Restaurants in Sun Lakes

When Dwight Heard, the future founder of Phoenix's Heard Museum, purchased a swath of fertile riverbed land in the 1920s, he saw it as an opportunity to promote rural self-sufficiency instead of urban development. Nestled beside South Mountain, the 12-acre farm demonstrates the same commitment to rustic tranquility today, earning azcentral.com's 2010 readers' choice award for Best Local Treasure and serving as a romantic backdrop for a 2012 episode of The Bachelor, according to the Phoenix Business Journal. In addition to a small farm of naturally grown flowers and produce, The Farm at South Mountain includes three separate restaurants, which tempt visitors with house-baked pastries and locally made sausages.

The original of these three restaurants, The Farm Kitchen, satisfies noontime cravings with picnic lunches in an idyllic patio setting that Frommer's described as "an oasis reminiscent of a deep South pecan orchard." A shade-casting canopy of pecan trees and locally grown clouds surrounds visitors as they sample sandwiches with slow-roasted turkey and chipotle mayo or salads with organic field greens and roasted seasonal vegetables.

Emulating a true-to-life New York deli, the interior at Gandolfo’s conjures the bustling streets of the Big Apple without the clamor of subways or the rush of the city. Inside each franchise—Gandolfo's locations, like New York City's five boroughs, are spread across 15 states—New York Jets posters and Statues of Liberty don the walls, overlooking helpings of more than 70 New York–themed sandwiches. From the Long Island chicken salad to the pastrami-stuffed King of Queens, each variety comes piled high atop a freshly baked hero or kaiser roll or sourdough, wheat, or rye bread. The deli also sates Manhattan–size appetites with chili-soaked Nathan’s hot dogs and relieves morning cravings with bagels buried beneath turkey and roast beef.

Instead of frittering away quarters at the arcade like most boys his age, Dean Laplant began learning his trade at age 13 by working the grill at his parents' steak house. He went on to open his own steak house in Wisconsin at the young age of 28, and later moved to Chandler to start DC Steak House, where he channels his years of experience into effortlessly preparing a menu of fine steaks, seafood, and chops.

Dean's wife, Lori, adorned the dining-room walls of DC Steak House's 100-year-old building in vivid murals that depict the local area's rich history. These elegant murals, along with soft hanging lights and white tablecloths, create a dining atmosphere more comfortable than a sofa stuffed with cotton candy. Patrons exit the restaurant into Chandler's bustling downtown square filled with shops and home to a variety of seasonal festivals.

“Mouthwatering ribs that deliver gnaw-off-the-bone pleasure,” and “heavenly sauce [that’s worth a] drive across town without complaint.” That’s how the Phoenix New Times sums up The Barbecue Company Grill and Cafe. Since 1987, this renowned catering company has fed hordes of hungry party-goers with St. Louis style ribs, pulled pork, and tender beef brisket deemed worthy of awards and recognition, including the National Championship award from Sparks Nugget Rib Cook-Off in Reno. And though catering continues to be their bread and butter—they sell meats and Southern-style sides by the pound and fruit cobbler by the pan—the company expanded its one-leg business model into a dine-in eatery. During lunch hours Monday through Friday, The Barbecue Company opens its doors to customers with a full menu of award-winning barbecue piled onto hearty platters or sandwiches. The cooks also deliver their decadent fare to office-dwellers who can't take a break or convince their boss it's New Year’s Day again.

Using more than 30 spices, the chefs at Ocean Blue Caribbean Restaurant and Bar add super-potent complexity to jerk shrimp, a jerk turkey burger, and jerk chicken. Along with those dry-rubbed and wet-marinated meats, the culinary team crafts Caribbean classics such as ackee and saltfish, sweet potato pie, and Jamaican patties with fillings such as beef, fish, and veggies. “Loosen your belt for large portions and ready your taste buds for well-seasoned staples like brown stewed chicken, curry goat, and jerk chicken,” advises Phoenix Magazine, which has also praised the “excellent coconut curry shrimp” and the “light, pop-in-your-mouth cornmeal fritters,” known as “festivals” for their frequent use as parade confetti.

During daily meals and weekday all-you-can-eat-buffets, the aroma of sizzling meats and spices fill a cozy dining room where the green and yellow of Jamaica's flag brighten the walls. A thatched-roof, tiki-hut-style bar in the room's center help wash down feasts with wine, draft and bottled beers, and fresh-squeezed juices of tropical produce rarely seen stateside, such as soursop and irish moss.

History is everywhere at The Landmark Restaurant, where many rooms are covered in vintage photographs, antique clocks, ornate chandeliers, and built-in china cabinets. In 1908, the gabled-roof building was a Mormon church that hosted Sunday-school classes, dances, and Boy Scout meetings. The building was also the original site of Mesa Community College before its transformation into a restaurant in 1981. Today, chefs stuff apple corn bread inside pork chops and slow-cook pot roasts slathered in housemade gravy. Try the chicken-fried chicken topped with housemade country gravy or the 14-ounce new york strip basted in blue cheese. Guest can finish with a raspberry cheesecake or pecan pie.