Best BBQ in Scottsdale (2026)

Diego Pops earns its place on Old Town Scottsdale's casual rotation on the strength of its Korean BBQ Tacos and Beer Battered Fish Tacos, both of which show up as reliable orders from regulars. The room operates at a social pitch that suits after-work crowds and weekend drop-ins equally well. Service has drawn consistent notice, with the front-of-house keeping tables checked without hovering. Skip the add-on sides and put the savings toward another round of tacos or a craft margarita.

The Thumb keeps the format straightforward: smoked brisket platters, pulled pork sandwiches, and a BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger that covers the crowd that wants smoke flavor without committing to a full plate. The casual, family-friendly room fits Scottsdale's neighborhood-bar register rather than the Old Town resort circuit. Pricing stays in the range where a family of four can eat well without event-level planning.

Soul Cafe's BBQ Pulled Pork Benedict and Chicken and Waffles are the two dishes that put this Scottsdale brunch spot on the weekend circuit. The room handles large parties, including groups of ten on busy holiday-adjacent weekends, which is a practical fact worth knowing when the usual brunch options fill early. The Southwest Breakfast Hash rounds out a menu that leans American comfort without overcomplicating it. Expect a wait during peak hours.

AZ88 lands in this guide on the BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger and the Truffle Burger, both solid anchors in a room that operates more as a cocktail bar with serious food than a dedicated kitchen. The martini program has regulars coming back weekly, and the consistency across visits is the room's clearest strength. The sleek, polished interior fits Old Town Scottsdale's evening register. Food timing can slow during busy service, so the drink program carries early-evening visits.

Liz Modern Asian's Chinese BBQ Pork and Honey Glazed Spare Ribs are the smoke-and-lacquer anchor of a menu that reads more Scottsdale special-occasion than neighborhood lunch. The kitchen leans toward house-made technique, and the hospitality is consistent enough that regulars note it by name. For a guide nominally about BBQ, the char and glaze work here is the real thing, just through a Chinese rather than Texas-pit lens.

Bootleggers Modern American Smokehouse is the straightest line in this guide: the name describes the kitchen, and the kitchen delivers Smoked Brisket Platters, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, and St. Louis Style Ribs in a family-friendly room built around casual group dining. For Scottsdale BBQ with no translation required, this is the destination. Pricing keeps it in the range where large-party dinners don't require negotiation.

The North Scottsdale OHSO location functions as a test kitchen, which means the menu can shift and the setup rewards curiosity. Korean BBQ Tacos share space with the OHSO Burger and a Bourbon Barrel French Toast that makes the brunch case on its own. The patio draws notice during Scottsdale's October-through-April outdoor season, and the garlic wings are a recurring order. The house craft program is the organizing principle of the room.

TJ's Pizza and Wings runs a tight operation: thin-crust pizza made fresh to order and wings that go up to genuine heat levels. The BBQ Chicken Pizza and the Buffalo Wings are the two reasons the room keeps repeat customers in a neighborhood that has options. It is a stripped-down spot that does not perform beyond its register, which is precisely why it holds its audience. Counter-service pricing makes it the lowest-commitment entry on this list.

PHX Beer's Scottsdale location centers on the patio experience during the cool-weather months, and the BBQ Chicken Pizza and Buffalo Wings are the kitchen's most consistent orders. The beer program is the draw, and the food functions as a solid companion rather than the headline. The inside room runs small, so the patio is the right call from October through April. Food quality has been uneven in some visits, so the burger and wings are safer bets than the sandwiches.

El Dorado is a neighborhood bar that happens to have live music several nights a week and a kitchen that delivers BBQ Wings, a Bacon Cheeseburger, and Fish and Chips at prices that fit the dive-bar register. The smoking patio is part of the room's draw. For Scottsdale, it operates well outside the Old Town resort circuit, closer to the kind of local-regular place that fills on the strength of the band schedule as much as the food.

June House Asian Kitchen earns its spot here through the BBQ Pork Buns and Har Gow Shrimp Dumplings, both reliable orders in a dim sum format built for shared eating. The steamed dumplings hold up better than some of the rice-based dishes, which have drawn mixed notes on execution. Dan Dan Noodles round out the menu's range. The room is family-friendly and modern without pushing into special-occasion territory. Best approached as a dim sum stop rather than a full-service dinner destination.