The hottest Phoenix food events to fill your 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. Savor burgers and wine, head to a cookout hosted by Chilte and the restaurant crew’s friends or taste a special menu crafted at an upscale Indian restaurant by its first guest chef. Make your last-minute plans before it’s too late.

This weekend

Wine & Burgers
Friday
2333 N. Seventh St.
Normally, if you wanted a beer or glass of wine with your La Hamburguesa order, you’d have to order from the tasting room or bar hosting the popular food truck. But this Friday, La Hamburguesa’s crew is inviting diners for burgers and drinks. They’re working out of the kitchen at Tatemados Tacos al Carbon while they prepare their own brick-and-mortar location. Arizona winemaker Cactus Cru will join them Friday night to pour local wines. They’ll start taking orders for burgers and uncorking wines at 5 p.m. No RSVP is needed.

Arizona Chile Festival
Friday and Saturday
4025 E. Chandler Blvd., Phoenix
Fall is packed with seasonal flavors. Apple, maple and pumpkin-spiced everything start to sneak onto menus and into products. In the Southwest, fall tastes like roasted Hatch green chiles. At the Arizona Chile Festival, attendees can buy freshly roasted peppers, taste them in chili, grab a bite from a local food truck or browse local goods. The annual festival, hosted by the Ahwatukee restaurant and food truck, Green Chile Love, is free to attend. Attendees can also preorder bags of chiles, roasted chiles and hot sauces online.

Mas Amable Pizza Night at Sauvage
Saturday
149 W. McDowell Road
Those on the hunt for creative pop-ups will find a well-curated rotation at Sauvage Wine Bar and Shop. The collective of chefs that make up Más Amable normally offers wood-fired fare. On Saturday, they’ll heat up pizza ovens to bake classic margherita pies and others topped with summery corn, tomato and pickled Fresno chiles or a heartier fennel sausage pie with piquillo peppers and castelvetrano olives. Local baker Ghita will make pignoli ice cream sandwiches. No tickets are needed. Dinner starts at 6 p.m. and runs until 10 p.m. or until sold out.

The Cookout at Side Hustle
Sunday
765 Grand Ave.
Chite’s chef and co-owner Lawrence “LT” Smith regularly hosts industry friends to cook, make drinks and play music inside and out amid the patio oasis of the Egyptian Motor Hotel. Sunday, a massive squad will bring “loud food, good company.” Diners can order food from Alita, Cumb Slut, Hunnie Butter Bakery and KJ’s Smokehouse. Smith will cook with Beerded BBQ. Bartenders from Chilte, Highball and Matilda’s will keep cocktails flowing, and taps will be filled with beers from Kitsune Brewing Co. The event kicks off at 4 p.m. Buy your $5 ticket ahead of time to save your spot; food and drinks will be available for purchase once you’re inside.

Indibar x Chef Remy
Through Sunday
6208 N. Scottsdale Road, Paradise Valley
The Michelin-selected, upscale Indian restaurant Indibar is working with chef Remy Lefebvre for its inaugural chef residency. Lefebvre previously helmed the kitchen at the now-shuttered Francine. He’ll showcase an exclusive four-course menu that blends classic French techniques with Indian flavors. Diners may reserve their seat for the tasting menu ($99), available through Sunday, on OpenTable.

Save your seats for these upcoming Phoenix food events

Arizona Restaurant Week
Sept. 18 through 27
Multiple locations
Arizona Restaurant Week, the popular biannual prix-fixe fête hosted by the Arizona Restaurant Association, returns this month. More than 250 restaurants will take part, offering multicourse meals for $33, $44 or $55 per person. Diners can browse restaurant menus and book their reservations online.

Devour Summer Chefs Series at Virtu Honest Craft
Sept. 22
3701 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale
Virtu Honest Craft chef and owner Gio Osso and chef Stephen Jones will craft a four-course paired dinner for the finale of this summer-long series. Local chefs collaborate in the kitchen on meals made from Arizona’s seasonal ingredients. Tickets are $250 and can be purchased online.

FoodieLand  
Sept. 25 through 27 
7602 Jimmie Johnson Drive, Avondale
FoodieLand, the massive national food festival featuring vendors serving photo-ready bites, returns to Phoenix Raceway at the end of the month. FoodieLand features more than 200 food stalls, shopping, games and live music. Tickets ($12.57 with taxes and fees) must be purchased in advance online.

Whole Grain Sourdough Baking with Don Guerra
Oct. 3
300 E. Ray Road, Gilbert
Learn how to bake naturally leavened whole-grain sourdough from the James Beard Award-winning baker Don Guerra at Gilbert’s Agritopia Farm. He’ll explain the entire sourdough process, from mixing and developing dough through shaping and baking loaves. Participants can reserve their spot in this hands-on class online ($150).

Arizona Taco Fest 
Oct. 17 and 18 
7555 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale
Arizona Taco Fest is a weekend-long celebration of tacos crafted by local chefs. Expect margaritas and beers flowing at the bar, live music, cooking and cocktail competitions, and appearances from a few celebrity chefs, including James Beard Award winner Aarón Sánchez, who will judge tacos served at the event. Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased online. Tacos and drinks will be available for purchase.