Spooky Phoenix food events to fill your Halloween weekend

Weekends are the time to treat yourself. For many diners, that means booking a reservation at a splurgy spot well in advance. It doesn’t always have to be that formulaic or well planned. Some of the best experiences come on a whim. A simple text from a friend asking, “You free tonight?” can lead to a memorable evening filled with excellent food.

Phoenix’s tight-knit community of chefs and bartenders always seems to have a collaboration, pop-up or one-off dinner cooking. And often, those events come together at the last moment. We’re here to make sure you don’t miss out on any of these fleeting opportunities.

This weekend, there are plenty of culinary events to fill your plate. Get into the Halloween spirit with a candy and beer pairing, a quirky burger pop-up or spooky cocktail bar takeovers. Make your last-minute plans before it’s too late.

This weekend

Halloween Candy & Beer Pairing
Thursday
14825 E. Shea Blvd., #101, Fountain Hills
Bone Haus Brewing boasts a seriously spooky, macabre setting to sip a pint. Rachel Benkowski, the state’s first woman advanced cicerone, will bring treats to her next sensory beer tasting event at this Fountain Hills haunt. She’ll pair Halloween candy with a flight of four Bone Haus brews. You’ll pick your favorite duo. Tickets are $30 and include your flight. 

Jim Bob’s Burgers: Books and Belchers
Friday and Saturday
218 W. Main St., Mesa
Each Halloween, Worth Takeaway transforms into a “Bob’s Burgers”-inspired pop-up. This year’s literary-themed menu features several special burgers, including Gene and The Giant Peach, made with two beef patties, cheddar, peanut butter and peach-bacon jam. Diners can also opt for a bacon and relish-topped dog, elote-style loaded fries or honey sriracha wings. The restaurant teamed up with The Shop Beer Co. to Brew a special cherry turnover farmhouse ale for the event. Worth’s neighbors will get in on the fun, too. Pair Cupworks will offer special espresso and matcha lattes to fuel people in line and Burritoholics with serve a burger-style Bob-Rito. After you’ve eaten your fill, toast the pop-up with a sour apple margarita from Pedal Haus Brewery. The pop-up runs 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. both days. Costumes are encouraged. See the full menu and participating restaurants on Instagram. 

Halloween Food Drive
Friday to Sunday
Multiple locations
Halloween revelers can pay it forward when they’re out and about. Dozens of local cafes, restaurants, bars and shops will collect non-perishable food throughout the weekend. This is the second year of the food drive, which was organized in response to federal cuts to SNAP food aid. Places around Phoenix, including Copper Star Coffee, The Dirty Drummer, Gracie’s Tax Bar, Linger Longer Lounge, Monsoon Market, Showtime Cafe and others, will collect pasta, rice, beans, applesauce and other pantry goods. Volunteers will distribute the food to smaller food pantries, mutual aid groups and community fridges around Phoenix. See the full list of places to drop off items on Instagram.

Süss Pastries Spooky Grand Opening
Saturday
5341 N. Seventh Ave.
Süss Pastries, the popular Phoenix shop known for its flaky pastry pockets, has reopened on Seventh Avenue after a four-month closure while the team updated the space. They’ll celebrate with food, coffee, shopping, spooky fun and plenty of sweets. The bakery has invited friends to the fete, including Light Heart Coffee and Sandwich Street. Süss will bake Halloween-themed treats, including a chocolate cake filled with blood orange jam and cream cheese mousse. The free event runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and also includes vintage wares, crafts and tarot readings. 

15th Arizona Filipino Festival
Saturday 
2051 N. Arizona Ave., #106, Chandler
Explore culture and food at the 15th Arizona Filipino Festival. The festival will feature food from restaurants, food trucks and pop-ups, including Lumpia Queen, Flippin Rice, Happy Buns, Mannamobile Food Truck, Duplex Boba and others. The event will also host live performances and competitive eating contests. Those who come in costume will receive a free ube butter mochi bite. This free event, hosted at the Saigon Center in Chandler, runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Halloween Parking Lot Party
Saturday
4626 N. 16th St., #101
Moxie Coffee Co. is often abuzz with coffee connoisseurs sipping its latest experimental pour-over. On Saturday, the midtown cafe will take over the parking lot in the garage behind it. The free event (and first pours of coffee) starts at 9 a.m. Sorelle, Bagelwick, Kave Bakery and others will be on hand, serving breakfast bites and bakes. Browse local art and products while a DJ sets the mood. Costumes are encouraged.

Marche D’Halloween
Saturday
3010 N. 24th St.
Newell Vintage will host an afternoon market featuring Middle Child Cafe and bakes from Courtney’s Bakehouse and Fioré. The latter’s offerings include pan de muerto. In addition to coffee and baked goods, the market will feature rare and vintage finds from shops that include Gouter Goods and Drenched Collections. 

AZ Craft Beer Fest
Saturday
26 N. Macdonald, Mesa
The local craft brew fest hosted by PHOENIX magazine and the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild moves to downtown Mesa for its fifth installment. Local brewers including Phantom Fox Beer Co., Sana Sana Cerveceria, Desert Monks Brewing and Saddle Mountain Brewing Co. will be among those pouring. Attendees can grab a bite from vendors including Eighty Twenty Burgers and The Dog Father Gourmet Hot Dogs and More. General admission tickets are $50 and include 20 5-ounce pours.

Halloween Pop-up Bars
Through Sunday
Multiple locations
During the Halloween season, several bars around the Valley transform, decking themselves out with macabre decor and crafting potent potions. These spots want to immerse you in the spooky spirit. Get creeped out by the haunting cocktails at Little Rituals, solve the crime at the Psycho Killer Cocktail Club at Sunny’s Lounge, or sip your drink from a blood bag at Porter’s Haunted Saloon. Read our full list of places serving haunted Halloween vibes all spooky season. 

Pull Up! presents Halloween Hangover
Sunday
765 Grand Ave.
Pull Up! is an occasional fest featuring food, music and shopping at the Egyptian Motor Hotel. For their latest installment, the crew from the Egyptian’s restaurant, Chite, along with Otra Pizzeria, Fat Fats Chicken Shack and Homage Key Lime Pies will be on hand cooking food. The bar will mix cocktails and other drinks to help Halloween revelers recover from the weekend. The event starts at 3 p.m. Buy your $7 ticket to save your spot; food and drinks are available for purchase once you’re inside.

Save your seats for these upcoming Phoenix food events

Murder Mystery Dinner Experience at ADERO
Nov. 13
13225 N. Eagle Ridge Drive, Fountain Hills
Who says the fun and costumes have to end after Halloween? Toast the glamour of 1930s Hollywood at an immersive dinner at ADERO Scottsdale Resort, hosted with The Murder Mystery Co. During this interactive evening, guests will play detective, interview suspects and look for clues to solve a whodunit. The evening starts with welcome drinks and small bites, followed by a buffet featuring sirloin, chicken à la king and mahi-mahi. Prizes will be given to those with the best attire and sleuthing skills. Tickets are $165 and can be reserved on Eventbrite. 

The Autumn Harvest
Nov. 16
816 N. Third St.
The downtown bistro The Farish House will celebrate the cooler temperatures with an autumnal wine dinner. The four-course paired feast will feature housemade gnocchi with butternut squash-miso puree, a porchetta mosaic, buttermilk-brined Cornish game hen with risotto and a spiced poached pear pastry. Each course will be served with French wine. Browse the full menu online and save your seat for this dinner ($110 per person) on Tock.

Copper State Whiskey Fest 
Nov. 14
2330 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Mesa
Copper State Whiskey Fest returns to celebrate all things oaked and aged. The lineup includes locally made Whiskey Del Bac, U.S. distillers Bardstown Bourbon Co., Old Forester and Woodford Reserve, and international labels Buchanan’s, Bushmills and The Dalmore. The festival will also serve other spirits, craft beer, wine and nonalcoholic beverages. Guests can also expect local food trucks and live music. Tickets start at $60, with designated driver tickets available for $30. Proceeds benefit Beer Babes Family, which supports women in the beer community.