In 2025, a plethora of national, and some international, restaurant chains debuted in metro Phoenix. Highlights included the long-awaited debut of Sweetgreen at Scottsdale Quarter, plus another location in Phoenix’s Biltmore area; Chinese hot pot chain Haidilao at the newly expanded Mekong Plaza in Mesa; and the state’s first Zaxby’s, a Southern fried chicken restaurant famous for its signature “Zax sauce.”
Out of over 30 worldwide restaurant chains that made their Arizona debuts in 2025, nearly a third of them were international-based, hailing from India to Japan to Mexico. Several chose to open in metro Phoenix as their first-ever U.S. location.
Here’s a look at 8 international restaurant chains that made their Arizona debuts in metro Phoenix this year.
Bikanervala
Bikanervala, an Indian restaurant and snack shop that first opened in Rajasthan, made its Arizona debut in Chandler. The menu is divided into sections for south Indian, Indo Chinese, Bengali, Ghee, Khoya and Kaju dishes…