The Frybread Lounge

Best New Restaurants in Phoenix, Arizona, Spring 2025 | Eater Phoenix

"Frybread Lounge shakes up Old Town Scottsdale by spotlighting a staple of Indigenous communities — fry bread — in both savory and sweet forms, marking the area’s first Indigenous-owned restaurant. Chef Darryl Montana, an O’odham tribal member, anchors the kitchen with dishes like a Rez charcuterie board piled with Indigenous meats and jams, plus duck tinga fry bread spiced with adobo chiles and cilantro. Elk pozole with a side of fry bread and oysters dressed with prickly pear mignonette punctuate the menu, while a Painted Desert cocktail (Flagstaff gin, prickly pear, lime) adds an Arizona flourish. In a neighborhood often associated with stuffy dining, Frybread Lounge offers a fresh perspective — mixing and matching this time-honored bread in a way that feels both modern and rooted in Indigenous heritage." - McConnell Quinn