Scottsdale is a desert city in the American Southwest with plenty to offer its visitors. Best known for its golf courses and luxurious spa resorts, the city presents stunning pictures of desert flora and rock formations as well, while the downtown area opens a window to the past with its many 1920s-era buildings. In addition, Scottsdale has a number of great Italian restaurants to satisfy its population of more than 200,000. Italian chefs in town specialize in cuisines from both the north and south of the peninsula and show off their skills in crafting pizzas, pastas, and other seasonal entrees. In addition to bistros that adhere strictly to the eat-in format, the city has plenty of delicious delis and takeout venues serving up dishes inspired by Old Europe.
Basil & Garlic
Basil & Garlic is a welcoming Italian bistro specializing in the cuisine of southern Italy. Chef Claudio Armetta prepares fan favorites during lunch and dinner services and for takeout. The venue prides itself on its family atmosphere and use of quality ingredients. The menu is incredibly wide-ranging, featuring signature Basil & Garlic hot subs, traditional, and Sicilian pizzas made with a host of different toppings and pastas made with a choice of one of five types of noodles. Everything is made with care by the head chef and co-owner himself, and each dish incorporates the classic flavors and spices one expects from an Italian-style meal.
9330 E Poinsettia Dr Suite 106, Scottsdale AZ 85260, Phone: 480-661-3912
EVO
EVO is an upscale restaurant located in Old Town Scottsdale. EVO is locally run and managed by Nick Neuman, who brings his Italian roots into the heart and soul of his restaurant. Chef Steven Fowler prepares exquisite dishes in the culinary traditions of Northern and Central Italy, and his menu incorporates staples such as risotto, carbonara, ragu, and alfredo, among other notable Italian dishes. Also sprinkled on the menu are several American dishes for something a little closer to home. EVO has a daily dinner service and an interesting “Brunch after Dark” on Sundays with its own dedicated menu.
4175 N. Goldwater Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ, Phone: 480-265-9814
Guido's Chicago Meats & Deli
A Scottsdale institution established in 1983, Guido's Chicago Meats & Deli is none other than a true Italian deli shop. Run by Joe and Araceli Guido, this family delicatessen makes its own Italian foods, has a wide array of gourmet cheese and meats, and offers a stunningly vast selection of groceries and cooked dishes. In addition to deli items, Guido’s also serves up lasagnas, pastas, pizzas, Italian grocery items, and sandwiches for takeout or dining in. The eating area of the deli seats 50, and catering services are available. Guido’s also offers regional and nationwide delivery of its unique Italian specialty items.
10893 N Scottsdale Rd # 121, Scottsdale, AZ 85254, Phone: 480-951-0636
Local Bistro
Local Bistro is an ultra modern restaurant and bar that serves its guests rustic Italian cuisine in a setting with clean lines and a hip vibe. The dining room and bar areas emanate urban sophistication with contemporary details. Still, despite its trendy feel, Local Bistro welcomes families and even has a dedicated kids’ menu. The location has lunch, brunch, and dinner services, as well as an evening social hour and late-night reverse social hour with menus full of specialty cocktails and small plates. Local Bistro is committed to using only fresh and seasonal ingredients, and the chef’s creations range from classic favorites to interesting concoctions exclusive to this venue.
20581 N. Hayden Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85255, Phone: 480-302-6050
Rinaldi's Italian Deli
Rinaldi's Italian Deli is a home-style, casual deli and eatery serving up breakfast and lunchtime fare such as soups, sandwiches, salads, and Italian dishes. Unlike other delis, Rinaldi’s offers a full breakfast service with a fresh selection of breakfast burritos and omelets, among other items. For lunch, guests can stop in and enjoy a quick sandwich or pasta dish in a New York-style atmosphere. All items are budget friendly and are available to eat at the deli, take out, or have delivered home or to the office. Rinaldi’s also has a complete catering service for orders of larger sandwich, salad and pasta platters.
16211 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85254, Phone: 480-607-3354
Uncle Louie The Restaurant
Warm décor, brick accents, and the scent of fresh ingredients being combined to make outstanding Italian dishes all greet customers as they enter Uncle Louie The Restaurant in Scottsdale’s AJ’s Market. The owners hail from the diverse Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn and try to recreate mom’s cooking in this Arizona venue. Voted best pizza in Scottsdale, Uncle Louie takes pride in its stone oven mastery. Other menu items include seafood specialties, favorite home-style pastas, and familiar dishes like chicken piccata and veal satimbocca. The wine list includes more than 35 premium sorts, and happy hour at the restaurant brings on the fun with wide-ranging cocktail and martini menus.
31313 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85262, Phone: 480-595-1122
Uncle Sal’s
As the name indicates, Uncle Sal’s is a family-owned and operated restaurant in Scottsdale. Uncle Sal’s has all the trappings of a true Italian restaurant with rich wooden décor, checkered tablecloths, and family photos taking up every inch of the walls. Table and booth seating are available, as are three daily menu options to accommodate all preferences and budgets. Uncle Sal’s also works hard to meet guests’ dietary needs while still delivering authentic Italian cuisine. The restaurant’s lunch and dinner menus feature handcrafted items made using fresh seafood, steaks, and veal. The restaurant also serves delicious pastas, appetizers, and desserts.
3370 N. Hayden Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251, Phone: 480-990-2533
DeFalco's Italian Deli & Grocery
DeFalco's Italian Deli & Grocery combines everything one could want in an Italian food venue—a deli, a grocery shop, and an in-house eatery all in a single location. The family-owned establishment has racks of gourmet Italian grocery items filling its aisles, including imported wines and beers, olive oils, and authentic Italian pastas. The DeFalco’s menu, which is standard across lunch and dinner, is incredibly large and diverse. Menu items include hot and cold sandwiches crafted to perfection on fresh breads and topped with ingredients that come straight from the delicatessen itself. The menu also incorporates pizzas, pastas, calzones, soups and salads, and a full dessert menu with cookies and pastries as well.
2334 N Scottsdale Road, Suite 133A, Scottsdale, Arizona 85257, Phone: 480-990-8660
Franco's Italian Caffe
Franco's Italian Caffe is the joint project of native Italian restaurateur Franco Fazzuoli and chef Steven Martin. The pair began in New York, eventually moving to conquer the Italian restaurant scene in Arizona. Steven learned Tuscan cooking from Franco’s mother, who taught him the craft on his visits to her in Florence. Franco’s Italian Caffe offers a dinner service in the evenings, as well as takeout options. The menu incorporates perfectly crafted Italian antipasti, pastas, and entrees, as well as a “dolce” section of traditional desserts. The beautiful dishes made at Franco’s can be paired with a wide selection of wines from the restaurant’s award-winning wine list.
4327 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85251, Phone: 480-481-7614
Marcellino Ristorante
Chef Marcellino and his wife Sima run Marcellino Ristorante and both spend each day at the bistro giving patrons the most comfortable, pleasant dining experience possible. Everything begins with the chef’s stellar Italian cuisine, which finds its soul in fresh, in-season ingredients. These include fresh-caught seafood, homemade pastas, and wild game specially imported to round out meat entrees. Diners enjoy their rich dishes in one of the restaurant’s many dining areas, which include a U-shaped space close to the chef as he works, a bar area, a private table for two, and two patios. Exposed brick and photos of Italy’s most beautiful sites only add to the mood.
7114 E Stetson Dr, Scottsdale, AZ 85251, Phone: 480-990-9500
North Italia
The North Italia bistro calls itself “a love letter to Italy” and embodies this motto in its approach to food and dining. The location at Kierland Commons strives to create the corner café feel with rich wood accents and racks of fine wines from floor to ceiling. North Italia serves lunch and dinner and has a special kids’ menu for the little ones. The diverse menu includes small plates to enjoy with a glass of wine, unusual house-made pastas, a contemporary salad offering, oven-fired pizzas, and a range of main courses. It has a happy hour on weekdays and Sunday wine specials.
Kierland Commons, 15024 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale , Arizona 85254, Phone: 480-948-2055
Pomo Pizzeria Napoletana
Naples, Italy is considered the home of pizza itself, and Pomo Pizzeria Napoletana makes a concerted effort to carry this heralded tradition on in Arizona. The pizzeria uses techniques that have been handed down from generation to generation, as well as exclusive ingredients. The sourdough that forms the bistro’s specialty crust is made from flour imported from Naples and takes 24 hours to be ready to be used in its pizza. The owners themselves personally designed the ovens at the venue, and the pizzas they produce are mouthwatering delights. Pomo is even certified by several pizza associations in Napoli, meaning total authenticity and perfect flavor are guaranteed.
8977 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85253, Phone: 480-998-1366
Spiga Cucina Italiana
Spiga Cucina Italiana combines Mediterranean flavors from not just Italy, but also the Iberian Peninsula of Spain and Portugal, in an interesting, varied menu. The restaurant’s space has an all-brick interior reminiscent of a home in the Italian countryside, and one section of the dining room is partially open air, letting the breeze in through the open window spaces. Spiga has both lunch and dinner menus, as well as happy hour drink specials and dedicated set menus for large groups. But this restaurant’s piece de resistance is its massive wine collection, which includes 2,350 bottles of various uncommon Iberian wines.
7500 E. Pinnacle Peak Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85255, Phone: 480-513-9000
Tommy V's Urban Kitchen & Bar
Tommy V's Urban Kitchen & Bar takes Italian cuisine and adds a hip flair to it. The restaurant, located in the center of downtown Scottsdale, features a dining area, bar, and outdoor patio space for relaxing and taking in the atmosphere in the company of family and friends. The menu rings true to the Italian cooking tradition with its incorporation of dishes like spaghetti and meatballs, caprese salad, and fetuccini bolognese, but the chef also adds little twists to many dishes to give them unique, unexpected flavor. Tommy V’s serves lunch and dinner and has a happy hour menu; as a special treat, the venue hosts wine dinners each month.
7303 E Indian School Road Scottsdale, AZ 85251, Phone: 480-427-2264
Veneto Trattoria
Veneto Trattoria is an independently owned restaurant offering reasonably priced Venetian fare in a casual, welcoming setting. The owners state that their goal is to completely recreate the Venetian dining experience. They achieve this not only on through menu, which features dishes traditionally found in the famous city of canals, but also in little touches throughout the venue. For example, the menu liberally incorporates balsamic vinegar, a common Venice ingredient, and always has a daily special in the tradition of the Italian trattoria. Veneto Trattoria serves lunch and dinner and has a wine list with vintages from both Italy and California.
6137 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85250, Phone: 480-948-9928
