So much time—but so little to eat. It's a familiar dilemma for those out on the town until the wee hours. We've compiled a tasty selection of places that serve late-night bites to cap off a special evening or especially early morning. Bon appétit!
The Parish, Tucson
The Parish, a Southern-themed gastropub, is also a daytime restaurant but puts a little New Orleans in your mouth until 10 p.m. on weekends. Decked out in shades of seafoam green, matte black and magenta, with cut-glass chandeliers galore, the stylish establishment's evening menu ranges from casual snacks to sophisticated offerings like baked oysters bleu and "Hot Legs Le'Jean" - black-pepper-and-horseradish-rubbed frog legs wrapped in bacon.
Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour, Phoenix
Downtown Phoenix's Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour is known for its artistic and award-winning cocktails - its drink menu runs to 25 pages - and Tuesdays through Saturdays, it also offers after-hours dining until 1:30 a.m. Choose from items like Korean nachos, a "Dragon" dumpling burger and campfire marshmallows, all while sipping away in a space that was once Arizona's Prohibition headquarters.
Welcome Diner, Phoenix
Welcome Diner—a retro restaurant housed in a red-and-white 1940s-era dining car surprisingly located in a residential Phoenix neighborhood—serves up craft cocktails and casual eats on weeknights until 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday nights until midnight. The most popular item is Big Jim, a fried-chicken, sausage-gravy, cheddar cheese and bacon sandwich served on a house-made biscuit. Also on the menu are the usual suspects: burgers, fries, salads and assorted sandwiches
EVO, Scottsdale
Late-night menus are often limited but don't have to be, as upscale EVO in Scottsdale demonstrates deliciously. Its international selezione di vino is extensive, and what really impresses is that its full dinner menu is offered seven days a week until 1:30 a.m. Choose from a simple focaccia rustica, hearty margherita pizza, decadent lobster carbonara or the exotic squid ink chitarra.
SoSoBa - The Non-Stop Noodle Shop, Flagstaff and Phoenix
As you might expect, Flagstaff's SoSoBa - The Non-Stop Noodle Shop, offers a focused menu. In addition to Asian-inspired appetizers and cocktails, you'll find meats, seafood and vegetables paired with Japanese ramen, udon and yakisoba noodles. Get these goodies until midnight every night of the week.
The Pizza Patio, Flagstaff
At The Pizza Patio in Flagstaff, located a short stroll from Historic Route 66, you can order craft or imported beers, appetizers, salads and specialty pizzas—including pies with cauliflower hemp-seed crust—to enjoy fireside on the patio. Many menu items are vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free, although they also serve traditional meaty pizza like The Lumberjack, which is loaded up with pepperoni, Italian sausage and Canadian bacon. On Fridays and Saturdays, the doors don't close until 3 a.m.
Header photo credit: EVO.
Bryn Bailer
Native Tucsonan Bryn Bailer is an award-winning journalist, former newspaper reporter, current-affairs junkie, and a firm believer in indecision. (At least she thinks so.) Her work has appeared in various publications, including The Dallas Morning News, Arizona Highways, Arizona Daily Star, international news service Agence France-Presse, scads of lifestyle magazines, and curiously, the English-language financial magazine Czech Business Weekly.
