The Stockyards Restaurant, Phoenix, Arizona


There are a lot of places to get a great steak in Phoenix, and the Stockyards, which is on Washington at 50th Street, is one of them. It's been one of my favorites for as long as I can remember, and while it's not fancy and expensive, it's a little beyond my budget, except for special occasions.

Don't me wrong, it's not fancy-fancy, but it's not just a place to grab a quick bite. You can see people dressed up there, in business suits, and also in bluejeans. This is Phoenix, after all. If you've been there, you know. If you haven't, the best I can say is that it was the kind of place your grandfather ate when he wanted a good steak, and if your grandfather had a little class, but wasn't pretentious.

No, they don't pay me to say this, I'm just glad that they are still around. Living in Phoenix makes me nervous that at any day another classic restaurant will close. So I do try to get there when I can.

The stockyards in 1920. That is, the stockyards, not the restaurant, which came later.

The name, by the way, comes from the fact that there was actually one of the country's largest stockyards there. It was before my time, but some Phoenix old-timers tell me that the, uh, aroma, was pretty fierce! The cows are gone, but the location of the restaurant has remained in the same place, since 1947.

The Stockyards bar in the 1950s. Yes, it still looks like that nowadays.
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