Uptown & Central Sedona AZ Restaurants

Find a Great Sedona AZ Restaurant that Fits Your Budget and Palate

Here's a selection of Sedona AZ restaurants that we like in both Uptown and central Sedona to get your appetite fired up, listed according to location.

Uptown Sedona AZ Restaurants

Canyon Breeze Restaurant Sedona
For one of the Sedona AZ restaurants that's perfect for a quick and inexpensive meal with a great view, Canyon Breeze is a breeze of a choice.

It's simple, cafeteria-style dining room has jaw-dropping views of the towering red rocks over Oak Creek Canyon through its 120-foot glass walls. The view is even better from the patio.

The food is a mix of American favorites including grilled paninis, burgers, chicken sandwiches, gourmet pizza, chili, salads, and pancakes.

There's also a full bar, a coffee bar, or you can get homemade ice cream or fresh fruit smoothies.

Canyon Breeze is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

Address: 300 N. Highway 89A, Sedona AZ 86336 in the Sedona Center.
Phone: 928-282-2112
Cost: $-$$

L'Auberge Sedona
L'Auberge is considered to be one of the finest Sedona AZ restaurants.

Set along the shady banks of Oak Creek, it is the restaurant for the L'Auberge de Sedona Lodge but you don't have to be an overnight guest to eat here.

Gourmet food fans come from around the world to experience L'Auberge Sedona's renowned contemporary blend of French cuisine and American food.

Red rock scenery and waterfront dining along Oak Creek are just the icing on the cake.

The menu changes seasonally from game and hearty vegetables in winter to a lighter, spa-like menu in summer, inspired by the bounty of the onsite chef's garden.

Enjoy dinner entrées such as grilled wild striped bass with Spanish pepper relish and romesco sauce or chicken roulade with sweet corn pudding and braised Swiss chard.

L'Auberge de Sedona makes a lovely spot for a special breakfast too with dishes like the Arizona pecan waffle with blueberry compote and Chantilly cream or the southwestern crab Benedict with tomato chipotle sauce and citrus hollandaise.

Afterwards, take a stroll through L'Auberge's lovely gardens.

Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Reservations recommended.

Address: 301 L'Auberge Lane, Sedona AZ 86336. Located below Highway 89A just north of the "Y" traffic loop.
Phone: 928-282-1661
Cost: $$$-$$$$

Thai Palace Uptown
This Thai Sedona AZ restaurant is on a quiet side street just west of busy Highway 89A.

Thai Palace has a comfortable yet exotic atmosphere.

Tablecloths with an elephant motif, photographs of Thailand, and colorful paintings are all part of the rich Thai decor. Outside, a little stream gurgles through the patio dining area.

You'll find Thai food standards like pad Thai, chicken satay, and Panang curry. There's a wide variety of curry dishes, noodle and rice dishes, and soups and salads too.

Chicken, beef, pork, shrimp or tofu may be added to the entrées. Plus, items on the menu can be made with specific requests.

If someone in your group is concerned about how spicy-hot the food is, just let your server know. We had excellent communication with our waiter and there were no surprises for us.

The service was fast and friendly, our dinners were delicious, and the Thai iced tea was colorful and refreshing.

Full bar drinks are available too. Thai Palace Uptown serves lunch and dinner every day and has take-out. There is a second Thai Palace in nearby Cottonwood.

Address: 260 Van Deren, Sedona AZ 86336
Phone: 928-282-8424
Cost: $-$$

Wildflower Bread Company Sedona
You'll get more than just scrumptious pastries and fresh baked bread here.

Located in the Shops at Piñon Pointe, this is one of our favorite Sedona AZ restaurants for its casual, attractive setting and its great breakfast fare.

Dishes like feta and roasted vegetable frittata and cinnamon raisin nut French toast fill us up for a day of exploring the red rock trails nearby.

Don't miss the too-die-for lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry compote – our favorite!

There's plenty for both omnivores and vegetarians to choose from on the menu.

For lunch, Wildflower Bread Company has a creative selection of hot and cold sandwiches, farm fresh salads, and six varieties of soup that change daily.

You can also get a variety of pastas from 3 p.m. through dinner.

Wildflower is a bakery, too, so you can pick up breakfast pastries, muffins, brownies, cookies, cupcakes, cakes, pies and tarts. There's also bagels and cream cheese, espressos and lattes. Their blackberry orange lemonade is great any time of day.

The inside is colorful, casual and comfortable. Their outdoor patio has a view of the red rocks and Oak Creek Canyon.

Open daily for breakfast, lunch & dinner. Free Wi-Fi available.

Address: 101 N. Highway 89A, Sedona AZ 86336 on the hill overlooking the "Y" intersection with Highway 179.
Phone: 928-204-2223
Cost: $

Central Sedona AZ Restaurants along Highway 179

Elote Café
Chef Jeff Smedstad, known for his exceptional Mexican cooking when he was chef at Los Sombreros in Scottsdale, has set up shop in Sedona.

Elote Sedona continues Smedstad's delicious exploration of regional Mexican cuisine, based on his many years of traveling throughout Mexico. Only now his restaurant has stunning red rock views to match the food.

Smedstad's restaurant may be casual but he's serious about his food. Everything is superbly fresh and beautifully presented and many of the ingredients are sourced locally.

Dishes like short rib tamal, chicken tacos with Puebla style mole, lamb adobo, and tortilla-crusted chile verde snapper are a revelation for those used to the typical Mexican fare of enchiladas and burritos.

Don't miss the side dish of elote - from which the restaurant gets its name. This bowl of fire-roasted corn, enhanced with lime, cotija cheese and a spicy mayonnaise, is an authentic Mexican treat.

Our other favorites include the flavorful chile rellenos stuffed with vegetable picadillo and local Arizona goat cheese and the luscious pumpkin flan topped with candied pepitas.

We found the food and the service to be exceptional. This is the restaurant in Sedona Arizona to get gourmet Mexican food.

There's also an after-dinner drinks menu, organic wines, local beers, and a cocktails menu that includes margaritas, sangrias, and a large selection of tequilas.

Outdoor dining is on a deck in front of the restaurant overlooking Highway 179 and the red rocks.

Elote Café has become one of the most popular Sedona AZ restaurants, so we recommend getting there as soon as it opens.

Open for dinner only Tuesday through Saturday. Note: they may close in late August for summer vacation. Call to confirm before visiting.

Address: 771 Highway 179, Sedona AZ 86339 in the King's Ransom Hotel
Phone: 928-203-0105 (currently not accepting reservations)
Cost: $$-$$$

El Rincon Restaurant Sedona
El Rincon serves "Arizona style" Mexican food with Navajo Indian influences.

It's long been one of the favorite Sedona AZ restaurants with locals and travelers alike for its tasty, inexpensive food, friendly service, and Old World setting in the heart of Sedona's Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village.

We like El Rincon for its extensive list of hearty combination platters which include hand-rolled machaca beef chimichangas, green corn tamales, chile rellenos, and chicken enchiladas.

Or try the Navajo pizzas made with a sopapilla crust for a unique southwestern specialty.

There's also smaller plates of tacos, burritos, tostadas, quesadillas, and taco salads.

The atmosphere makes us feel like we're in Old Mexico with Rincon's breezy, flower-filled patios, rustic dark wood furniture, and piñata-decorated dining room.

Open for lunch and dinner daily. Dinner reservations suggested.

Address: 336 Highway 179, Suite A112, Sedona AZ 86336
Phone: 928-282-4648
Cost: $-$$

Javelina Cantina Sedona
Tucked among the Hillside Shops on Highway 179, Javelina Cantina serves tasty and generously portioned platters of borderlands Mexican food, which blends ingredients and influences from both the U.S. and Mexico.

While Javelina Cantina has all the standard Americanized Mexican dishes, they also have several southwestern-inspired specialties including grilled steak and cheese torta, Rocky Point fish tacos, and blackened sea scallops salad with papaya and cilantro-lime vinaigrette.

We found that the delicious salmon tostada with black beans and mango salsa was perfect on a summer evening while the potato and spinach enchiladas with green chile sauce were hearty and warming after a winter's day hike.

Traditionalists will like the variety of fajitas, tacos, chalupas, burritos, tamales, and margaritas. There are options for vegetarians too.

If you can, get a table on the deck for gorgeous red rock views where the burble of the rock waterfall and the sunset make for pleasant dining on a warm summer evening.

Open for lunch and dinner. Javelina Cantina has a second location in Lake Havasu City.

Address: 671 Highway 179, Sedona AZ 86336 at the Hillside Shops Sedona
Phone: 928-203-9514
Cost: $-$$

Oak Creek Brewery and Grill
You might be tempted to stop in here just for one of the award-winning microbrews like the Forty-Niner Gold Lager or the Horseshoe Hefeweizen.

But you'd be missing out on Oak Creek Brewery's good food.

Their large menu offers eclectic fare including the Sonoran shrimp cocktail, the Vortex veggie platter, and the Red Rock Rack – charbroiled baby back ribs with housemade barbeque sauce.

Also on the large menu are rotisserie chicken, gourmet burgers, grilled salmon salad, hot sandwiches, and wood-fired pizzas.

The dinner menu has most of the same dishes as the lunch menu plus entrées such as penne pasta primavera and filet mignon. We particularly enjoyed the pizzas.

Owned by the Kraus family, Oak Creek Brewery is the only microbrewery and brew pub among the Sedona AZ restaurants.

Their large and comfortable second floor restaurant has nice, padded booths, bar counter seating overlooking the plaza, and deck dining. Both the indoor and outdoor dining areas have red rock views.

Oak Creek Brewery and Grill serves lunch, a mid-day menu and dinner every day.

Address: 336 Highway 179, Sedona AZ 86336 in Tlaquepaque Village
Phone: 928-282-3300
Cost: $$

Secret Garden Café
Walk into the Tlaquepaque shopping area on its west side and the first Sedona AZ restaurant you see on the left will be the Secret Garden. You can't miss it because it's next to the big, beautiful bronze elk statue.

This is a lovely spot for breakfast or lunch. Set under big old sycamore trees, the Secret Garden Café feels like dining at someone's home.

There's seating inside but we had our tasty lunch out on the covered garden patio behind the restaurant. The babbling fountain and the cooling breeze of an approaching summer monsoon storm made it a perfect spot to spend a warm afternoon.

Secret Garden Café's breakfast items include quiche, French toast, breakfast burrito, scrambled eggs, and a croissant sandwich.

The lunch menu has a nice selection of salads, sandwiches and grilled paninis, hummus with pita points, soups, hummus pizza, quiche, and appetizers.

We particularly liked the grilled portabello mushroom sandwich and the garden burger.

There is also beer and wine, a full espresso bar, and desserts and pastries.

Open daily.

Address: 336 Highway 179 Sedona AZ 86336
Phone: 928-203-9564
Cost: $$

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