Hot pot, craft beer and Mexican coffee: 10 new restaurants open now in Tempe
More than 40 new restaurants opened in metro Phoenix in May and a quarter of them opened in Tempe, with several exciting new concepts from notable restaurateurs, including Aruma, a Mexican coffee shop from the owners of Tacos Chiwas and Cocina Chiwas, and a hot pot restaurant from the owners of BoSa Donuts.
Other notable new restaurant openings included a sister cafe to the popular Drink Me! Tea Room, a fresh rebrand of a long-standing Broadway Road bar and a brunch restaurant at the new Novus Innovation Corridor near Arizona State University.
Here are 10 new restaurants, cafes and bars to try in Tempe.
Aruma
Aruma, a new coffee shop from the owners of Cocina Chiwas and Tacos Chiwas, soft opened next to Cocina Chiwas at Culdesac Tempe. Aside from coffee, the cafe offers Mexican drinks and treats like aguas frescas, horchata and pastries from a local panaderia.
Details: 2011 E. Apache Blvd., Suite 143, Tempe. @arumacafeaz on Instagram.
More about Aruma: The coffee-counterpart to Tempe Mexican restaurant Cocina Chiwas
Avasa
Avasa Pan Asian Cuisine is now open in the former Mac's Tap & Broiler space near Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, serving dishes influenced by Chinese, Indian, Thai and Vietnamese cuisines. Menu highlights include paneer, vegetable spring rolls, Andhra chicken, Rayalaseema mutton fry and egg biryani.
Details: 6430 S. McClintock Drive, Tempe. 480-272-6380, avasarestaurant.com.
BoSa Kobe Hot Pot
The owners of BoSa Donuts launched a brand-new sister restaurant, BoSa Kobe Hot Pot, in downtown Tempe. The hot pot concept offers a bowl of simmering broth delivered to your table alongside an array of raw ingredients including various meats and vegetables to be cooked in the broth.
Details: 414 W. University Drive, Suite 101, Tempe. 480-566-9999, bosakobehotpots.com.
Drink Me! Tea & Treats
Drink Me! Tea Room opened a sister retail shop right next to its original location in Tempe. While the main tea room requires reservations to book a themed tea party experience, Drink Me! Tea & Treats sells the same gluten-free and plant-based teas and pastries in a more relaxed grab-and-go setting.
Details: 1730 E. Warner Road, Suite 8, Tempe. 602-206-5469, drinkmetearoom.com/teaandtreats.
Curry N Crust
Curry N Crust is a new restaurant that combines Indian and Italian cuisines with menu options like chicken tikka deluxe and lamb tikka supreme pizzas, plus a build-your-own pizza option with a choice of sauces like curry and korma.
Details: 555 N. Scottsdale Road, Tempe. curryncrustaz.com.
DTC Sports Grille
DTC Sports Grille opened its second location in Tempe, offering another new spot to watch sports games and enjoy a beer or cocktail. Menu highlights include carne asada fries, a DTC chicken sandwich, “diablo” fried shrimp and a “diablo” smash burger with melted pepper jack cheese, applewood bacon, crunchy onion strings and the restaurant’s signature sauce.
Details: 7192 Price Road, Tempe. 602-900-1694, dtcsportsgrille.com.
Nashville Hot Chicken
Nashville Hot Chicken recently made its Arizona debut in Tempe. As the name suggests, the restaurant serves Nashville hot chicken sandwiches, hot chicken toast, hot fries, tenders and Nashville shrimp.
Details: 1628 E. Southern Ave., Tempe. 602-654-2138, hotchicken.org.
Over Easy
A new location of popular breakfast restaurant Over Easy is now open at Tempe's new Novus Innovation Corridor. Menu highlights include banana nut French toast, chicken fried steak, red eye ham steak and chicken and waffles.
Details: 690 S. Novus Place, Suite 707, Tempe. 480-912-6294, eatatovereasy.com.
SaltFire Brewing Tap House
Tempe pub Boulders on Broadway has rebranded as SaltFire Brewing Tap House. SaltFire Brewing is a Utah-based brewing company making its Arizona debut in Tempe. The rebranded taproom also features a new menu of pizza, burgers, pastas and more alongside plenty of beers.
Details: 530 W. Broadway Road, Tempe. @saltfirebrewingaz on Instagram.
Taco Chelo
Phoenix Mexican restaurant Taco Chelo opened its second location on May 30 in downtown Tempe. Taco Chelo offers nine taco options which are vegetables, fish, carnitas, carne asada, beef barbacoa, costra, chicken, Sonoran and al pastor. Some other menu highlights include "The Flamingo," a crispy rolled tacos stuffed with cheese and roasted peppers and a chorizo torta. The restaurant also offers cocktails and draft beers.
Details: 521 S. College Ave., Tempe. 602-368-5316, tacochelo.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 10 new Tempe restaurants: Mexican food, coffee shops and Indian pizza