Restaurants in Cottonwood

Sunlight spills across Sedona's red rocks, causing the sandstone to glow with brilliant reds and oranges. Shugrues Hillside Grill sits by a nearby hill, its walls of windows and its outdoor patio enveloping customers in the area's natural beauty. This scenic locale is the workplace of Chef Michael Mullins, his wife Shelly, and two of their children, but it’s also home to the chef’s critically acclaimed seafood menu. Inside, visitors can peek at the restaurant's Best Seafood of Sedona Awards, which its website claims it has won more than 20 years in a row. It’s an impressive feat, but perhaps not a surprise to anyone who's met Chef Mullins, or snuck a surveillance device into his chef's hat.

To complete his menu, the chef flies in fish from around the world, bringing a taste of the sea to Arizona. On any given night, he can be seen grilling, sautéing, and blackening ahi tuna, or stuffing fried tilapia with crab, though diners aren't restricted to seafood. He also braises racks of lamb, grills steaks, and whips up a full weekend brunch menu with favorites such as buttermilk biscuits and gravy. Imported wines, beer, and specialty cocktails also complement each dining experience.

Rosati's literally began with one man. When he started his first restaurant in Chicago as an Italian immigrant more than a century ago, Ferdinand Rosati worked as the cook, waiter, dishwasher, and host. Despite the hectic schedule, the passionate restaurateur still found time to prepare each guest his signature pizza a'olia, a soul-warming blend of cheese and housemade sauce served on a crispy thin crust. From that cracker-thin foundation, Rosati's has grown to incorporate slabs of baby-back ribs, baked pastas, and Italian sandwiches to its menu at locations across the country. A family-friendly establishment, Rosati's mixes cocktails for adults from a full-service bar as kids play games and puzzles designed to distract them from the rounds of pizza frisbee.

An elegant chandelier sparkles above Amaro Pizzeria & Vino Lounge's open kitchen, but it’s rarely the first thing that guests notice. They are too engrossed by Executive Chef John Spahr’s delicate dance as he flings discs of pizza dough high into the air, careful not to get them caught in the chandelier’s net of crystal beads. Spahr and his culinary team pull their own mozzarella and top their Neapolitan pizzas with such creative ingredients as shoestring onions, oven-roasted artichoke hearts, and shaved ham. Pizza is hardly their only specialty, however. Their dishes run the gamut from house-made pastas to a bone-in pork chop with a Dijon and mustard glaze. 90 wines complement the complex Italian flavors, as do the artworks on the dining room’s walls and live musicians who have strung their guitars with resonant spaghetti al dente.

The staff at Cocomo Joe’s characterize the restaurant as a “pause button” from the ringing phones and stressful traffic of reality. Here, the melody of lively music, roar of televised sports games, and chatter of friends permeate the restaurant’s festively decorated space. Strings of lights dangle from the ceiling of the colorful, island-themed dining room, illuminating pool tables and flat-screen televisions. Bartenders dart about beneath a straw-thatched canopy, doling out tiki glasses of margaritas and frozen drinks. Servers emerge from the kitchen, bearing platters of spicy tacos, juicy burgers, and the hot wings lauded by reporters from Dine Out Phoenix. Teams assemble on Tuesday nights for trivia. Come Friday, the joint booms with the beats of live music from local bands. During Wednesday and Sunday-night karaoke, it’s the guests who take the stage to belt out favorite pop songs, beloved oldies, and meaningful hot-dog commercial jingles.