Every year when we visit Scottsdale, my husband and I get the opportunity to go on a date night while my parents watch the kids. We tend to go to the same places, which I’ll share below too, so this year we decided to restaurant hop and try a bunch of new places all in one night – and it was so fun!
We’re foodies, so we did our research on the best places to try all in the same area. We selected four restaurants in Old Town Scottsdale and planned to arrive around 5:00 to try and hit some happy hours. The restaurants were all in walking distance, and we really enjoyed a short walk between restaurants. At each place we grabbed two seats at the bar (which was super easy) and ordered wines by the glass and just a couple dishes to try.
Citizen Public House
Our first stop was Citizen Public House, a modern gastropub in a beautiful shopping district in Old Town Scottsdale. They had happy hour prices until 6:00pm and we took advantage of those drinks and dishes. While we were there I had a beer and a glass of white wine, my husband tried two different cocktails – the verdict is order the cocktails, the beer and wine were fine, but not the best we had all night. For food we ordered the Filet Mignon Asada Tacos and Bacon Fat Heirloom popcorn. The tacos were delicious, and the popcorn was divine!
Fnb
Fnb is just across the street from Citizen Public House, but you’d never stumble upon it, it’s tucked back in a courtyard. Which is fine with me, this gem doesn’t need to get so busy you can’t grab a seat at the bar! If you follow foodie awards, they’ve been honored many times with James Beard Nominations, both for their food and their wine program.
Fnb is a cozy restaurant, with several rooms to make you feel like you’re in someone’s home. The bar was at the back of the restaurant, with just a few seats and we enjoyed sitting there. The food menu was unique, it’s rare that we find items on the menu we’re unfamiliar with, and it was fun to find new flavors to explore. We ordered wines by the glass (which were amazing, the co-owner is a wine maker) and ordered two dishes. The first was a sumac roasted beef steak tomato with quark and dukka and the second was a lamb manti (a type of dumpling) with urfa butter, mint pomegranate, yoghurt and pine nuts. Both were out of this world delicious. I can’t recommend this place enough!
Sel
Our third stop was Sel, the French word for salt, which they say embodies their philosophy – global, simple and delivers a punch. This restaurant had the most fine dining feel of any restaurant we went to, and had good food, but we felt like it was an expensive place to be seen – the food wasn’t the star. I should say that the four course fixed price menu was more affordable than the a la carte items we dined on at the bar. The wines and food that we had were very good, we enjoyed a Hamachi appetizer and quail au vin, both pleasing. We were glad we had the opportunity to stop and check it out!
Virtu Honest Craft
Our final stop of the evening was Virtu Honest Craft, a homey and warm restaurant. They have an enormous patio and a small indoor space that feels so good to walk into. They’ve also had some acclaim from the food community – they were nominated as one of 20 best new restaurants in 2013 by Esquire and nominated as Best New Restaurant in 2014 by the James Beard Foundation.
The bar was full and we enjoyed talking with other diners that were enjoying their food. We ordered our wines and a few small plates – asparagus with a poached egg with truffle oil; crispy pig ears; and a rabbit gnocchi, all of it delicious. We also had a delightful mistake that arrived, grilled octopus. We ended the meal with a delicious chocolate toffee pudding, a perfect way to end our evening!
We loved having the opportunity to try some new places all in one night, it’s a date concept that we’ll probably do again! We especially enjoyed dining at the bar, it was a great way to interact with other diners and the staff. If you’re travelling with kids, I think they’d be welcome early at any of these restaurants, except maybe sel, that was more fine dining than the others.
Want to know what our favorite regulars are?
Atlas Bistro
Every time we visit Scottsdale we don’t miss an opportunity to dine at Atlas. Part of our love is wrapped up in it’s BYOB status. My Dad has a wine cellar full of amazing wines, so we love the opportunity to enjoy them during a dinner out. Aside from that, the food is always spot on and incredible. It’s a tiny little place that you wouldn’t expect to find in that location. I highly recommend it!
Four Seasons Scottsdale at Troon North
When we first started coming to Scottsdale we’d stay at the Four Seasons, and ever since then we’ve made it a priority to enjoy time at their restaurants when we visit. Their outdoor patio is our favorite spot to watch a sunset while enjoying some delicious drinks and food. (Get there a good hour before sunset or you won’t find a seat!) They also have a delicious casual restaurant – Proof – and an incredible fine dining restaurant – Talavera.
Head back to our Scottsdale Spring Break Guide here!
