Restaurants in Cottonwood

Stabilized by a protective layer of sticky rice, raw fish explodes in a shockwave of flavor when exposed to munching mouth-bone agitation. Sushi, cooked fish, and beef entrees frolic along with the creative appetizers, salads, and udon and soba noodles on Ebisu’s menu. Start with garlic soy edamame ($5), Ebisu ribs ($8), or a squid salad ($7) before entangling taste buds in a web of nabeyaki udon noodles with shiitake mushrooms, green onions, eggs, konnyaku, cabbage, fishcake, and shrimp tempura ($12). Main courses include the Ebisu sushi platter, served with seven nigiri sushi rolls, one special roll, and miso soup ($20), and kombu-grilled salmon with miso cream sauce ($17).

Rosatis Pizza 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, Rosatis 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, Rosatis 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.