DiMaggio’s Italian Restaurant brings the kind of old-school Italian dining experience that can be difficult to find in the Valley to Scottsdale. Family-owned, deeply rooted in New York Italian traditions, and committed to making nearly everything from scratch, the restaurant pairs hearty classics with polished hospitality and a moody dining room that feels made for lingering over dinner.
The Scottsdale restaurant has also become a favorite among local professional athletes, with Charles Barkley, Grayson Allen, Trey McBride, and Shelby Miller among the names who have recently counted DiMaggio’s as a favorite spot. But the attention makes sense once dinner arrives. From fresh mozzarella hand-pulled each morning to house-made sauces, desserts, cocktail syrups, and more, DiMaggio’s is a restaurant where the details matter.
From New York Roots to DiMaggio’s in Scottsdale
For owners Brandon and Michele Gioffre, DiMaggio’s grew out of a desire to bring the Italian food they knew in New York to Arizona. The New York natives, whose family roots trace back to Calabria, began at the Uptown Phoenix Farmers Market in 2021, where lines formed for hand-pulled mozzarella, cannoli filled to order, and recipes passed down through generations. The following year, they expanded into a small Scottsdale café, adding Italian favorites such as arancini, clams oreganata, chicken scarpariello, and house-made lasagna.
Frank DiMaggio, a local developer, former professional baseball player, and member of the DiMaggio family, initially discovered the restaurant as a guest. He and his wife, designer Lauren Wallace, eventually partnered with the Gioffres, and the restaurant was reintroduced as DiMaggio’s Italian Restaurant in 2024. Today, the family remains very much a part of the experience. Brandon leads the kitchen as executive chef, Michele oversees the scratch-made desserts, and their daughter Taylor works alongside them, with another daughter serving as a hostess…