5 metro Phoenix restaurants and markets worth the drive from Tucson

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I made peace with Phoenix over a burping bowl of steamed eggs. It was a late dinner that night as I’d come all the way from Tucson to this Korean bar and had a long drive after an argument with a friend upset me.

I had made these trips many times lately: I spent two hours on I-10 on a casual dining adventure and often turned back without seeing friends or family. I would do it when I was angry and needed to clear my mind. I would when I was happy. Or when I was bored.

But most of all, I would do it because I was hungry.

The stunning Phoenix metropolis has a sizable list of travel destinations; Places you’re ready to go because you can’t find anywhere else in Arizona. But despite this habit, I was determined never to return to the place where I grew up until that loyal moment at Drunken Tiger.

The Korean restaurant is in Mesa, and it’s one of those concepts that just don’t exist outside of the big metropolitan areas. The late-night hideaway caters to a diverse clientele, including young Korean Americans who go there to sip sweet soju cocktails with friends and snack on fancy bar fare like Korean fried chicken, corn cheese, and spicy silkworm soup, an addicting brew that sometimes after Scented chillies and dirt.

I fell in love with these Oakland pubs, with a hole in the wall nicknamed the Porn Bar, because of the scandalously smeared Korean movie posters that were pasted over the dark walls. It had been years since I’d been in a place like this, but here I sat with my lemonade while the steamed egg trembled in its black stone bowl. And suddenly the egg roared. Somewhere under the swollen hill, a cloud of smoke billowed out, like a volcano that I tore with my spoon. Rich, egg-like vanilla pudding. That’s when I realized, “Damn it, I could live here.” No problem.

In the spirit of that life changing egg, here are the markets and restaurants in the Phoenix area that I have visited from Tucson over the years.

I think it’s worth the trip and maybe even a move – unless you already live here, of course. In that case, you are at home.

Mekong Square

When the pandemic began and dining rooms closed, Mesa’s Asian markets became the ultimate food destination. I drove up from Tucson to comb the aisles at Asiana for Korean kimchi and thinly grilled meat. Then I arrived near the Mekong Plaza, with a whole world of shops selling Chinese soup dumplings, cheese tea, and rare Vietnamese noodle soups. The Bok Choy section at the Mekong supermarket kept me so busy that I almost missed the opening of H Mart across the street. But the Ikea of ​​Korean grocery stores is worth the trip for the ramen section alone. And then in the next mall further down, the tiny Winglee market is a hidden gem for Southeast Asian fruits like rambutan and green mango.

details: Asiana, 1135 S. Dobson Road, Suite 104, Mesa. 480-833-3077, Asianamarket.com. Mekong Supermarket, 66 S. Dobson Road, Suite 132, Mesa. 480-833-0095, mekongplaza.com. H Mart, 1919 W. Main St., Mesa. 480-207-4560, hmart.com. Winglee, 111 S. Dobson Road, Suite 106, Mesa. 480-668-1060, facebook.com/Phowinglee.

Get to know the new restaurant critic:I’m Andi Berlin, the new restaurant critic at The Republic. I am excited to be at home. let’s eat

White bread

Do you know how to post a sandwich? It’s probably not worth it unless you are talking about the wood-fired focaccia beauties of Arizona pizza master Chris Bianco. Using simple techniques that make local produce shine, the sandwiches at his Pane Bianco restaurant are so perfect that they have achieved cult status. A friend was seriously considering separating the ingredients and mailing them to his family in Chicago so they could try this San Daniele prosciutto that was lovingly petted with fresh mozzarella and high quality olive oil. Hell, it’s easier than taking a plane ride right now.

details: 4404 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix. 602-234-2100, pizzeriabianco.com/our-team.

Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.

Best sours in the state of Arizona, hands down. That’s what I thought when I first tried one of their fruity goses in the bar of the Changing Hands bookstore on Camelback Road. Arizona Wilderness was yet to infiltrate the Tucson market with its award-winning beers, so at the time you had to come to Phoenix to taste them. It’s good that the brewery’s Gilbert bar was and remains a destination, with a large terrace that is perfect for socially distant drinks. The ever-changing beer menu feels like a tour of the state, with locally harvested ingredients like prickly pears and juniper berries in their funky farmhouse ales.

details: 721 N. Arizona Ave., Gilbert. 480-497-2739. Also 201 E. Roosevelt St., Phoenix. 480-462-1836, azwbeer.com.

Chompies

Maybe it’s the cheesy New York nostalgia, the framed pictures of Lovey, the matriarch smiling downward as you slice into your stuffed cabbage – or maybe it’s the immaculately fluffy matzo ball soup. Whatever it is, Chompie’s is everything, and well worth driving across the state to fix your chopped liver. Not to mention that right now, after both of the Tucsons have closed, there aren’t really Jewish delis anywhere else in Arizona. But that is irrelevant. The Valley is full of deli, large and small, but Chompie’s is so popular that it gets its name on highway signs. So you won’t miss it.

details: 1160 E. University Dr., Tempe. 3481 W. Frye Road, Chandler. 9301 East Shea Blvd., Scottsdale. More locations at chompies.com.

For subscribers:Sonora hot dogs rule. But you have to try the Mexican baked potatoes at this mesa restaurant?

Monroe’s hot chicken

Arizona is hot for chicken, especially when it’s a boneless breast between a fluffy brioche bun. Everyone seems to be making one right now and even Burger King is jumping on the market right now. Just before the pandemic started, I set out to try all of the Nashville-style large hot chicken sandwiches in the state. And Monroe’s was high on my taste list because its flavorful sauce had a complexity I couldn’t find anywhere else. (Though I think the chicken would shine even more if served with red meat, but that’s just a hopeful kick-start.) Unsurprisingly, the restaurant did so well; It’s the work of local legend Larry White from LoLo’s Chicken and Waffles. The man knows his way around, right down to this fresh and crispy cucumber. One piece of advice, however: don’t try to order the super-spicy “what the fuck” heat setting if you’re planning the two-hour drive home.

details: Monroe’s Hot Chicken, 45 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix. 602-872-7100. Also 430 N. Scottsdale Street, Tempe. 480-687-0007, monroeshotchicken.com.

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