Thursday, August 13, 2026

Summer may be slowing down a little, but Scottsdale's restaurant scene definitely isn't.

We've got a brand-new Italian restaurant that's officially open, a Beverly Hills favorite headed to Scottsdale Fashion Square, an Old Town favorite that has closed after a decade, a new sandwich shop with an NBA connection, plus our latest First Look, Fork in the Road, dining deals and weekend events.

Plus: our latest First Look, this week's Dining Deals, and another Fork in the Road.

Let's dig in.

The doors are officially open.

Il Segreto opened yesterday, August 12, bringing a new contemporary Italian restaurant to North Scottsdale.

Located at 8900 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, Il Segreto is built around Italian hospitality, food, and wine, with a polished dining room and a lively bar and lounge.

The restaurant has already generated plenty of buzz from its Friends & Family previews, with early diners talking up the food, cocktails, service and atmosphere.

And there seems to be one dish that keeps coming up:

The Chocolate Tart.

That's enough to get our attention.

Il Segreto comes from Segreto Restaurant Group, with Jameson Neuhoff behind the project. The concept takes a more modern approach to Italian dining rather than trying to recreate a traditional red-sauce Italian restaurant.

Now that the doors are officially open, the real test begins.

And we'll have more to say about Il Segreto after we get inside.

Make a Reservation at Il Segreto on OpenTable

Read our full Il Segreto First Look

A Beverly Hills restaurant with more than 30 years of history is heading to Scottsdale.

Porta Via will open its first Arizona location at Scottsdale Fashion Square in the former Zinqué space in the West Luxury Wing.

The California-born bistro was founded in Beverly Hills in 1994 and has since expanded to several Southern California locations.

The Scottsdale restaurant is expected to open in early 2027 and will be the brand's largest location yet at approximately 6,300 square feet.

The menu at existing locations includes seafood, salads, pasta, chicken, burgers, steaks, cocktails and a weekend brunch.

Think California bistro rather than Scottsdale mega-restaurant.

And honestly, that could be a nice change of pace for the Fashion Square restaurant lineup.

Porta Via will join an increasingly impressive collection of restaurants in the area, including Nobu, Ocean 44, Toca Madera and Elephante. (Phoenix New Times)

The countdown is on for Smiling Moose Sandwich Grill.

The Colorado-born sandwich chain will open its first Arizona location in Scottsdale on Monday, August 17.

And there's a pretty big Scottsdale connection: the local ownership group includes NBA star and former ASU basketball player James Harden.

The menu goes well beyond sandwiches, with burgers, wraps, salads, soups and cookies. The signature Original Mo features grilled meat, melted cheese, vegetables and vinaigrette on a baguette.

Opening-day bonus?

The first 100 guests will receive a free six-inch Original Mo plus a $50 Adidas gift card courtesy of Harden.

Not a bad way to introduce yourself to Scottsdale.

📍 2765 N. Scottsdale Road
📅 Monday, August 17 — 10:30 a.m.

More information on Smiling Moose

And We're Watching...

Scottsdale continues to attract restaurant groups from outside Arizona, while local chefs and operators keep evolving existing concepts.

That's something we're going to keep watching closely as we move toward fall.

Because in Scottsdale, "coming soon" can turn into "now open" pretty quickly.

One of Old Town Scottsdale's longtime chef-driven restaurants has officially served its last dinner.

Sel Bistro, led by Chef Branden Levine and his wife, May Levine, has permanently closed after 10 years on East Main Street.

The restaurant originally opened as Sel and built a reputation around elevated, chef-driven dining before evolving into the more relaxed Sel Bistro concept.

Over the years, Levine became known for creative dishes that blended European, Asian and Mediterranean influences.

The closure was announced over the weekend, with the restaurant thanking Scottsdale diners for allowing Sel to be part of their celebrations and special occasions.

No specific reason for the closure was announced.

Ten years is a long run in the Scottsdale restaurant business, and Sel was one of those restaurants that helped give Old Town a more serious chef-driven dining identity.

We'll be watching to see what's next for the space — and Chef Branden Levine.

Another North Scottsdale restaurant has closed its doors.

Craft Kitchen Cafe, located on the west side of the Hayden-Northsight Boulevard roundabout, served its final customers last Friday.

The comfort-food-focused brunch spot was opened by John and Marilyn Utter just six months ago, in February.

The menu centered around scratch-cooked American classics, including Nutella and banana French toast, biscuits and gravy, and chicken salad on toast.

Six months is a remarkably short run for any restaurant, making this one of the more surprising closures we've seen recently.

For now, the space is back on the market. Anyone interested in purchasing the restaurant's assets or negotiating a new lease can contact The Restaurant Brokers.

Contact The Restaurant Brokers

📍 West side of the Hayden-Northsight roundabout, North Scottsdale

What happens when you take inspiration from Anthony Bourdain, travel, fire and food from around the world and drop it into Old Town Scottsdale?

You get The Ends.

The restaurant takes its name and philosophy from the idea of traveling to the "ends" of the earth through food.

Rather than locking itself into one cuisine, the menu pulls inspiration from different cultures and culinary traditions.

There's also a major focus on cooking with quality ingredients and avoiding seed oils, with the kitchen using things like tallow and butter.

But what really makes The Ends interesting is the feeling that you're supposed to explore.

You can go in knowing exactly what you want — or you can order a few things you've never tried before and see where the meal takes you.

And that's very much in the spirit of the restaurant.

The Ends isn't trying to be another predictable Scottsdale restaurant.

It's adventurous, globally influenced and designed for people who like the idea of discovering something new.

If you're the kind of diner who gets bored ordering the same thing every time, this one is worth putting on your radar.

Read our full First Look on The Ends

Two Scottsdale Mexican restaurants. Two very different personalities.

That's the setup for this week's Fork in the Road.

On one side you've got Miel de Agave, bringing a high-energy Mexican steakhouse/nightlife experience to Scottsdale.

On the other is Hecho Libre, leaning into Baja coastal flavors and Sonoran-inspired cooking with a more chef-driven approach.

Both are Mexican.

Both know how to have a good time.

But they're going after very different dining experiences.

Think big energy, steakhouse atmosphere, cocktails, and nightlife.

It's the kind of place where dinner can easily turn into a longer night.

Hecho Libre takes a different route, drawing more heavily from Baja coastal and Sonoran flavors.

The experience feels more focused on the food itself and the chef-driven interpretation of Mexican cuisine.

That's really the point of Fork in the Road.

If you're looking for energy, cocktails, and a scene, Miel de Agave may be your road.

If you're looking for regional flavors and a more food-focused experience, Hecho Libre may be the better turn.

Neither is necessarily "better."

They're simply different forks in the road.

👉 Read the full Miel de Agave vs. Hecho Libre comparison

We dug through this week's Scottsdale restaurant specials and found some pretty good reasons to skip cooking dinner.

Here is a snippet of a few of the deals worth knowing about:

$1 Pizza or Burger Mondays

A pretty simple proposition: Monday gets considerably more interesting when pizza or a burger is only a buck.

All-Night Happy Hour

One of Scottsdale's better-known spots is extending happy hour beyond the traditional early-evening window.

20% Off Almost Everything

$3 Tacos on Tuesdays

Because Tuesday and tacos were probably going to find each other anyway.

$30 Pizza + Two Wines

A solid date-night option if you want pizza without giving up the wine.

$70 Prix Fixe

A multi-course option for when you're looking for something a little more special.

Summer Specials

Seasonal food and drink specials worth checking out while they're available.

Happy Hour

One of the more recognizable Scottsdale hotel dining spots continues to offer happy-hour specials.

Restaurant specials can change, so we recommend confirming the promotion with the restaurant before visiting.

👉 See all this week's Full Scottsdale Restaurant Deals

We're always looking for the next great Scottsdale restaurant deal.

If you know about a new special, Taco Tuesday, prix fixe menu, happy hour or restaurant promotion we should include, send it our way.

Reply to The Thursday Bite or send us a tip at Forking Scottsdale.

If you're looking for an excuse to get out this weekend, Scottsdale has plenty happening.

And Thursday, August 13 brings a couple of food-and-drink occasions worth knowing about, including National Prosecco Day and the Matcha & Mahjong Experience at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain.

Meanwhile, PHOENIX magazine's weekly calendar has a full slate of Valley events running August 10–16, including Scottsdale happenings and restaurant-related events.

Our advice: It's August in Scottsdale. Pick a restaurant with a great bar, order something cold and pretend you're on vacation.

Saturday, August 15 • 7:00 p.m.

If you're the person who can spend 20 minutes staring at the cheese case trying to decide what to buy, this one's for you.

August Cheese 101 with Shea is happening at State 48 Lager House Saturday night.

👉 See event details and tickets

Friday & Saturday • August 14–15

Hotel Valley Ho is getting into the foodie summer spirit with its Sip + Shop Summer Market Series.

Friday features chef collaboration dinners, while Saturday brings a free market with local vendors and tastings.

If you want a weekend activity that combines food, drinks and shopping, this one fits the bill.

👉 See Scottsdale's current event calendar

If you're not looking for a ticketed event and simply want an excuse to get out this weekend, brunch is always an option.

The Scottsdale Resort & Spa's weekend brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., with live music from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Because August in Scottsdale is a pretty good month for a long brunch and an even longer air-conditioned afternoon.

👉 See what's happening around Scottsdale this week

A new Italian restaurant is officially open.

A California favorite is headed to Fashion Square.

A new sandwich shop is about to arrive.

And one of Old Town's longtime restaurants has closed its doors.

That's Scottsdale dining right now:

Something is always opening. Something is always changing. And there's always another restaurant we haven't tried yet.

That's why we're here.

Forking Scottsdale isn't about telling you where you have to eat.

We're here to tell you what's happening.

What's opening.

What's closing.

What's changing.

What's worth knowing.

And occasionally...

where we think you should stick a fork.

See you next Thursday.

— Mychael & Connie
Forking Scottsdale

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