10 Best Restaurants in North-Central Arizona, Arizona

Traditional Mexican recipes get a creative and tasty update at this deservedly popular restaurant. Start with the namesake elote, roasted corn on a stick; this Mexican street-food favorite is transformed into an addictive dip of grilled corn kernels, Cotija cheese, lime, and chiles. Dishes are delicious and satisfying, from small plates like chicken tacos with mole sauce to larger dishes like braised lamb shank in ancho chile sauce or chiles rellenos.

Make your reservations in advance during high season

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This dapper bistro in the heart of downtown Williams, with warm lighting and romantic booth seating, blends American, Italian, and Asian ingredients into creative and delicious fare. Specialties include a starter of crisp tempura shrimp salad with house-made cocktail sauce and mains like charbroiled salmon with basil butter over cranberry–pine nut couscous. The well-selected wine and beer list is one of the most extensive in the region.

Don't be put off by the name, a tribute to its past identity—this charming restaurant inside the Jerome Grand Hotel is the standout choice in town for fine dining, good wines, and wonderful vistas. Burgundy interior walls hung with local artists' work create a warm and romantic setting for creative Southwest fare. Signature dishes include prickly pear pork tenderloin and sea bass with a poblano chile–Chardonnay-lemon sauce. The roasted butternut squash soup, with just the right blend of sweetness and spice, is divine.

At this restaurant catering to carnivores, you can hang out in the casual Cowboy Club or dine in the more formal Silver Saddle Room, where suede booths are surrounded by cowboy art and a pair of large cattle horns. High-quality cuts of beef are the specialty, but the burgers, grilled trout, and vegetable pot pies are delicious, too.

At this popular Italian restaurant, owned by top-rated chef Lisa Dahl, expect to find delicious homemade soups and specialties like potato gnocchi with a vodka sauce and pollo piccata (chicken in a lemon, capers, and Chardonnay sauce). Any pasta dish can be made gluten-free with corn fusilli. Renaissance reproductions and café seating give the impression of a Roman piazza. Make reservations for a table, or sit at the bar—good food but far less romantic.

Fresh flowers and innovative cuisine that even the staff struggle to characterize are this attractive café's hallmarks. Local ingredients pepper the menu, giving a Sedona twist to Continental fare; favorites include pecan-crusted, Sedona-raised trout with Dijon sauce and mesquite-crusted rack of lamb. Appealing vegetarian plates are also available, and scrumptious desserts include a phenomenal crème brûlée and a marzipan-filled poached pear with caramel sauce.

You might not expect to find sophisticated cooking in Cornville, 6 miles east of Cottonwood, but the German fare here, made using organic produce whenever possible, proves it can be done. Game like elk and bison, plus recipes such as Trout Almondine and lamb chops with demi-glace are all beautifully presented, and the sauerbraten and Wiener schnitzel don't disappoint. A lighter lunch menu includes salads, burgers, and crepes.

Mesquite-grilled meats and beer brewed exclusively for the restaurant are the specialties at this classy bar and grill, a sort of local institution set in a restored, polished-up 1890 mercantile building. The baby back ribs, prime rib, and fresh fried catfish are standouts. Businessfolk do their moving and shaking at lunchtime here, and the spirited bar stays open until 10 pm.

This restaurant inside the Best Western Grand Canyon Squire Inn delivers well-prepared, hearty American food, with an emphasis on meat (steak, chicken, and pork), plus elk chili and fry bread, sandwiches, and flan. There's a good-size wine list, too. Although classier than most eateries in these parts, the vibe is still relaxed. Service is attentive. Reservations are a good idea, particularly in the busy season.

Legend has it that the patrons who saved the Palace's ornately carved 1880s Brunswick bar from a Whiskey Row fire in 1900 continued drinking at it while the row burned across the street. Whatever the case, the bar remains the centerpiece of the beautifully restored turn-of-the-20th-century structure, with a high, pressed-tin ceiling. Steaks and chops are the stars here, but the grilled fish and hearty corn chowder are fine, too.