Most restaurants serve American or American/Continental food but Southwestern cuisine is the most popular, a fusion of Mexican with steak, ribs and cowboy fare, big on the use of Mexican spices.

Regional specialities:
• Chilli and frijoles (refried beans).
• Steak.
• Ribs.

Phoenix and Tucson have various nightclubs, and there is evening entertainment at many resorts in the area. Scottsdale’s nightlife is more concentrated, while the university crowd go out in Tempe, where there are good jazz clubs on Mill Avenue.

Phoenix has excellent shopping facilities, including Biltmore Fashion Park and the Arizona Center. Other good shopping centres in the metro area are at the Scottsdale Fashion Square and the upscale Italian-style Borgata, also in Scottsdale, and along pedestrianised Mill Avenue and at the Arizona Mills mall in Tempe.

Special buys in Arizona include Navajo silver and turquoise jewellery, sand paintings, rug weaving, Hopi silver jewellery, kachina carvings, pottery, basketry and paintings. Tucson is a good place to pick up many of these items, as well as reasonably priced goods from Mexican import stores.