reading
- Best Restaurants in Scottsdale (2026) · Our ranked guide to the best restaurants in Scottsdale for 2026, anchored by Mastro's City Hall, Nobu Scottsdale, and Toca Madera, built from the tables our guests ask for by name.
- Best Italian Restaurants in San Diego 2026: The Ranked Guide · Our ranked guide to the best Italian restaurants in San Diego for 2026, from La Jolla hearth cooking at Marisi to Roman pasta at Cesarina, and how to land a table at each.
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- Best Restaurants in Downtown Los Angeles 2026: The Ranked Guide · Our ranked guide to the best restaurants in Downtown Los Angeles and the Arts District for 2026, from Bestia and Bavel to the rooftop views at 71Above and Cara Cara.
- Best Restaurants in La Jolla 2026: The Ranked Guide · Our ranked guide to the best restaurants in La Jolla for 2026, from the oceanfront Marine Room and three-level George's at the Cove to the Italian rooms Marisi and Catania.
- Best Restaurants in Los Angeles 2026: The Ranked Guide · Our ranked guide to the best restaurants in Los Angeles for 2026, from Wolfgang Puck's Spago and the Arts District icon Bestia to the Polo Lounge, with the tables our guests ask for by name.
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