The Local

The sweet nectar of youth dripping with gold. Seems to a little diamond out in the open. Heavy industry people from the looks of it. How I know this I am not proud. Yet the music is bright and sprite, with the gusto of self-​deprecated laughter. Or maybe it is just me
| NOte. Keep going.

The meal was wonderful! There pork ribs have a succulent sauce and they are tender and crispy. The wings are just the right amount of spiciness and melt in your mouth. Of course the marrow bone is cooked to perfection and the lamb bacon is a perfect touch. They have a Roman Polenta Gnocci which is a beautiful sight to behold and even better to eat.
Then there is the service… wow, every time we have gone there we have been greeted and treated like VIP’s. All of the staff are great and know how to give you just the right amount of attention.
I can’t even describe the deserts because they so unique and yummy!
Highly recommend!

I want to love the local, and I’ll probably go back (since it’s local and open late), but I’ve never been blown away by a meal here. The atmosphere is hip but comfortable– in addition to the patio, the dimly lit restaurant is divided into two halves: a lounge, where there are bars and cushy seating, and the dining side, where the are a handful of tables and high-​backed chairs. The staff is friendly and service is perfectly fine. The cocktail and wine menus both present lots of good and reasonably priced options, with rotating featured cocktails to spice things up a bit. On our first trip, our server recommended a fantastic bottle of Pinot Noir that wasn’t on the menu, which we greatly enjoyed.
As for the food, I’ve been on two occasions and sampled a variety of dishes: the heirloom cauliflower prepared two ways (once with lemon and cumin, the second time with cumin eggplant purée), pigs ear pad thai, bone marrow with lamb bacon, chicken fried quail with aged white cheddar and poblano biscuit, lemon poppyseed cake with avocado ice cream and lavender meringue, the cookie bar, chicken wings, bolognese tagliatelle, and grilled octopus and pork belly. Some of the dishes are real hits, but others are near or total misses. Oftentimes, this imbalance occurs in a single dish.
For instance, the grilled octopus was perfectly cooked, flavorful, and tender, but its accompanying pork belly was a tad dry. The sauces did little to complement the dish and their flavors were too muted to accent it. The chicken fried quail was tender, moist, and lightly but flavorfully battered, but the aged white cheddar and poblano biscuit paired with it lacked any poblano spice, had very little cheddar flavor, and was dry. The chicken wings’ smoky flavor was overpowering such that they couldn’t be finished. The pigs ears in the pad thai were perfectly cooked, but their flavor and much of their texture, along with the flavors one typically associates with pad thai, were lost in the bland dish. The slices of peppers provided the only spice and the dish was dominated by the crunch and taste of bean sprouts. The bolognese tagliatelle was decent, but primarily saved by the fantastic whipped mascarpone atop it. I’ll take a plate of that next time and skip the bolognese sauce, which overwhelmed the delicate tagliatelle. (Was it properly cooked? It’s hard to tell under all of that meat sauce. Or maybe that’s the point?) Lamb bacon is a delightful idea, but the gamey-​richness of lamb was entirely lost in the crumbled bacon bits, although the bone marrow and and accompanying grilled, olive-​oil drizzled crostini were lovely. The heirloom cauliflower would be a perfect dish except that, on my first visit, it was too lemony and, on my second, the cumin in the sauce overpowered the vegetable, which, along with the blistered radishes, is so beautiful and well-​prepared, you wish the kitchen would let it shine through.
The desserts are the only part of the meal that seem consistent — on both trips they ended my meal on a high note. The lemon poppyseed cake was perfectly moist and the rich avocado ice cream and delicate lavender meringue were delightful accompaniments. The cookie bar, filled with melted chocolate and served with cinnamon ice cream, was rich and delicious. In other words, definitely don’t skip dessert.
I’ll continue to support The Local because, well, it’s local, keeps late hours, and the menu, which features rotating items and daily specials, has great potential. I’m a huge fan of Atlas, where The Local’s chef previously produced great dishes. And, on each visit, I’ll maintain high hopes the Local will impress me this time.

Man this place is good. Started off with the bone marrow one with lamb bacon and one with caramelized onion, sweet and savory.
One of the owners challenged me to the Jameson luge shot, way better than I thought it would be
And the Branzino fish was also excellent!
Tim made me a few good drinks at the bar. Great restaurant! Also, Jameson on tap!

As I walk in I feel a sense and a vibe of freshness, and as I sit down I look around I feel at ease. The server comes with the menu and let me seat myself. Its cozy and and I sit down on the left hand couch. The table is too high for the couch which creates a weird posture for eating. I order a beer and wait for more of my party.
The vibe is pretentious and shallow. Our server, and not only our server, hovers constantly asking how things are, ask if there’s anything we need, interrupts conversations several times. this is not good service. This is bad service. I don’t want someone constantly on my ass when I am engaged with friends in conversations, and it is clearly that we are and have ordered both meals and drinks. We are paying customers — pardon me for wanting some time with the people I came here to meet, and not have a fit with the servers.
The food was very pretty, and pridefully weird. It was more interesting than it was tasty and it is clear that the main goal is to use odd ingredients in an attempt to be hip, now and fusion. Sorry it does not work without tastiness. Novelty has a very short shelf life. Pigs ears do taste like pork rinds, no matter what kind of strange salad you bed it onto. And bone marrow. as some love it, I find it difficult. The taste isn’t that great and the texture requires motivation to handle. Motivation I personally cannot muster.
The establishment is beautiful, and I love the idea. because it is swank, it is on point, but the follow through falls flat. Service, food and drinks are less than I expect to pay for this kind of beautiful hip place. And the price only accompanies the locale, and not the iffiness of the meal. It’s painfully pretentious and pricey and I expected so much more. I have doubt that the local will still be here for long, so if you really want to eat here — hurry.

I was only able to sample a cocktail, so that is why I am giving it a three so far. I would need to try the food next. The cocktail menu was fun, and the quality was great. The atmosphere was hip but still a little casual. It’s in a strip mall with another restaurant, so it was fun to semi-​bar hop between the two.
I would recommend checking this place out :)

Cool new place on Roosevelt Row with inventive, flavorful and fresh cuisine! Great, shaded patio, friendly service and delicious food… although the lunch portions are quite small even though they are beautifully prepared and presented. I will definitely be back for drinks and dinner.

We came here for happy hour before an event downtown. I was really excited when I saw their menu and website, so I was looking forward to trying it. I was impressed with the atmosphere of the restaurant and the host and server were both really friendly. Granted, when I arrived there was only one other table sat so I probably got some extra attention. Their happy hour prices are good. Only four beers on tap. A wide range of wine and cocktails though. We tried three items off the happy hour menu, pig ear pad Thai, market salad, and bone marrow. I really wanted the octopus so we ordered that too. The presentation was beautiful, but the octopus itself was just a touch fishy. I didn’t think prices were that bad though I’ve read reviews that complain about them. I guess I’m used to higher prices in exchange for pretty food. I docked a star for lack of beers on tap, and I have to say I didn’t care for the pig ear pad Thai. The pig ears were too crunchy.

We stumbled upon this gem on a spring walk on Roosevelt Row. Had the BEST service no joke in quite sometime. We will be back solely based on that alone.
However the food we didn’t get to order because it was a late Sunday right after the kitchen closed (totally our fault) they were out of. So we decided to get a drinky & chill. I had the Lambert-​Gini & the hubs had a beer. They were great & priced right for a reverse happy hour. We were chilled & plotting our return at an earlier time because the menu looked pretty good. Then we got the best slightly tangy/​sweet smoked brisket sliders on the softest rolls. Totally comp because they didn’t have the item we only asked about. I remember service like this once upon a time but have been treated so badly over the years (especially on Roosevelt) just one establishment doing the right thing has thrown me for a loop & can’t wait to get back. Thanks The Local for just being good peeps. Muah! Now go & try it for yourself. Trust me they’re good.

I didn’t come here to eat, but to drink.
The Local is hip!
You get carafes of water with your order… whether you ask for it or not.
This place is stylish.
The music is great and just the right volume to enjoy it while you socialize. It’s way aesthetic, and a good place to spend a night on the patio with your friends… and maybe even people-​watch on a First Friday.
Most importantly, the staff, including the guy at the door are freaking nice. I will return.

First visit & fell in love. You must go & order the bone marrow it was sooooo incredible. We also tried the gnocchi which was delicious. Great spot for late night eats or happy hour. Luke is the bartender & makes fab drinks! Can’t wait to go back and try the fried quail.

While the food was good, the portions are extremely small. And when I say small, they are small. For instance, the beet salad was not a salad but a tablespoon of quinoa with one small beet sliced into four spread into an arrangement on a long thin plate. Cost: $ 13… it should have been around $ 4 for this. The beer glasses were small is well. This was good for a try but I will not go back.
I give the owner less than a year for business. The current model will not attract long term or repeat business.

Okay… I don’t usually write reviews… if something is good, I just tell my peeps and thats it… HOWEVER… I can’t keep this one in… there is too much to talk about… so, I will just touch on the most important… FOOD and service… both of which get a 5 star from me… I’ve been a vegetarian (eating fish sometimes) for about 7 years now and happy about it… so, at the chefs suggestion I tried the Grilled Heirloom Cauliflower… WHAT, WHAT, WHAT was I tasting… Jimney Cricketts!!! Queso Manchego and a cumin eggplant purée… ohhhhh my!!! you know when a kid does the pee pee dance, hopping from one foot to another… wooooooowhooooo that’s what this feels like… AMAZING…
now, I said to my husband… who was busy happily munching away on Crispy Pig Ear Pad Thai… I think I want to try that Tuna thing… The Bigeye Ahi Crudo… Of course he said… without even looking up from his Pad Thai… when the tasty little morsels arrived at the table, I had to take a minute to enjoy the beautifully prepared plate… LISTEN… I never did understand the point behind plating… until now… a decadently cut tuna lay nestled on my plate with with a brightly colored, velvety avocado mousse… tangelo gelée…ginger and shallot confit… pistachio dust… Serrano chili… PARTY IN MY MOUTH!!! I had to copy the ingredients from the menu because my mouth couldn’t explain what was happening in there!!!
moving on… now… the Roasted Bone Marrow shows up to the table… I have to admit… my curiosity got the best of me… I HAD TO… but wait… I’m a vegetarian… let’s google that and see just what I’m getting into… vitamins… minerals… yada yadas … okay… I’m tasting it… OHHHHH MYYYYYY GOODNESS… just a little taste… but between the lamb bacon… onion jam… and this ridic crostini… i might need another… and wow… wow… wow…
I can continue to gush… but I need to stop there… to say a quick thing about the service… between the Chef/​Owner Chris… Bar manager/​Owner Adam… and our server… we felt like we were regulars at the local… My husband and I were not dressed for a 5 star restaurant… However… we got the 5 star treatment!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of you at The Local… you guys rock… we will see you again

I went to the Local tonight with the husband to celebrate my birthday (just the two of us). I must say, it was pretty awesome. The décor looks similar to when it was Scratch, but they moved the bar and got new furniture. It looks nice. The service was great, attentive and informative. We ordered a bunch of things to share including the pig ear pad thai, the gnocchi, and the brisket. The gnocchi was good, but nothing crazy amazing. It is one large gnocchi… it had the consistency of a soufflé almost and tasted good, but I don’t think it’s worth the 10 $ price tag. The pad thai, on the other hand, was amazing! It had so much flavor, it was tangy, spicy, savory, but mostly it tasted extremely fresh. I loved every bite… yum. The brisket was also good, but a little on the fatty side (I know that’s kind of the nature of brisket, but the way it was cut left a lot of fat on). The sauce was delicious and complemented the meat well. It was herby, a little citrusy, and tasted great. It came with brussels sprouts (which were nicely cooked and tasty), potatoes (which were cheesy, but nothing too special), and amazing onions… these onions were fabulous, not oniony… very sweet. They were unbelievable. Lastly, we had the chocolate tart… this was a tasty dessert, but they should probably call it a peanut butter dessert… the peanut butter taste was far stronger than the chocolate, which you could barely taste at all. Despite this, it was a tasty dessert. I definitely would like to come back here to try their brunch and the other items on their menu.
Update: I have been back to the Local a couple times and it definitely has some highs and lows. The pig ear pad thai is consistently good. I have had drinks here a couple times and they are also good. I had a drink on their new happy hour when I went recently that was very tasty (I can’t remember what it was called, but it was fruity with a touch of mint and was topped with a huge piece of citrus skin) and it was a decent deal at 6 $ on special. We also had the brisket sliders (on our slider tour of phoenix) and I must say that they were ok, but nothing special. I wouldn’t order them again. Further, the last time I went here, the service was terrible (incredibly slow, inattentice) and the DJ was playing music so loud, I couldn’t even hear a conversation. I hope they can work out the kinks because it would be a nice place to catch happy hour.

Maybe I jumped the gun by suggesting to have brunch here last Sunday. I usually wait for a new restaurant to be open a few months before trying it, but I sometimes make an exception if there are rave reviews. In this rare occasion Unilocal had failed me.
My husband and I had met my friend here and we shared 3 different plates. It wasn’t noted that this was «tapas» style on the menu at all, nor was it suggested how to order, so we thought 3 dishes for 3 people would be enough food. For drinks my husband had a Sleepy Dog Hefeweizen, my friend a cocktail and I ordered a mimosa which was a pretty good deal at $ 5. My husband and friend’s drinks came out immediately, while I was told they were waiting for a bottle of champagne to open. About 10 minutes later I received my drink.
Two of our orders arrived first, the tuna poke and the lamb kimchi fried rice. Our server then came over told us that their computers had gone down, and due to the error he gave us a complimentary pig ear pad thai. We said «Thank you» as it’s always nice to have that type of error work in your favor. He put the plate down on the table and as we were about to dig in another staff member walked up to our table and took the pig ear plate away without saying a word… awkward. The server apologized for the mistake, as it must have been a misunderstanding. We started our meal and then the staff member came back a few minutes later and put the pig ear plate back on our table again without saying a word. We were somewhat apprehensive of eating it a this point, was it going to be taken away again? Anyway beggars can’t be choosers, I was very appreciative of the complimentary entrée, but the awkwardness that came with it really wasn’t worth it.
As for the food: the tuna poke was fresh tasting, but flavor wise it was nothing really special. The lamb kimchi fried rice tasted good, but was greasy and had the teeniest tiniest pieces of lamb in it. Our third order was the poutine, this was the best thing we had, it had a flavorful cream sauce, chunks of lamb and a runny egg. The pig ear pad thai was pretty good too, nice & crispy and came with pickled veggies.
So why two stars? The portions sizes were laughable, each entrée was about 5 bites max. We weren’t informed that one dish per person isn’t even close to enough food. We ended up having an extra dish due to the snafu, but we still all left hungry. It would be one thing if the food was amazing, then I would want to order more dishes, but nothing was very memorable or fantastic enough. The price point did not match the portion at all. The service was also lacking, the server took our credit card to run it, and then waited a good 20 minutes to receive it back after having to ask for it. Sorry but I can’t see myself returning.

The food really was Exquisite! It was masterfully crafted and made with the very best of high end ingredients.
I will be Blunt and Honest as I always am.
I get more filled up eating a select few samples from Costco than I did sharing two appetizers and one lunch plate at the Local. I do note Costco Samples are NOT Exquisite and I do prefer exquisite food.
I enjoyed the different fresh flavors of what they called a Roman Style Gnocchi. I read that it’s made with semolina flour but if I were to name and guess what this dish was to me it almost seemed like a Polenta Lasagna with a very sweet slow cooked tomato sauce. To me it was very interesting and very layered I tasted many different components. I enjoyed it. My husband felt very different and I think he was in a bad mood. I won’t share what he said. ($ 10.00)
We both enjoyed the Grilled Cauliflower very much. The Cauliflowers were roasted with crispy ends just like I make them and I never tasted cooked radishes that tasted that good. Everything on that plate harmonized well. (There just wasn’t much of it. ($ 12.00)
I was wrong not to say something about the Seared Tuna Nicoise ($ 16.00) I think it was missing the Calabrian Chili Oil that it desperately needed.(An opening Hiccup) But after taking a bite I had almost nothing left so it didn’t seem to be logical to say anything. This dish was beautiful in appearance. For a moment I forgot where I was and was thinking Binkley’s. The fish was fresh but what I tasted was a little bland and flat. I do note this dish came with an exceptionally good prepared ½ egg and crisp and creamy fingerling potatoes.
I enjoyed the restaurant where the chef/​owner worked before so I thought I’d enjoy the local. I did enjoy most of the food but it’s not enough to return to leave hungry again. At the moment I’m wondering what did they do with that other ½ of egg?
2.5 stars

Bicycled there for a mid-​evening light meal and split two starters and a good whiskey.
Friendly knowledgeable staff, timely service, decent whiskey selection. perfectly roasted beets, excellent medley of smoked fish. One quibble — the quinoa bed for the roasted beet salad was a bit tartly vinagary for our taste.
There are a few more items we’d like to try.

Ambiance:
Swank, smooth, and sexy. Table areas in the back offer dark corners for snuggling, flirting, and the occasional molesting of the BF. I totally dig ambiance like this — kind of reminds me of the Merc bar, but with way better food.
Service:
On point. Our server was knowledgeable and welcoming. Chris, the Owner, introduced himself and checked in to see how we liked the food while making sure our entrees were served accordingly, since we were leisurely ordering plates here and there.
Food:
We began with the smoked salmon. Fresh and tender, just how I like it with a fine herb vin to really make the flavor pop.
Then that dang bone marrow! Hands down, was the star of the night. Perfectly seasoned with a texture that’ll make your mouth melt. Wish the crostini was just a tad bit softer, but luckily, I have strong teeth. Keep in mind you’ll be sharing this plate as I guarantee your friends or partner will want more bites of it.
I ordered the Orecchiette Carbonara. Fresh pasta with a unique blend and texture of alba mushrooms and peas. Although I enjoyed it, I didn’t finish it because it was a bit too salty.
Overall, I can really appreciate The Local for their attention to detail and presentation. You can tell there’s a lot of TLC happening back in the kitchen by the ingredients used and presentation of plates. Beautifully modern, inventive and organic. This place has substance and I’ll definitely be back soon to explore more of their menu, including dessert.

Great team behind the bar and on the floor. House made pasta always gets me! Great addition to downtown phoenix.

What a phenomenal downtown gem. There is no where in downtown Phoenix like this. Perfectly balanced hand crafted cocktails and Absolutely stunning cuisine. Do yourselves a favor and order the Lambert-​Gini and have the pleasure of the namesake handing you the lovely libation.
When you have your cocktail in hand don’t hesitate order the bone marrow – two words– lamb bacon: life changing. I never fathomed being able to get this level of food and class here in downtown phoenix. (and for the great adventurers – when you’ve sucked it clean, order a shot of don Julio Reposado or any Mezcal and join the ranks of bone luge. All who work here will know)
More than Honorable mentions: brisket 3 ways: smoked, braised and grilled. Had to fight over the last bite.
Oxtail torteloni: all pasta is handmade in house and this dish easily rivals any in the greater phoenix area.
Do yourself a favor and stop in. Enjoy yourself and get away.