Scottsdale calls itself the West’s Most Western Town and then demolished most of the evidence. Handlebar J, run by the Herndon family since 1975, is one of the last rooms where that heritage is inherited rather than themed — ribs up front, a saloon stage in back, live country six nights a week.
Get the pork ribs; a first visit without them is a clerical error. Then stay for the Herndon Brothers Band, and if Ray Herndon is home off tour, you’ve stumbled into the best no-cover show in Arizona.
When to go: Wednesday, when the free two-step lessons fill the floor with first-timers. The Becker Lane address tucks behind the Shea strip, so don’t drive past it.