Restaurants in Sun Lakes

Robbie Fox's Public House fosters an atmosphere of "craic"—cozy conversation, delicious pub grub, and the music of laughter and actual music. While pints certainly are knocked back, Robbie Fox's prides itself on being an appealing neighborhood meeting-place for anyone and everyone. The menu sets taste buds dancing the hornpipe with a cornucopia of classic Irish fare, fresh seafood, and gourmet cuisine. Offerings include Robbie's fish & chips ($8 or $12 depending on size), authentic cottage pie ($10), and the Robbie Fox sandwich, a saliva-stimulating slab of Irish bacon and fried egg on crispy bread with chips ($7). Diners wishing to save their tongues from jet lag can order the wild mushroom chicken, an organic chicken breast in mushroom cream sauce ($12), or the vegetarian-friendly portobello mushroom burger ($8).

Wooden beams and tables, American-flag accents, a DJ booth, and real Cadillacs on the roof accentuate Cadillac Ranch’s southwestern vibe, which is permeated with rock and roll tunes. On game days, patrons gaze at a 150-inch HD projection screen or one of 30 plasma televisions while sampling bar bites such as tacos and burgers from one of the menus, which include a late-night selection that is served until midnight.

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.

Native American-style fry bread controls the spotlight at Niki's Kitchen Fry Bread, sharing the stage with fresh ingredients from beans and cheese to strawberries and chocolate. The bread can be folded around meats and veggies to create tacos and sandwiches—including their take on the philly cheese steak—or dusted with cinnamon and sugar to make a doughy dessert. On Fridays and Saturdays, the family-owned eatery offers a Polynesian plate special, which changes on a weekly basis, much like a very lazy shapeshifter.

Servers and patrons alike crunch across scattered peanut shells on the way to their tables at Teakwoods, a boisterous neighborhood watering hole crowned Best Sports Bar in 2009 by Phoenix New Times. A team of chefs cooks up classic American eats, including half-pound burgers, meaty sandwiches, and their award-winning wings, which can heat up gastro-chambers and cargo-pants pockets with flavors such as medium, hot, and honey-barbecue hot. As bartenders pour draft beers and concoct tasty libations, guests can catch their favorite sporting events on one of many high-definition TVs that broadcast events from the MLB, NFL, and UFC. When guests can't make it to the restaurant, Teakwoods' chefs cater fare to events, gatherings, and parties.