Stoner Phoenix
The vibe
This is the porch part of Phoenix. Garfield runs roughly from 7th Street to 16th Street between Van Buren and McDowell, an old working-class district full of brick cottages, some lovingly restored and some held together by paint and optimism. North of McDowell, the Coronado neighborhood picks up and runs to Thomas, with hundreds of 1920s to 1940s bungalows, big mature trees and lawns that somehow stay green in August.
It feels like a small town that got surrounded by a city. People walk dogs at sunrise, wave from porches, and know which neighbor has the overloaded grapefruit tree. Murals spill over from Roosevelt Row's arts district onto Garfield's garage doors. Coronado's 7th Street and 12th Street have little restaurant clusters, but mostly this is residential. Quiet, shady and very good for a backyard sesh.
Who lives here
Coronado homeowners are restoration people: they will tell you about their original hardwood floors within five minutes of meeting you. Garfield is a mix of longtime Latino families, artists, renters in converted duplexes, and young buyers who got in before prices went silly. Everyone has opinions about bike lanes on 10th Street.
Lots of people here own houses with yards, which matters. A backyard is the best place in Phoenix to get high: your property, your rules, your mister line. Renters should still check their lease. The basics are in our guide to where to sesh in Phoenix (general info, not legal advice).
Best munchies
Welcome Diner
On Pierce Street in Garfield, Welcome Diner is a tiny-diner-turned-patio-restaurant serving scratch Southern comfort food: big biscuit sandwiches, fried chicken, eggs any way. It runs later on weekends (check current hours), and a biscuit at the end of a long night has fixed many a stoner.
Gallo Blanco
Literally across Pierce Street, Gallo Blanco does Mexican food, breakfast on weekends and a good patio under the trees. Chips, a bean dip and a horchata latte make an excellent baked snack plate.
Rito's Mexican Food
On 14th Street in Garfield, Rito's has been slinging chile burritos to this neighborhood for decades. It's a counter, a window and a line of people who know what they want. Daytime only, so plan the munchies accordingly.
Ollie Vaughn's and The Coronado
On McDowell near 16th Street, Ollie Vaughn's does breakfast burritos, sandwiches and bakery cases that will ruin your plans to "just get a coffee." Up in the heart of Coronado on 12th Street, The Coronado is a neighborhood vegan spot with a patio under big mesquite trees, where the chilaquiles get the raves. Even the carnivores leave happy.
Tacos Chiwas, one of the best taco spots in the city, is a short ride north on Indian School. For more, see the Phoenix munchies guide and our late-night eats guide, because the bungalow belt goes to bed early.
Things to do baked
Bungalow walks
Just walk. Coronado's streets between 10th and 16th Street are a free architecture tour: Craftsman porches, Spanish Revival arches, tiny Tudor cottages with pointy roofs. Go at dawn or after sunset in summer, slow down, and notice how many front yards are xeriscaped desert gardens with agaves the size of a Prius.
Garfield's murals and gardens
Garfield's side streets have murals on garages and walls, plus community gardens tucked between houses. Less polished than Roosevelt Row, more charming for it.
A short trip for big stuff
There's no light rail through these neighborhoods. The nearest stops are down on Washington and Jefferson south of Garfield, or over on Central, a decent walk west. That puts downtown Phoenix's shows and games and the Central Avenue museums a quick ride away. Our things to do high in Phoenix guide has more, and the Phoenix movie theaters guide covers the nearest big screens.
Best mountain or sunset spot nearby
Papago Park, about fifteen minutes east. The red sandstone buttes glow at sunset, and Hole-in-the-Rock is the easy scramble with the famous view back over the city. Camelback is right there too, if you're ready for a real climb. Papago and the Phoenix mountain preserves are smoke-free, so sesh at home first, and get there by rideshare or with a sober friend. Our Phoenix mountains and sunset guide compares them, and it's right on the way to Arcadia's citrus-lined streets.
Honestly though, a west-facing porch in Coronado during monsoon season, watching the storm roll in with a cold drink, rivals any summit.
The good and the annoying
The good
- Backyards. Real ones, with trees.
- Biscuits, burritos and vegan chilaquiles within a short bike ride.
- Neighbors who wave. Some of them even mean it.
- Easy hops to Midtown and the Melrose District and downtown.
The annoying
- Old houses, old AC. Your 1930s bungalow will fight a 115-degree day and lose.
- Sky Harbor's flight path. Planes over your porch at dinner are part of the deal.
- The Coronado historic district has rules about what you can do to your house. Your neighbor will mention them.
- Kitchens close early. The munchies at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday require a drive, so make it a rideshare.
Coronado is where Phoenix keeps its porches. Garfield is where it keeps its stories.
