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 200+ cities. Friday mornings, no filler.
Looking beyond Phoenix? See our guide to the best airport bars worldwide, or compare airport bars city by city.