Good morning, Scottsdale!

Scottsdale’s restaurant scene isn’t slowing down — and we’ve got plenty to chew on this week.

🍣 We got our first look at Tomu-San Sushi in DC Ranch, and we'll tell you what caught our attention.

🔥 Three familiar Scottsdale restaurant spaces are getting new life, including the former Chauncey Social, Thai Basil and Old Town Tavern.

💔 July wasn’t kind to everyone, with several longtime Scottsdale restaurants serving their final meals.

🥩 And for this week's Fork in the Road, we're putting two Scottsdale steakhouse heavyweights head-to-head: Dominick's Steakhouse vs. Steak 44.

💰 Plus, we found $2.75 oysters, and we've got an easy Saturday-night idea involving street food, local makers and live music.

Enough appetizers.

Let’s dig in. 🍴

There's a new restaurant and nightlife concept making noise in Old Town Scottsdale.

Problem Restaurant & Lounge has moved into the former Barney's Boathouse space at 7341 E. 6th Avenue.

The upscale concept blends an Italian steakhouse with Creole-Cajun influences, along with handcrafted cocktails and a late-night lounge atmosphere.

Problem began welcoming guests during a soft opening in July and is building toward its official grand-opening celebration.

📍 7341 E. 6th Ave., Scottsdale

The Thursday Bite: Old Town certainly doesn't have a shortage of restaurants and nightlife. The question now is whether Problem can become one of the places people actually come back to after the opening buzz disappears.

Another Valley restaurant has planted a flag in Scottsdale.

Bombay House has expanded beyond Tempe with a second Valley location at 8140 N. Hayden Road.

The Indian restaurant brings its lineup of traditional Indian dishes — along with its popular buffet format — to Scottsdale.

It's another addition to Scottsdale's quietly growing Indian food scene and gives diners in the Hayden/McCormick Ranch area a new option.

📍 8140 N. Hayden Rd., Scottsdale

If you've driven past the old Chauncey Social lately and wondered what's happening behind the doors, we have an answer.

KUZA Scottsdale is in the final stretch.

The upcoming concept from Clive Collective is transforming the space into an immersive modern Japanese robata + raw bar built around fire, flavor and atmosphere.

At the center will be robatayaki — Japanese fireside cooking where skewers, seafood and premium cuts are cooked live over charcoal and open flame.

Beyond the grill, expect a curated raw bar along with ramen and udon bowls.

KUZA's inspiration reaches beyond the food, drawing from Japanese culture, traditional tattoo artistry and the energetic feel of Japan's narrow yokocho dining alleys.

📍 17797 N. Scottsdale Rd.

🔥 Modern Japanese Robata + Raw Bar

🚧 Coming Soon

The Thursday Bite: This isn't simply Chauncey Social with a new sign. KUZA is attempting to completely reinvent the space, and this is one opening we're watching very closely.

Thai food is returning to a familiar North Scottsdale address.

Baan Thai Bistro is preparing to open in the former Thai Basil space at 7605 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, right next door to That's Amore Gelato.

The paper trail is already there, including a new restaurant liquor-license application associated with the location.

We're still watching for the full menu and official opening date.

📍 7605 E. Pinnacle Peak Rd., Scottsdale

🌶️ Thai Cuisine

🚧 Coming Soon

The Thursday Bite: Same Thai-food address. New restaurant. We'll be watching to see what Baan Thai brings to the neighborhood.

One of Old Town's familiar watering holes is getting a new identity.

Johnny Chew's is preparing to take over the former Old Town Tavern at 7320 E. Scottsdale Mall.

The upcoming concept is positioning itself as a neighborhood-style beer, wine and sports bar.

And in an area increasingly filled with large restaurant concepts and high-energy nightlife, a straightforward neighborhood watering hole might actually stand out.

📍 7320 E. Scottsdale Mall — Old Town

🍺 Beer • Wine • Sports

🚧 Coming Soon

The Thursday Bite: Sometimes you don't need sparklers, bottle service or a DJ. Give us a cold drink, a game on TV and a good seat at the bar.

July brought several notable restaurant closures around Scottsdale.

After 30 years, one of Old Town Scottsdale's longtime restaurant fixtures has closed permanently.

The restaurant initially announced a temporary summer closure with plans to return. Instead, the closure became permanent.

Thirty years in Scottsdale's restaurant business deserves a tip of the hat. 🍸

Campo Italian Bistro & Bar closed its McCormick Ranch restaurant after approximately five years.

Corso Italia at Gainey Ranch has also closed, taking another Italian restaurant off Scottsdale's dining map.

French-inspired Zinqué quietly closed its Scottsdale Fashion Square location.

The Thursday Bite: Restaurants come and go quickly around here, but seeing several recognizable Scottsdale names disappear in such a short period is a reminder of just how tough this business can be.

Now we'll be watching to see what takes over those spaces next. 👀

We recently got our First Look at Tomu-San Sushi, the new modern Japanese restaurant at Market Street at DC Ranch.

Located at 20825 N. Pima Road, Tomu-San is led by Executive Chef Christopher George and combines traditional Japanese technique with a more contemporary approach.

The menu moves between nigiri, sashimi and modern Japanese dishes, with many plates designed for sharing.

And this isn't only about sushi.

👉 Read Our Full First Look: https://www.forkingscottsdale.com/p/tomu-san-sushi-dc-ranch

This week we're putting two of Scottsdale's steakhouse heavyweights in the ring.

Dominick's Steakhouse.

Steak 44.

And here's what makes this matchup especially interesting:

They're family.

Both concepts come from the restaurant family behind Prime Steak Concepts, with Jeff and Michael Mastro among the names responsible for creating some of Arizona's best-known upscale steakhouses.

So this isn't about one restaurant knowing how to cook a steak and the other not.

Both know exactly what they're doing.

👉 Read the Full Comparison: https://www.forkingscottsdale.com/p/dominicks-steakhouse-vs-steak-44

Now this is the kind of Scottsdale happy hour deal we like finding.

PINYON – Coastal Mediterranean, overlooking Scottsdale Civic Center Park, runs happy hour every single day from 3–7 p.m.

The standout:

You'll also find:

🍤 $3.25 chilled shrimp

🍺 $7 draft beers

🍷 $8 wines

🍸 $11 spritzes & signature cocktails

🥙 $10 hummus & dips

Happy hour is available at both the upstairs and downstairs bars.

📍 7363 E. Scottsdale Mall — Old Town

⏰ Daily | 3–7 p.m.

The Thursday Bite: Six freshly shucked oysters for $16.50 in Old Town Scottsdale?

We'll call that a deal.

Looking for an easy Saturday-night plan?

The Farm Artisan Market — The FAM @ Night brings its summer night market to Old Town Scottsdale every Saturday from 6–9 p.m.

The evening combines local food vendors, makers and live music under the lights.

On the food side, expect a rotating mix of hot street food, wood-fired pizza, fresh lemonade, artisan baked goods and desserts.

You'll also find local crafters, handmade boutique items and other Arizona vendors.

And here's the best part:

📅 Saturday | 6–9 p.m.

📍 4140 N. Miller Rd. — Scottsdale

🎟️ Free Admission

🚗 Free Parking

🐶 Pet & Kid Friendly

The summer Saturday-night market continues through September 26, before transitioning to its Sunday morning format beginning October 4.

The Thursday Bite: Grab some street food, listen to live music and walk around once the Arizona sun goes down. That's a pretty easy Saturday-night plan.

See a COMING SOON sign?

Notice construction happening at an old restaurant?

Hear about a restaurant opening, closing, new chef, secret menu, crazy dining deal or something happening around Scottsdale that we should know about?

Tell us!

Just reply to this email and send us the scoop.

Photos are even better. 📸

You don't have to be a restaurant insider.

Sometimes the best tips come from someone driving home and thinking:

“Hey… what are they building over there?”

We'll do the digging from there.

That's a wrap on this week's Thursday Bite.

We're digging through Scottsdale restaurant news, city records, liquor-license applications, Coming Soon signs and local tips every week so you don't have to.

If you enjoyed today's Bite, forward it to a Scottsdale friend who loves eating out as much as you do.

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We've already got our eyes on a few new Scottsdale restaurants for next week. 👀

Until then...

Eat well, Scottsdale. 🍴

— Mychael & Connie
Forking Scottsdale