Scottsdale hot dog shop praised by Yelp as top place to eat in Arizona

PHOENIX – The top place to eat in Arizona, at least according to the “Yelp Community,” is an unassuming hot dog shop in Scottsdale.

Yelp, a website and app for user-generated business reviews, placed Simon’s Hot Dogs at No. 5 in the nation in its list of Top 100 Places to Eat in 2021, which was revealed last week.

Simon’s, known for its eclectic hot dog menu and extensive vegan options, was the highest-ranked of four modest Arizona restaurants on the eighth annual list.

Mesa’s Intentional Food Café and Market also cracked the top 10 at No. 9, while Casa Corazon in Phoenix is No. 58 and The Parish in Tucson is No. 88.

None of them are fancy or pricey, but all are clearly beloved by their patrons.

Yelp said it created the list by first asking users to submit the restaurants they can’t wait to eat at this year.

The website then analyzed ratings and other data for the submissions and had its community managers from around the U.S. curate the final rankings.

“The resulting list is collaborative and passion driven – an accurate reflection of Yelp Community itself,” according to the blog post accompanying the list.

The 2020 list had three Arizona eateries, none of which made it into this year’s list: No. 5 Cocina Madrigal in Phoenix, No. 53 Barista Del Barrio in Tucson and No. 73 Indian Gardens Cafe & Market in Sedona.

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