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Destinations » North America » United States » Arizona » Flagstaff » City Guide: Dining

Flagstaff, AZ » Dining Restaurants by Area

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It's not uncommon to feel a bit light-headed in Flagstaff. After all, the average elevation is more than 7,000 feet above sea level and when you get up into the mountains, it's pushing the two-mile mark. Being so close to the stratosphere can have its impact. But then again, maybe you're just hungry. If that's the case, the cure is as near as a neighborhood cafe, a tasty ethnic eatery or a sizzling steakhouse.

Historic Downtown/Railroad District

Full-fledged foodies might be surprised at the caliber of the culinary talent who call Flagstaff home. Frank and Nancy Branham launched Cottage Place Restaurant in 1994, bringing their own upscale European-inspired fare in a beautiful setting. The restaurant offers exquisite French cuisine in an idyllic cottage setting, consistently being awarded "Best Fine Dining" status.

University Area

La Bellavia is just one part of an enclave of eateries on this South Beaver Street block. Right next door, Macy's European Coffee House and Bakery is a mecca for natural food fans with an appetizing array of vegetarian, non-dairy and wheat-free fare and freshly roasted coffees. If you think that nutrition-consciousness is passe, you haven't tried to get a table in this tiny café! Directly across the street, Beaver Street Brewery and Whistle Stop Cafe Flagstaff's first microbrewery, receives consistent commendations for its lagers and ales (Railhead Red is their signature brew) as well as its well-prepared pub food. It's no surprise that you'll find great steaks and barbecue here. After all, this is the Southwest. There's some mighty fine Mexican, too. Try Café Olé.

Granny's Closet is an Italian-accented fine dining restaurant near Northern Arizona University that's long been a big hit with students, parents and anyone looking for an affordable, appetizing meal. Strombolli's is famous for both their namesake stuffed pastry pockets and their specialty pizzas. It's hard to drive a mile in Flagstaff without happening on a Chinese restaurant. But that doesn't detract from either their popularity or their quality. In fact, they regularly vie, and often tie, for the status of being named the best in town by the local media. Nearly every prefecture is well represented. For Mandarin, there's August Moon, while Asian Gourmet specializes in Hong Kong-style cuisine. The best of the wurst, by far, can be had at Sun Sausage Deli and Brat House, with specialty sausages made by masters in the nearby mountains and served up in the original 1930s Flagstaff bus station.

Eastside


Though some have tried, man can't live by beer alone. So let's eat. Have a hankerin' for a cowboy steak in a Wild West setting? You're in luck here. Black Bart's Steakhouse Saloon, just off Interstate 40 on Butler Avenue is a chuck wagon-style feast. The saloon is decked out in full frontier fashion with a mounted buffalo head and a Conestoga-load of cowboy collectibles. The Black Bart Singers (waiters who double as entertainers) offer a foot stompin', knee slappin' musical revue nightly. Just up the road a piece, about three miles north of Flagstaff Mall, you'll find Western meals that are a bit more gentile at the Horsemen Lodge, a rustic, mountain-style retreat.

But where's the Italian? The Asian? The wursts and the wieners? They can all be found in Flagstaff's endless array of ethnic eateries. Mamma Luisa not only hand-cuts each portion of veal, but bakes their own crusty, chewy Italian breads. Dead heads (not of the Jerry Garcia variety) are actually part of the decor at another Flagstaff institution. The Museum Club, a.k.a. "The Zoo," has been named Bar of the Month by Bartender Magazine, is one of Car & Driver Magazine's Top Ten Roadhouses and one of the most historic and interesting clubs in the U.S. Founded by taxidermist Dean Eldredge to display his animals and artifacts, the property became a nightclub in 1936. You'll still find Eldredge's stuffed bobcats, bears, owls and peacocks perched in the tree branches above the dance floor. And, hey, this may be a former museum, but it's no mausoleum—it turns into an after hours club on weekends. Rediscover the heyday of historic Route 66 at Miz Zips Cafe.

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