Westgate Entertainment District

I’ll only will give you 3 stars because management is not doing everything in their power to remove Mcfaddens as one of their tenants. This horrible establishment is making the whole district look bad with their credit card frauds, trashy staff, horrible shady management and their 1.5 stars rating on Unilocal

I used to love coming here. Although, the parking situation has became RIDICULOUS!!! When there are events at west gate it is absolutely hard to find parking; it took me about 45 minutes to 1 hour to find parking. Although there is some places to park you have to pay $ 15, which is very irritating. I would give a better review if they would open more free parking. Do not come to west gate you will waste your time because there will be no parking.

I think people are overly-​critical of Westgate.
To me, it is just one of many outdoor-​style shopping and entertainment districts in Arizona. They are nearly identical. Movie theaters, chain restaurants, some retail stores, lots of parking, and some type of water feature for kids to play in while their parents sit down and watch them.
For Westgate, the only difference is that it sits at the foot of two professional sports stadiums (Cardinals and Coyotes), which makes parking and nights out a nightmare for folks who aren’t going to a game.
Why?
Parking and crowds. That’s why.
Other than that, I find Westgate to be a decent alternative to other shopping areas in the west valley. Better than Crossroads at Tolleson or P83 in Peoria (worst name ever by the way). My only other advice would be to not come for a movie and dinner on a night that the Coyotes or Cardinals are playing. Parking is nearly impossible and it will likely cost you to do it.
My only other criticism with Westgate is the fact that the area around it still hasn’t developed into the west valley utopia that it was supposed to become. It feels empty out there still. I know there are the standard suburban complexes nearby, but the emptiness and wind still make me feel like Westgate is in the middle of nowhere.

This mall was the worst, I came to get a movie and there was no parking at all due to all the hockey game parking. This is ridiculous. Going to cancel our movie tickets and not come back here.

This area seemed like a good idea for our night out after several recommendations from locals we met after landing in Phoenix. I will say it could have been fun, but this area is not California tourist friendly. More of an issue with their regulations, but hopefully this can help fellow Californians avoid wasting their night out. If you have a vertical license the bars will not serve you no matter your age. They enforce their laws over federally issued licenses which we thought was a joke at first. It is not and my 23 year old cousin was denied entry and was not served. The bars also lectured us like we should know better. They allow for licenses to not expire for 50 years in Arizona yet have no tolerance for California’s policies. Not the bars fault, but they can at least try to be nice and not act like we are underage or using a fake.

Love Westgate! They have tons of eateries, the movies and a few shopping stores, but they have a free shuttle that takes you across to Tanger outlets where there rest of the shopping is.

We come here quite a bit because I love the Yard House. When we noticed that they had character Wednesday we were really excited. However; summer is probably not the best time for this. Or they need to have a better system too keep kids cool as their splash pad is a joke for the number of kids. I will still come for the Yard House but no more summer events.

Bike night Thursday.
Drooled over the Kawasaki H2, Turbo out of the factory is insane.
A nice walk around the fountains of youth.

A fun place to go for any occasion. Whether celebrating a birthday, out for a dinner, or before or after a sporting event/​convert, Westgate doors a great job for options.
The various types of foods available; sushi, bar, etc. offers all types of preferences needed to accommodate any group.
I would recommend Westgate for any local or for any out of towner!

Located literally in front of the Gila River Arena is this entertainment district. Its an area with lots of shops, restaurants, and even a movie theater. Across from the parking lot is the Tangers outlet mall, hotels and just a ¼ mile away is the football stadium where the Cardinals play.
We were staying next door at the Renaissance hotel, and came here on a Saturday night when the Ducks were playing the Coyotes. Before the game, there’s festivities for the kids. After the game, the bars and restaurants were packed full of people, not just fans, eating dinner and enjoying a Saturday night.
They have pretty much any type of food to think of:
— BBQ
— Japanese
— Cajun seafood
— Steaks
— Burgers
— to junk food, froyo, coffee, and dessert.
Plenty of parking and the places are open late. Many merchants offer great happy hours during the weeknights.

Date night. Girls night. Family night. Game night. Great restaurants, stores and a way to stroll the district. Super nice here. :)

Great place to enjoy lots of bars /​restaurants outdoor events theater shopping bands & more.

The multiple reviews regarding poor parking are spot-​on. I always try to avoid coming here when there’s something going on at the stadium, because I know people are going to flood the parking lots… And either I’ll end up parking on the other end of the lot or across the street — after searching for fifteen minutes — or I’ll have to pay a ridiculous $ 15 for a spot — or both.
One brilliant reviewer snidely remarked that if you don’t like the parking situation, you simply shouldn’t come here and definitely shouldn’t have the NERVE to leave a negative review over it. I’m not sure what they think the point of Unilocal is… The purpose of leaving a review is to inform other potential customers of any issues you had, so they can work to avoid them, and it also serves as a means of bringing larger issues (such as parking) to the attention of the property owners so that they can actually be FIXED.
Yes, actively avoiding the area during large events is a great way to avoid the issue. But it shouldn’t be necessary. The stadium has its own parking lot that was built specifically to accommodate the capacity of the stadium itself — parking in neighboring lots therefore shouldn’t be affected by it, and certainly not to this extent. Last time I got caught in this type of situation, all the high-​clearance vehicles eventually resorted to mounting the curbs and parking in the grass areas. That should be a clear indication that something’s wrong with either the parking lot size, or (more likely) the parking system in general.
My only current solution to this problem, without completely avoiding the area:
Take the motorcycle. Two wheels are better than four, anyway.

I really don’t like this place it’s overrated and kind of annoying how the bars here think they are all that and wanting to charge $ 40 more or less just to come inside and grab a drink.
This whole place made me laugh and was definitely a waste of my time walking through here the only place that wasn’t charging a cover to visit their establishment was Yard House and they were packed props to them for not trying to exploit drunk people for financial gain!
Do yourself a favor and avoid Westgate it’s a waste of time, money, & and their is nothing here really except a bunch of bars that think they are all that!

We saw Santa Clause! Kids had a great time. Very pretty atmosphere. Ice Scating.

If you build it they will come.
Westgate Entertainment District is a great place to come, relax and enjoy hanging out. Westgate offers a variety of dining establishments and refreshments as you stroll around the district enjoying the sights and sounds.
There is so much to do at Westgate Entertainment District. I really enjoy sitting in front of the waterfalls and watching the water fountains that are synchronized to music. My nephew likes the splash pad especially on those hot summer days.
Westgate has a AMC movie theater, large variety of restaurants, arts &crafts, and specialty shops to choose from, and did I mention the Tanger Outlets are right across the street within walking distance.
If you have some time to spare; Westgate is a great place to do it.

Reading through the reviews, lots of people really seem to hate this place because of the chain restaurants, unclassy clientele and the bad parking. Well, then go somewhere else!
For us, we don’t enjoy hanging out at the bars on a Friday or Saturday night. But, we do work late, so the fact that there are decent places to eat late at night during the week, really works for us.
Yard House has always had decent food, with a huge list of options. You can pretty much get whatever you’re in the mood for.
Saddle Ranch Chop House is a bit loud for me, and I could really do without the bull, but again, they have some decent food, and lots to choose from.
I had never been to Buffalo Wild Wings until the other night. It was very good! We had a super-​nice waitress, which always makes any dining experience so much better. The cheese curds were yummy (they don’t even need the sauce). And, hubby and I shared a large wings, we each picked 2 sauces. I’m a fan of the honey BBQ!
For the others, Shane’s Rib Shack… so good! Which Wich… not a fan. Chipotle… I actually preferred when it was Moe’s. Kabuki… pretty good.
Now, for the lack of one star… do not like McFadden’s. Went there once, and never again! Ditto for Margaritaville! I’m originally from South Florida, so I’ve been to the original one in Key West. I got so excited when they opened out here, but that soon went away. The servers were horrid, and the food was just bad. Plus, considering they’re supposed to be a bar-​type restaurant, they’re one of the few that close really early.
We still haven’t tried Whiskey Rose or Calico Jack’s. Calico Jack’s is advertised, both on their website and on their front door, as being open until 2am every night. Well, we tried to go there at 12:05am, and they were already closing. After we’d left Saddle Ranch, a little after 1am, we walked by, and their lights were all off. If you don’t want to stay open until 2am on a Thursday, then don’t advertise that you are.
We also enjoy the outer rim restaurants, like Gordon Biersch (yummy!!) and My Big Fat Greek Restaurant (they serve my favorite salad).
We really only come to Westgate to have meals. We wouldn’t go near the place during gamedays or concerts, mainly because of crowds and parking. But, we’re aware of that, so we don’t get all upset, like some other reviewers. If we’re going to an event at the arena or stadium, then we make sure to eat at the event or before we get there.

Are you not entertained? This is pretty much a playground for adults.
No way you can come here and not find something you like. Yeah, I get it, there are tons of chain restaurants… but come on, when have you been so picky that you can’t eat wings… or Yard House… or Tex-​Mex.
Actually, scratch that, don’t get any of the Tex-​Mex available here. In fact, don’t eat ANYWHERE that doubles as a club late at night. But do drink in those places. Go barhopping because you can find any liquor, any beer, or any genre of music.
Most places here don’t stick out to me. On their own, only 2 – 3 establishments break the four-​star barrier. However, all the options transform into a giant gathering area greater than the sum of its parts.
Oh, and there’s the sports teams and the movie theater. This rivals Bell Road for coolest place in the West Valley, and makes a good reprieve from other nightlife hotspots like Scottsdale and Roosevelt.

The only reason I ever come way out this way is if I’m going to see a concert at
Arena. I don’t really see any other reason to. Sure, there are a bunch of restaurants, and I think some shopping, but it’s only there to kill time before or after a show.
The parking here is THE WORST EVER if you’re coming for a concert. Especially if there is also a football game happening next door. There are a ton of people directing traffic, but none of them are aware of what the other is doing. We sat in one spot for, no joke, like 20 minutes. Meanwhile we could see a parking lot not even half full right next to the road we were stuck on. Once we finally made it into the parking lot, there was no discernible reason for the traffic besides the people directing it stopping it for their own amusement. It’s a nightmare.
I almost decided to just say «fuck it» and leave because of the horrible traffic.
Leaving wasn’t too bad, except you have the same problem but in reverse. The traffic directors trying to control traffic, and the drunk and tired people completely ignoring them. Then once you get onto a major road, they have half the lanes blocked off for no apparent reason.
Other than the terrible traffic, this place is all right. If you come on a night where there is a sold out show, be prepared for waits up to an hour and a half at every single restaurant.
Eat and pee before you get here and bring a flask and you’re good to go.

This is an overpriced tourist trap filled with chain everything… the only thing that i liked about this place was that it was attached to
arena, cardinal stadium and they had outdoor entertainment (performers)… Ohhh and the cremation advertisement was pretty funny as well.
If you want to go to a game here parking is partially free during games. However in some areas it is $ 25 or more!!! yeah I was totally surprised by this… So if you show up early, its free, if you dont you pay! This mall is multiple stories of restaurants, shops, a theater, and who knows what all else.
Pro Tip: Avoid this place unless you are going to a game here…
This place is also good for one last thing, people watching. I was laughing pretty hard as a couple of girls wearing lingerie and fishnets strolled by on their way to a bar. What was super funny was they were not the type of ladies you would want to see wearing lingerie and fishnets out and about in public. Perhaps this is the only city around where this is not out of the norm and no one, I repeat no one did a double take.
Seriously Phoenix and its surrounds are super unique and have some very humerus moments to say the least. So keep your eyes peeled if you come here and if not, count yourself pretty dayem smart… The restaurant I went to here really sucked as well…