Craft 64 Scottsdale Review
| Location | 6922 E Main St, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 |
| Phone Number | (480) 946-0542 |
| Hours | Sun-Th 11am-10pm, F-Sat 11am-12am |
| Website | https://www.craft64.com/scottsdale |
Old Town Scottsdale has innumberable good restaurants for tourists and locals alike to enjoy. Sometimes it’s hard to choose just one for a meal, but there’s one that has excellent food and their own beer: Craft 64 Scottsdale.
We had a chance to eat lunch there recently. This place is our sleeper hit of the year, so far!
Opened in 2014 by a group of owners that includes a Le Cordon Bleu trained chef and sommelier, a seasoned beer industry veteran and a former owner of a wine bistro. These people have some serious chops in the biz and it shows in the food, beer and overall experience.
The Place
Craft 64 is housed in an older adobe-style home on a once lonely street in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale. A large housing complex is currently under construction across the street.
The place has a microscopic parking lot with only a few spots. We snagged one on this slow afternoon in the summer, but during busier times you can park on a nearby street.
The charming house has a small patio in front and a larger enclosed outdoor space with tables out in back. The interior is a continuous open space with the bar and kitchen to one side at the rear of the building. The decor is pretty low key casual/transitional in style.
You’ll notice they have a wine cellar near the entrance and have bottles and boxes of bottles scattered around the front area. They offer a nice selection of wine to pair with your meal (if you can convince yourself to forego the craft beer).
There are about 8 tables on their back patio. They have some umbrellas forl shade but it’s probably an unlikely option for summer dining. They have kerosene patio heaters that would make for a nice al fresco experience during the winter and spring.
We didn’t notice an patio games, but there are a few of huge TVs prominently placed for the entertainment of sports fans. The sound system played popular rock hits from the 1960s and 70s like Fleetwood Mac, CCR and Neil Young.
The Food
We were excited to visit Craft 64 after finding out that their pizza was lauded as one of the 50 Top Pizzas in the US by 50toppizza.it. Not that an award proves anything, but it’s gotta be a good sign, right?
We ordered the Chevre Medley bruschetta. Goat cheese, lightly cooked cherry tomatoes, roasted peppers and cucumbers were perched atop toasted sliced rustic bread and drizzled with a delicious tart vinaigrette. The menu described pine nuts and herbs but I’m not sure these ingredients made it to the dish. In any case, it was a tasty appetizer.
Next, we shared the Farmers Market Summer Garden Salad. The brightly colored salad featured red and yellow watermelon plus a bit of jicama over fresh greens. We loved the kicky dijon dressing that gave a spicy counterpoint to the sweet fruit.
Finally came the main food attraction: the Smokehouse Pizza. This woodfire-cooked pie is a white pizza covered with mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano chees, fennel sausage, and smoked onions.
The crust was a yeasty, toasty, chewy-soft canvas for the complex combination of flavors of the toppings. The cheese was milky and nutty, the sausage earthy and spicy and the smoked onions an umami fantasy. The gestalt of Craft 64’s pizza will be haunting our dreams for years to come.
The Beer
Let’s not let our pizza obsession overshadow the focus of our visit: craft beer. The day we stopped in to Craft 64 Scottsdale, they were offering 30 different beers on tap–11 under their own label. Their beer is brewed in cooperation with Sun Up Brewing.
We tried 8 of the Craft 64 house brews and found them to be very respectable entrants in the local craft beer scene. Here’s what we tried…
Beer Reviews
| Beer-ABV/IBU | Notes |
|---|---|
| Acapulco Gold Lager 4.5%/12 | Slightly hazy light gold. Tart fresh lime juice, then sweet with a bitter finish. Unusual and addictive. |
| Bonkers Double IPA 9%/90 | Clear ,med. gold; floral hop aromas; sl. sweetness, less bitter than expected. |
| Buzz Light Beer Lager 4.5%/8 | Clear light gold; very mild slight sweet malt, light and easy drinking. Much better than it’s namesake. |
| Frolic Pale Ale 4.8%/60 | Med. gold hazy, creamy head, very bitter. Lacks complexity. |
| She’s A Honey Blonde Ale 5%/10 | Clear, light gold; strong honey aroma and flavors, very light body-summer chugger. |
| Smooove Hoperator w/Citra IPA 7%/70 | Hazy orange gold; juicy fruit, med heavy body. Hoppy finish just bitter enough to counter juice. *A Favorite of the Day |
| Summer Juice Boxx Hazy IPA 6%/45 | Orange and grapefruit aroma, juicy! Med. body, creamy. |
| Wheat the People – Wheat Beer/Hefeweizen 5%/15 | Hazy, med. light gold; banana, warm spice; med. body, good hefe. *A Favorite of the Day |
Overall Impression
Craft 64 Scottsdale is a charming neighborhool restaurant that’s a bit off the beaten path. The highlights of our visit there were the Smokehouse pizza and two of their own beers: Smooove Hoperator and Wheat the People.
If you’re in Old Town Scottsdale looking for a great bite of ‘za and a delicious pint to wash it down, this is your place.
Additional Details
Here’s a few more tips about Craft 64 Scottsdale to help you prepare for your visit…
- Happy hour from 3-6 pm every day, featuring $5 pints of Craft 64 beers
- Second location in Chandler
- They pour more than a dozen brews from other Arizona craft breweries
- Take home a growler of your favorite Craft 64 brew
- Not great for groups larger than 15 or so people
- Kid friendly by nature (pizza) but no specific kid’s menu
- Dog friendly (patio)
- Make a beer crawl by walking over to Goldwater Brewing or taking a short drive to Wren House Brewing Co.
Map
Sources
- Jonmaesha Beltran, The Arizona Republic. (2022, June 29). These metro Phoenix pizzerias were named best in the U.S. — one is among best in the world. Arizona Republic. Retrieved September 8, 2022, from https://eu.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/dining/2022/06/28/phoenix-pizzerias-named-best-usa/7748818001/
- Patricia Escarcega, Phoenix New Times. (2016, January 5). Craft 64 Does Craft Brew and Wood-Fired Pizza Better Than Most in Central Scottsdale. Phoenix New Times. Retrieved August 12, 2022 from https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/restaurants/craft-64-does-craft-brew-and-wood-fired-pizza-better-than-most-in-central-scottsdale-7945287
