Warmer weather means spring training. Whether you want to load up on grub before the game or stop in for a meal afterward, here are some sports bars and eateries near Valley ballparks.
Near Tempe Diablo Stadium: If you're from the old neighborhood, this hectic, kosher-style deli will bring back memories. For early games, go for breakfast - load up the Valley's best bagels with lox and cream cheese, and get some herring or smoked fish on the side. Lunch and dinner are deli classics, from chicken noodle soup, egg salad to corned beef on rye.
Near Tempe Diablo Stadium: This California chain brews several excellent beers and offers everything from munchies (potstickers, fried artichoke hearts) to hearty main dishes (seafood stew, pasta).
Near Tempe Diablo Stadium: This restaurant has served inexpensive Mexican food for more than 30 years at locations in Tempe. Popular menu items include the taco suave dinner, a flour tortilla stuffed with seasoned pork. Most dishes are served with rice and refried beans, and come lightly sprinkled with white-cheese crumbles. Order a margarita or a Mexican beer. Also offers horchata, a cinnamon-flavored drink.
Near Hohokam Stadium in Mesa: After a spring training game with friends, check out this popular spot. The fun, casual place takes orders at the counter, so expect to stand in line. But the food comes out fast and ultra-fresh. See the big jars of aguas frescas next to the register. Try the nachos machos, stuffed enchiladas with chicken or beef or the tostada voladora. Non-meat-eaters, try the veggie burrito.
Near Hohokam Stadium in Mesa: Dine on homemade Italian cuisine in a family-friendly environment. Appetizers include toasted ravioli, fried mushrooms and garlic bread with mozzarella, along with soups, salads, thin-crust pizzas and pasta entrees. Chef specialties include chicken Marsala, salmon piccata and eggplant parmigiana.
Near Scottsdale Stadium: Since 1958, this old-fashioned ice-cream parlor has lured diners with its shakes, malts, floats, sundaes, salads, soups, sandwiches and desserts. Try the baseball parfait. The bright pink storefront in Old Town Scottsdale is a city landmark.
Near Scottsdale Stadium: Sure, you can come here for the astonishing 110 international beers on tap. But the eating can be just as good as the drinking. The good stuff ranges from turkey potpie and Cuban pork roast sandwich to terrific Chilean sea bass and lobster garlic noodles.
Near Phoenix Municipal Stadium: Salads, soups, pizza and pasta with sandwiches and desserts are on the menu, and Oregano's has a family-friendly outdoor patio. Plus it's not far from the stadium.
Near Phoenix Municipal Stadium: This sports bar, about six miles from Muni, has 15 flat-screen TVs to showcase such standards as baseball and basketball plus extreme fighting, NASCAR, rugby and soccer. pizzas, burgers, subs and chili. Appetizer offerings include sweet-potato fries, chili fries with cheese and onions, nachos, fried munchies, cheese crisps, chicken fingers, quesadillas and wings. Plenty of beers on tap.
Near Phoenix Municipal Stadium: Offers soul-food dishes such as smoked meats with sweet sauce, black-eyed peas, hush puppies and cornmeal-battered catfish. The sweet potato pie is hard to pass up.
Near Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix: Garcia’s Las Avenidas is the original family-owned and -operated Mexican-food joint that spawned seven more popular Valley restaurants and has been giving huge portions of inexpensive eats to its customers since 1956. You’ll find all the classics on the menu, from chimichangas and tacos to...
Near Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix: Famous Sam's has locations across the Valley, but this Glendale location is the closest to Maryvale Baseball Park. Milwaukee Brewers' fans will feel at home with more than 20 beers on tap and more than 30 TVs, including three big-screens.
Near Peoria Sports Complex: You watched the pitchers wind up, and now you can watch the chefs. Here, they wield knives, vegetables, fish and meat around a big table grill where customers sit to watch the show. For a quieter dining experience, take a seat at one of the tables for sushi, teriyaki chicken and teppanyaki.
Near Peoria Sports Complex: You can dance, eat, drink and watch more sports at this popular West Valley sports bar almost within walking distance of the stadium. The usual pub grub, with such daily specials as fried chicken and fried fish.
Near Surprise Stadium: Family dining where barbecue reigns. Here you can get homemade barbecued pork, chicken, brisket, ribs, sausage and even the "burnt ends" when they're available.
Near Surprise Stadium: This Surprise gem serves French fare, including filet mignon, quiche and croissants, as well as hummus, frittatas, panini and sandwiches. Favorites include the homemade meatloaf sandwich and beef tenderloin with carrot butter sauce over mashed potatoes. Closed Sundays.
Near Surprise Stadium: Offers hand-tossed pizzas, calzones, sandwiches and wings. Specialty pizzas include the Bill Durham made with salami, pepperoni, ham, sausage and beef. Also serves pastas, including spaghetti and lasagna. Choose choocolate or strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Catering, takeout and delivery available.
Near Camelback Ranch Stadium: Jimmy Buffett's island-themed restaurant helps you change your attitude without changing your latitude. Look for Jamaica Mistaica wings, tossed in spicy habanero-honey sauce; Jimmy's Jammin' Jambalaya, loaded with shrimp, chicken and andouille sausage; and the Cheeseburger in Paradise. The items' names may be a little cringe-worthy, but after you've knocked back a few of the requisite margaritas and the nightly live music starts to play, you won't mind.
Near Camelback Ranch Stadium: Which Wich? has a simple yet unique menu and feel to it. The food is served in brown paper bags, which customers are encouraged to draw on. The bags become part of the "Community Bag Doodles" that hang for all to see. Sandwiches are divided into 10 categories: turkey, ham and pork, beef, chicken, seafood, vegetarian, Italian, "saladwich," classics and breakfast. Look for the Thank-You Turkey, with stuffing and cranberry; the Cuban, with pork, ham and sliced pickles; the Grinder, with salami, pepperoni and capicola; tuna-, chicken-, egg-, seafood- and salmon-salad sandwiches; and the Monte Cristo, with ham, turkey, grape jelly and powdered sugar.
Near Goodyear Ballpark: Mexican-American menu includes grilled entrees, chimichangas, tacos, enchiladas, burros, tostadas, flautas, combination dinners, happy-hour specials and options for kids. House specialties include fried chicken served with salad, french fries, beans and a tortilla; and Theresa's Special: - diced beef with jalapeños, tomatoes, crushed chiles, yellow peppers, green chiles and onions.
Near Goodyear Ballpark: Formerly the popular Mr. Sushi, this restaurant changed its name (the original is still in central Phoenix) but still specializes in Japanese sushi rolls and such entrees as sashimi, teriyaki and tempura. Try the California roll, tempura and chicken teriyaki combination plate.
Are you excited to sip some brews at spring training?
