When talking about restaurants, most people would define “quirky” as restaurants where the setting, entertainment or personality is as memorable as the meal. Arizona has some exceptional candidates, including places where you can eat 200 feet underground, listen to a giant Wurlitzer or slide into dinner. Using the definition discussed earlier, here are 10 quirky restaurants that should be on every Arizonan’s bucket list.
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Black Bart’s Steakhouse, Flagstaff
At Black Bart’s Steakhouse, your server might deliver your steak and then belt out a Broadway number. The restaurant is known for its singing waitstaff, transforming an otherwise traditional steakhouse dinner into an entertaining musical experience.
Crystal Restaurant, Peach Springs
Few restaurants boast walls that are 345 million years old. Then again, few eateries are tucked away in a network of caves 210 feet underground. That’s what makes The Crystal Restaurant at Grand Canyon Caverns near Peach Springs one of the most remarkable culinary experiences on the planet. Diners descend 21 stories in an elevator, tour the caverns, then sit at one of four tables to enjoy comfort food surrounded by craggy, otherworldly geology.
Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In, Seligman
Route 66 doesn’t get much quirkier than Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In. Built largely from scrap lumber in 1953, the colorful roadside institution combines burgers and shakes with vintage cars, wonderfully corny jokes, visual gags and playful service. It’s essentially an Arizona roadside attraction that happens to feed you.
Mammoth Steakhouse & Saloon, Apache Junction
Head toward the Superstition Mountains for Mammoth Steakhouse & Saloon, where the setting channels an 1890s saloon in a recreated mining town. Western atmosphere, rustic décor and its Goldfield Ghost Town surroundings make eating here feel more like stepping onto a movie set.
Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner, Kingman
Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner is gloriously unapologetic about Route 66 nostalgia. Its turquoise-and-pink exterior, checkerboard floors, jukebox and automotive memorabilia create a classic roadside-diner experience. Order a burger and homemade root beer and enjoy one of Arizona’s most photogenic throwbacks.
Organ Stop Pizza, Mesa
Pizza comes with a spectacular soundtrack at Organ Stop Pizza. Its enormous Wurlitzer theater organ rises dramatically above the dining room as musicians perform everything from Broadway tunes to pop classics. The concept dates to 1972, making this wonderfully unusual attraction an Arizona original.
Rustler’s Rooste, Phoenix
Rustler’s Rooste takes the Western steakhouse theme gloriously over the top. The longtime Phoenix favorite features a tin slide into the dining room, Western décor, live country music, sweeping city views and even rattlesnake on the menu. Dinner here doubles as an Arizona attraction.
Sugar Bowl, Scottsdale
Few restaurants lean into retro charm as enthusiastically as Sugar Bowl. The Old Town institution has been serving ice cream since 1958 in an unmistakably pink setting that feels like a preserved slice of midcentury Scottsdale. Sundaes, shakes and nostalgia are the reasons to go.
The Duce, Phoenix
Part restaurant, part bar and part retro playground, The Duce occupies a 1928 warehouse packed with vintage furnishings and unexpected touches — including a boxing ring. Its mashup of food, cocktails, nostalgia and eccentric décor makes it one of Downtown Phoenix’s most distinctive experiences.
The Haunted Hamburger, Jerome
Perched high above the Verde Valley in famously haunted Jerome, The Haunted Hamburger embraces its spooky reputation with ghost stories, historic surroundings and a playful supernatural theme. Throw in burgers, boozy shakes and spectacular views, and you have an only-in-Arizona road-trip stop.
