Food & Beverage
20 25
ON DECK
work in July. While construction has yet to begin, the plans hint at another caffeinated stop for the city’s on-the-go crowd.
What’s cooking in Maricopa BY MONICA D. SPENCER
By the time this restaurant guide hits your mailbox, this popular East Valley Mexican breakfast spot will probably be serving hungry Maricopans its signature chilaq- uiles, quesabirria and molcajetes. Chilaquiles Mexican Kitchen took over the space of the former sports bar The Roost, which shuttered in December, and began remodeling shortly after. Shortly after the suite sign for La Michoacana Ice Cream Shop AZ went up in December, the sweet scent of aguas frescas and paletas began teasing our senses. Permits for interior improvements were granted in March, and since then, construction is ongoing. A taste of the islands is coming to Maricopa with Ono Hawaiian BBQ’s first Pinal County location. The restaurant found a home in a long-vacant retail pad in Sonoran Creek Marketplace that was once slated for a Filiberto’s Mexican spot. The restaurant will open when interior construction is complete. SIMMERING $ 1
Maricopans aren’t giving up hope for a Buffalo Wild Wings of their own. The last movement came in September 2024, when plans and paperwork were filed with the city. Since then, progress has been quiet — but the dream of game- day wings and big-screen action remains alive. A quick-service Mexican chain is planning a location inside the Circle K at Honeycutt and Porter roads. The timeline, however, remains a mystery. Construction plans landed with the city’s De- velopment Services department in June, but for now, locals will have to wait to see when tacos hit the menu. In February, the California-based drive-thru burger joint set its sights on Maricopa, aiming to serve up its signature “farm fresh” burgers on Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway at Stonegate Road. If the project moves forward, it will mark the chain’s third location in Arizona — and a new stop for locals craving a West Coast bite. Orlie’s Taproom With a wine bar already on the map, Maricopa’s next neighbor- hood wish list item might just be a cozy taproom. Orlie’s is aiming to be the city’s first. While pre-application paperwork for a spot in the planned Legacy on Porter hasn’t been filed, creator Jason Martin envisions open- ing the doors as early as 2026, pouring pints and creating a new gathering place for locals.
Alongside the steady flow of traffic on State Route 347, new restaurants are always the topic du jour in Maricopa. Want to know what’s cooking in the city? Here’s a glimpse at what might—and might not—be coming to the city’s dining scene.
Maricopa’s thriving drive-thru coffee scene may soon welcome a bold new contender. Black Rock Coffee Bar has set its sights on a site beside the Sherwin-Williams paint store on John Wayne Park- way, filing pre-application paper-
InMaricopa.com | September 2025
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