Google “Gay Denny’s,” and you’ll see the first few hits are about the Denny’s on the corner of Seventh Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix. For more than 25 years, the local LGBTQ community has given this link in the late-night diner chain its afterhours business from the handful of nearby nightclubs.
But there’s way more to eating out in Phoenix these days. The desert metropolis has become an oasis of queer-owned and LGBTQ-welcoming restaurants. Whether you’re looking for traditional Mexican fare, a vegan menu, Mediterranean dishes, or even tiki party platters, there’s a place at the table for the LGBTQ community at these ten restaurants.
Hula’s Modern Tiki looks like a sleek modern take on a classic 1960s tiki bar, and tastes like a tropical paradise, with a fruity cocktail list and a food menu full of island flavors – crispy coconut shrimp rolls, ahi and mahi, Baja tacos, and more. There’s a Hula’s outpost in Old Town Scottsdale, and the original uptown location is near Steele Indian School Park, where the annual Phoenix Pride Festival is held. Hula’s Modern Tiki is a member of the Greater Phoenix Gay & Lesbian Chamber and owner Dana Mule has long supported local LGBTQ organizations including One N Ten. “If anyone needs anything, they know Hula’s is there to help,” Mule says.
Barrio Café
James Beard Award-nominated Chef Silvana Salcido Esparaza serves authentic Mexican food with a side of political awareness and social activism at Barrio Café. The restaurant’s most famous dish is chiles en nogada, a poblano pepper stuffed with seasoned chicken, dried fruit, nuts, apples, and pears, and topped with a light almond cream reduction. And Barrio Café’s best-known political moment happened in the fall of 2020, when future U.S. president Joe Biden and vice present Kamala Harris spent the day campaigning at Barrio Café, interacting with local indigenous artists and drinking horchata.
(Pictured: Vice President Kamala Harris, Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza and President Joe Biden outside Barrio Café in 2020.)
Citizen Public House
Upscale gastropub Citizen Public House in Old Town Scottsdale provides a sleek, stylish space for socializing over the restaurant’s signature Original Chopped Salad or popular scallops. Executive chef Benjamin Graham (pictured) crafts dishes that pair perfectly with the artisanal cocktail menu at CPH and is currently retooling the restaurant’s speakeasy-like space on the second floor (formerly called Benjamin’s Upstairs) to provide a perch for people who want an exclusive, VIP feeling with their chef’s plates.
FEZ
FEZ is known primarily for three things: its Mediterranean food-focused menu, its lively and verdant patio, and being an LGBTQ+ hangout. The extremely long list of libations is also noteworthy, with a dozen martinis, 11 variations of on-the-rocks cocktails, a robust wine and beer selection, and some of the best “mocktails” in town. Weekend brunch is a big deal, bringing burritos bursting with eggs, potatoes, and cheese; fluffy omelettes and frittatas; and fruit-topped jumbo pancakes.
Flavors Plant-Based Cuisine
Flavors Plant-Based Cuisine is a member of the Greater Phoenix Equality Chamber of Commerce, and a go-to eatery for vegan members of the LGBTQ+ community. Everything on the menu from this mobile food-truck eatery is soy-free and low sodium, and the majority of items are also gluten-free and crafted with very little sugar. In addition to its permanent parking space on Central Avenue, Flavors can frequently be found at local events like the monthly Zen Nights vegan block party in downtown Mesa and parked at marijuana dispensaries and craft beer breweries around town.
Four Peaks Brewing
To celebrate Pride Month in 2021, Four Peaks Brewing Co. created an IPA called We’re Here, We’re Beer, Get Used To It. The fruity brew made with kiwi, guava, cherries, strawberries, pineapples, and peaches was crafted with input from several local LGBTQ+ organizations including Equality Arizona and Phoenix Pride, with proceeds benefitting those groups. The food at Four Peaks is equally welcoming and pride-worthy, with elevated gastropub fare like fried egg burgers, wings smothered in golden stout barbecue sauce, and slow-roasted green chili pork quesadillas.
Melrose Kitchen
Breakfast-and-brunch family diner Melrose Kitchen shares its stretch of Seventh Avenue with several gay bars and LGBTQ-owned businesses in the historical Melrose District, making it a great stop along an antique shop stroll followed by a drag show or a game of pool. The atmosphere inside Melrose Kitchen is like a classic American diner, full of black and white and red checkers. The food menus don’t get too adventurous, but classics like steak and eggs and corned beef hash don’t disappoint, in taste or in serving size. And the people watching is fantastic.
Postino Winecafe
Launched in the Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix in 2001, Postino Winecafe has expanded to more than a dozen outposts in three states – every one welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community. (The Postino in Houston’s Montrose District even displays a mural honoring the area’s gay history.) There are eight locations across metro Phoenix, all with various ogle-worthy murals, brightly colored booths, and well-shaded (and well-attended) patios. The cornerstone of every Postino is its carefully curated selection of wines, paired with one of the restaurant’s many inventive panini or bruschetta boards.
The Coronado PHX
Vegan eatery The Coronado PHX (known locally as just “The Coronado”) has been an activism hub and social cornerstone for the local LGBTQ+ community since 2015. Two couples own the restaurant – Liz and Juan Tavarez and Elle Murtagh (who identifies as a trans woman) and her wife, Emily Spetrino. Murtagh says The Coronado’s relationship with the LGBTQ+ community is “not something we sought out, as much as it is just a reflection of who we are.” The primarily plant-based menu comes from myriad sources – the desire to create a vegan version of a non-vegan dish, the cooks at The Coronado, and sometimes just the ingredients themselves. The newest menu item, the California Burrito, landed a permanent place in the lineup after repeated requests from patrons who enjoyed it as an occasional special. Pictured: The owners of The Coronado PHX, (from left to right: Emily Spetrino, Liz Tavarez, Juan Tavarez, and Elle Murtagh)
The Gladly
The Greater Phoenix Gay & Lesbian Chamber holds its monthly luncheon at The Gladly, an airy and spacious New American restaurant located across from the Biltmore Fashion Park, which makes it a popular nosh-and-shop option. Celebrated for its selection of more than 200 whiskeys, The Gladly also boasts Chef Bernie Kantak, a James Beard Foundation Award nominee for Best Chef Southwest, who delivers dishes that pair wonderfully with whiskey, like coffee-rubbed short ribs, steak salad, and Angus beef burgers.
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