🍴The Thursday Bite

Another busy week in Scottsdale dining.

And we found a few more Scottsdale restaurant updates worth knowing.

Raven Gastropub is preparing for its next chapter.

The neighborhood gastropub currently at 8900 E. Pinnacle Peak Road has announced plans to move into a larger space near Cave Creek Road and Desert Willow Parkway.

The future location is:

📍 30815 N. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek

But before anyone starts saying Raven has closed:

The Scottsdale restaurant remains open and continues serving while the team prepares the new location.

Raven will announce opening dates and additional move details later.

The current Scottsdale location is still operating Monday through Saturday.

Forking Scottsdale note: The new location will be outside Scottsdale city limits, but because Raven has been a longtime North Scottsdale neighborhood restaurant, we’ll keep following the move.

Another Old Town opening can officially move off the Coming Soon list.

General Admission Scottsdale is now open at the former RnR Gastropub space at:

📍 3737 N. Scottsdale Road

The new concept combines a modern sports lounge with chef-driven food, cocktails, and wall-to-wall game viewing.

General Admission now lists the Scottsdale location as NOW OPEN.

Belmont Kitchen & Cocktails announced this week that Chef Fidencio Alatriste has been promoted to Executive Chef.

Alatriste has been part of Belmont’s culinary team for more than a year and has worked alongside chefs including Richard Sandoval, Matt Carter, and Alex Stratta.

One thing we’re watching: When we checked, Belmont’s website hadn't been updated yet and still listed Alex Stratta as Culinary Director, who is no longer with The Belmont.

So for now, we are treating the promotion as a new announcement directly from Belmont, with the website apparently still catching up. Congrats to Chef Fidencio!

📍 8876 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, Suite 100

For the first time, Maple & Ash Scottsdale will serve lunch.

The limited holiday lunch runs:

Wednesday-Saturday | 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

The restaurant tells Forking Scottsdale the lunch menu will feature several new dishes, including:

The restaurant will also offer a three-course prix fixe menu for $55 per person.

📍 7135 E. Camelback Road, Suite 130

Maple & Ash normally focuses on dinner and Sunday brunch, so holiday lunch is a notable change for the Scottsdale location.

This one is almost here.

ALMA Southwest Steakhouse opens to the public on:

at the former Preston’s Steakhouse space in North Scottsdale

📍 8700 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, Suite 115

This one is finally official.

Drake’s Hollywood will open in Old Town Scottsdale on:

The roughly 8,000-square-foot restaurant will be the brand’s largest location, combining Italian-American food, steakhouse favorites, signature martinis, and an interior inspired by Hollywood and New York glamour from the 1930s and 1940s.

The Scottsdale location will also include Maître D, an invitation-only private members’ club.

📍 3828 N. Scottsdale Road

Reservations are now being accepted.

Another Scottsdale Fashion Square opening now has a date.

Bacio di Latte tells Forking Scottsdale that its new flagship Arizona shop is scheduled to open:

📍 7014 E. Camelback Road, Space 0565

The Italian gelato brand says the Scottsdale shop will feature its signature in-house gelato production and an Italian country-kitchen-inspired design.

Bacio di Latte’s official website currently lists Fashion Square as Coming Soon.

Stone & Vine Urban Italian continues to list its new Scottsdale restaurant as Coming Soon.

📍 17001 N. Scottsdale Road

The new location will be near Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard next to the new Quiriego.

We reviewed Scottsdale planning, permit, and liquor-license material again this week.

There are always filings moving through the system, but a liquor application or permit doesn’t necessarily mean a new restaurant is opening.

We’ll keep digging.

And that is perfectly fine with us.

We did not find a new Scottsdale restaurant closure this week that we could verify strongly enough to publish.

One reminder:

The restaurant is still serving at its Pinnacle Peak location while preparing for its eventual move to Cave Creek.

This week we got inside ALMA Southwest Steakhouse before the doors officially open Monday.

The former Preston’s Steakhouse has been almost completely reimagined.

There is the Southwest steakhouse.

A tequila-focused space.

Barbwire Western Couture.

Upstairs, the Copper Club, where we watched the sun set over the North Scottsdale landscape during the VIP preview.

Our biggest takeaway?

This does not feel like Preston’s with a new sign.

https://www.forkingscottsdale.com/p/alma-southwest-steakhouse-scottsdale-first-look

This week’s matchup:

Both offer a Mediterranean-style escape without leaving Scottsdale.

But they do it very differently.

Élephante brings coastal Italian food, wood-fired pizza, pasta, cocktails, and Fashion Square energy.

PINYON goes broader with Mediterranean flavors, fresh pita, hummus, raw-bar seafood, charcoal grilling, spritzes, and its setting along Scottsdale Civic Center Park.

We compared:

🍽️ The Food
🔥 The Fire
🍸 The Bar
🌿 The Patio
🥂 Brunch
✨ The Vibe
💰 The Price

And one gets the fork.

https://www.forkingscottsdale.com/p/elephante-vs-pinyon-scottsdale

This week we found:

🦪 $2 oysters at Elvira’s

🌮 Tacos starting at $3

🍷 Wine + guacamole for $20 at The Mission

🐚 $3 seafood at CALA

🦪 $2.50 oysters at Buck & Rider

🍷 Half-price bottles at Olive & Ivy

🌴 All-night Wednesday Happy Hour at HULA’S

🍸 Industry discounts at ZuZu and Starfish

🌱 And 20% off during the new South Scottsdale Sprouts grand-opening weekend.

https://www.forkingscottsdale.com/p/scottsdale-dining-deals-october-29-november-4-2026

The upstairs Postmaster’s Apartment at Porter's Western Saloon has been turned into a Halloween pop-up with specialty cocktails, haunted décor, and photo ops.

Thursday-Saturday | 4 p.m.-close

📍 3944 N. Brown Avenue

Weft & Warp at Andaz Scottsdale is hosting a particularly good little food-and-wine event on Saturday.

For $20, guests get:

🍝 Crispy two-sheet lasagna with black truffle, béchamel, and Parmesan
🍷 One glass of wine
🎶 Live music

Saturday, October 31 | 4-6 p.m.

📍 6114 N. Scottsdale Road

The Plaza Bar at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess goes full 1980s horror movie Friday night with specialty cocktails, a DJ, and a costume contest.

Friday, October 30 | 8 p.m.

📍 7575 E. Princess Drive

Saturday morning: Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market.

More than 100 local growers and specialty food producers are expected.

Saturday, October 31 | 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

📍 3939 N. Drinkwater Boulevard

Allegra Rooftop Pool & Bar at The REMI is turning its rooftop into a candy-themed Halloween party Saturday.

The daytime event runs:

10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Then the rooftop switches over to an after-dark party:

9 p.m.-2 a.m.

Expect DJs, specialty cocktails, costumes, and rooftop views.

📍 4415 N. Buckboard Trail

21+ | Tickets start at $50

This one is technically just outside Scottsdale city limits at Salt River Fields, but it is food-focused enough that we wanted it on your radar.

The second annual event brings together local restaurants, breweries, wineries, cocktails, and Arizona retailers.

Admission includes unlimited food samples plus drink tickets.

Saturday, October 31
VIP: Noon | General Admission: 1:30 p.m.

📍 Salt River Fields, 7555 N. Pima Road

21+

🌵 ALMA Southwest Steakhouse opens

🎬 Drake’s Hollywood opens

🇮🇹 Scottsdale Italian Festival returns to Scottsdale Civic Center

🍨 Bacio di Latte plans to open at Scottsdale Fashion Square

👨‍🍳 Beginner’s Luck x Latha Sessions dinner featuring chefs Bernie Kantak and Digby Stridiron

🥩 Maple & Ash begins its limited holiday lunch

And we’re still watching:

☕ DASH
🍷 Turquoise Wine Bar
🍝 Stone & Vine
🥩 BOA Steakhouse

for their next updates.

Thank you for reading The Thursday Bite! 🍴

We'll be back next Thursday with more restaurant news, openings, closings, dining deals, and everything happening around Scottsdale's food scene.

Until then...

— Mychael & Connie Parker
Forking Scottsdale

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