Arizona grew up on Sonoran combo platters. SOL, the Newport Beach concept that opened at Scottsdale Quarter in 2012, cooks Baja coastal instead — fish tacos, ceviche, citrus — and has outlasted most of the turnover around it. The patio sits in the Quarter’s pedestrian core, the district’s best people-watching seat from fall through spring.
Start with ceviche, move to the fish taco, and let the bartender pick a pour off the top shelf of a deep tequila list.
When to go: happy hour on the patio, or weekend brunch — the same kitchen, with a shorter wait than the north Scottsdale brunch specialists.