14 Food Chains Arizonans Loved In The ’90s But Totally Forgot About
Hey there, fellow Arizonans! Remember cruising around in the ’90s when our malls and street corners had a completely different vibe?
I was just a kid back then, racing through food courts and begging my parents to stop at my favorite spots, many of which have now vanished into the desert air. From quirky restaurants that served up comfort food to video rental shops that defined our weekends, these chains were once Arizona staples.
Yet, one by one, they quietly disappeared, leaving behind nothing but memories. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit the places we once loved!
1. Bennigan’s: The Irish-Themed Hangout Spot
My family celebrated every good report card at Bennigan’s! The restaurant’s faux-Irish decor, complete with wooden signs and stained glass, created this weirdly cozy vibe that made you forget you were in the middle of the desert.
Their Monte Cristo sandwich – a glorious heart attack of fried goodness – was practically legendary among my high school friends. We’d pool our cash just to share one.
Bennigan’s mysteriously disappeared from Arizona around 2008, leaving a potato-skin-shaped hole in our hearts. The chain actually still exists in some states, but Arizona lost its last location during the company’s bankruptcy restructuring.
2. Ed Debevic’s: Where Sassy Service Was The Main Course
Stepping into Ed Debevic’s was like walking onto the set of “Happy Days” – if the cast was having a bad day! The servers were PAID to be rude to you, and honestly, we loved every second of it.
Located in Phoenix, this 50s-style diner became my go-to spot whenever out-of-town cousins visited. Nothing bonded us faster than watching our parents get playfully insulted while we slurped massive milkshakes.
The jukebox blasted oldies while waiters occasionally broke into choreographed dances on the countertops. Ed’s closed its Arizona locations in the early 2000s, though the concept lives on in Chicago.
3. Chi-Chi’s: Mexican Fiesta With A Side Of Birthday Sombrero
Confession time: I faked my birthday TWICE at Chi-Chi’s just to get that giant sombrero and free fried ice cream! This Mexican chain was THE place for family celebrations in ’90s Arizona. The complimentary chips kept coming while mariachi music played overhead.
Their chimichanga platter could feed a small army, though my mom always complained it wasn’t “authentic” (she wasn’t wrong).
Chi-Chi’s vanished after a hepatitis outbreak elsewhere in the country, but Arizona locations had already been struggling. Still, nothing beats the memory of servers clapping and singing their birthday song while you sat there, both mortified and delighted under that enormous hat.
4. Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour: Sugar Rush Paradise
Farrell’s wasn’t just an ice cream shop – it was a full-blown sensory overload! My parents only took us there when they had the energy to handle the inevitable sugar-fueled chaos that would follow.
Ordering “The Zoo” sundae meant sirens blaring while servers rushed your table with this enormous ice cream creation carried on a stretcher. I still remember the candy-striped uniforms and those signature paper hats everyone got.
The Metrocenter Mall location was always packed on weekends. When Farrell’s closed its Arizona stores in the mid-90s, a little piece of childhood magic melted away with it. No modern ice cream place has matched that level of theatrical dessert experience.
5. Ponderosa Steakhouse: Buffet Bonanza
Ponderosa Steakhouse was my grandpa’s definition of “fancy dining” in 1990s Tucson. The moment you walked in, that smell of sizzling steaks and warm rolls hit you like a delicious wave! The concept was genius – order a steak, then hit the unlimited buffet while you waited.
My strategy? Load up on mac and cheese, those little corn nuggets, and chocolate pudding before my actual meal arrived.
What kid didn’t love the wooden ranch-style decor that made you feel like you were dining at Bonanza (the TV show my grandpa always watched)? The Arizona locations gradually disappeared by the early 2000s, though I swear the last time I had their rolls was yesterday.
6. Swensen’s Ice Cream: The Original Scoop Shop
Swensen’s wasn’t just another ice cream parlor – it was practically an institution in Scottsdale! Those iconic red-and-white striped awnings beckoned us after every Little League game, win or lose. Their signature sticky chewy chocolate ice cream haunts my dreams to this day.
Nothing tasted better after surviving another 110-degree Arizona summer day. The parlor had these adorable wire ice cream chair sets where I’d always manage to drip something down my shirt. While Swensen’s still exists internationally, the Arizona locations melted away in the late ’90s.
Modern artisanal ice cream shops might have fancier flavors, but they’ll never capture that simple joy of a perfect Swensen’s scoop on a scorching desert evening.
7. Doggie Diner: Hot Dog Heaven
Doggie Diner was that weird little hot dog joint with the giant dachshund head sign that made my 8-year-old self laugh hysterically every time we drove past. Located on Indian School Road in Phoenix, it was our post-swimming lesson tradition.
The menu was simple – hot dogs with every topping imaginable. My go-to order? The Arizona Dog with spicy chili and cheese that always, ALWAYS dripped onto my shorts. The place was tiny, maybe ten stools total, with checkered floors and walls covered in dog-themed memorabilia.
By 1998, Doggie Diner had vanished without warning. Sometimes I wonder if that giant dog head is sitting in someone’s backyard as the world’s strangest garden ornament.
8. ShowBiz Pizza Place: Chuck E. Cheese’s Forgotten Rival
ShowBiz Pizza was the ULTIMATE birthday party spot before Chuck E. Cheese took over! The Tucson location was my personal paradise with its slightly terrifying animatronic band called Rock-afire Explosion.
Billy Bob the bear played guitar while I pumped tokens into Skee-Ball machines, desperately trying to win enough tickets for one of those giant combs nobody actually needed. The pizza was mediocre at best, but who cared when there were games?
My mom still has photos of me posing with the characters, looking equal parts thrilled and traumatized. ShowBiz eventually merged with Chuck E. Cheese in the early ’90s, but ask any Arizona kid from that era – ShowBiz was the superior experience!
9. Hamburger Works: Build-Your-Own Burger Paradise
Hamburger Works on 7th Avenue was the original DIY burger joint before customization became trendy! Picture this: you’d order at the counter, then hit the toppings bar with reckless abandon.
My masterpiece usually involved pickles, three kinds of mustard, and those crispy onion strings that I’d pile so high the burger couldn’t close. The floor was perpetually covered in peanut shells because – get this – they ENCOURAGED you to throw them down!
The place had this industrial vibe with metal chairs and license plates covering the walls. When it closed around 2000, my teenage self genuinely mourned. No modern fast-casual place has matched the gleeful chaos of that toppings bar experience.
10. Honey Bear’s BBQ Train: Smoky Delights On Rails
Honey Bear’s BBQ Train combined two childhood obsessions – trains and messy food! This quirky Mesa restaurant served authentic Tennessee-style barbecue in actual converted train cars. My dad would take me there after Little League games, and I’d always insist on sitting in the caboose section.
Their sweet sticky sauce required at least three napkins per sandwich, and the cornbread came in these little paper boats. The train occasionally made realistic whistle sounds that scared the daylights out of unsuspecting first-timers.
While regular Honey Bear’s locations still exist in Phoenix, the magical train experience chugged away by the late ’90s. No amount of modern restaurant theming can match eating pulled pork in an actual vintage railcar!
11. Carlos Murphy’s: Mexican-Irish Fusion Before Fusion Was Cool
Carlos Murphy’s had the most bizarre concept – Mexican AND Irish food under one roof! The Scottsdale location became our family’s go-to spot for celebrating report cards because it satisfied both my dad’s craving for corned beef and my obsession with nachos.
The decor was this wild mash-up of sombreros and shamrocks that somehow worked. Their signature dish was this potato-stuffed enchilada that sounds horrifying but tasted like comfort food heaven. Servers wore these ridiculous half-green, half-sombrero outfits that no amount of tips could make dignified.
When Carlos Murphy’s disappeared around 1998, no restaurant dared to attempt such a culturally confused menu again. Perhaps for good reason, but I miss those Irish tacos!
12. Pancho’s Mexican Buffet: Raise The Flag For More Sopapillas
Pancho’s Mexican Buffet was a cultural phenomenon in ’90s Phoenix! The concept was simple yet brilliant – unlimited Mexican food with tiny flags at each table. When you wanted refills, you raised your flag like you were signaling surrender to deliciousness.
My strategy was always to skip the enchiladas and save room for the sopapillas – those puffy fried pastries drizzled with honey. I’d eat at least seven while my mom gave me that “we’re going to discuss your sugar intake later” look.
The restaurant had these massive murals of Mexican landscapes and questionable sombreros hanging on the walls. Pancho’s locations gradually closed throughout the 2000s, taking their flag system with them. Modern buffets just feel so demanding without those little flags!
13. Pistol Pete’s Pizza: Where Arcade Games And Pizza Collided
Pistol Pete’s was Chuck E. Cheese’s rowdier, Western-themed cousin! The Tucson location became my weekend obsession, partly because their token deals were always better than their competitors. The pizza came in these cardboard circles with the mascot – a mustachioed cowboy with suspiciously wide eyes – printed on every box.
Parents huddled in corners while kids ran wild in the massive arcade area that featured games other places didn’t have.
Their signature attraction was this weird animatronic shootout show that happened every hour. Pete and his bandit rivals would exchange terrible pre-recorded jokes before their “gunfight.” When the chain vanished in the late ’90s, my collection of Pistol Pete redemption tickets became instantly worthless.
14. Sizzler: The Original All-You-Can-Eat Salad Bar
Sizzler wasn’t just a restaurant – it was my grandparents’ definition of “fancy dining” in 1990s Mesa! Nothing said special occasion like unlimited trips to that legendary salad bar with its mysterious pasta salads and suspiciously yellow pudding.
The routine never varied: order the steak and shrimp combo, then spend 20 minutes crafting the perfect salad plate. My personal masterpiece? Macaroni salad topped with bacon bits, sunflower seeds, and ranch dressing – a combination that would horrify any chef.
Remember those warm cheese toast slices? I’d sneak extras into my jacket pocket for later! While some Sizzlers still exist elsewhere, Arizona’s locations gradually disappeared, taking with them that distinctive 1990s dining experience that balanced affordability with feeling slightly upscale.