Tempe’s Filthy Animal and Scottsdale’s Belmont: the two 2025 openings worth dressing up for
The Vibe (where the room sets the appetite)
The first thing you notice at Filthy Animal isn’t a scent from the kitchen—it’s the feeling that you’ve walked into a theatrical fever dream off Mill Avenue. The dining room is “jungle-toned” and deliberately over the top: framed animal portraits, domed rubber tree chandeliers, and a life-size stuffed jaguar keeping watch. It’s the kind of place that makes you sit up straighter, because dinner here isn’t just a meal; it’s a little travel itinerary without leaving Tempe.
A half-hour up the road in Scottsdale, Belmont Kitchen & Cocktails is the opposite kind of escapism: intimate, polished, and a little bit Gatsby. There’s a gorgeously glitzy bar, striking arboreal decor, and cocktails built for drama—fire, smoke, bubbles, treasure chests—the sort of table-side spectacle that turns a Wednesday into an occasion. Belmont is positioned as both Saturday night date material and hump-day happy hour therapy, and it wears that dual identity well.
Behind both rooms are serious operators. Filthy Animal is the latest project from restaurateur Teddy Myers and his Pretty Decent Concepts group (Carry On, Wren & Wolf), a team PHOENIX magazine calls the pace-setters for “event dining” in Greater Phoenix. Belmont’s turning point came when James Beard Award-winning chef Alex Stratta joined in July—a chef with Michelin stars earned in Las Vegas and deep Valley ties—bringing a worldly, confident hand to the Modern American menu.
What to Order (and why these dishes land)
At Filthy Animal, the hook is chef Rene Vargas’s global menu—food that leans into big flavor contrasts and textures that keep changing from bite to bite.
Start with the grilled oysters that “luxuriate” in gochujang butter and Chihuahua cheese. You get brine and smoke first, then a slow swell of fermented heat from the gochujang, rounded by the melt and tang of cheese. It’s rich, yes—but it’s also calibrated, like the kitchen understands exactly how far it can push indulgence before your palate taps out.
Then go for the beef tartare, described as “next-level” and scattered with dots of yuzu kosho egg gel. Tartare lives and dies on balance—fat, salt, acid, and that clean mineral taste of raw beef. Here, those citrusy, gently spicy dots act like little brightness grenades, lifting each forkful so it never feels heavy.
The dish I’d build the meal around is the wood-fired Napa cabbage, called “weepingly good,” spiced with Szechuan peppercorns. Napa cabbage can be watery and meek when treated like an afterthought. Wood-fire changes the whole equation: edges char, inner leaves soften into something almost silky, and the peppercorns bring that signature buzz—more tingle than heat—so the vegetable eats with the swagger of a main.
At Belmont, the menu’s center of gravity is chef Alex Stratta’s elegant, classic-leaning cooking—food that reads familiar, but arrives with polish.
Order the grilled Spanish octopus with romesco sauce and crispy potatoes. Octopus is one of those litmus-test proteins: rubbery when mishandled, luxuriously tender when done right. The pairing with romesco signals a Mediterranean warmth—roasted pepper depth, nutty richness—and those crispy potatoes add the kind of textural contrast that keeps your fork moving.
And if you want the signature move, go straight to Stratta’s legendary short ribs, currently served with mascarpone polenta and ginger-tomato jam. Short ribs are all about slow-cooked comfort, but this version adds dimension: mascarpone polenta turns the base extra plush and dairy-rich, while the ginger-tomato jam cuts through with sweet-acid brightness and a little aromatic lift.
Pairing-wise, Belmont’s “eye-popping cocktails” are part of the point—especially if you’re there for date night or celebrating something. If you’re eating like a maximalist, the short ribs feel built for a cocktail that leans smoky or spice-forward, while the octopus wants something brighter and more citrus-driven to echo the romesco’s roasted tang.
The Experience (who it’s for, and how it feels in real time)
Filthy Animal is for food-adventurous diners who want dinner to feel like an event—especially if you love a room with personality and dishes that travel across borders in a single menu. The immersion is a feature, not a gimmick; the decor and the cooking speak the same language of high drama and high flavor. It’s the kind of place you book when friends are visiting and you want them to understand that Greater Phoenix is not playing small-ball anymore.
Belmont, on the other hand, is the answer for North Scottsdale diners who’ve been craving something “more urbane than steaks, pub grub, Mexican food and pizza.” The room is sexy without being stiff, and PHOENIX magazine notes it’s become “a place to enjoy exceptional, elevated food in a gracious but unpretentious setting.” That last part matters: elevated doesn’t have to mean chilly. Belmont sounds like the kind of restaurant where you can dress up, order seriously, and still feel taken care of.
One technique to steal for your own kitchen, inspired by these menus: use a bright, concentrated accent to lift rich food. At Filthy Animal, that’s the yuzu kosho egg gel punctuating tartare; at Belmont, it’s ginger-tomato jam against slow-cooked short ribs. The lesson is simple and powerful—fat loves contrast. A small hit of acid, citrus, or aromatic spice can turn “heavy” into “craveable.”
Worth Knowing (quick hits before you go)
- Filthy Animal: 740 S. Mill Ave., Tempe, 480-397-1046, thisisfilthyanimal.com. Opened March 2025. Best for: food-forward nights out, visitors, anyone who wants spectacle with substance.
- Belmont Kitchen & Cocktails: 8876 E. Pinnacle Peak Rd., Scottsdale, 480-999-5599, belmontkitchenandcocktails.com. Opened February 2025. Best for: date night, happy hour with a little theater, Modern American classics done with chef-driven finesse.
- Price notes: The source does not list prices, so budget accordingly for “elevated” dining and cocktail programs.
- If you’re choosing just one: pick Filthy Animal for boundary-pushing flavors (especially the Napa cabbage and tartare), and Belmont when you want classic comfort rendered elegant (octopus, short ribs) in a polished room.
