Prescott

Diners and Lunch Spots

The Dinner Bell

(321 W. Gurley, 928/445-9888, hours, $3-$6)

For the best breakfast in town, and a hearty lunch in the New American Diner style, head to The Dinner Bell, two blocks west of the Plaza, a favorite with locals for generations. If you’re a working person, an old-timer, or a longtime local, enter via the front door and take up a booth or a barstool in the diner portion. Everybody else, take the plank walkway along the side of the building and sit in the back, an artsy addition that offers creekside eating in a more bohemian milieu—same menu for both rooms; cash only.

El Charro

(120 N. Montezuma St., 928/445-7130, www.elcharro-restaurant.com, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, $5-$10)

El Charro, a casual Mexican place downtown that’s been serving great Sonoran-style food since 1959, is a favorite spot among locals for an inexpensive and delicious lunch or dinner, with maybe a few margaritas on the side.

Dinner

Prescott Brewing Company

(130 W. Gurley St., 928/771-2795, www.prescottbrewingcompany.com, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Thur., 11 a.m.-11p.m. Fri. Sat., $7-$15)

If you prefer beer, don’t miss the Prescott Brewing Company, right across Gurley from the Courthouse Plaza. While serving rib-sticking pub fare like bangers and mash and shepherds pie, along with a wide assortment of lighter dishes, the “brewpub”, as it’s called locally, brews up some of the best beers in the territory.

The Palace Restaurant and Saloon

(120 s. Montezuma St., 928/541-1996, www.historicpalace.com, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon.-Thur., 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., $7-$11 lunch, $14-$28 dinner)

It’s bound to get a little loud in there in the weekends, but nothing like it used to get during the wild days down at the The Palace Restaurant and Saloon, though back then it was simply called the Palace, and it was known throughout the region as a rowdy and fun place to be on a weekend night (or a weeknight for that matter). Though the old heavy-wood bar remains, and it can still get a little rowdy with drunk tourists and locals mixing together, the Palace is today mostly a good restaurant with sandwiches, burgers and salads for lunch and steak, prime rib, fish and other dishes for dinner. Everybody’s partied at the palace, from the Earp brothers to Steve McQueen. At least three-quarters of the fun of a visit is looking at all the artifacts and memorabilia on the walls of days much more exciting than our own.

The Peacock Room

(122 E. Gurley, 928/778-9434, www.hassayampainn.com/html/dining.html, breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, $5-$10 for lunch, $14-$32 for dinner)

The Peacock Room inside the Hassayampa Inn is a great place for a long lazy lunch or a romantic, candle-lit dinner. Puffy booths line the walls, art-deco lines define the interior, and the chef serves up good steak, lamb, and fish dishes, along with Southwestern-tinged specials like Sonoran pork Osso Buco.

Murphy’s

(201 N. Cortez, 928/445-4044, www.cyberfork.com/murphys, 11 a.m.-3:00 p.m. daily for lunch, 4 p.m.-10 p.m. weekdays for dinner, 4 p.m.-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat. for dinner, $8-$15 for lunch, $17-$46 for dinner)

Murphy’s is a local favorite for prime-rib, seafood, and a slow drink in a cozy, private booth. From 3 p.m. 4 p.m. the bar serves delicious pub-style eats.

Jerome

Mile High Grill & Spirits

(309 Main St., 928/634-5094, breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, $5-$12 lunch)

Mile High Grill & Spirits serves great breakfasts until noon, and steaks, prime rib, sandwiches, and salads for lunch and dinner. The bar has a great beer selection and serves some unique, locally inspired specialty drinks. The walls are decorated with the work of local artists. Sit at one of the window tables and watch people walk by while you kick back a few cold ones.

The Asylum

(200 Hill St.,928/639-3197, www.theasylum.biz, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. daily for lunch, 5 p.m.-9 p.m. daily for dinner, $8-$13 lunch, $18-$26 dinner)

If you prefer, you could sit at one of the candle-lit tables overlooking the Verde Valley at The Asylum  up on a hill inside the Jerome Grand Hotel. The restaurant bills itself as “a restaurant on the fringe,” meaning, one assumes, cooking on the cutting edge of New American cuisine. The menu has an interesting mix of the familiar and the exotic fused together to create some delicious third way, and the wine selection is as impressive as the elegant, view-centered interior.

The Verde Valley

Nic’s Italian Steak & Crab House

(925 North Main Street, Cottonwood 928/634-9626, 5 p.m.-10 p.m. daily, $8-$29)

For lunch or dinner try Nic’s Italian Steak & Crab House. Nic serves some tasty Italian dishes, as well as steaks and seafood, and offers homemade bread and a good winelist.

Verde Valley Wine Company & Recovery Room Restaurant

(401 S. Calvary Way, Cottonwood, 928/639-WINE, lunch until 3:30 p.m daily, dinner after 5 p.m. daily, $8-$13 lunch, $16-$28 dinner)

Verde Valley Wine Company & Recovery Room Restaurant serves everything from Zinfendel Wine Burgers to bacon-wrapped filet mignon in a shiny modern interior. They also have a wine shop.

La Casa Bonita

(991 S. Main St., Cottonwood, 928/634-7018, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. SunThurs, 11 am-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat., $8-$15)

For those who have to have delicious mounds of Mexican food wherever they travel, try La Casa Bonita.

The Old Town Café

(1025 N. Main St., 928/634-5980, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Tues.-Sat.,$3.50-$9.50)

The Old Town Café has decadent European-style pastries, filling sandwiches, quiche, Greek salad and excellent coffee.

Willy’s Burgers and Shakes

(794 N. Main St., 928/634-6648, 11 a.m-3 p.m. daily, $6-$9)

The 1950s-style Willy’s Burgers and Shakes offers awesome versions of the American street-food staples for which it is named. For those who like burgers but not meat, they offer a wonderful vegie burger, and fried potato fans shouldn’t miss the sweet potato fries.

Sedona

Rene’s at Tlaquepaque

(336 Hwy. 179 928/282-6533, www.rene-sedona.com, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily for lunch, 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. daily for dinner, $11-$16 for lunch, $22-$42 for dinner)

The best place to eat in Sedona is Rene’s at Tlaquepaque, with its Mexican courtyard ambiance and outrageously tasty food. Try the baked French onion soup and the sweet potato ravioli, or the venison, or the. . .just try the whole menu, and go back again and again if you can.

Coffee Pot Restaurant

(2050 W. Hwy. 89A, 928/282-6626, 6 a.m.-2 p.m. daily, $3-$10)

A favorite with the locals, the Coffee Pot Restaurant is great for breakfast and lunch, with filling home-style food in big portions; expect a crowd.

Red Planet Diner

(1655 W. 89A, 928/282 6070, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily, $8-$15)

The sci-fi aesthetic of the Red Planet Diner is something to see, and the burgers and sandwiches are pretty good too.

The Cowboy Club

(241 N. Hwy. 89A, 928/282-4200, www.cowboyclub.com, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. daily for lunch, 5 p.m.-10 p.m. daily for dinner, $5-$27)

The Cowboy Club in Uptown Sedona is a perennial favorite, a Western-style joint with a lot of buffalo meat on the menu and great steaks and other dishes.

Oaxaca Restaurant

(321 N. Hwy. 89A, 928/282-4179, www.oaxacarestaurant.com, 8 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, breakfast, lunch and dinner, $6-$16)

One of the better Mexican places in the northland is Oaxaca Restaurant.

Bistro Bella Terra

(101 N. Hwy. 89A, 928/203-7771, www.bistrobellaterra.com, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily, $8-$24)

The Bistro Bella Terra is perfect for one of those high-toned Sedona date nights if you’re looking for creative, delicious food, a good wine list, and romantic atmosphere.