Summer in Tempe has its own kind of energy: bright afternoons, lively patios, cold drinks, easy dinners and downtown blocks that still have plenty to discover.
This year, the city is giving locals and visitors a few extra reasons to get out and explore. Taste in Tempe returns with two weeks of prix-fixe dining, while Downtown Tempe’s new Discover Downtown: Sidewalk Summer rewards program adds points, prizes and discounts to a day out downtown.
Add in the district’s growing mix of global restaurants, longtime local favorites and quick-hit taco spots, and the plan is simple: eat well, support local businesses and let Tempe surprise you a little this summer.
Start With Taste in Tempe
Taste in Tempe returns for its second year July 12-26, bringing prix-fixe dining to restaurants across the city.
Participating restaurants will offer three-course dinner menus at set prices ranging from $25 to $55 per person. Menus include a starter, entrée and dessert or cocktail, depending on the restaurant.
The early lineup includes Caffe Boa, Bar Capri, Cocina Chiwas, North Italia and Blanco Cocina + Cantina, with more restaurants expected to be announced.
That makes it an easy excuse for a date night, a group dinner or the long-overdue “we should try that place” meal. It also gives diners a simple way to explore Tempe’s restaurant scene without overplanning the evening.
For the latest restaurant lineup and menu details, visit tempetourism.com/taste-in-tempe. Follow @TempeTourism for updates.
Downtown Tempe Adds a Rewards Twist
Downtown Tempe Authority is also making summer exploring a little more rewarding.
The new Discover Downtown: Sidewalk Summer campaign runs June 1-Aug. 2 and works as a free, web-based rewards program. Visitors scan campaign QR codes on signs, ground stickers and other promotional materials around Downtown Tempe, then earn points by visiting participating businesses.
Those points can be used for swag, rewards and entries into prize drawings. The campaign includes eight weekly winners, 72 total winners and two grand prize winners. Final weekly winners and grand prize winners will be selected Aug. 3.
Participating businesses also will offer exclusive summer discounts, giving people another reason to stop for lunch, shop local, grab coffee or plan an easy night out downtown.
The timing matters. Downtown businesses have been navigating construction tied to the final phase of the Downtown Tempe Refresh project, which includes upgrades to the Mill Avenue streetscape.
“The City of Tempe’s Downtown Refresh Project has been an important investment in the future of Downtown Tempe, and our businesses have been navigating construction since November 2024,” said Allyson Dykstra, business liaison for Downtown Tempe Authority. “Summer tends to bring fewer crowds, so this is a great time to show up, explore the district and support the businesses that keep downtown so vibrant.”
Some portions of Mill Avenue may be closed or restricted to vehicle traffic during the final phase of construction, but sidewalks remain open and businesses are operating as usual. Visitors can park on surrounding streets or in nearby garages, or use Valley Metro Light Rail and the Tempe Streetcar, both of which offer access close to Mill Avenue.
For participating businesses, prizes, parking information and program details, visit downtowntempe.com/things-to-do/summer-rewards-program. Visitors can also follow @downtowntempe and use #downtowntempesummer.
Make It a Global Food Crawl
Downtown Tempe’s food scene has become one of the easiest ways to travel without leaving the Valley.
The district includes more than 160 street-level businesses, the majority locally owned, and that mix shows up clearly in the restaurants, cafes and quick-service spots tucked throughout downtown.
Newer international options include Laymoon Cafe, a Middle Eastern eatery serving shawarma, falafel, fresh breads and pastries, and Green Corner, a Mediterranean spot with lighter, traditional-inspired dishes.
Rite Yah Suh brings Jamaican comfort food to a permanent downtown location after building a following as a food truck. Masala Maniac delivers Indian flavors on Mill Avenue, while Henna Shoppe is adding authentic Indian chai to the district, with a backstory tied to the owner’s effort to bring traditional chai preparation and flavor to Downtown Tempe. Gio’s Coffee brings Peruvian cafe culture to Mill Avenue.
It is the kind of lineup that makes a casual food crawl easy: chai, shawarma, Jamaican comfort food, Peruvian coffee, repeat as needed.
Tacos Still Belong on the Itinerary
No Arizona food outing is complete without tacos, and Downtown Tempe has plenty of options.
Tacos Calafia brings Tijuana-inspired street tacos to Mill Avenue. Taco Chelo offers a colorful, polished take on Mexican dishes. Taco Boys is a quick-hit favorite for barbacoa, pastor and other taco staples. Mesquite Fresh Street Mex leans into mesquite-grilled meats cooked over open flames for tacos, burritos, bowls and quesadillas.
Pick one for lunch. Pick several and call it research.
Don’t Skip the Local Standbys
New openings are fun, but Downtown Tempe’s established favorites still do plenty of heavy lifting.
Caffé Boa remains a downtown staple for handmade pasta, patio dining and live jazz. Foch Café & Bistro brings French-inspired charm to Sixth Street. Poke2U serves Hawaiian-inspired poke bowls, and Shawarma Factory keeps Middle Eastern classics in the regular rotation.
There is also Cupbop for Korean-inspired bowls, Matsuri Izakaya for casual Japanese dishes and Cafetal Coffee for Peruvian-inspired breakfast and coffee.
That mix is what gives downtown its personality: college-town energy, neighborhood favorites, new concepts and enough global flavor to keep the usual dinner routine from getting boring.
The Move This Summer
Use Taste in Tempe when you want a real dinner plan between July 12 and 26, with prix-fixe menus at participating restaurants across the city.
Use Discover Downtown: Sidewalk Summer when you want a low-key downtown outing between June 1 and Aug. 2. Scan the QR codes, collect points, check out the discounts and enter the drawings before final winners are selected Aug. 3.
Tempe has plenty going on this summer. The best way to experience it is simple: show up hungry, wander a little and see where the day takes you.
