Updating my original 4 star review to 5 stars! AZ distilling is a fantastic place to grab a…read morecocktail or two, at their beautiful bar situated in downtown Mesa. I've grown to really enjoy the expanded list of cocktails on their menu and that has improved my experience when I go. Plus, I just love sitting at that horseshoe bar. Until next time, cheers!

Killing time in downtown Mesa, I stumbled upon this particular distillery. The reviews looked good,…read moreand as a lover of spirits and cocktails, I decided to give them a try Through the front doors you take a right and enter a very intimate lounge and bar area. The light is very dim, but you can see the central bar, the almost decorative stills behind glass in the back, and many booths and seating areas You order your drinks at the bar. They have a list of signature and classic options using spirits distilled at the whiskey as well as other spirits. Each cocktail is a work of art. The artisanal elixirs are made to order right in front of you at the bar. This means they are quality drinks, but it also means they take slightly longer because they're made with care... they also might cost you a bit money The staff are friendly. We spoke to a couple about the cocktails, the distillery, eating options in the area, etc The drinks are solid. They aren't the heaviest of pours or too strong. Each cocktail has specific drink rate, garnishes, etc that will accompany it The distillery has a prime location, smack dab in the middle of the downtown Mesa. You can find restaurants, bars, shops, and even a place where you can both play pinball and shop for antiques or a spot where you can eat Cronuts while playing Super Mario Kart (Outcast) Some tips: Tell the bartender what you enjoy drinking and let them guide you towards a selection They offer tours on Saturdays (1hr in length) where you can learn more about the distilling process and try samples They have a couple clarified cocktails that were truly unique and refreshing. If you're into that They are open 7 days a week but their hours vary depending on the day Cheers!!

I had been waiting what felt like an eternity to try out this disco-themed speakeasy! Disco balls,…read morelots of moving lights, swanky vibes, groovy music, and attentive and intelligent servers! Love it! I started out with a cocktail - the Mega Viral! Once you try it, you will understand the name. One of the more innovative cocktails I have ever had... and I ended up having two! So delicious and an experience in itself!! We enjoyed some light bites as well - the Edamame Hummus and Shishito Peppers. Both were fantastic! I love that their menu points out which items are gluten-free... and our server even warned me that the plantain chips in the Edamame Hummus could have cross-contamination... so I very much appreciate that heads up! I opted to order them anyway and I am so glad I did - so good! And I experienced no gluten issues. Awesome! I'm already looking forward to a return trip! Overall rating: *****FIVE STARS***** Gluten-free rating: *****FIVE STARS*****

I really wanted to love this place. Let me set off with the positives. The decor, the DJ, the…read moreseating ambience, and overall just vibes are 100%, 5/5 out of five stars. The chicken tenders were fire!!! What is lacking on this occasion was service. The server that we had was so unattentative. I have never been in a cocktail lounge in my life and had to beg for drinks. Our server would wait until every drinks was made for all of her tables before bringing out drinks. It was ridiculous. She was nice but seemed high. I ended up only having 2 drinks. We would have ordered more but they have 90min max seating and we didn't event get drinks for the first 30min. No exaggeration. Also one of my drinks I had to send back. My apple martini tasted like soap. It was like they did clean the glass after giving a soap bath. No bueno. So they need to get their service to match the vibe of a true cocktails lounge. Yes it is a 70s vibe but doesn't mean the lackadaisical style service. I would come back and try again. The music, the atmosphere and the food was good. They gotta get these cocktails together and service. We ended up walking to nearby competitors and that was money lost for DDG.

The service was incredible. The bartender was extremely helpful and obviously very passionate about…read moremaking something or recommending something I'd enjoy. The ambiance was really pretty and it was a great contrast to Devils Hideaway.

I've been to Idle Hands twice, about a year apart, and there's a lot to like. The most recent was…read moreon a Thursday night around 10:30 p.m. This speakeasy is located on Mill Ave., the center of Tempe's party scene. Because of its location, parking isn't easy. If you're looking for free parking, you're going to have a long walk. Outside of that, you'll have to pay for parking in a garage or metered street parking. Ambiance (4/5): Hint hint. Idle Hands is located inside Devil's Hideaway. A true speakeasy shouldn't have signage outside indicating its location. Unfortunately, there's a sign for Idle Hands outside of Devil's Hideaway which takes away the sense of mystery and intrigue that a true speakeasy provides. Outside of this hiccup, it's a cool speakeasy. It's intimate, with 10 or so seats at the bar and about 10 seats in booths facing the bar. There's a projector screen behind the bar that had mystical motion graphics the first time I stopped by (thinking wizards) and Halloween motion graphics the second time (with it being a day before the holiday). There were some other Halloween decorations up. The only area of improvement? The music often doesn't match the vibe. A lot of the music they were playing on my last visit was Irish music that would be fitting for a pub. Service (4/5): I had the same bartender each time. He knows how to make a good drink and is pretty efficient. When you close out, he only gives you the merchant copy. Which is a pet peeve of mine. Let me get that customer copy too. But overall, a good experience. Especially at a college bar. Food (N/A): I've only had drinks both times. Idle Hands actually doesn't have food, but Devil's Hideaway does. And you're allowed to bring food from there into the speakeasy. Drinks (4.5/5): It's pretty surprising to see a speakeasy on a college campus. I was impressed with the creativity of the menu, both in terms of the ingredients used and the fusion of flavors. I've had a different cocktail each time, and they've all been great. My favorite was one served in a box filled with smoke. Talk about a cool presentation! The hallmarks of a solid speakeasy are elevated cocktails, nice ambiance (dimly lit), an intimate space, and mystery/intrigue. While the intrigue is lacking at Idle Hands, and the music can be improved, they hit it out of the park in the other areas. One of my favorite speakeasies I've been to in Phoenix (and surrounding areas). I am, after all, the self-appointed king of speakeasies. The king gives his stamp of approval.

12 west is generally a solid option for food and drinks in Downtown Mesa. I used to really love…read morecoming here when Mike was one of the main bartenders, he made excellent cocktails. I've been here a bunch of times over the years. Giving 4 stars simply due a mix of experiences, good and meh. Most recently we sat at the cocktail bar ordered a beer & whiskey sour. Drinks came quickly but then it took a while for anyone to ask if we wanted food (we originally intended to). I think what happened is that our original bartender may have gone on break, while a new person coming on shift was busy doing things and didn't know to check with us since we already had drinks in front of us. It wasn't a major issue. It just created a long gap which gave us the option to decide to go elsewhere. We also noticed the beer we ordered was flat and we eventually let the new bartender know. She offered to get us a pint of something else but we had decided today wasn't our day at 12 West and move on. Typically beers are great, cocktails are solid, and food is good too. What seems to vary the most is service.

My husband and I stopped in for an impromptu lunch date over the weekend. The weather was perfect…read morefor sitting on the patio. We got a couple drinks as well as the popcorn chicken and Birria tacos. This wasn't our first time visiting this location and probably won't be the last. It's a great spot in downtown Mesa. There's ample seating for larger parties. They have a couple patio areas as well as a couple bars inside.

We held a rehearsal dinner in the Rafter Room. The food and drinks were delicious. The host was…read morevery helpful and accommodating and the bartender did a great job!

We recently hosted our son's rehearsal dinner for 40 guests at The Social Hall and could not have…read morebeen happier with the experience. Since we were planning the event from out of town, having a team we could trust was incredibly important -- and Bailey and the entire staff handled everything flawlessly. Even the decorations were set up beautifully and exactly as we had hoped. The food was excellent, the staff was friendly and attentive, and everything ran smoothly from start to finish. A special thank you to Bailey, the Event Coordinator, who was wonderful to work with throughout the entire process. She was organized, responsive, and made everything feel easy and stress-free leading up to the event and the night of the dinner. The highlight was definitely the Rafter Room -- it was even more impressive in person than in the pictures. The space had a great atmosphere for a rehearsal dinner and made the evening feel really special for our family and guests. Highly recommend The Social Hall for anyone looking to host a private event in Tempe.

Thanks for hosting my family here from San Diego. What a great Chinese place we found after we…read moreweren't able to get into our first choice restaurant since we didn't make a reservation. This is a Korean pub. Soooo cute. They had a "Christmas tree" made out of Soju bottles! Sooo smart, so creative! I think I should do that next year. But yea, no thanks my dog will knock that down in an instant and it won't be pretty. We chose 6 different items to share. We all had different types of Soju, but I can't remember which ones. Some were specials, so I don't remember (yikes...did we drink that much). Food: fried Mandu (potstickers), french fries, parmesan garlic mandu, salt & pepper shrimp and tteokbokki, chicken wings (pina flavor), pineappple fried rice, and pork belly salad (had to have some greens)

My friend suggested we come here for girls night and we were so glad we did! We ordered bulgogi and…read morepopcorn chicken to share. We also had the yogurt favored soju. Service was so prompt and they are quick to bring all the goods. We all had such a wonderful time. The vibe and ambiance is quite fun!

Came here with my family after my graduation from ASU! Such a cute place to definitely check out. I…read morelike how dark it is inside, it feels very intimate. My family and I ordered family style so we can try everything. For starters, we ordered the milk bread, fire roasted bone marrow, spicy peanut and tomato salad, and the tuna pineapple ceviche. I might say this multiple times in my review, but the food was very delicious and the description of the food was very interesting however it all blended so good in my mouth. The milk bread was topped with a miso tomato butter with almond and kalamata. Sounds interesting right? But when you actually tasted it, it was delicious! Who knew to bring such ingredients together to make this?! The softness of the bread and the saltiness from the butter complimented it so well! The fire roasted bone marrow was served with sourdough toast with a jalapeno marmalade with demi sauce. I never had bone marrow, however I met people who either liked it or choose not to try it, but this time I decided to try it. Who knew how soft and buttery bone marrow was?! The spicy peanut and tomato salad was very refreshing, however I wished it was a little bigger in size. The dressing was a peanut dressing, similar to a thai peanut dressing salad. The tuna pineapple ceviche had pineapple with tuna served with plantain chips. It was hot in Arizona and this dish kept it very refreshing to eat. For entrees, my family and I ordered the lemongrass half chicken, campfire seabass, ancho chili glazed pork chop, and the bone in ribeye. The lemon grass chicken was served with carrots and garlic mashed potatoes with jalapeno jam. The chicken was so juicy and you can taste the lemon grass marinated in the chicken. Again, jalapeno jam? What a genius! The campfire seabass was in this chorizo broth along with couscous and vegetables. I honestly can not review much regarding the campfire seabass because I didn't taste, but per my grandma she said it was really good haha! The ancho chili glazed pork chop was surprisingly not dry! I don't really eat pork chops, but our server recommended it and she did not disappoint! The bone in ribeye was delicious!! Super juicy and flavorful! It was served with baby potatoes, arugula, and chimichurri. Filthy animal is definitely a fun spot, the decor inside made the whole ambiance very intimate.

Really enjoyed Filthy Animal though in truth this should be a 4.5 star rating. It was very good but…read morewith a few issues. Our visit started out poorly because we spent 30 minutes driving around looking for a place to park. The front desk sent us to a valet that didn't exist and we almost left. My husband persisted and we finally found a spot. But it took way too long driving around in circles. After that drama, We had a pretty fast dinner but I really enjoyed it. First drinks. My husband got a cocktail. I wanted to order a mocktail but they didn't have a mocktail menu or any non alcoholic drinks anywhere. The waiter tried to describe them but that didn't work. Please get a menu. Ended up with lemonade bc I didn't know what to order. We ordered the tuna ceviche appetizer with plantain chips. I don't normally order things with chips but It was delicious! Great spicy kick and definitely the best thing I ate. Loved it. For dinner I ordered the lamb. I also really enjoyed this so much. The lamb was delicious (a bit unseasoned though). Also the garbanzo dish that came with it was unbelievably great! I was actually amazed that a side could be so good and I just wanted more of it. My husband ordered the seabass. Unfortunately it was underseasoned and way overcooked. The side wasn't great either. He ended up eating one of my lamb pieces. The vibe of the restaurant was great and the waiter was helpful and friendly. Will return if I ever want to brave the parking situation again ! Side note for the business: the door on your last bathroom stall was installed backwards. I struggled inside bc there was no hook for my purse or sweater when I went in there. After I was done precariously balancing all my things on my lap, I found the hook outside the door (I checked and the other doors were installed correctly). Probably should fix that bc it was very annoying for women that need access to their purse in the bathroom.

Hubby & I had dinner here last Friday. The restaurant was not what we expected…read more It is much smaller than we thought. They have the roll up windows /doors open. They did have misters for some of the outdoor seating. We were able to find a table inside. You go up to the bar to place drink & food orders. The staff were friendly & helpful. The music was loud. Hubby got a beer & I got Tito's & cranberry juice. Hubby got the wings & onion rings. I got the Create Your Own Burger without tomato. The drinks were good. Hubby loved the wings. The onion rings were good. The burger was excellent! I don't know what they do different, but it was really good. The fries were good too. I'm not sure that we will be back since it's a bit of a haul for us.

If you blink, you might drive right past this little bar and grill, as it's set back offv the road…read moresnuggled up next to a bigger building. There is plenty of bar space if you're popping in for a drink.. of course, the actual bar that runs along the shelves of liquor, and there is also a bar on the other side of a roll-up door, perfect for people who come with dogs. There's also a bar space that runs along the window that separates the small dining room and the patio. There are a few tables inside as well as some bigger tables on the patio. The patio is nice with lots of shrubs right outside the rail. The murals on the wall are pretty darn cool - - they're like enlarged historic photos of the area. I love them! And I'm not sure who's giant face is hanging on the ceiling but it's short a spark conversation. The menu here has a little something for everyone. There's the regular loaded fries and wings, salads, and a nice election burgers. We ordered the Philly Salad and the Very Summer Salad with a side order of fries. They make their own ranch, and it is good. I will say they don't seem to skim on salad ingredients either - - the Philly salad was covered with shaved beef, and my berry salad had a lot of chicken and tons of blue cheese. The fries were delicious - - slightly seasoned and crispy. This place is clearly dog friendly. In fact the day we went there was a sweet Pitbull named Daisy who literally hopped up on a bar stool and sat there like a little angel the entire time. The bar had a dog full of water that they sat down on the counter next to her owner's beer. They also have dog biscuits to give. It made my day to see that sweet little dog hanging at the bar having a treat. This really is kind of a spot that feels like it's probably the hangout spot of many people. Great bar food and a good selection of beers. What's not to love?