One of my absolute favorite things to do when the weather is beautiful in Arizona is go out to eat and sit on the patio. Believe it or not, on certain days, January is a great time of year to eat outside here, especially if the restaurant has outdoor space heaters, which most of them do now. I recently ran across a list of the best places to eat outside in the Phoenix area, and I am happily working my way through the list.
A couple months ago we went to a restaurant called Chelsea’s Kitchen with my mom and dad and had a great time.
This restaurant has all the elements you need to have a good restaurant experience – amazing food, beautiful patio, pleasant, helpful waiting staff, and the most important thing of all, little white twinkle lights!
When you walk up to the front of the restaurant, a tantalizing aroma greets you. It is from a wood-fired rotisserie that is roasting a variety of organic meats on the front porch.
As we made our way through the warm and inviting restaurant, we passed by an open kitchen where you can see the food being prepared. We were seated on the patio which is surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers.
You would never know the restaurant sits on a busy intersection. There is a fireplace on one side of the patio that adds to the ambiance.
The menu is an eclectic mix of salads, hamburgers, rotisserie meats, fish, steak, and prime rib. Between the 4 of us we ordered the fillet, prime rib, salmon, and short rib tacos. My dad, who appreciates a good steak, said it was prepared perfectly.
Jeff loved the prime rib.
I tasted my mom’s salmon, and it was very fresh tasting. I think I would order that next time.
My tacos were delicious, although I would have liked the meat to be a little spicier, but that is just me. The guacamole that came with it was out of this world. My favorite thing was the parsnip and butternut squash roasted vegetable mixture that came as a side. It is a seasonal dish, and was so tasty.
On a different visit I have also tried the green chile burger with chipotle aoli and loved it. I would like to go back and try some of their salads which I saw some of the waiters carrying past our table, especially the brussel sprouts, bacon, and almond salad.
If you live in Arizona or are just visiting and looking for a restaurant with a great patio to enjoy the weather, I highly recommend Chelsea’s Kitchen. It isn’t cheap, but is so worth it once in a while to relax outside before the temperatures start to soar. Let me know what you think if you try it!
Chelsea’s Kitchen
5040 N. 40th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85018
602-957-2555
Cook AZ I Do 