8 Best Restaurants in North-Central Arizona, Arizona

This restaurant and microbrewery is a popular, casual, and family-friendly place with a pleasant patio. Wood-fired pizzas include the Enchanted Forest—with brie, portobello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, spinach, and artichoke pesto. Expect serious amounts of garlic on whichever pie you choose. Sandwiches, such as the Margarita Chicken (marinated in tequila and lime), come with a hefty portion of tasty fries. You won't regret ordering one of the down-home desserts, like the super-gooey chocolate bread pudding. Among the excellent microbrews on tap, the Red Rock Raspberry ale is a local favorite. Beaver Street Brewery, along with its sister brewery Lumberyard Brewing Company, is a stop on the Flagstaff Brewery Trail.

Patterned after a '50s-style high-school hangout (but with cocktail service), this diner pleases kids and adults with a large menu of family-priced American classics—good burgers and fries, barbecue pork sandwiches, salads, and mesquite-smoked ribs. A large mural of the town's heyday along the "Mother Road" and a historic car on the roof make this a Route 66 favorite. Kids enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and jukebox tunes.

Formerly a popular diner and soda fountain known as Twisters, this Thai restaurant serves curries, noodle dishes, and tom yum soup. Sip beer or tiger milk tea, a form of boba, and finish with a scoop of ice cream surrounded by Route 66 nostalgia. The menu has kept a few Twisters' favorites on the menu, including burgers and milkshakes, for those feeling nostalgic. 

Don't let the name mislead you: this South-of-the-border Route 66 diner serves breakfast (all day), lunch, and dinner in a bright space decorated with Día de Los Muertos–inspired paintings. House specialties include a green chile pork enchilada topped with two eggs and J.B.'s Volcano: a mound of chilaquiles drenched in that same green chile pork, loaded with chorizo and crowned by an over-medium egg. Order a breakfast cocktail or coffee to complement your morning meal. Burritos and street tacos dominate the lunch and dinner menu.

Faux pine boughs, pine dining booths, and curtains that only a grandma would hang lend a country charm to this diner known for its extra-large pies and downhome country cooking. Breakfast lovers dig into homemade cinnamon rolls, huevos rancheros with pork green chile, and omelets, while later in the day sandwiches, steaks, ribs, salads, and pastas dominate the menu.

One of a chain of Mexican restaurants spread throughout the state, this location dishes up standard south-of-the-border fare like enchiladas, nachos, and shredded beef burritos, as well as more unique offerings such as snapper Veracruz and mole. Save room for dessert; the impressive menu has all the Mexican restaurant staples, from churros and flan to deep-fried ice cream. The full-service bar pours 10 different margaritas with the option to add one of seven different flavors, including prickly pear and jalapeño.

This cheerful Mexican restaurant, with light-wood booths and colorful designs, eschews heavy Sonoran-style fare in favor of the grilled dishes found in Guadalajara. The fish tacos are particularly good, and you can substitute grilled vegetables for the rice and beans if you prefer a lower-carb meal.