Dining Guide: All the Best Local Restaurants in Litchfield Park

Welcome to Dining Guides, an intermittent series on the many dining hubs around the greater Phoenix area and what they have to offer. Breakfast to drinks, quick coffee to sit-down dining, we break down some of our favorite places in each neighborhood. Today, we zero in on the city of Litchfield Park.

The sunny, west Valley city of Litchfield Park is packed with global eats and Old West charm. There are bustling patio restaurants downtown, award-winning beverage programs at the many eateries at The Wigwam resort, and plenty of worthy neighborhood joints in between. Here’s a breakdown.

CAFFEINE

Ribbons Tea House

111 West Honeysuckle Street, Litchfield Park

Pastries and coffee in a small house in downtown Litchfield Park — this is Ribbons Tea House. It offers more than 50 blends of loose-leaf tea, specialty coffee drinks like a lavender latte with sea salt crema, and Filipino bibingka cake. This cozy tea really does feel like someone’s home, right down to the décor, indoor plants, and shaded patio area.

BREAKFAST

Park Café

44 North Old Litchfield Road, Litchfield Park

Having breakfast at Park Café, especially on its dog-friendly patio along the main stretch of Old Litchfield Park, will set a merry tone for the rest of the day. Breakfast items (served all day) use Hickman’s Family Farm eggs and come with a choice of toast — multigrain, sourdough, rye, white, or Hawaiian style. (We like the chorizo and poblano chili omelet.) There’s also a full espresso bar, and all coffee drinks can be made iced or hot.

Times Square Neighborhood Italian Restaurant

13760 West Camelback Road, #70, Litchfield Park

An Italian restaurant might not scream “breakfast spot” to you, but Times Square Neighborhood Italian Restaurant begs to differ. Breakfast items here (served till 11 a.m. weekdays and 1 p.m. weekends) include pork chips and eggs, a classic Benedict, and the Italian omelet (Italian sausage and red peppers topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella).

Hot Bagels & Deli #1

13760 West Camelback Road, #20, Litchfield Park

Need a quick, in-and-out type of breakfast? Hot Bagels & Deli #1 offers hand-rolled, boiled bagels made daily. Go for the plain poppy with butter, or spring for the jalapeño with cream cheese. Maybe the Super Cinnamon Raisin with PB&J. Breakfast platters and hot and cold sandwiches are also available.

BRUNCH

Ground Control

4860 North Litchfield Road, Litchfield Park

The west Valley gastropub Ground Control only started serving brunch recently, but it’s already a go-to. On that brunch menu: chicken and waffles, banana pancakes with macadamia nut sauce, and chilaquiles — topped with crumbled cheese, green and red onion, an optional fried egg, and choice of chislic (cubed beef), chorizo, or shredded pork for an extra $3. Bloody marys, craft beers, and mimosas are also in the mix, or if it’s too early for that, go with the coffee, which is roasted on-site. Brunch is served from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.

Lazy Palm Sports Grill

76 North Old Litchfield Road, Litchfield Park

A sports bar with wings, fries, and burgers? Yes. But Lazy Palm Sports Grill also offers brunch from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekends, and the menu items can be as buckwild as whatever game highlights are playing on the TVs. Service can be sluggish, but only because the staff might be hauling bloody marys weighed down with lobster tails, shrimp, and bacon. That, or menu items like crab avocado toast, chicken and waffles, and biscuits and gravy.

LUNCH

Aioli Gourmet Burgers

13730 West Camelback Road, Suite A, Litchfield Park

The Litchfield Park outpost of Aioli Gourmet Burgers is an upscale burger restaurant posing as a quick-service lunch counter. Though set inside the gigantic Fry’s Marketplace at Camelback and Litchfield roads, this spot still offers the same inventive burgers, like the White Truffle Swiss, The New Mexico (with hatch green chile), and the Italiano (bacon paired with tomato, mozzarella, garlic, and basil). Burgers arrive on a toasted brioche bun, a gluten-free bun, or lettuce wrap.

Modern Tortilla

13730 West Camelback Road, Litchfield Park

Also inside Fry’s Marketplace is the first physical location of Modern Tortilla — a local food truck and sister eatery to Aioli Gourmet Burgers. Expect El Ranchero tacos assembled with 24-hour marinated beef skirt steak, white onion, cilantro, chipotle salsa, and housemade tortillas. Other items include quesadillas, flautas, and burritos, and sides like Spanish rice, elote, and churros.

Red’s Bar & Grill

451 North Old Litchfield Road, Litchfield Park

This onsite eatery at The Wigwam in the west Valley is named after a golf pro and was designed to be course-adjacent. As a result, the patio at Red’s Bar & Grill is a major draw, with its multiple red umbrellas, twinkle lights, and views of the green. The outdoor resort restaurant offers burgers, salads, appetizers, and high-end bar food, as well as draft beers, by-the-glass wine, and cocktails.

China Red Café

13000 West Indian School Road, Suite A-1, Litchfield Park

Looking for the no-frills Chinese takeout spot on this list? China Red Café would be it. Menu items (which are available for dine-in as well) include orange beef, Szechuan pork, and chef’s specials like the Peking Pork Chop and jalapeno chicken. Lunch combos come with soup, spring rolls, cream puff, and fried or steamed rice from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Barro’s Pizza

5135 North Dysart Road, Litchfield Park

Barro’s Pizza is a Valley pizza chain, but it’s still local and it’s still good pizza. Protein fans are encouraged to try the Mega Meat — pepperoni, ham, meatball, bacon, and spicy sausage mixed in with a copious amount of cheese. There are also Chipotle Raspberry wings, Italian sandwiches, and inexpensive garlic bread. It’s a go-to in this neighborhood.

HAPPY HOUR

The Wigwam Bar

300 East Wigwam Boulevard, Litchfield Park

Hotel bars usually offer a well-crafted menu of drinks and finger food, and The Wigwam Bar — located, of course, at The Wigwam resort — is no exception. The open-air courtyard is especially enjoyable during happy hour: From 4 to 6 p.m., Sunday to Thursday, The Wigwam Bar offers $5 draft beer and $8 margaritas, sangria, and glassfuls of Sterling Vineyards wines. To pick at, try the chile queso nachos, Sonoran Quesadilla, or the Wigwam Wings.

DINNER

Litchfield’s

300 East Wigwam Boulevard, Litchfield Park

Also inside the historic Wigwam resort, Litchfield’s is the main collar-required restaurant in Litchfield Park. Its high-end, Old-West atmosphere matches menu items like the cowboy rib-eye, Kurobuta pork cheeks, Mexican grouper with chile oil, and homemade pappardelle with king trumpet mushrooms. The wine list here was awarded the 2020 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.

Old Pueblo Café & Pub

102 North Old Litchfield Road, Litchfield Park

Offering a Sonoran-style Mexican food menu, Old Pueblo Café & Pub is set in the Litchfield Park historic downtown area. Old Pueblo features a climate-controlled outdoor patio, making this the ideal dog-friendly space for supper, or just a nice spot to enjoy a sunset. The menu offers Mahi Mahi tacos to spinach enchiladas, plus margaritas, wine, and other day-is-done drinks. Patrons usually get a show with their dinner. Expect live music multiple nights a week.

Papa Paul’s Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta

118 North Old Litchfield Road, Litchfield Park

Hearty Italian food, heavy Italian wine, local owners bred in Brooklyn: That’s what you’ll find at the family-run Papa Paul’s Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta. This downtown Litchfield Park joint has bruschetta and eggplant Caprese starters, plus pizza, pasta, and Aperol spritz. And since this is downtown Litchfield, you can enjoy it all from a twinkle-lit sidewalk patio.

TREATS

Abbie Cakes Sweet Kitchen

5110 North Dysart Road, #154, Litchfield Park

As its name suggests, Abbie Cakes Sweet Kitchen is a family-owned cakery with plenty of sweets to boot. This bright and simple cake shop is ideal for a pastry, cookie, cupcake, or cake by the slice with a quick coffee (yes, there is a full-service coffee and drink bar inside).

Purple Elephant Cakes

13331 West Indian School Road, #202, Litchfield Park

Purple Elephant Cakes offers a variety of cupcakes, cake pops, and French macarons, as well as custom cakes. The Litchfield Park location, opened in 2017, is baker Jin Hee Sonu’s third, following locations in New York and California. Gluten-free cupcakes and cake pops are also available. Purple Elephants Cakes is also home to Hope’s Artisan Bread.

DRINKS

Transplant City Beer Company

107 West Honeysuckle Street, Litchfield Park

Transplant City Beer Company owners Justin Egbert (from California) and Paul Power (from Idaho) opened this west Valley taproom in 2018 in downtown Litchfield Park. Some on-tap options from this nano-brewery include Garbage Pale Kids pale ale, the Fill Your Vessel Irish stout, and the heavier Coastal Hybrid IPA. There’s a nice patio, too.

Tailgaters & IL primo Litchfield

5110 N Dysart Rd, Litchfield Park

This local haunt is typically filled with patrons from surrounding housing developments like Dreaming Summit and Wigwam Creek. Translation: Tailgaters & IL primo is the kind of neighborhood bar you’ll want to hang out at. There are multiple televisions (normally tuned to sports), cold beer, mixed drinks, and bar fare like wings, fried zucchini, and pizza. What more do you need? 

Lauren Cusimano is Phoenix New Times‘ food and drink editor. She is a journalist and food waste writer based in Tempe. Joys include eating wings, riding bikes, knowing everyone at the bar, talking too much about The Simpsons, and falling asleep while reading.