Best veggie burgers in Flagstaff

Whether you’re trying to eat healthier, love vegetables, are a vegetarian or just a lover of all types of burgers, veggie burgers fit the bill. Here’s a look at some of the best veggie burgers in Flagstaff…

Pita Jungle
320 South Regent Street
Pita jungle makes some of my favorite sandwiches and pitas in town. They have a veggie burger and a black bean burger on their menu. Both are tasty and fresh but my favorite is the black bean burger, which is topped with roasted red bell peppers, mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. It’s got a nice level of flavor and spiciness. Gives a kick and is really filling and comes with a side of their deliciously different garlic new potatoes.

Diablo Burger
120 n. Leroux St
Diablo’s “The Netzky” is their take on a veggie burger. It’s made with locally sourced products including farm-fresh eggs, produce, and heirloom legumes. This veggie burger is dairy- and wheat-free and super high in protein. Add jalapeno jack cheese, grilled onions and guac on top for a feast. And yes it comes with the awesome DB fries. What’s not to love!

Mountain Oasis
11 E Aspen
Mountain Oasis is another haven of yummy veg entrees. Their home-made black bean burger is served on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, onions and sprouts. Top it off with cheese, grilled mushrooms and grilled onions for a juicy, satisfying lunch.

Morning Glory Cafe

115 S San Francisco

Morning Glory has the market corned on a hemp take on the veggie burger. Their Hemp Burger Deluxe is made with a hemp-based vegan patty that is topped with organic greens, tomato, onion, avocado, and cheese or tempeh. It’s a reason to go vegan.

Taverna

2420 S Woodlands Village
Taverna’s Lentil burger give a Greek twist to Flagstaff’s veggie burger market. They house-make a lentil patty and top it with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and onion plus a tomato vinaigrette sauce.

Check out some of Flagstaff's best non-burger veggie sandwiches HERE.

(This article was originally written by Angele for Flagstaff Live!)

For the love of cheese: Must-trys for cheese-lovers in Flagstaff

While it in no way helps meet New Year’s resolutions of dropping fat, cheese lovers can rejoice that this month celebrates National Cheese Lover’s Day (January 20^th). To mark the occasion, here’s a look at where to get your cheese on in Flagstaff…

Taverna Greek Grill, 2420 Woodlands Village

Definitely the best presentation of cheese in town, Taverna’s saganaki doesn’t disappoint. This dish consists of rich imported Kaseri cheese flambéed at your table. It’s served with pita sections for a fancy pants and yummy app that cheese fanatics must try.

Josephine’s Modern American Bistro, 503 N. Humphreys St.

Take your love of cheese first class with the baklava baked brie at Josephine’s. This appetizer wraps brie cheese, pistachios and orange cardamom in a phyllo shell with just the right about of honey. The result is a sweet but creamy treat to start your meal off right.

La Fonda Mexican Restaurant, 1900 N. Second St.

La Fonda’s cheese enchilada weekday lunch special(aka “G”) is a tasty bargain at $7.50 for two of the best tasting cheese enchiladas in town, rice, beans, a soda and sopapilla for dessert. Their enchilada sauce is full of flavor but doesn’t burn your mouth down. It’s a perfect compliment to the cheese melted inside the corn tortillas. It’s a must have weekly in my book.

Brix, 413 N. San Francisco

Enjoy a fine dining experience with the artisanal cheese selections at Brix. Try the French Brillat Savarin, Californian Seascape, Portuguese Palhais or one of the other carefully selected cheeses from across the world.  The plate of three to five of your choices comes with poached apricots and house made lavosh. Add a glass of one of their wonderful wine selections to complete your meal.

Beaver Street Brewery, 11 S. Beaver St.

Beaver Street has several must-trys for cheese devotees, two of which are fondues. The Beaver Street Brewery Fondue is made with sharp cheddar, caramelized onions and their Railhead Red Ale. The Whistle Stop Fondue is a classic Swiss style dish with gruyere cheese, white wine and cherry brandy.  Dip in the beer bread cubes and go to heaven. Beaver Street’s third cheese-centered app of pure creaminess is the pesto cream cheese dip made with fresh basil pesto and cream cheese baked in their wood-fired oven. Mmmm. It’s served bubbling hot with crouton rounds and sourdough bread slices.

Pizza Furiosa, 2500 S Woodlands Village

How could a cheese lovers roundup be complete without a cheese pizza. Pizza Furiosa serves up a classic with a twist to delight those who just want to enjoy melted cheesy goodness. The #8 tops their handmade crust with mozzarella, asiago and parmesan cheeses. The flavors combine perfectly for a salty, gooey gratification for your tastebuds.

Where to find yummy noodles in Flagstaff

Karma's Ramen

Noodles are a beloved staple in diets across the world. They come in many textures, made of a variety of bases depending on where you are. World-FoodHistory.com says the first noodles in history can be traced back to the Middle East in 5000 BC. That was a wheat noodle. Fast forward to the year 300 when the Chinese form their first version of noodles. Chinese noodles spread to Japan a few hundred years later. Then, as the story goes, Marco Polo brought back noodles to Italy in the late 13th century after a trip to China. And the love of these little strings of filling-goodness continued to spread across the globe becoming the food we now love with the multicultural background and wide variety of tastes. Here in Flagstaff, we have delish noodles in styles form across the globe. Here’s a sampling…

Pasto Cucina Italiano
19 E Aspen
Pasto makes their own pastas fresh in house. In many cases they use heirloom grains, then grind it in house to make the flour that they then turn into their homemade pastas!
Pasto has several types to try like spaghettini, which means “little strings” of pasta; pennette, meaning “little quills”; tagliatelle, which is spinach ribbons. These are served with a variety of their housemade sauces and other fine ingredients. Everything I’ve tried here I’ve enjoyed, so I don’t think you can go wrong with your noodle pick!

Pato Thai Cuisine
104 N San Francisco
Representing the plethora of top-notch Thai noodles in town are the dishes of Pato. They have the delicious classic Pad Thai, of course, which is served with a spicy sauce, ground peanuts, meat, bean sprouts and egg. They also have Pad-see-Eew, Kai Kua (a pan fried flat rice noodle with egg, bean sprout and peanut served on lettuce), Chow Mein (a stir fired egg noodle), Suki Yaki (a glass noodle soup with chicken, squid, shrimp), Rad Nar (a rice noodle with broccoli and carrots in a gravy sauce), Pad Woon Sen (a stir fried silver noodle) and Spicy Noodle (a flat noodle with pepper, onion, celery, basil, tomato and chili paste).

Karma
6 E Route 66
Karma takes on the traditional Japanese ramen dish... that’s nothing like those little packets of noodles with flavor packets you can buy for a quarter. Ramen traditionally features Chinese style wheat noodles served in a soy or miso flavored broth with pork or fish. Karma serves it up with pork or chicken plus a boiled egg. This is a delightfully different and filling dish, served in a nice sized bowl.

Taverna Greek Grille
2420 S Woodlands Village
If you want to go Greek with your noodles, Taverna has several options for “zymarika” (the Greek word for pastas). Try the Seafood Pasta Salad, made like many traditional Greek pasta recipes with shrimp and fish. This one has penne tossed in Greek dressing then mixed with grilled salmon, shrimp, kalamata olives, red peppers, red onions, tomatoes, pepperoncini and feta cheese.

Golden Dragon
2730 E Lakin Dr (off Steves Blvd)
Golden Dragon has several types of noodle dishes. They include several varieties of the classics… Lo Mein (which translates to “tossed noodles,” meaning string-like egg noodles tossed in a light sauce with meats and/or veggies) and Chow Fun (with wide rice noodles, meat and sauce) noodle plus Pan Fried Noodles (thin angel hair-like wheat-based noodles that are fried a bit crunchy and served with meat and sauce), Singapore Rice Noodles (which have a curry sauce) and Taiwanese Rice Noodles.

Taverna Greek Grill in Flagstaff

Taverna Greek Grill
2420 South Woodlands Village Boulevard

Taverna's Chicken Pita

A Gorgeous lodge like setting with big wooden timbers, Taverna feels like you're eating in a fine dining establishment (that’s laid back and casual). And fine it is, with the largest variety of Greek food in town. The menu features classic Greek foods like gyros, pitas and other authentically flavored fare, some with a modern interpretation. The ingredients are all fresh. The feta is creamy and generously served, as are the other pita ingredients from gyro meat to, thick sliced chicken breast. The sauces are light and flavorful and add the perfect touch. They also have a kid-sized gyro on the kids’ menu, which is an added bonus for families! Besides the pitas, check out the Keftedes (Greek meatballs wrapped in lettuce topped with tzatziki sauce), Loukaniko (grilled sausages and peppers), Spanakopita (a pastry filled with spinach, feta, egg and herbs), Souvlaki (skewers of beef, lamb, pork, shrimp or chicken), and so much more. Desserts include baklava, phyllo pastry layers filled with nuts and drenched in honey syrup, and loukoumades, which are a scrumptious Greek version of fancy donut holes. Check out a full menu at tavernagreekgrill.com.

Greek food in Flagstaff, Arizona

Greeks have a special word to describe their feelings about the importance of sharing the dining experience by eating out with others: paraia. It basically means good food, good times or as famed British writer Lawrence Durrell put it, paraia is “a transcendence of the dinner table to include conversation, the view, ambiance and the overall spirit of place.” Flagstaff’s Greek restaurants go about capturing paraia in different ways, all with some good food and a little “Opa! Opa!” for your taste buds!
Taverna Greek Grill
2420 South Woodlands Village Boulevard

Taverna's Chicken Pita

A Gorgeous lodge like setting with big wooden timbers, Taverna feels like you're eating in a fine dining establishment (that’s laid back and casual). And fine it is, with the largest variety of Greek food in town. The menu features classic Greek foods like gyros, pitas and other authentically flavored fare, some with a modern interpretation. The ingredients are all fresh. The feta is creamy and generously served, as are the other pita ingredients from gyro meat to, thick sliced chicken breast. The sauces are light and flavorful and add the perfect touch. They also have a kid-sized gyro on the kids’ menu, which is an added bonus for families! Besides the pitas, check out the Keftedes (Greek meatballs wrapped in lettuce topped with tzatziki sauce), Loukaniko (grilled sausages and peppers), Spanakopita (a pastry filled with spinach, feta, egg and herbs), Souvlaki (skewers of beef, lamb, pork, shrimp or chicken), and so much more. Desserts include baklava, phyllo pastry layers filled with nuts and drenched in honey syrup, and loukoumades, which are a scrumptious Greek version of fancy donut holes. Check out a full menu at tavernagreekgrill.com.

Greek Islands
109 E Phoenix Ave
This homey hole in the wall with a teeny tiny patio (but hey, at least they have one) seats maybe thirty people tops but is a great escape from traditional Flagstaff. You'll find the owners working here, serving up all sorts of authentic Greek specialties. The chicken chunks are boldly marinated in a lemon herb blend that brings a mouthful of flavor in each bite. The gyros are overstuffed and the thing to get if you can’t decide. Get something, anything (like the calamari) with the housemade marinara sauce. It is fantastic - unique and surprisingly different - a flavor that hints to anise, fennel or something similar that will bring you back bite after bite. Other things to try at Greek Islands: moussaka (which is basically an eggplant and lamb casserole), spinach pie and beef or chicken souvlaki. Note, Greek Islands is cash only, but not to fear there's an ATM right inside. They’ve got their full menu on Facebook

Pita Jungle
320 S Regent St
Mediterranean influences bringing together Greek, Armenian, Middle Eastern flavors with an American flare at Pita Jungle. Sure they've got your gyro and falafel pitas but they also have options you wont find other places in town like my favorite Mediterranean Roasted Chicken (Shawarma) pita with grilled marinated chicken breast, mixed greens, tomatoes, onions, pickles, garlic sauce and tahini. Or try the Hummus & Taboule (Middle Eastern wheat salad) plate or the Lentil Fetoosh Salad (a mix of lentil and rice cooked with caramelized onions, over mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, pita chips topped with a lemon vinaigrette dressing. Do add a side of those garlic new potatoes too! On the unique Greek fusion pizza front, pita jungle has pita and lavosh pizzas that bring a unique taste in their crust and toppings that include feta cheese. Try the Glazed-Chicken Lavosh Pizza with crispy wood-fired lavosh bread topped with honey-mustard glazed chicken, wood-fired onions, cheddar, feta, mozzarella and herbs. For dessert go for the baklava or rice pudding (aka Rizogalo). Check out a full menu at pitajungle.com.

Mountain Oasis
11 E Aspen Ave
The vegetarian and more mecca that is Mountain Oasis spreads its international reach of flavors to Greece. Home to many a popular Greek dish from gyros to falafel, Mountain Oasis also serves up dolmas, stuffed grape leaves with a homemade lemon tahini dressing, and a favorite Greek salad with feta, kalamata olives, Greek dressing and gyro meat. Mountain Oasis also makes their own hummus. You can get it as an app with pita bread, garnished with sprouts, cucumbers, kalamata olive and tomatoes or get it on a wrap with avocados, cucumbers, carrots, black olives and lettuce. Check out their full menu of Greek and other international delights at themenuplease.com/mountainoasis.