Desert Ridge Marketplace

Great for family and singles. Friday and Saturdays are popular for live music on their center mall stage. They have just about everything here. Cheap to great seafod and steaks.

Fun place to go, but the price points are not really where they should be for that area… Though there are a lot of stores to pick from, the parking tends to be a bit overwhelming. Additionally when I visit the ultra cosmetics counter at desert ridge, I never really have a sincere feeling of being welcomed to the establishment. The Dave and busters there is fun for the kids, but again be sure to bring your wallet with extra money. Another addition they may think about is adding some more restaurants that are family friendly, since the whole atmosphere is made for family fun.

Lots of shops! Traffic can be problematic especially on the weekends.

nice place to hangout. you can find everything you want in there starting from restaurants and bars and a lot of shops. Good for families

The AMC theater was fantastic. You buy your ticket and choose your seat ahead of time. Most of their theaters have under 40 reclining seats in each theater. SSSOOO comfortable.
There is a beautiful large fireplace in a courtyard where you can sit and enjoy your coffee and relax.

Reserved seating = 5 stars. Cush seats & well lit/​marked theater # 5 stars. Only reason is 4 stars is waiting outside during holiday break to get tickets & only 1 ticket window open — during holidays ???

Love coming here nice people and free entertainment on Friday and Saturday

Eat, shop, play… all at Desert Ridge. You cannot go wrong here. With AMC movie theater, Dave & Buster’s, water fountains for the kids, live entertainiment, many restaurants/​bars, ice cream palors, and shopping stores, you can easily spend an entire day at Desert Ridge.
The parking lot is always crowded so be prepared to keep circling or walk a little. If you are unfamiliar with Desert Ridge, it can feel like you’re in a maze trying to find where you are going. Save some gas, read the signs people! There are directories posted as well.

I wish Tucson would get a nice outdoors mall like this, since it’s really fun and has a lot of restaurants to eat at. The wife and I always head up here when we are in the Phoenix area and have a blast shopping and dining here. The only thing that I don’t like about this marketplace is that it has a AMC versus a Harkins like the Tempe Marketplace. While AMC isn’t bad, Harkins is way cheaper and provides the same experience. The parking is decent, but it can be bad if you go during a busy time of the year, much like any mall to be honest. The restaurants are really nice, especially the Islands burger restaurant. Overall, if you like outdoor malls check this place out.

My favorite outdoor shopping venue. Dining, live entertainment, ambience and something for both of us (movies and shops for me, Barnes and Noble for hubby) great night or day spent shopping, people watching and enjoying the arizona lifestyle

f**k this entire place. unless you’re going to target don’t waste your time.

This place is alright. Parking sucks. So much confusion in the parking lot it’s ridiculous. Stop signs are hard to see and people don’t follow directions.
On the weekends it’s a hell hole.

Desert Ridge Marketplace is a decent outdoor mall. Walking distance from the JW Marriott Desert Ridge if you are staying in the area. Complete with stores like DSW, Sports Authority, Target, Marshalls/​Home Goods… there is a wide variety to select from. There is also a theatre and several restaurants.

A cute outdoor mall with a great selection of eateries, shops, and entertainment. There is a main island that you can walk around, which has shops, restaurants, etc., then there are rows of stores on the outskirts of «the island.» So if you’re on the island looking for a store or restaurant & you don’t see it on the main island, check the directory. You will likely want to drive to stores outside of the main island. (Was that confusing?) The island mostly hosts clothing stores for tween — 20s (think Hollister, Xi, & Hot Topic).
The AMC movie theatre used to be my main reason for coming, but there’s also Yard House, which is one of my favorite restaurants in that area. They have a nice Barnes & Noble, and D&B is in that main part as well.
In the summers that have rows of misters lined up along the storefronts to keep (try to) you cool. That water center (a small area where small doses of water spout up from the ground) is popular amongst the tykes.
During the cooler months, near that same center, is a huge enclosed fire-​pit. I love that thing!
The have another area with a stage and a large screen, which is usually playing a music video of some sort. They have events throughout the year, which are advertised in the Scottsdale mailers, so I assume they are advertised in N. Phoenix and other bordering areas as well. Otherwise, if you’re at the mall, they have a calendar if events posted. (I’m sure it’s probably on their website as well.)
Ample parking. Well lit at night. Nice place for parents to let their teens hang out during the day. After a certain time (I think it’s 6pm), minors must be accompanied by a parent or adult, which I think is awesome!

There are lot of up sides to the Marketplace. There are a ton of restaurants and shops to spend time at, especially if you are looking to kill time before /​after a movie or want a date night! The shops offer a variety of options from clothing to home décor to craft supplies. Same goes for restaurants. You can easily get some cheap eats here at Panda or drop a little more money and eat at Nori or Wolfleys (which are still not pricey options).
Live music is offered every Friday in the main portion and the artists are always different and you can easily find out who is playing on their website. Seasonal offerings can also be found, such as Easter Bunny photos and the like.
The negative here can be the parking lot and busy nature of the plaza. Since they are one of the only major plazas in the area, they are usually really busy and the parking lot can prove difficult to navigate and you may have to park and walk a bit.
Overall: A
Great variety of shops and dining. See a movie and make a date night out of it! Leave yourself time for parking if need to be at something at a certain time!

Desert Ridge Marketplace is a great place for shopping. There are plenty of large shops (Target, Kohls, Petsmart, Old Navy, Ross) and plenty of small shops (Game Daze, Hot Topic, As You Wish Pottery) for everyone to enjoy. There are plenty of places to grab a bit to eat or take in a show at the AMC. I normally come early on the weekends for a show at the AMC and then do some light shopping afterwards.
The parking lot is huge, but it needs to be for this type of outdoor mall. The only downside is how crowded it can get and how unfriendly folks can be while driving in a cramped parking lot. During the holidays, they have cones and whatnot out to direct traffic, but I think they should keep them year round because some drivers are out of control!
Other than that, it’s a great place for any time of day since they’ve got you covered for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I particularly enjoy The Keg for dinner, but there are plenty of other eateries (burgers, burritos, pizza, etc) if you are in the mood for something different. Either way, check it out!

I think Desert Ridge is a nice and decent place, I in fact don’t do much shopping here, but I enjoy going to the movies on occasion, and the restaurants as well.
It is a good place for a long walk when the weather is nice.
So generally, I would give it 4 stars.
However, my rate goes to 3 because last time I was there, they had ads at several places advertising promotions for the businesses there, it had a URL and when I went to check it out… they expect you to print the coupons! really? in this day and age?
Maybe for a mom & pop small business, but I would expect better from a place like this…

Great place to listen to FREE live performances. I highly enjoy «Ghandi’s Garage». I dealt with the 120 degrees heat several weeks ago just to hear them. Yes, that’s how much I love them! I made myself comfortable with bring a couple of fold out chairs, plenty of iced water and a large water spray bottle to cool off.

Shop, dine and play. This outdoor mall has over a million square feet of shopping, dining and fun. I say this is a place to take the family. The vibrant outdoor fun in the sun that includes a fire place at night and a splish splash water fountain for the kids. AMC Theater is located there along with an arcade, pottery paining, bookstore and play factory. Parents can sit and watch the kids as they run through the water. Bring the Ipad as the whole mall is fully equipped with free wifi. Be sure to bring Fido. That’s right you can bring your friendly companions too. The mall is dog friendly.
Date night? There is live music after 7pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Many tasty restaurants in the area to choose from. Casual dining to more formal dining from a wide range of different choices.
Besides shopping at the cool trendy stores there is always something going on at Desert Ridge. They have events taking place all the time. It is not your typical shopping center. It is a place for entertainment that the whole family can enjoy.

I like this mall. It reminds me of the Spectrum in Irvine. Some of my favorite places to shop & eat are:
Fatburger
Yard House
Dave and Buster’s
I really want to like this place more than 3 stars, but it just seems to lack that vibe that the Irvine Spectrum has. The parking here is awful… very difficult to get in/​out, especially when it’s busy. It’s also has very poor signage in the parking lot, so you have to know where the stores are before you head over to this mall.
Overall, the shopping experience is not bad, but I’ve had better.
Return Factor — 70%