The city’s best, worst restaurants, according to online reviews

Maricopa is slowly and quietly transforming into a foodie paradise.

Sure, a drive down our main drag yields more specters of fast food than a Ronald McDonald impersonator convention, but the city also has a trove of holes in the wall and mouthwatering food trucks offering unique and globally diverse dishes. The only problem is figuring out how to weed out the Michelin-worthy from the stomach-turning, and everything in between.

That’s why we decided to don our Gordon Ramsey-esque toques, crunch some numbers and figure out which local chow chambers are top chef — and which ones might land a cameo on Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible.

Our methodology calculated the average scores across major review platforms — Yelp, Google and Facebook — to determine which eateries topped expectations, with extra weight given to businesses with higher numbers of reviews. We scrapped any restaurants with fewer than 150 critiques.

Savage Sushi

What the owner has to say
“I got a really good reputation, that’s what matters to me,” owner Hipolito Apolinar tells InMaricopa . “When someone says, ‘I’ve been all over the world, but you have one of the best street foods here,’ it makes me very happy. That makes me believe that later on, I’m going to get a restaurant.”

What customers have to say
“If you haven’t tried this sushi truck yet, you’re missing out and need to get your life together.” – Chris S., Yelp

“This place is so good! The flavor combos are surprising in the best way possible.” – Nicolette C., Yelp

Fun fact
Apolinar hails from Michoacán in Mexico, a far cry from the Land of the Rising Sun. But his first job after immigrating to the U.S. was at a Japanese restaurant in California.

Gyro Grill

What the owner has to say
“I love Maricopa,” says owner Dalal Pettroza. “We wanted to do something different in Maricopa.”

What customers have to say
“This place is so good I might change my name to Jon Shawarma.” – John Shaw, Facebook
“The lamb shank plate is amazing! A large shank so tender, moist and delicious with bountiful rice and salad to accompany any size hunger.”
– Jon H., Yelp

Fun fact
Gyro Grill is the favorite restaurant of Pinal County Sheriff’s Deputy Frank Sloup, the internet’s most famous cop who appeared on our April 2024 cover after amassing 1 billion YouTube views.

Root’s Eatery

What the owner has to say
“I am very proud of my personal accomplishments and the accomplishments of my team,” says owner Chris Spear. “It’s always been a dream to serve quality meals and create culinary experiences for my customers and community.”

What customers have to say
“Roots Eatery is everything that I didn’t know I even wanted.” – Lonnie Anderson, Google
“Food is always interesting, creative and delicious. They could rival any upscale restaurant in the big cities, but they opened up here in lowly Maricopa suburbia.” – Lori K., Yelp

Fun fact
Spear graced the cover of InMaricopa twice — our 2021 Restaurant Guide and our monthly magazine in April 2023. The business started inside his home kitchen in 2017 and the storefront beat the odds and opened at the height of the pandemic.

KFC

What customers have to say
“The chicken was so overdone it was almost comical. Hard as a rock on the outside, yet undercooked chicken on the inside. Just…how??” – April G., Yelp

“This place deserves zero stars. I must say, whoever owns this place is the smartest person alive as this place does not have chicken, does not have trained employees and I seriously question the quality of the food they do put out — and this restaurant is still in business.” – John S., Google

What the health department has to say
Food inspectors responded to a citizen complaint and slammed the infamously chicken-less chicken joint with seven health code violations back in 2022 — cold chicken, dirty equipment and even filthy employee uniforms. Last year started with another paltry poultry evaluation, when the manager was forced to discard bad chicken and review the policy for vomit and fecal spills. But in a pair of subsequent evaluations last year, KFC passed with flying colors.

Burger King

What customers have to say
“How do I describe tonight’s experience…It should be called Burger Peasant!” – Kellie G., Yelp

“Came here multiple times and it was always slower than molasses running uphill in the winter.” – Anonymous, Google

What the health department has to say
In 2021, food inspectors found dirty fryers and ice cream machines, and expired ingredients, and reviewed bodily fluid cleanup policy with the manager. Since then, the restaurant has faced and aced three inspections.

Wendy’s

What customers have to say
“I honestly feel sorry for people that come and eat here.” – Jesus L., Yelp
“I’ve been to cleaner rest stops.” – April W., Yelp
“I’m shocked that they can consistently be this rude.” – Nathan T., Yelp

What the health department has to say
Food inspectors in 2022 confirmed a citizen complaint and told the restaurant it needed to review its policy for vomit and fecal cleanup. Yuck! But since then, the restaurant has aced all four of its inspections.

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