Good Morning, Scottsdale!

This week feels like a changing-of-the-guard kind of week.

Bonfire Scottsdale is finally open. Los Milics has moved into its much larger new Old Town tasting room. A Forking Scottsdale reader tipped us off to a new Italian restaurant coming to North Scottsdale. Cali Tacos is headed to Shea Boulevard. And one mystery restaurant just surfaced in a brand-new Scottsdale liquor-license filing.

We’re also watching several openings that are now getting very close, including Quiriego, Turquoise Wine Bar and French Crêperie #2.

Then, a little farther down, we’re taking a look at Scottsdale’s first sing-along brunch experience for this week’s First Look, putting The Mission against Toca Madera in Fork in the Road, squeezing in the final few days of Arizona Restaurant Week and finding a few things worth doing this weekend.

There’s a lot to get through.

Let’s get into it.

After a few delays, Bonfire Craft Kitchen & Tap House Scottsdale has officially fired up the kitchen.

The new restaurant is open at:

📍 14148 N. 100th Street
📞 480-219-9000

There is one catch.

Bonfire’s liquor license is still pending, which means no beer, wine or spirits this weekend.

The bar may need a few more days.

The kitchen does not.

If you've been watching this one slowly work its way toward opening, you can finally go eat.

We’ll keep an eye on the liquor approval and let you know when the taps officially start flowing.

A new family-owned breakfast and lunch spot is joining North Scottsdale.

The Breakfast Table will celebrate its grand opening Monday, Sept. 28 at:

📍 17757 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 103

Ken Vondra and his son own and operate the restaurant, which they say is the fourth restaurant they’ve owned and run together.

The menu will cover a broad mix of breakfast and lunch favorites, along with cocktails, mimosas, and mimosa flights for the weekend brunch crowd.

Hours are:

7 a.m.–2 p.m., seven days a week.

What makes this one especially worth watching is the family-run angle. This isn’t a national chain dropping into Scottsdale — it’s an experienced father-and-son restaurant team opening another local concept together.

We’ll be keeping The Breakfast Table on our First Look radar once they get through opening week.

Monday, Sept. 28

17757 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 103, Scottsdale 85255

(480) 203-2339

has opened its new, expanded Scottsdale tasting room at:

📍 7045 E. Third Ave., Suite 101

The Arizona winery outgrew its tiny former Marshall Way tasting room and has moved across the street into a considerably larger space with two patios, an open kitchen and an expanded food program.

The new menu is designed around grazing, sharing and lunch, with items including fresh, hand-pulled mozzarella and other wine-bar-style dishes prepared just behind the bar.

Naturally, the Arizona wines remain the main attraction, available by the flight, glass, and bottle.

The new tasting room is currently open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. (Experience Scottsdale)

This one has officially moved onto our First Look radar.

South Scottsdale’s newest ice cream stop is making things official.

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream South Scottsdale will celebrate its Grand Opening Weekend Oct. 2–4, with specials, family activities, and giveaways planned throughout the weekend.

The shop itself is already operating at:

📍 3380 N. Hayden Road

Bruster’s official location page currently lists daily hours, with later closing times Friday and Saturday. (Bruster's Ice Cream)

So think of Oct. 2–4 as the big celebration rather than the first day the doors are open.

This one came from exactly the kind of place some of our favorite stories come from:

A Forking Scottsdale reader.

Reader Barbara Z. put Stone & Vine Urban Italian on our radar, and we confirmed the restaurant is coming to:

📍 17001 N. Scottsdale Road

That puts it directly next to the upcoming Quiriego at Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard.

The restaurant comes from the same ownership group behind Sophia’s Kitchen on Thompson Peak Parkway.

Their goal with Stone & Vine is straightforward: create a casual Italian dining experience that feels comfortable, familiar, and elevated.

Opening is currently planned for:

🗓️ Fourth Quarter 2026

And one important clarification:

This will be Stone & Vine’s first Scottsdale location.

We’ll dig deeper into the menu, construction timeline, and exact opening date as we get closer.

And thanks again to Barbara Z. for the tip. Have something we should know about? Keep sending them.

Another new restaurant is headed to Shea Boulevard.

Cali Tacos has announced plans for a Scottsdale location at:

📍 7337 E. Shea Blvd., Suite 100

The Mexican concept is known for its California-influenced street food, including birria, tacos and plenty of big, messy, cheese-filled combinations.

The company’s existing Arizona presence is in Tolleson, but Scottsdale will bring the brand much farther east.

No opening date has been announced yet.

For now: New location. Same Cali flavor. Scottsdale next.

We’ll watch the build-out and permit timeline for timing.

Quiriego is now right on the doorstep.

The North Scottsdale Mexican restaurant is targeting a Sept. 28 soft opening at:

📍 17007 N. Scottsdale Road

The restaurant is in its final stages of preparation, and this is the final Thursday Bite before the planned opening.

We’re keeping this one high on the First Look list.

Here’s one that surfaced this week directly through Scottsdale’s liquor-license process.

A new Series 12 restaurant liquor-license application appeared on the Sept. 22 Scottsdale City Council agenda for a restaurant named:

📍 9619 N. Hayden Road, Suites A101–A102

The city describes it as an existing restaurant location with a new owner. (Poliscopic)

That address was previously associated with Fired Pie.

What we don’t know yet is more interesting:

What exactly is The Dash?

We haven’t found enough reliable public information to tell you the concept, menu, or opening date yet.

So we won't guess. We’re digging.

If you happen to know something about this one, you know where to find us.

Construction continues on Turquoise Wine Bar North Scottsdale at:

📍 10405 E. McDowell Mountain Ranch Road, Suite 100

Owner/operator Ariel Sheely previously told Forking Scottsdale that the neighborhood wine bar is targeting a late October or early November opening.

Turquoise will combine a wine bar, tasting room, bottle shop and bistro, with wine flights, bottles and shareable food alongside live music and community events.

Its official Scottsdale page is live, but it is still telling guests to stay tuned for the grand-opening date. (Turquoise Wine Bar)

We’ll keep watching.

A little taste of Paris is still scheduled to arrive in Old Town next month.

French Crêperie #2 is set for:

📍 4225 N. Marshall Way, Suite 2

🗓️ Grand Opening: October 24

The French-owned crêperie will take over the former Arizona Stronghold tasting-room space.

Expect authentic crêpes, French-inspired favorites, and the crêpe-making classes the business has become known for.

This will be French Crêperie’s first Arizona location.

And one for the longer-range radar.

Katsuya Scottsdale is coming to Kimpton Miralina Resort at:

📍 7200 N. Scottsdale Road

The modern Japanese restaurant from Master Sushi Chef Katsuya Uechi will become Arizona’s first Katsuya and is currently planned for 2027. The broader Miralina transformation is expected to continue into early 2027. (PRWeb)

Think crispy rice with spicy tuna, sushi, robata-grilled dishes and a substantial cocktail program.

Not tomorrow. But definitely one to watch.

We did another pass through recent Scottsdale restaurant news, liquor-license activity, and current business listings and did not find a new Scottsdale restaurant closure we can confidently confirm.

We’re not going to turn a dark dining room, an ownership transfer or an expired listing into a closing story.

When something is actually closed, we’ll tell you.

Until then: No news here is good news.

Brunch in Old Town is about to get louder.

Holla Brunch Girl officially launches this Saturday, Sept. 26, at:

📍 7320 E. Indian Plaza

And this isn’t simply another place serving avocado toast with a DJ in the corner.

The idea is to make guests part of the experience.

Holla Brunch Girl is being billed as Scottsdale’s first sing-along brunch concept, combining live DJs, familiar pop anthems, high-energy group sing-alongs, and an intentionally playful brunch menu.

Think cocktail towers. Frozé. Espresso Martini Soft Serve. Brunch classics.

And an entire dining room that may eventually decide it knows every word to the same song.

The Saturday-only experience runs from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. and is 21+.

The interesting part here isn’t simply another themed brunch.

It’s that Holla is trying to turn brunch into something closer to audience participation.

This week’s Fork in the Road takes two Scottsdale restaurants that sound similar on paper and asks a very different question:

At The Mission Old Town, Chef Matt Carter focuses on modern Latin cooking, handmade tortillas, wood-fired flavors, tequila, and one of Scottsdale’s most recognizable candlelit dining rooms.

At Toca Madera, modern Mexican food shares the spotlight with a high-energy bar, music, dramatic presentations, Wagyu, cocktails, and a dining room built to turn dinner into a night out.

Both are upscale. Both are tequila-friendly. Both work for date night.

But they scratch two completely different itches.

Our simplest way to put it:

We break down the food, the bar, the vibe, the service, and which one fits which kind of night in this week’s Fork in the Road.

Because choosing where to eat in Scottsdale can be a pretty forking tough decision.

If Restaurant Week has been sitting on your mental to-do list all week, this is your warning.

Fall Arizona Restaurant Week ends Sunday, Sept. 27.

That leaves four nights after this newsletter lands.

And several Scottsdale menus are still worth considering.

This remains one of the more obvious value plays.

Nobu’s three-course Restaurant Week menu includes choices featuring some of its best-known signatures, including Rock Shrimp Tempura, Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna, and Black Cod with Miso.

For context, Nobu’s summer tasting menu immediately before Restaurant Week was $145 per person.

That makes $55 a particularly interesting way to get through the door.

If Pinyon has been on your list, Restaurant Week gives you a reason to go now.

The Old Town Mediterranean restaurant is offering a $55 dinner menu through Sunday. (Arizona Restaurant Week)

Recent attention has centered on dishes including its saffron risotto and charcoal-grilled skewers.

Here’s the hook:

Arcadia Farms normally isn’t a dinner restaurant.

For Restaurant Week, the longtime Scottsdale café is opening for dinner with a three-course $55 menu. (Arizona Restaurant Week)

That alone makes it one of the week's more unusual opportunities.

Olive & Ivy’s 3-course dinner also includes a glass of featured wine.

Current entrée choices include Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin and Atlantic Salmon. (OpenTable)

Restaurant Week ends Sunday. Make the reservation or officially stop telling yourself you're going to.

An adults-only happy hour inside an aquarium? Sure.

Fish & Sips returns Friday night at OdySea Aquarium with live music, animal talks, games, and aquarium access, with beer, wine, cocktails, and food available for purchase.

📅 Friday, Sept. 25
⏰ 5–9 p.m.
💰 $34.95 advance / $39.95 day of
📍 9500 E. Via de Ventura

Ages 21+. (Learn More)

If ordering drinks is no longer enough and you’d actually like to know how to make them:

Rossa Kitchen & Patio is hosting a hands-on cocktail class Saturday at noon.

Guests will learn to make three classic cocktails and the techniques behind them.

📅 Saturday, Sept. 26
⏰ 12 p.m.
💰 $35
📍 10690 E. Sheena Drive
🔞 21+ (OpenTable)

Classic Cooking Academy is taking the hands-off approach Saturday night.

Instead of cooking, you sit down. That feels civilized.

The four-course dinner includes:

🍅 Tomato-Gruyère Tart
🍤 Saffron Risotto with Shrimp
🦆 Duck Breast Tajine with Couscous and Date Sauce
🍍 Grilled Pineapple with Orange Glaze and Vanilla Ice Cream

📅 Saturday, Sept. 26
⏰ 6–8 p.m.
📍 10411 E. McDowell Mountain Ranch Road (Classic Cooking Academy)

This isn’t a traditional event, but people may care more about the food anyway.

Chef Cory Oppold launches the new Fall menu at COURSE on Friday, Sept. 25.

The new format includes a five-course menu Tuesday through Thursday and the full chef’s tasting Friday and Saturday, with new fall cocktails and optional wine pairings. (Experience Scottsdale)

📍 7366 E. Shea Blvd., Suite 106

If your idea of weekend entertainment is letting someone else decide what eight courses you’re eating, this might be yours.

And yes, we're putting this here too because Saturday is the actual opening day.

📅 Saturday, Sept. 26
⏰ 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
📍 7320 E. Indian Plaza

Scottsdale brunch is about to find out whether everybody really does know the words.

That’s this week’s Thursday Bite.

September has been ridiculous.

Bonfire is finally open.

Los Milics has expanded.

Stone & Vine is coming.

Cali Tacos is coming.

Quiriego is almost here.

And apparently, a restaurant called The Dash is quietly working its way through City Hall while we try to figure out what it is.

Which is exactly why we keep looking.

And once again, one of the best stories in this week’s newsletter came from one of you.

See a Coming Soon sign?

Know a restaurant owner?

Notice construction somewhere?

Hear about a place closing?

Spot a liquor-license notice taped to a window?

Hit reply and tell us.

Barbara Z. did. And now all of Scottsdale knows Stone & Vine is coming.

Thank you for reading The Thursday Bite! 🍴 Until next Thursday...

— Mychael & Connie Parker
Forking Scottsdale

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