Tempe’s Filthy Animal Tops Yelp’s Best New U.S. Restaurants List
Filthy Animal in Tempe, Arizona, has taken the No. 1 spot on Yelp’s 2026 Best New Restaurants list. The lavish Mill Avenue restaurant combines jungle-inspired interiors, an open-fire kitchen and globally influenced dishes drawing from Asian, Mexican and tropical cuisines, helping transform Tempe’s evolving dining scene.
The recognition highlights Tempe’s shift beyond its traditional college-town nightlife toward more ambitious dining concepts. Yelp compiled its nationwide list using ratings and reviews for restaurants that opened between January 2025 and June 2026.
The national recognition could bring increased attention to Filthy Animal and Tempe’s broader restaurant scene as Mill Avenue continues attracting higher-end dining and hospitality concepts.
2025–26: Filthy Animal opens on Mill Avenue
30 Sept 2026: Yelp’s annual Best New Restaurants ranking gains national attention
Next: Increased national visibility for Tempe’s emerging dining scene.
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1. phoenixnewtimes.comView Original
