Visiting my little Arizona mountain town? What to eat and things to do in Flagstaff! (Tourist advice from a local)

After about three years of living in Flagstaff, I’m finally comfortable writing out a post detailing some of my favorite places in town.

Back when I lived in Chicago, exploring the city was a never-ending task. I spent YEARS exploring neighborhoods and never felt comfortable giving a “guide to Chicago” or anything of the sort. The closest I got was a neighborhood guide, and even that felt like a reach.

But, given that Flagstaff is a biiiiit smaller, after years, plural, I feel very comfortable letting you know some of my favorite places around here, if you’re looking for things to do in Flagstaff.

I’ll try to keep this guide updated every so often to reflect events and businesses coming and going.

Please note: I don’t have kids! So this guide is more focused on adults. If you’re looking for family-friendly entertainment ideas, check elsewhere.

(TL;DR: Bring or rent a car. Check out the breweries, explore downtown, prepare to hike, plan for day trips to nearby destinations.)

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Flagstaff is a pretty unique combination of A.) a ski town, B.) A college town and C.) a tourist town. We get a LOT of tourists from southern Arizona here to see snow and ski, a lot of tourists from alllll over the country stopping by on their way to the Grand Canyon and a LOT of teens/ early 20s here to study at Northern Arizona University. Because outdoors culture is HUGE here, we also have a TON of vanlifers, nomads and remote workers that have chosen to live here due to the recreation opportunities since the COVID pandemic began. The biggest employers here are Gore, NAU and the Forest Service, so there are a decent number of families and year-round residents that live here. Please be respectful of the people (ie: me) who live here year-round while you’re visiting.

A few tips for visitors:

If you visit (or move) here, you will need a car. You can technically get here via the Flagstaff airport (direct flights between Phoenix, Denver and Dallas/ Fort Worth), Amtrak, Greyhound or Groome, BUT, if you want to do anything aside from staying in and exploring downtown (which can be done in less than two hours), I would HIGHLY recommend having a vehicle. Bonus points if it’s high-clearance — you’ll need it if you want to get out and explore the forest. Flagstaff does have a bus system but its routes aren’t very widespread, and Uber/ Lyft is practically non-existent. Plus, Flagstaff is a sprawling mountain town, and a lot of its attractions are outside of the downtown area (and out in the surrounding forest), meaning they’re only accessible by vehicle.

Flagstaff is at 7,000 feet, so prepare for altitude sickness and check the weather! You may feel lightheaded or dizzy up here. Drink lots of water and don’t physically exert yourself more than you’re capable of. Also, wear layers and bring a jacket. There are drastic differences between daytime highs and nighttime lows, regardless of season.

If you’re looking for lodging, choose a hotel instead of an Airbnb — there’s a massive housing crisis here that feeds into the insane cost of living here, and Airbnb plays a major factor in this. Locals will thank you.

Download the FlowBird app for downtown parking and be very patient with traffic. Milton is awful and there’s a train that runs straight through town, but you can cross the train tracks via the bridge over Fourth or the sharp turn between Route 66 and Milton. Be super mindful of the one-way streets downtown, and be careful not to stop on the train tracks at a red light.

Know it will be dark. Flagstaff is a dark sky city, so street lights are dim or non-existent. Sidewalks — especially outside of downtown — will not be very well-lit. Prepare to drain your phone battery using your flashlight app, or bring a small pen light or headlamp.

You don’t have to pack anything dressy. Aside from NAU students, Flagstaff residents abide by the “outdoor casual” dress code. Patagonia puffers, hiking boots and backpacks are the norm at bars and restaurants. Which — speaking of. Flagstaff isn’t really a reservation type of town. Don’t expect to call ahead anywhere. For the most part, you show up at a restaurant and put your name on the list. If there’s a wait, head to a nearby bar for a drink in the interim.

And, finally, be respectful. Don’t litter. Don’t drive like an asshole. Be nice.

With that said… onto allll of the things to do in Flagstaff!

Note: If your favorite place isn’t listed here, I either haven’t been or didn’t like it.

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DRINKING + DINING

Most of the following restaurants are downtown. I’ve indicated the ones that aren’t (or don’t have downtown locations if there are multiple locations) with two asterisks**.

BREWERIES

My favorite breweries are Mother Road, Dark Sky and Historic. If you’re looking for good beer AND food, try Historic (downtown location), Dark Sky, Grand Canyon** or Lumberyard.

Dark Sky is one building with two entrances: One (the east entrance) serves Pizzicletta, and the other (the north entrance through the patio) is known as the beer garden, and serves its own food via Atmosphere Kitchen. Both are great.

Other breweries include Wanderlust** (no food), Beaver Street and Flagstaff, if you’re looking to check them all off the list. (You get a free pint glass if you do!)

Mother Road does technically have food, but it’s mostly fried from a food truck, so I wouldn’t suggest it for dinner.

COFFEE

My favorite coffee shops are Late for the Train (coffee and pastries) and Macy’s (all vegetarian breakfast menu). Other great picks are Matador, Awa Kava, Kickstand (the food is not that great IMO), Foret Flg (fantastic food here) and Flagstaff Coffee Company.

BREAKFAST + BRUNCH

For breakfast/ brunch, other than Foret, my favorites are Brandy’s, Martanne’s, Over Easy** and Toasted Owl.

Tourist Home and Josephine’s are also very popular. Brandy’s, Toasted Owl, Over Easy and Tourist Home are all traditional American-style restaurants, and Martanne’s is Mexican fusion.

Josephine’s leans a little more upscale.

Both Martanne’s and Josephine’s are open for dinner, but Brandy’s, Tourist Home and Toasted Owl close after lunch.

If you want grab-and-go, try Biff’s Bagels.

LUNCH

My favorite lunch restaurant is Wildflower**, which is a Panera-like concept. We don’t really have too many fast-casual non-chain lunch spots here. Another good pick is Altitudes, which is a ski bar/restaurant located downtown and only open through the afternoon, and Diablo Burger.

DINNER

My go-to dinner spots are Fat Olive’s** (Italian), Satchmo’s** (Cajun), Cornish Pasty (British), Himalaya** (Indian and Nepalese), Delhi Palace (Indian), Karma (sushi), Lotus Lounge (sushi), and Go Sushi**, Sosoba (ramen), Big Bowl Noodles, Asia Station, Taverna** (Mediterranean), Ewa’s Thai and Annex (tapas).

Annex shares a patio with Tourist Home, and it’s a cocktail bar/ restaurant that often features live music outdoors during the summer.

If you’re looking for fine dining, try Shift, Tinderbox, Brix, Atria or Teatro.

LATE NIGHT

Drunk food? Evans Fish and Chips or Cornish Pasty — just make sure you’re ordering before midnight. We don’t have a lot of late-night food options here.

BARS

Keeping in mind that I’m a little more into dive bars than anything too swanky… my favorite Flagstaff bars are Hops on Birch, Pay N Take and Mountain Top Tap Room.

None of the three serve food, but all are dog-friendly and you can bring in takeout.

All are very craft-beer friendly and where all the 20-and-30-something locals go*.

*Well, at least all the ones I know.

I also like Monte Vista (the basement bar) and Gopher Hole/ Weatherford. I tend to avoid The Mayor and Collin’s since those are both a little too college-y for me.

COCKTAILS

For cocktails? Either Annex (mentioned above) or Rendezvous at the Monte Vista hotel.

WINE

You really only have two choices, but both Flg Terroir and Oeno Wine Lounge are great.

PATIOS

The best patios (if you can ignore the train): Mother Road, Tourist Home/ Annex, Southside, Toasted Owl, Historic (downtown), NiMarco’s (downtown), Dark Sky (two patios, the beer garden on the north side is better), Cornish Pasty, and Pizza Patio.

PIZZA

Pizza sucks in Flagstaff (unpopular opinion, I know) so the only restaurant I’m recommending for that is the aforementioned Pizzicletta. Two locations: One adjacent to Mother Road, and the aformentioned one inside Dark Sky (south entrance).

DESSERT

And, finally: dessert? You want the Sweet Shoppe Candy Store.

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ENTERTAINMENT:

In terms of non-outdoors entertainment…

If you’re looking for live music, check out offerings at the Pepsi Amphitheater (at Fort Tuthill County Park), the Orpheum or Yucca North.

A lot of bars host live music and stand-up from local bands, artists and comedians.

Annex, Wanderlust, Flagstaff Brewing Company and Mountain Top Tap Room all frequently host live music and/or open-mic nights.

Mountain Top Tap Room and Hops on Birch are both well-known for trivia.

Museum Club has line dancing if you’re into that. (I’m not.)

The City of Flagstaff also offers a TON of events. Check the Discover Flagstaff events calendar for some inspiration. We have a lot going on during the summer, including farmers markets, art walks, events, festivals and concerts at both Wheeler Park and Heritage Square.

Flagstaff is the first designated Dark Sky City in the world, so you can get a pretty good view of the night skies here! Check out Lowell Observatory OR head out to a secluded forest spot to get a good view of the constellations.

The Arboretum at Flagstaff highlights drought-tolerate adapted and native plants to the Colorado Plateau.

NAU also offers a few things, like free-to-the-public seminar series and college sporting events.

If you’re really interested in local history, the Museum of Northern Arizona has a few permanent exhibits about the history of the Colorado Plateau, and the people who have inhabited it, as well as some interesting rotating exhibits and events.

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SHOPPING:

Flagstaff isn’t really a shopping mecca, unless you’re looking for outdoors apparel and rec gear. In that case, head to Snow Mountain River (SMR) or Peace Outfitters (formerly Peace Surplus) for consignment/ thrift/ pre-owned, or Babbitt’s or Aspen Sports for new. We do have an REI, but shop local if you can.

Otherwise, check out the Old Town Shops downtown on Leroux and Birch. It’s a really nondescript building, but inside are several boutique stores you can spend a good few hours browsing.

While you’re at it, check out the rest of downtown. Flagstaff is a big tourist/college town, so there are a lot of gift shops, bookstores and art galleries mixed in with the restaurants, bars and coffee shop. Downtown is small — about four blocks by four blocks — so it’s pretty easy to see it all. Just don’t forget to explore both north AND south of the train tracks.

There’s also shopping at Aspen Place (near the REI) and there are a lot of vintage and resale shops on Fourth Street.

And, finally, the Flagstaff Mall. I have been here once. It exists. That’s all I have to say about it.

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OUTDOORS + HIKING:

Hope you brought your hiking boots! The biggest things to do in Flagstaff are… anything outdoors.

Snowbowl is our local ski resort. You can ski/ snowboard late fall through early spring (Snowbowl has snow machines) and during the summer, you can take the lifts up to see a view of northern Arizona, including the very-distant Grand Canyon.

We also have Nordic Village, which offers trails for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

Flagstaff Urban Trail System, aka FUTS. Flagstaff has an amazing trail system that runs throughout the city. My favorite trails are Buffalo Park and McMillian Mesa.

I live right next door to both trails, and they’re both very flat, gravel-covered and offer great views of the San Francisco Peaks.

Some other trails in the Flagstaff area: Mars Hill/ Observatory Mesa (a few hills through the pines), Humphrey’s (Arizona’s tallest peak), Elden/ Fat Man’s Loop (a bit less of a challenge than Humphrey’s, but still hard), Pipeline and Sandy Seep.

Honestly… check AllTrails. There are TONS of trails in and around Flagstaff that you can explore.

Outside of the Flagstaff area, there is LITERALLY SO MUCH you can do out in the Coconino National Forest. I’ll have to eventually make a post detailing my favorite places out in the forest, but off the top of my head, C.C. Cragin Reservoir, End of the World, Fossil Creek (when it reopens), Inner Basin (when it reopens) during the fall, Clear Creek, the Crack at Wet Beaver Creek, Oak Creek, Red Mountain… yeah. I’m gonna have to make a separate post for this! There are a toooonnn of opportunities for hiking, climbing, mountain biking, camping and even paddle boarding allll across my forest.

Like I said… bring a (four-wheel drive high-clearance) vehicle.

And, finally, day trips: If you want to take them, you can visit Sedona, Page, Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell, Monument Valley and the (south rim of the) Grand Canyon. All are less than two hours from Flag.

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Hope you enjoy my lovely little home in the mountains of northern Arizona! Flagstaff truly is an incredible place and I’m so lucky to live here.

I hope you came away from this post with a few ideas of things to do in Flagstaff. Happy exploring!

This post was originally published July 8, 2023. It was last updated March 18, 2024.