Highlights
- Three restaurants opened in Scottsdale in May: coastal Asian concept Starfish, a second BLU Seafood location, and a third Miel de Agave outlet in Hilton Village.
- Francine, the French restaurant at Scottsdale Fashion Square, closed abruptly with no explanation given.
- Serrano's Mexican Restaurants shuttered its McKellips Road location after 34 years, citing rising operating costs and declining business.
- Frank and Lupe's, which closed in 2025, has resurfaced in The Shops Gainey Village under new ownership using the Bernal family's original recipes.
<p>Three new restaurants opened in Scottsdale in May while one well-known Fashion Square tenant went dark without notice, according to <a href="https://www.phoenixmag.com/2026/06/01/may-2026-restaurant-openings-closings/">Phoenix Magazine's monthly openings and closings tracker</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://starfishhospitalitygroup.com"><em>Starfish</em></a>, a California-based concept, opened at 8390 E. Via de Ventura in McCormick Ranch, leading with handcrafted cocktails and coastal Asian cuisine. The group describes its menu as highlighting classic and specialty rolls. <em><a href="https://blu-seafood.com">BLU Seafood</a></em> took over the former OBON Sushi space at 7300 N. Via Paseo Del Sur, also in McCormick Ranch, marking a second location for the locally owned coastal Mexican seafood restaurant. House specialties include green shrimp aquachile, fish tacos, and tuna tartare. <em><a href="https://lamieldeagave.com">Miel de Agave</a></em> opened a third outlet at 6107 N. Scottsdale Rd. in Hilton Village, adding aguachile, green chile enchiladas, quesabirria tacos, and elote to the neighborhood's dining options.</p> <p>On the closure side, <em>Francine</em>, the French restaurant at Scottsdale Fashion Square, shut its doors abruptly with no explanation offered. The closure leaves a gap at one of the metro's highest-traffic retail addresses; no successor tenant has been announced.</p> <p>The month's most significant closure by tenure was Serrano's Mexican Restaurants' McKellips Road location, which served the Valley for 34 years before shutting down. The operator cited rising operating costs and a decline in business. The East Mesa and Queen Creek locations remain open.</p> <p><em>Frank and Lupe's</em>, the New Mexican restaurant that closed in 2025, returned in May at 8787 N. Scottsdale Rd. in The Shops Gainey Village. A new owner is operating the concept and will continue using the Bernal family's recipes.</p> <p>The broader May count across the Valley topped 20 new openings, per Phoenix Magazine, after what the publication described as a slow April. Notable non-Scottsdale additions include <em>Poolboy Taco</em> at 4031 E. Camelback Rd. in the Arcadia area, from The Poolhouse Group, the operator behind Gadzooks and The Green Woodpecker, and <em>Sablé Boulangerie</em> in <a href="/entity/downtown/">downtown</a> Gilbert, opened by chef and owner William Porter after he studied pastry in France.</p> <p>No opening timeline has been announced for the Francine space at Scottsdale Fashion Square.</p>
Sources
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- Phoenix Magazine retrieved 02/06/2026 03:06
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 02/06/2026 03:06. Every claim traces to a source.
