Restaurants in Chandler

Every day, Chef Samir lobs freshly made pita-bread discs into his Wood Stone oven, waits for them to puff up and lightly brown, then retrieves them with a large metal paddle for piping-hot delivery to tables. All meals at Mijana start with a basket of these pillowy loaves, revving up appetite engines for the authentic Lebanese dishes the chef and his staff are crafting in the kitchen. Leaning heavily on traditional key ingredients such as garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice, the chef whips up platters of flavorful dips and spreads as well as grilled kebabs and sautéed entrees. Music, belly dancing, and dance lessons pepper the calendar of this more than 5,000-square-foot venue, providing a lively complement to the night.

Long Wong’s staff focuses on three things to create a pleasurable customer experience: mouthwatering pub eats, refreshingly frigid beer, and thumping rock music. The chefs cook up a well-rounded menu of pizzas and wings—tossed in sauces that range from spicy buffalo to garlic parmesan—as bartenders pour ice-cold beers and shake up cocktails while also adhering to the $1 fire drill, where anything on the bar is $1 for two minutes after a flashing fire truck passes by.

Also a daily music venue and the starting point of the Gin Blossoms, Long Wong’s frequently hosts live bands, much to the chagrin of the dead but guitar-fluent Abraham Lincoln and the Top Hats. Crimson walls hide beneath rows of photos, posters, and paintings as the catchy tunes of local Tempe bands woo the hearts of locals.

For 18 years, David Fliger lived the life of an adman, traveling the world and eating fine foods. But inside the Thailand-born foodie lurked a restaurateur, a seed perhaps planted by his mother, Nicha, who also left a career in advertising to start a restaurant. Today, Nicha and David work together in the kitchen of Latitude Eight Thai Grill, named after a region in southern Thailand known for fresh seafood. This regional specialty is reflected in the menu’s ocean-centric dishes, such as crab fried rice, grilled halibut, and garlic prawns. Servers stride from table to table, recommending dishes and wine pairings inside what Phoenix Magazine dubs a “modern and minimalist” dining room. The dark wood floor and tables serve as a stark contrast to the white banquettes and walls. Spotlights illuminate an oversized piece of art that’s textured to resemble rolling waves or a wall made out of pasta.:m]]

Pho Cao’s menu is largely devoted to the eatery’s namesake soup, a savory broth cooked with steak, shrimp, meatballs, and brisket. When not swirling in bowls of soup, those meats, along with fresh veggies and tofu, are plated with steamed rice, fried rice, or stir-fried tangles of noodles. Four stories of shelves loaded with liquors back up a bar stocked with more than 50 types of beer, and a small stage carves out space for diners to break from meals and belt out their favorite karaoke tune or national anthem.

Mediterranean Buffet’s crew of chefs keeps the buffet table stocked with exotic treats from a number of Mediterranean-adjacent cultures. The culinary traditions of Spain, Morocco, Turkey, and Syria, among others, blossom from the kitchen’s flames, where the team deploys time-honored recipes for lunch and dinner crowds. At the buffet, towers of fresh pita and naan can be dunked into pools of hummus and baba ghanouj, and Hellenic classics such as Greek salads hidden inside wooden horses accompany hot entrees into to bellies.

Born from a vacant city morgue and an old pipe shop in 1929, Tom Higley's original burger joint and gin mill spent its existence harboring the discussions of local politicians. Today, having re-invented itself alongside an ever-developing downtown Phoenix, Tom's Tavern & 1929 Grill persists as a spot where governors, mayors, and city-council members meet to trade neckties and dine among their community. The menu of the modern incarnation lodges original recipes, such as the 1929 brisket chili, along with meats prepared using one of the eatery's modern additions—an in-house smoker. A black-and-white-striped canopy shades guests relaxing on the balcony outside, and inside, a spacious bar gives way to the dining area, which stretches back past black-framed photos of some of the tavern's esteemed visitors.