Surprise restaurant offers elevated sports bar experience

SURPRISE, AZ (AZFamily) — You might first think it’s just another sports bar, but that’s not what Guy Fieri traveled across the country for.

This week for Taste of Arizona, we checked out Bonfire Craft Kitchen and Tap House in Surprise after a viewer recommended we try the elevated sports bar featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives back in April.

David Lindsley, CEO of Bonfire Craft Kitchen and Tap House, says he didn’t initially want to work in restaurants after going to school for architecture, but after the 2008 market crash, he didn’t have many options. So, he turned to restaurants and making pizza, which his family had been doing for forty years in Michigan.

Bonfire offers the “Monsoon Pizza,” named after Arizona’s summer Monsoon. It’s an award-winning pie served with a specialty golden “sunshine” sauce, mozzarella, chicken, bacon, banana peppers, jalapeno, pineapple, tomatoes and a drizzle of ranch. Guy Fieri also featured it.

Lindsley says they wanted to ensure food for everybody, so their offerings evolved. The restaurant serves a variety of homestyle entrees based on regional food from the owners’ backgrounds.

“I’m from Michigan, my best friend and business partner’s from Buffalo, so we have larger portions, and we still do a lot of Midwest-inspired meals like meatloaf (and) pot roast,” Lindsley said.

Bonfire attracts many out-of-town guests, especially since both the Surprise and Tempe locations are across from Spring Training facilities. So, they also offer regional dishes like gumbo, poutine and barbecue.

As with many homestyle dishes, Lindsley emphasizes cooking low and slow, locking in the flavor and tenderizing the meat. That’s how the barbecue dishes shine.

The Burnt Ends are outstanding. They’re braised, smoked and caramelized with a honey barbecue sauce that’s the perfect amount of sweetness. Each bite is incredibly tender and soft, unlike many restaurants that seem to overcook them.

While many dishes are regional, they each offer an ode to Arizona. Bonfire sits near the base of the White Tank Mountains, so there’s a White Tank burger served with white cheddar cheese curds and a white cheddar cheese sauce.

The Gila Monster burger also features a flame-broiled patty, pulled pork, peppered bacon, pepper jack cheese and banana peppers. The pulled pork is quite tasty but is elevated on the burger. The different smokey flavors of the meats also pair well with a sweet bun.

It’s not just the main dishes that delight. Bonfire has an exclusive contract to serve one-of-a-kind scooper fries.

Lindsley says, “It’s kind of like a Pringle shaped scoop potato that’s thick like a steak fry, but it’s also kind of shaped like a potato chip, so it’s a half chip, half steak fry shaped in a scoop.”

The scooper fries come with all the burgers, sandwiches and the southern twist on poutine.

“What comes on our brisket poutine is those scooper fries covered with our brisket demi-glace gravy and white cheddar cheese curds,” Lindsley says.

Even with some inspiration from the Midwest and Northeast, Bonfire strives to be local and nod to Arizona’s history. That includes local vendors for food and beer from Husk Brewing Company, Tempe Fate, Historic Brewing Company in Flagstaff, and Scottsdale and Tucson beer companies.

But one of the most impressive local ties comes from the walls.

Lindsley says they found barn wood from the Cartwright Ranch in Cave Creek.

“The outside of that barn used is now the inside of our restaurant, and the wood beams that are hanging from the ceiling are the exact trusses and beans that were used to build the barn. So, that means a lot to us to be able to have that connection to our roots and our connection to our past,” Lindsley says.

That connection to the past is a theme many will see at the restaurant.

“We have a sign in our restaurant that says the past is never far from the future and what that means for us is we wanted to harken back to the times, the slower times of bonfires, of course, and campfires,” Lindsley says.

And with campfires, S’mores are a must. In this case, you can make them tableside.

“We have mini hibachi grills that we bring right out, and then a S’mores kit is the Graham crackers, Hershey bars, marshmallows and roasting skewers, so everybody can do it as a family,” Lindsley says.

Both the Surprise and Tempe locations of Bonfire offer nightly entertainment from Monday night football and Buffalo Bills and Michigan football to trivia nights and live music.

Plus, a third Bonfire location is coming to Lake Havasu. Lindsley used his previous architectural skills to design it from the ground up. They plan to break ground at the beginning of 2025 and have it open by Labor Day next year.

Surprise Location: 15332 W Bell Rd, Surprise, AZ 85374

Hours:

• Monday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Friday: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
• Saturday: 9 a.m. to 2 a.m.
• Sunday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Tempe Location: 1617 W Warner Rd, Tempe, AZ 85284

Hours:

• Monday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Friday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Saturday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Sunday: 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.

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