Phoenix
You're flying out of Phoenix Airport, you have 90 minutes to kill, and you'd like to do better than a Pret. Good news: airport drinking has improved more in the last five years than the previous fifty. Pre-flight drinks at Phoenix Airport range from chain reliability to surprisingly polished hotel-style bars in the airport hotels. This is barsforKings's editor-curated guide to drinking better at Phoenix's airports.
Camelback · $$$$
Wright Bar at Arizona Biltmore draws a steady local crowd in Camelback. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Gilbert · $$
Arizona Wilderness Brewing draws a steady local crowd in Gilbert. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
with curiosity.</p> <p>The cocktail menu is shorter than it should be · $$$
Chris Bianco won the James Beard Award for his pizza. But the bar he built next door at Heritage Square is, in its quieter way, equally considered. Bar Bianco a
City centre · $$$
Barter & Shake is the Arcadia neighbourhood cocktail room with a tight programme and a strong dealer's-choice service that's quietly become one of Phoenix's wel
Want a real drink before flying? The fastest play is to get to airport hotels next door — most run polished bars that beat anything post-security. We list them at the bottom. If you've got 60 spare minutes pre-airport, see our shortlist of bars in Phoenix proper at the end.
Plays for Phoenix Airport: post-security, pre-security, lounges, and the airport-hotel cheat code.
Pre-flight drinks, hotel-bar reviews, and the openings we're watching across 176 cities. Friday mornings, no filler.
Looking beyond Phoenix? See our guide to the best airport bars worldwide, or compare airport bars city by city.