Asian in Phoenix

920 E. Univeristy Dr. #101 Tempe

480-317-0101

Japanese, Sushi, Asian, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

This Japanese restaurant is exactly what its name implies: a stepping stone for sushi virgins. Whether you’ve never had raw fish and sticky rice rolled up in seaweed – or love the stuff but have never made it yourself – Sushi 101 will help you along the way to understanding the iconic dish. The menu comes with a glossary of sushi, which breaks down all of the offerings by ingredient. Don’t know that a caterpillar roll has unagi (eel) and avocado? You do now! The restaurant also offers signature creations like the ASU Roll (real crab meat, avocado, and cucumber wrapped with soy paper and topped with fresh salmon, avocado, and creamy ponzu) and the Moon Walk (sweet potato and avocado topped with spicy tuna and sliced lemon). Along with rolls, Sushi 101 serves sashimi, nigiri, bento specials, noodles, soups, salads, and entrées like grilled salmon and chicken katsu. To learn the trick of the trade, join the sushi making class offered every Sunday afternoon for just $15.

2 articles

Across the Pond

4236 N. Central Ave., #101 Central Phoenix

602-296-5629

Asian, Slideshow

A sushi and cocktail bar (or maybe the other way around, depending on how your evening's going), Across the Pond offers a big-time dining experience in petite environs. The open-kitchen setup here lets you observe the chefs up close as they quietly chat with one another while preparing handmade rolls and blowtorching the occasional scallop. (The place smells like a campfire, in a good way.) The owners have brought the same levels of heat and humor to the cocktail list as can be found at Clever Koi, their Asian kitchen located just across the breezeway. We recommend the Yojimbo, the Berry White, and the concoction known as the Ms. Paka — lady-shaped glassware, sunrise-colored mixers, and a garnishing of mint, a dried blood orange wheel, and flowers (like, straight-up backyard flowers). New Normal: Across the Pond accepts reservations via Tock.

2 articles

Akaihana Sushi and Grill

2293 N. Pebble Creek Parkway Goodyear

623-935-3942

Sushi, Asian, Japanese, Menu

We (and hundreds of others like us) go here for the California rolls, because they're some of the best in town and a house specialty. The sushi is invariably fresh, the portions generous and the prices reasonable.

Aloha Kitchen

2950 S. Alma School Rd. Mesa

480-897-2451

Hawaiian, Asian, Polynesian, Recommended, Best Of, Menu, Slideshow

This fast-casual Mesa lunch spot checks a lot of "classic hidden gem" boxes: strip mall location, beachy walls and window murals, several decades in business, super flavorful fare. Aloha Kitchen is, in fact, such a classic hidden gem that it is no longer hidden. It's been on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and has a line out the door almost daily. Fame hasn't gone to the heads of Aloha Kitchen's friendly owners, though. The reasonably priced Hawaiian-style eatery (they throw in a little Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, too) still serves generous, hard-to-resist island food via simple counter service. We've often raved about the fried saimin (island-style noodles in a shrimp soup base). But don't sleep on the mixed plates, particularly the teriyaki chicken — black-edged, charbroiled boneless chicken marinated in special island teriyaki sauce, served with steamed rice and your choice of macaroni-potato salad or a small side salad. Have mercy. New Normal: Seating is limited inside, but we hear the takeout counter is busy but speedy with to-go orders.

11 articles

Asia

1236 E. Baseline Rd. Mesa

480-892-0688

Asian, Eclectic, Recommended

This tiny, trendy cafe is all about noodles. The skinny pasta hails from Japan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, but don't expect anything too exotic. This is primarily mild-mannered, health-oriented stir-fry. The udon with shrimp and chicken is a must-try.

1 article

Asia de Cuba

7353 E. Indian School Rd. Central Scottsdale

480-308-1131

Asian, Asian Fusion, Menu

1 article

Asian Buffet 101

20440 N. 27th Ave. New River

623-581-6888

Asian, Buffet

Asian Cafe Express

1911 W. Main St. #3 Mesa

480-668-5910

Chinese, Asian, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Menu, Slideshow

Over the years, Mesa has become a mecca for Asian cuisine in a variety of forms — everything from hot pot spots to classic Chinese eateries. Asian Café Express falls in the latter category. Its decor is all strip-mall Chinese restaurant, while the kitchen turns out next-level Hong Kong-style cuisine. This no-frills, award-winning east Valley eatery from master chef Michael Leung (he's also a tai chi master) and his wife, Susan (the heart of the operation) opened in 2005. Standout menu items include stews, sautes, hot pots, congee, fried rice, and a slew of noodles across two separate menus — the Hong Kong style and the Arizona style. Take your time, as there are more than 300 items to choose from. To start, we recommend the raved-over chili salt chicken wings, an essential dish of the Valley. Other favorites include the chili sauce dumplings, Singapore fried noodles, and the mapo tofu. New Normal: Asian Cafe Express is open for carryout only. Delivery via DoorDash.

14 articles

Asian Fusion Cafe

725 S. Rural Road, #105 Tempe

480-939-2555

Asian, Asian Fusion, Chinese, Recommended, Best Of

It’s all in the name at Asian Fusion Café, a Hong Kong-style diner found in Tempe near Arizona State University. Asian Fusion Café is the first of its kind in Tempe, and is known as a "tea restaurant" or cha chan teng. That means it’s a blend of Cantonese, Western, and American dishes, even some Szechwan entrees, on a 100-item-long menu. This tea restaurant naturallty offers an impressive array of teas, including Hong Kong-style milk tea and jasmine green tea served hot or cold. Follow that with a beef pancake roll appetizer; French toast; a club sandwich; or Western-style rice dishes like orange chicken, noodle soup, curry flavor chow fun, or twice cooked pork. Desserts almost get their own page on the menu at Asian Fusion Café, and include walnut soup, double mountain grass jelly, and an array of flavors like mango and red bean for slushes and shaved ice.

3 articles

Autumn Court Chinese Restaurant

3752 E. Indian School Rd. East Phoenix

602-234-0512

Chinese, Asian, Recommended, Best Of

Same food, different location from the old-school-cool space in a former IHOP on Central Avenue that evoked Roman Polanski's Chinatown in decor and comestibles. Alas, the kitchen at the Central Avenue locale fell victim to a fire in late '05, closing the place for the next year. The new spot looks more like a Swiss chalet from some Pink Panther flick than an eatery plucked from the pages of Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett. But the service is friendly, and the Szechuan-Mandarin-Cantonese menu features such crowd-pleasers as egg foo young, lo mein, kung pao chicken, and pot stickers. Nothing fancy. Just solid neighborhood Chinese fare in comfy, eye-friendly quarters.

5 articles

Ayako of Tokyo

2564 E. Camelback Rd. East Phoenix

602-955-7007

Asian, Japanese, Bars and Clubs

1 article

Bamboo Club

2596 E. Camelback Rd. East Phoenix

602-955-1288

Asian, Chinese, Eclectic, International, Pan-Asian, Thai, Vietnamese, Menu

2 articles

Bamboo Grill

3049 W. Agua Fria Freeway New River

623-587-0800

Asian, Chinese, Thai, Recommended, Menu

A few doors down from a 30-screen movie complex, Bamboo Grill whips up Chinese-style fare with Pan-Asian touches. Basic dishes like cashew chicken and shrimp with lobster sauce are wonderful, and the house specialty, flaming pepper steak, is not to be missed. A good alternative to the neighborhood's many chain restaurants.

Bamboo Palace Buffet

1461 N. Dysart Rd. Avondale

623-932-0868

Asian, Buffet, Chinese

Belly Kitchen & Bar

4971 N. Seventh Ave. Central Phoenix

602-296-4452

Vietnamese, Asian, Best Of

Fusion food gets a bad rap, but spots such as Belly make the case for how different cuisines can be thoughtfully paired and riffed on, with delicious results. At its core, Belly draws on flavors from southeast Asia, with dishes including crispy spring rolls served with herbs and lettuce, claypots and bao. The Melrose location, which opened in 2020, is sleek, dark and cozy — apropos for a casual date night dinner, thanks to ever-changing specials crafted by the kitchen, along with playful cocktails, natural wine, soju and sake. The bar is noteworthy, not only for its drinks but also for Belly’s reverse happy hour, which is offered from 10 p.m. to midnight, with cheap drinks and craveable late-night eats, such as Korean corn dogs, wings and vegan tofu “fish” and chips. While the Phoenix location is an evening affair, its second location in Epicenter at Agritopia in Gilbert offers earlier hours, giving diners more options with lunch and brunch.

5 articles

Blue Wasabi

6137 N. Scottsdale Rd. North Scottsdale

480-315-9800

Asian, Japanese, Sushi

Look no further than Blue Wasabi Sushi and Martini Bar for upscale sushi paired with a classy drink. When the first location opened in Gilbert in 2004, its Japanese cuisine immediately won fans in the restaurant scene, scoring Blue Wasabi a Best New Restaurant award. Nearly a decade later, the restaurant is still serving its signature blue-colored wasabi, including at an additional location in Scottsdale. Blue Wasabi’s sushi combinations, such as Shrimp Bizkit, Chuck Norris, Eating Nemo, and Get Clucked, will tickle your taste buds as well as your funny bone. Along with traditional Asian flavors, the menu features a few American updates like surf and turf sushi with avocado and cucumber and Cajun-spiced seared tuna with ponzu sauce. Stop by Tuesday through Saturday during happy hour (times vary by location) to get discounted dishes like scallop nigiri ($2.50) and spicy yellowtail tempura mushrooms ($4.50). Pair them with signature martinis for $5.

2 articles

Blue Wasabi Sushi and Martini Bar

2080 E. Williams Field Rd. Suite 101 Gilbert

480-722-9250

Sushi, Japanese, Asian, Best Of

Look no further than Blue Wasabi Sushi and Martini Bar for upscale sushi paired with a classy drink. When the first location opened in Gilbert in 2004, its Japanese cuisine immediately won fans in the restaurant scene, scoring Blue Wasabi a Best New Restaurant award. Nearly a decade later, the restaurant is still serving its signature blue-colored wasabi, including at an additional location in Scottsdale. Blue Wasabi’s sushi combinations, such as Shrimp Bizkit, Chuck Norris, Eating Nemo, and Get Clucked, will tickle your taste buds as well as your funny bone. Along with traditional Asian flavors, the menu features a few American updates like surf and turf sushi with avocado and cucumber and Cajun-spiced seared tuna with ponzu sauce.

5 articles

Boba Tree

1139 S. Dobson Rd. Mesa

480-834-2244

Asian, Best Of, Menu

If you're the type to make it all the way to the end of a list of best boba options in metro Phoenix, you may have heard about “cheese tea.” And if you’re a culinary adventurer, it’s certainly worth a go. Mixing the savory flavor of a foamy cheese topping along with sweet tea, cheese tea packs a unique, cheesecake-like punch that, while tasty, might not be for everyone. Boba Tree, located in Mesa, also serves a variety of other boba beverages, including fruity bubble teas, milk teas, and “snow.” The boba here is simply excellent, always chewy and always fresh. And the shop itself gives off a homey vibe — part of the store even mimics hedges behind a white picket fence.

1 article

BP Street Cafe

1845 E Broadway Rd. #127 Tempe

480-268-7331

Malaysian, Asian, Recommended, Menu, Slideshow

It’s not easy to find Malaysian food in the Valley, but BP Street Café in Tempe is bringing classic Malay-style noodles and rice dishes to sambal-starved Phoenix. The casual, family-owned café makes an exquisite roti canai, the popular Indian-style pancake that’s flaky, airy and melts like butter in your mouth. Stand-out entrées include char kway teow, a stir-fried noodle dish laced with a savory soy and shrimp paste sauce. Laksa, the classic coconut-infused Malaysian curry soup, is thick with rice noodles and succulent strips of chicken breast. Beverage options include Bandung, a surprisingly refreshing rosewater and milk drink, and a gently-spiced Indian pulled tea.

2 articles

Cafe Agit

1954 S. Dobson Rd., #5 Mesa

480-755-7555

Korean, Bar Food, Asian, Recommended, Menu

Cafe Agit is a dimly lit Korean bar and grill in Mesa with a menu of late-night “Korean fusion,” which has its roots in classic Korean anju, otherwise known as foods designed to be paired with alcohol. The menu offers standard American bar snacks like French fries, chicken wings, and calamari, along with Korean analogues like spicy, deep-fried chicken wings. The biggest draws are the Korean fried chicken menu, including a very good version of padak: boneless chicken breast bites glazed in a lovely soy-ginger marinade. Also good is bulgogi, the classic marinated beef barbecue, which is succulent and slightly charred. You’ll also find hard-to-find Korean street snacks like silkworm pupae, served in an intensely earthy red pepper and corn broth, which you can wash down with carafes of flavored soju, a popular Korean rice spirit.

Cafe Ga Hyang

4362 W. Olive Ave. Glendale

623-937-8550

Asian, Chinese, Korean, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Menu

In what may be the only late-night spot serving flavorful Korean cuisine in the West Valley, this Glendale restaurant focuses on fresh-made and affordable traditional Korean cuisine (and a few Chinese-based dishes with a Korean twist) made with natural and housemade ingredients like kimchi, signature sauces, and homemade noodles. Skip the Korean barbecue dishes and go for popular Korean favorites such as the street food, duk boki, seafood pancakes, Korean fried chicken, the stir-fry dish jap chae, or a variety of soups and stews like the spicy and seafood-heavy cham pong, a boiling pot of Korean stew with tofu called haemul soon du bu, or the refreshingly cold noodle dish naeng myun. After 10 p.m., the restaurant feels more like a Koreatown bar, serving up karaoke and soju along with the eats until 2 a.m. every night but Sunday. Read our review.

21 articles

Casa Filipina Bakeshop

3531 W. Thunderbird Rd. North Phoenix

602-942-1258

Filipino, Asian, Bakery, Recommended, Menu

Since 2006, Casa Filipina owners Tony and Tess Menendez have been serving traditional Filipino food from this cozy West Valley restaurant. And though the savory offerings, including pancit bihon guisado, chicken adobo, and lechon kawali will satisfy your Filipino food craving, it’s the sweet side of things at which this restaurant excels. Don’t leave without a few of the plastic-wrapped ensaymadas; these rolls come topped with sugar, butter, and shredded cheese and make an excellent breakfast or mid-afternoon snack. The bakery case also offers Filipino rolls called pan de sal, Filipino-Chinese buns called siopao, and a decent selection of American desserts.

2 articles

Chanpen Thai Cuisine

2727 E. Broadway Rd. South Phoenix

602-276-3778

Thai, Asian, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Menu

Possibly the only Thai restaurant in south Phoenix, this tiny, unassuming spot from owner and chef Chanpen Ramonaitis is a hidden gem filled with satisfying, expertly prepared classic Thai dishes as well as a few more unique creations. Start with street food favorites like fried fish cakes and crispy Thai toast, then move on to colorful curries rich with coconut milk, spicy salads kissed with lemon juice, and stir-fried dishes laden with crunchy vegetables and, if you choose, pieces of slick and tender roasted duck. For more unique offerings and improvised dishes of Thai-style favorites, look to the specials board behind the counter. Read our review.

8 articles

Chanpen Thai Cuisine

2700 W Baseline Rd. Tempe

Thai, Asian

This hidden gem is filled with satisfying, expertly prepared classic Thai dishes as well as a few more unique creations. Start with street food favorites like fried fish cakes and crispy Thai toast, then move on to colorful curries rich with coconut milk, spicy salads kissed with lemon juice, and stir-fried dishes laden with crunchy vegetables and, if you choose, pieces of slick and tender roasted duck.

Chao Phraya

1890 W. Germann Chandler

480-855-0522

Asian, Asian Fusion, Chilean, Japanese, Thai

Chao Urban Asian Eatery

1890 W. Germann Rd. Chandler

480-855-0522

Asian, Asian Fusion

2 articles

Charm Thai Cuisine

11 W Boston St. #5 Chandler

480-917-7222

Thai, Asian

Established in 2013, Charm Thai Cuisine is the go-to Thai restaurant in downtown Chandler. Try the lemongrass soup, tempura coconut shrimp, and roasted duck red curry.

Chen & Wok

6505 N. 7th St. Central Phoenix

602-263-0072

Asian, Chinese, Menu

3 articles

Chen & Wok Express

8115 N. 19th Ave. North Phoenix

602-943-4535

Asian, Chinese, Menu

1 article

Chengdu Delight

2992 N. Alma School Road #3 Chandler

480-963-1198

Chinese, Asian

Chengdu Delight Chinese Cuisine is another fine addition to the southeast Valley’s growing roster of restaurants specializing in regional Chinese cooking. The focus here is on Sichuan-style cooking, a cuisine known for its trademark use of palate-tingling peppercorns and garlic. You’ll find excellent renditions of staple Sichuan dishes like spicy hot pot, where slivers of meat and veggies are cooked in a bubbling red-hot chile broth lavished with peppers. Mapo tofu, another Sichuan classic, features silky cubes of tofu bathed in a delicious red chile sauce. Chengdu Delight also offers hard-to-find delicacies like Spicy Frog hot pot, and very good offal dishes, including fried pig intestines blasted with salt, garlic and chile, and delicately fried to an irresistible crisp.

3 articles

Cherryblossom Noodle Cafe

914 E. Camelback Rd. Central Phoenix

602-248-9090

Ramen, Asian, Recommended, Best Of, Menu, Readers' Choice

Homey, unpretentious Japanese noodle shop that never disappoints and is sure to leave you as sated as a sumo wrestler at an all-you-can-eat steak house. Go for the specials, like the Cajun-fried shrimp with the crunchy heads still on the bodies or the small, whole squid in a tomato-anchovy sauce. The spicy Korean beef and noodle dish is a classic. Wash it down with plenty of hot (or cold) sake, then top it all off with a coffee jelly for dessert.

11 articles

Chino Bandido Takee-Outee

15414 N. 19th Ave. North Phoenix

602-375-3639

Chinese, Mexican, Asian, Recommended, Menu, Slideshow

This Chinese-Mexican-Caribbean mashup was established in 1990 by husband-and-wife team Frank and Eve Collins and boasts a loyal cult following in the Valley. The kitchen yields a blend of Mexican and Asian cooking, creating multitudes of different mix-and-match food combinations, thanks to Eve's Chinese background and the couple's Arizona roots. Over the decades, the restaurant has grown into a 5,000-square-foot, 150-seat space, offering dine-in as well as takeout. The deep-fried, spicy-sweet Jade Red Chicken is practically legendary, while the slow-cooked carnitas dish is perfect next to a pillowy bed of steamed, white rice. If you're trying to get wild, opt for a burrito filled with egg foo yung or jerk chicken, or a quesadilla jammed with Chinese barbecue pork. And save room for dessert: Each takeaway order comes with a complimentary snickerdoodle cookie. New Normal: Chino Bandido is open for take-outee only. Order via phone, walk-in, or online. Call the number on the window, and they'll run the food to your vehicle.

16 articles

Chodang

501 N. Arizona Ave. Chandler

480-855-7712

Korean, Asian, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Menu

Chodang in Chandler is the ideal spot to get acquainted with Korean food. Their menu of barbecued meats, sizzling bowls of bibimbap, dumplings, and cold noodles will show you the ways of Korean cooking, even if you have to figure out just how to eat it on your own. If you get anything at Chodang, though, make sure it's the soft tofu soup -- a spicy, silky soup with your choice of meat, seafood, or veggies that you just have to taste for yourself. Read our review.

11 articles

Asian in Phoenix

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