Best Casual Restaurants in Central Phoenix

Very cool place, good service, good food. Steak was overcooked tho can’t lie. Still good tho

Excellent food, fantastic service, beautiful ambience… ONLY complaint is that the servings sizes were SO SMALL that my husband and I had to order two entrees plus an app to have enough to eat. (And we don’t eat a lot, we’re not large people) Our server actually recommended that we did and we’re happy we ordered more. So because of the multiple entrees plus an app the bill was naturally higher than it could have been so I don’t believe the value was great.

From the moment we arrived - happy hour cocktails and appetizers in the bar all throughout dinner we had a fantastic dining experience. Our bartender Justin was on point and even stopped by to check on us during dinner. Our server, Fiona was knowledgeable, super friendly, fun and took great care of us. The manager stopped by to check on us a couple of times which we appreciated. We shared the Yellowtail sashimi, and the hand rolled spicy salmon. Both were excellent. For dinner we started with the spicy tuna, followed by several sides - the short rib fried rice which everyone highly recommended and seemed to love, we found a bit boring compared to the rest of the dishes. The Roasted Mushrooms were out of this world delicious, and the Gochujang Brussel sprouts were equally impressive. My husband enjoyed the Smoky Melon (Mezcal) cocktail while I enjoyed the Sauvignon Blanc wine. We can't wait to go back!

We were early for reservations and grabbed seats and the bar for a couple of drinks while we waited. Our manhattans were excellent and our table was ready within 5 minutes of our reservation. We sat near the kitchen so there was some noise, but we enjoyed the atmosphere. The restaurant is huge so there’s plenty of room to find something more intimate. The scallops were fabulous, and my husband enjoyed his grain bowl with salmon. We finished with the butter cake and practically inhaled it. 3 cocktails, two entrees and a side plus a dessert for less than $150? We will absolutely be back!

Another wonderful dinner at Olive & Ivy! We ordered the crispy brussels sprouts as and appetizer and it was an excellent start. We also split a beet salad, and it didn’t disappoint for those who love beets. My wife then ordered the chicken scallopini and she loved it. I dined on the filet and it was cooked perfectly. The sauce was delicious and the scalloped potatoes which accompanied the steak made it a totally enjoyable meal. Service was again outstanding. Certainly will be going back during our stay in the Scottsdale area.