Pinnacle Peak Road or Scottsdale Road? Where North Scottsdale's New Dinner Spots Opened This Fall

At the northwest corner of Pinnacle Peak and Pima roads, a rooftop lounge called Copper Club looks out over the desert toward Troon and Pinnacle Peak. It serves cocktails, small bites and live music. It sits on top of ALMA Southwest Steakhouse, which reopened in the rebuilt former Preston's Steakhouse building on Monday, Nov. 2. In its first look at the restaurant, Forking Scottsdale said the opening gives North Scottsdale "another major evening destination in an area where many residents used to drive south to Old Town for this kind of night out."

ALMA is one of six new or reworked restaurants that opened between late summer and early November on two North Scottsdale stretches. Three are on Pinnacle Peak Road near Pima. The other three are on North Scottsdale Road in the 17000 block, near Bell Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard. The two stretches keep different weekly schedules, and between them they cover every night of the week.

The week, by stretch

Here are the dinner schedules each restaurant lists. A new restaurant's hours often change in its first few weeks, so check before you go.

The table shows a pattern. Mondays and Sundays are when the two stretches differ most, and Wednesday through Saturday is when both are fully open. If you want a quiet Italian dinner on a Sunday, you'll need a different night. A Monday night out with a view works, and so does a Monday dinner off the grill on Scottsdale Road.

Pinnacle Peak Road: a corner built for long evenings

ALMA Southwest Steakhouse, 8700 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, Suite 115, is at The Citadel. Chef Sheila Bryson has turned ALMA into a Southwest steakhouse. Before it opened, the listed hours were 3 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 3 to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Happy hour runs daily from 3 to 6 p.m. ALMA's own site takes dinner bookings.

The building holds more than a dining room. A tequila and mezcal room offers tastings, cocktails, tacos and small bites, and the chef has said guests can order from ALMA's full menu anywhere on the property. Barbwire Western Couture, a Western boutique on site, sells clothing, jewelry, boots, hats and accessories. Copper Club is the rooftop. Forking Scottsdale pointed out that it has little shade, which matters in summer but not now, in patio season. With a 3 p.m. opening and happy hour until 6, you can catch sunset upstairs and then sit down to dinner without moving the car.

Il Segreto, 8900 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, Suite D1, opened Aug. 12 in the former Arrivederci space, behind Lamp Pizza and Raven Gastropub near the Pima intersection. In its September openings roundup, PHOENIX magazine described white-tablecloth dining, a focused menu of seasonal Italian standards, an aperitivo menu and a patio. Il Segreto's website lists dinner Tuesday through Saturday, 4 to 9 p.m., with aperitivo from 4 to 6 p.m. on those same nights. Il Segreto and ALMA both sit near the Pima intersection, so a drink at one and dinner at the other makes an easy pairing.

Baan Thai Bistro, 7605 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, Suite 2, is in the former Thai Basil space a little farther west. It held a grand opening on Saturday, Sept. 12. According to PHOENIX magazine, the menu includes panang curry, Thai BBQ chicken, tom yum fried rice, pad Thai and a crispy whole pompano with tamarind and ginger sauce. Baan Thai takes online orders and caters, which makes it the weeknight takeout choice on this stretch.

On this corner, the newest place is also the one that's open every night. ALMA serves daily from 3 p.m. Il Segreto takes Sunday and Monday off. If you start the evening on Pinnacle Peak Road on a Sunday or Monday, you'll end it at ALMA.

Scottsdale Road's 17000 block: the grill row

Farther southwest, North Scottsdale Road near Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard picked up three openings within the 17000 block of addresses. Two of them cook over fire.

KUZA, 17767 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 100, opened to the public Sept. 16 in the former Chauncey Social space. It comes from the Clive Collection, the group behind Cala and The Americano. It's a robata and raw bar led by executive chef Erik Davila, and PHOENIX magazine highlighted the chicken negima, sushi flights and Spanish grilled octopus. KUZA's site lists Wednesday and Thursday 4 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4 to 11 p.m., and Sunday 4 to 10 p.m. It's closed Monday and Tuesday. Happy hour runs from 4 to 5 p.m., and reservations are available.

Quiriego Cocina Rústica, 17007 N. Scottsdale Road, took over the former Carrabba's Italian Grill building at Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard. This is the Abeyta family's first U.S. location. The restaurant started in Sonora, and Forking Scottsdale's first look described it as built around live-fire cooking. According to PHOENIX magazine's October roundup, the kitchen follows the cooking traditions of Hermosillo, with fresh tortillas, salsas made to order, grilled octopus, branzino, a New York strip and a pork chop served with three moles. Quiriego's site lists Sunday through Thursday 4 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 4 to 10 p.m., with table reservations. It's the only new opening on this stretch that serves dinner every night.

The Breakfast Table, 17757 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 103, shares the block with KUZA in the space OEB Breakfast Co. left after six years. PHOENIX magazine listed waffles, pancakes, burritos, omelets, skillets, burgers and wraps. This stretch covers more of the day than Pinnacle Peak Road does. You can have breakfast and lunch at The Breakfast Table and come back that evening for robata at KUZA.

Matching the night to the stretch

Put the two stretches together and they work as one week-long plan for the north end of town:

1. Sunday or Monday: Start at ALMA. Happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. covers sunset, and Copper Club is upstairs. On Sunday, KUZA and Quiriego are both open on Scottsdale Road. On Monday, Quiriego is the only one of the two.
2. Tuesday: This is the only night Il Segreto is open while KUZA is closed, so it's a good night for an Italian dinner on Pinnacle Peak Road with aperitivo from 4 to 6 p.m. Quiriego is the Scottsdale Road option.
3. Wednesday through Saturday: All four dinner restaurants are open. You can go from ALMA's tequila room to Il Segreto's patio, or from KUZA's 4 to 5 p.m. happy hour to a later table at Quiriego.
4. Breakfast or lunch: The Breakfast Table on Scottsdale Road.
5. Weeknight takeout: Baan Thai on Pinnacle Peak Road.

One holiday date fits this plan. Scottsdale Quarter's free Annual Tree Lighting is Saturday, Nov. 28, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and the tree is lit at 7 p.m. That's a Saturday, so every restaurant above is serving that night. Book an early table on Scottsdale Road, or have a late dinner at ALMA, which stays open until 11 p.m. on Saturdays.

We follow these openings week by week across North Scottsdale, from Pinnacle Peak to the Scottsdale Road corridor, and we share them with our clients and neighbors. To get local updates like this as they happen, download the Phil Tibi Group app and get the Biltmore Market in Your Pocket.