I’ve been in Prescott for just over a month now and have gone to several of the area restaurants. There are a lot to choose from, however very few make my “many happy returns” list – mainly due to price, but some are just plain bad. And there have been a few good surprises too… So here’s my run down of the local eateries I’ve been to with “star” ratings; 5 = Awesome! 1=Poor (nobody has got 5-stars yet):
Cattleman’s Bar & Grill *: This was the first restaurant I went to in town and I don’t think I’ll be going back. I had just finished moving and was looking for a really good steak house for myself and a buddy that helped me move. This was the WRONG place to go. The steaks were far overdone and really the whole meal was less than good. I’m still trying to find a decent steak in Prescott – has no one here ever heard of a New York Strip??? Jeez!
Waffle Iron**: A breakfast greasy spoon. Kind of OK food, but Lone Spur is Much closer to me and Much better too, so I don’t think I’ll be heading back to the Waffle Iron any time soon. This was another “day after moving” DUD where I was hoping to recover some kind of good eating joint for me and my bud after I’d moved here – no dice! (Sorry Scott! If you ever come back to visit I’ve found some much better food now! LOL)
Cuppers Coffee House ****: I like this place. It’s small, offers Wi-Fi and good coffee, sandwiches, and quiche. Great for a quick light lunch or breakfast – emphasis on “light” – you’re not going to get huge helpings here – which is fine with me when I just want something quick and light.
Tastebuds Pizza ***: Good pizza – FAST! I’m also kind of biased ‘cuz they’re just around the corner from me, but so far their pizza’s have been good enough that I’ve gone back there 3 times – so they do have me as a return customer.
Bills Pizza ****: Very Good Pizza, not so fast… But better pizza trumps speed for me. I’ve gone here for lunch a couple times and will be returning. But it’s a tight timing issue to get back to work on time sometimes because they’re not real quick. And I think it’s a “cash only” kind of place, so make sure you hit the ATM before you go.
Lone Spur ****: Tons of food, great price, and super fast! You get large portions here and at a great price. The quality can be average to above average. I’ve been here 3 times, and I especially like their breakfast menu when you want a BIG country-style breakfast.
Mayas ***: Ok, I’m very biased on Mexican food ‘cuz I just moved here from New Mexico. Really there just isn’t ANY good Mexican food in Prescott that I’ve found compared to what I had in NM. That being said, Mayas has so far had some of the better mexican entrees that I’ve seen locally. Although their salsa was just so-so.
Annalina’s Mexican on Whiskey Row *: Ugh. Salsa was basically liquid Cilantro – yuck! The food was not bad, but not memorably good either – just bleh, No taste, bland. I will NOT be going back here.
El Charro Mexican ***: OK food, again nothing real memorable and certainly can’t compete with even the worst Mexican restaurants in NM – but much better than say, Annalina’s. It’s comparable to Mayas, but with better salsa and a lot more seating, although I think the entrees at Mayas are slightly better.
The Office (bar/grill)*: Another place I will NOT be going back to. I just went here for lunch over the weekend and talk about WAY OVER PRICED! I couldn’t believe it! Here’s what I got: 1 margarita, 2 chicken stuffed rellano’s that were dry as dust and NO rice or beans or anything – just two chillies on a plate – they looked so lonely! And a small (very small) cup of soup. Guess how much?! $25 !!! Back in Albuquerque at Casa de Benevidez they had MUCH better (and bigger) chicken stuffed rellanos, including rice and beans AND a side salad or soup, and a Margarita, and a sopapilla, AND an amazing atmosphere for WAY cheaper! Oh well… I do miss the awesome NM Mexican food!
Kendall’s Famous Burgers ***: A good burger joint, and usually pretty quick on the service as well. Nothing outstanding either bad or good. Just your run-of-the-mill burger joint as far as I’m concerned. Dunno if I’ll go back or not – it’s right near Bill’s Pizza and the Lone Spur, both of which I think have better food, so we’ll see.
Chi’s Chinese/Thai ****: Another one of my favorites. They’re super fast and dependably good food for a good price. I’ve probably been here more than any other restaurant in town. They have a standard menu that changes daily (basically it’s a list of what they can offer, and there are check-marks next to what they have prepared for that day). Anyways, another great lunch spot – big downer is that they’re not open on the weekends 🙁
The Palace **: I probably won’t be going back here either – very limited lunch menu (just burgers and sandwiches) and somewhat high priced. I was really hoping for either some pasta or steaks or something other than sandwich fare – esp. for such a nice, atmosphere style place. Oh well.
Gurley Street Grill ****: I like this place, although again, they’re kind of pricey, but the food has always been better than average – meaning better than most all of the other restaurants in town that I’ve been to. I’m esp. keen on their pasta offerings. Although I did have one dud meal there once – I think it was one of their specials and it was kind of a small helping for the price they were charging. Hopefully that was just a freak thing, as I’m having a tough time finding good places to eat in town.
Prescott Brewing Co. ****: Better than average food, AWESOME locally brewed beers. I’ve been here 2 or 3 times and have had good experiences every time, except in the pocket book. Again, another place that’s just a wee bit overprice for what you’re getting. I mean, it’s good food, but I dunno that it’s “premium” food… I’ll probably give them a couple more chances, mainly ‘cuz their beers are GREAT!
I think that’s about it for now. I’ve got several more places I’d like to try in the near future, so I’ll write about them after I’ve tried them out. Hope your holiday weekend was amazing! Enjoy!
Interesting, tho I disagree on a handful. I’m very fond of the Waffle Iron … Maya’s is the only place in town to get mole, which puts it a cut above … the Palace is basically a dinner house & as such, not bad at all tho pricey … the Grill? They have the most awesome pot roast I’ve ever had in a restaurant .. yummy beer, of course, at the PBC … the last time I did Cattleman’s, I had an excellent SMALL filet (ladylike, you know) but I haven’t been there in a long time & things change … you’ve persuaded me to try Chi’s. You might like Pasquale’s (the first time I’ve had Greek food in every so long.) Etc.!
Hmm. I couldn’t disagree more about Annalina’s. The restaurant has wonderful tamales, sopes, rajas, and generally a nice blend of border favorites and interior Mexican food. It’s a family-run business with friendly service, and it doesn’t pretend to serve New Mexican food, which is a different style in many ways. I urge you to give it another chance and enjoy it on its own terms.
Oh I know I’m not going to get “New Mexican” style mexican food here in Prescott, unfortunately. Although there were two NM style places in Phoenix when I lived there a few years back – Frank And Lupe’s, and Guarduno’s – so I was hoping maybe some NM transplants to Prescott might have opened something.
Anyways, I’ve had better “Traditional” Mexican food in Salt Lake (La Cocina, El Chihuahua: http://www.elchihuahua.biz/ ) and Portland, Oregon (Who-Song, and Larry’s) when I lived in those towns several years ago – and that’s saying something for how much closer to the border Prescott is. I may give them another try, but none of those entree’s are what I’d normally get from a Mexican restaurant – I’m pretty much a burrito, enchilada, or rellano kind of guy.
I have to agree with GrannyJ that Maya’s is still probably my favorite local Mexican – although someone has also recommended another place that I can’t remeber the name of, I think it’s just a bit further north from El Charro (?) ring any bells?
I’ll definitely look into Pasquale’s – I LOVE Greek food and have sorely missed it since moving away from SLC many years ago. “The Other Place” in SLC had some simply amazing Greek fare back then. So far no Greek place I’ve eaten at since has measured up to the dolmathes from “The Other Place.”
I’ve been in Prescott since 1999. My husband was born here, his mom grew up here. Enough family history.
Places you might try:
Breakfast: Pete’s on Iron Springs Road, Apple Pan on Gurley near the Catholic church
Steaks: Lefty’s in Dewey (skip the BBQ though). Kirkland Steak House in Kirkland
Italian: Genovese on Gurley near Granite St.
Pizza: Bills is good, try Streets of NY on near Albertsons
The Mexican place past El Charro is called Hugo’s. Basically, just burritos and the like, but I like them a lot. Only 3 or 4 tables inside, but plenty of room outside in back. There even have heaters, so dining outside in the winter is still possible.
For breakfast, I recommend the Creekside Cafe. No one knows about it ’cause there’s no sign or anything. It’s actually part of the Dinner Bell on Gurley, right across from Coffee Roasters. But, instead, of going into the Dinner Bell through the door at the front, go down the boardwalk just to the left along the creek and in at the last door on the right. They have both inside and outside seating (even the inside seating is open to the outside when the weather is nice), very good food and friendly service. Check it out. I think you’ll enjoy it.