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In 2019, Baja Mar expanded with an additional location on South Twelfth Avenue.

The seafood restaurant also serves as a market. Plus, kids eat free on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.Ìý

Barro's Pizza opened its second ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-area location in January.Ìý

The first location opened in 2017 in Marana, at 5884 W. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Pavilions Dr. It was the Phoenix chain's first location south of Casa Grande.Ìý

The chain now has more than 40 locations, most in the greater Phoenix area.

Bowld was recently welcomed to the Vail area.Ìý

The restaurant boasts meal prepping and catering services, in addition to a menu of bowls and "rowls," which are veggies, meat or cheese wrapped in a different kind of meat or tortilla. They're available grilled or breaded and fried.

The menu also includes salads and burgers.

After more than two years of waiting, The Boxyard, a shipping container food hall on Fourth Avenue, officially opened in January.Ìý

The bar portion has 15 beers on tap. For food, you can nosh on Sonoran dogs, Vietnamese food and barbecue.

Read more here.

The east side restaurantÌýÌýclosed in the summer of 2017 after itsÌýshopping center's anchor Safeway pulled out.

But now it's back on the southwest corner of Pantano and Wrightstown. The new spot has 30 draft beers and a menu that includes pasta and seafood entrees like cioppino and lobster ravioli along with the signature thin crust pizzas.Ìý

The Mediterranean-inspired Charrovida, the newest restaurant from the El Charro family, opened in May.

It is the third new concept that the Flores family has launched in three years.ÌýÌý

, 7109 N. Oracle Road, is a Mediterranean-Sonoran fusion restaurant that borrows from plant-based and sustainable-foods philosophies, a passion for Flores family matriarch Carlotta Flores. The emphasis is on healthy, but with an El Charro focus on flavor and innovation.

Read more here.

The menu atÌýÌýis so large, it takes a four-ring binder to list everything they serveÌý— including many dishes you may not have seen before.

Chef Wang, or Zhuang Yuan Lou if you speak Mandarin, is essentially a Northeastern Chinese restaurant. The spot is a partnership betweenÌýBaoge Chen and Chef Hongquan Wang, who are from the city of Shenyang in the Dongbei region of China.Ìý

The restaurant is inside an old Mariscos Chihuahua on Grant Road, and has a suburban vibe that led This Is ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s food writer Andi Berlin's lunch partner to call it "The Cheesecake Factory of Chinese food."Ìý

Read more .

Crema Coffee opened in Marana in the beginning of April. In addition to coffee, the shop offers pastries in partnership with Sweetster's Bakery, according to .Ìý

Although Isabella's Ice Cream moved out of their Fourth Avenue location in 2018, ice cream hasn't left the street.Ìý

Brothers Zech and Noah Bergeron took overÌýDesert Dream Ice Creamery, after closing its former location on Speedway and Campbell Avenue.

Now in Isabella's former location on Fourth, the Bergerons make their own ice cream flavors like Coyote Tracks and Elvis Pretzel with help from the original owner.

El Antojo Poblano refers to the city and state of Pueblo, southeast of Mexico city.

You can find huaraches, cemitas and delicate molote pockets of fried corn masa at El Antojo PoblanoÌý— ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s new food truck that parks in a vacant lot at St. Mary's near Interstate 10.Ìý

Read more .ÌýÌý

El Taquito King is owned by the masterminds behind the El Sur restaurant on 22nd Street.

The space was formerly El Sur #2, but the owners recently decided to mix things up and create a different menu with tacos, wings, Sonoran dogs and more.

The new Oro Valley restaurant brought the art of the Persian kebab to a casual setting, with counter service and an open kitchen where you can see your meat being grilled.

Start with a classic skewer of ground beef kubideh and go from there. They also plan to serve traditional stews such as ghetme and ghorme sabzi.Ìý

Kukai opened quietly in February at the Mercado Annex, making it the second food vendor in the shopping area.Ìý

And you may recognize the familiar face of Setsuko Mochizuki inside the shipping container kitchen. Her husband Kazuo Senda is the owner ofÌýSamuraiÌýon Oracle Road, which has been ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s go-to rice bowl joint for more than 30 years.Ìý

Kazuo is partnering with his son-in-law Michael McCormack at Kukai, crafting a menu that feels like Samurai meets Instagram. They're making everything from onigiri rice balls and ramen to thoseÌý.Ìý

Read more .

More Japanese food has graced ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s west side.Ìý

Maru Japanese Noodle Shop is a casual counter-service spot from the people behind Yoshimatsu, just with an emphasis on ramen and udon noodles.

In addition to the familiar beef and curry udons, the restaurant also does a spicy tantan udon, sweet tofu kitsune udon and a cream udon with a sauce similar to fettuccine alfredo.Ìý

Small snacks, such as takoyaki balls and onigiri, are also offered.

For the past four years, Brian Jerome Peterson and his partners have peddled their fresh-roasted coffee at area farmers markets.

But those nomad days are behind them.

In late January, Peterson and his partners John Howard and Matthew DeVore openedÌýMission Coffee ImportsÌýin the small street-front space atÌýÌýthat was home for nearly a decade to Revolutionary Grounds Books & Coffee.

Read more here.

The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Republic speculated thatÌý. Lucky for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ans, a location opened up in the Old Pueblo.

The Sichuan menu caters to adventurous eaters who enjoy dishes such as rabbit with pickled pepper and baby ginger.Ìý

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This casual mariscos spot on South Fourth Avenue serves food from the coastal town of Guaymas, Sonora. This means you'll find shrimp cocktails, ceviche, various tostadas with octopus, crab and more.

Pescaderia y Taqueria YamiÌýalso has a small market up at the front where you can purchase seafood to-go.Ìý

Downtown weekend revelers with late-night hunger pangs have a new dining option, located within the plaza area at Hotel Congress.

The historic hotel, which is celebrating its 100th year in 2019, recently installed a food trailer meant to accommodate evening traffic, including bar hoppers and post-concert crowds, until 2 a.m., Thursdays through Saturdays.

Dubbed Plaza Eats, the trailer offers a mix of favorites from the hotel’s Cup Café — menu items like the Picacho nachos, lettuce wraps and a plant-based Beyond Burger – and classic international street foods.

Read more here.Ìý

Purple Penguin Candy Emporium is a fun new shop that recently opened across the street from Reid Park.

The owner is a retired antique dealer and has filled the space with vintage cash registers, candy cranes and all manner of funky old stuff. They specialize in throwback candies from the 60s to the 90s and had some rare finds like Astro Pops, Chuckles, Charleston Chews and more.Ìý

Rush Bowls, a Colorado-based smoothie shop, opened in the former Desert Dream Ice Cream on Speedway and Campbell Avenue.Ìý

Ìýoffers a range of frozen yogurt, granola and acaí bowls and even has something for your dog, according to the website.Ìý

When walking near the bingo hall at Casino del Sol, you'll come across the eclectic menu at Sweetscape Desserts.

The dessert shop was created by Chef Ryan Clark and his culinary team. The menu includes gelato, shakes, floats, sundaes, breakfast sandwiches and more.Ìý

But you'll probably be drawn in by the colorful donuts from pastry chef Gina Skelton. Her whimsical flavors include fluffernutter, fruit cereal and maple bacon.

You may have seen Jose Zavala's colorful corn tortillas atÌý, but now the local chef is opening his own storefront.Ìý

Ìýhas a variety of non-GMO handmade corn tortillas in creative flavors like garlic green onion, Hot Cheetos, El Pato and more.

He's also selling a variety of flour tortillas and pan dulce from La Estrella Bakery.