Restaurant Progress
Quick info
About Restaurant Progress
Restaurant Progress is a New American restaurant in Phoenix, serving small plates at dinner and late-night craft cocktails at 702 W Montecito Ave. The kitchen puts a premium on shareable dishes built for a night that stretches past the main course. Tuna Crudo leads the menu as a signature starter, while Sour Dough appears as a menu staple alongside it. Cocktails anchor the late-night side of the program, matching the food’s focus on small-format dining rather than a traditional entree-and-side setup. The format encourages groups to order across the list, grazing through multiple plates as the evening moves from dinner into drinks. Reservations are advised on weekends, when the later hours draw a steady crowd looking to extend the meal into cocktails.
Good to know
- ReservationsAccepts reservations
- ParkingFree of charge street parking · Free parking lot · Somewhat difficult to find a space
- AccessibilityHas wheelchair-accessible car park · Has wheelchair-accessible entrance · Has wheelchair-accessible seating
- DietaryServes organic dishes · Serves vegetarian dishes
Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention chef's tasting menu, cocktails, mushroom lasagna and kabocha tortelli.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention chef's tasting menu, cocktails, mushroom lasagna and kabocha tortelli.
Customer Review Summary
Restaurant Progress draws consistent praise for its chef's tasting menu, with diners repeatedly highlighting the inventive small plates and the kitchen's ability to adjust dishes for dietary needs. Specific standouts include the tuna crudo, kabocha tortelli, oysters, and a well-regarded mushroom lasagna. The bar program earns equal attention, with reviewers singling out the craft cocktails and the bartenders' skill, including one instance where a unique guava-based drink was crafted for a group. The wine selection and sommelier's pairings also receive frequent notice. A recurring negative centers on a single but serious incident: one party was served completely raw chicken during a five-course meal, and the server's response, remarking only that it was "a great thing to tell the kitchen," left the diners feeling the restaurant underreacted given the high price point.
Customer Review Summary
Restaurant Progress draws consistent praise for its chef's tasting menu, with diners repeatedly highlighting the inventive small plates and the kitchen's ability to adjust dishes for dietary needs. Specific standouts include the tuna crudo, kabocha tortelli, oysters, and a well-regarded mushroom lasagna. The bar program earns equal attention, with reviewers singling out the craft cocktails and the bartenders' skill, including one instance where a unique guava-based drink was crafted for a group. The wine selection and sommelier's pairings also receive frequent notice. A recurring negative centers on a single but serious incident: one party was served completely raw chicken during a five-course meal, and the server's response, remarking only that it was "a great thing to tell the kitchen," left the diners feeling the restaurant underreacted given the high price point.
Featured reviews
- Hayley Platt
“We had a great experience at Restaurant Progress for a 60th birthday celebration for my Dad! The food was really outstanding and the sommelier made the experience more fun with his in-depth narratives about the wine - definitely a highlight! The only reason I'm giving 4 stars is because we were eating the 4th course (we did the chefs choice 5 course and wine pairings), my dad took a bite of the chicken someone else had gotten, remarked it was strange, and we looked down to find completely raw chicken. The outside portion of the leg was edible, just the inside was raw (cold to the touch raw). Not a huge deal since we were able to eat 60% of it so we didn't send it back, but when we told our server, she just remarked that it was a great thing to tell the kitchen. We weren't asking for anything free, but it also felt weird for that to be the only thing said about being served (and probably also eaten) raw chicken from a restaurant of this quality. It would have been nice to have a little bit more response from the restaurant, in terms of either I'm so sorry or a reflection on the check. When paying $800 for a meal for 5, we didn't really think it was great to have to pay for a course where we were served raw chicken. Overall, the dinner was still great and I would definitely come back again, I would just probably ask for them to double check te chicken lol.”
- Carson Maiden
“Possibly the best restaurant I've ever been to. The food is just incredible, the service is the best you will find, and the whole vibe brings it together. For what you get the price is more than fair. You cannot find a bad plate of food on the menu. I brought my dad and sister here and they were equally as impressed.”
- Melanie Tylke
“Wonderful chefs recommendations and wine pairings. Super glad I found this spot while staying in midtown for a conference at the convention center. So much better than my experience at Wren and Wolf the night before. Every dish was delicious and right sized. A treat for a new mom on a work trip, made me feel like a queen. Happy early mothers day to me :)”
- Paul Simon
“Great spot - lots of vegetarian options. The mushroom lasagna was one of the highlights”
- Josh Fulton
“Restaurant Progress blew us away. Sat at the bar with amazing cocktails (bartender was on point) and did the tasting menu. Every course was excellent, and they even adjusted one dish for my wife. Oysters and cocktails = must order. Easily a 5-star spot in Phoenix.”
Hours
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
Highlights
“Hip spot offering New American small plates at dinner & late-night craft cocktails in stylish digs.”
- Has great beer selection
- Serves great cocktails
- Serves great dessert
- Has great wine list
- Serves local speciality
- Popular for popular for dinner
Amenities
- Has wheelchair-accessible car park
- Free of charge street parking
- Accepts reservations
- Has outdoor seating
- Offers delivery
- Offers takeaway
Show more amenities
- Serves dine-in
- Serves vegetarian dishes
- Has bar on site
- On-site services available
- Serves beer
- Serves coffee
- Offerings· 8
- Serves alcohol
- Serves cocktails
- Serves comfort food
- Serves healthy options
- Serves organic dishes
- Serves small plates
- Serves spirits
- Serves wine
- Crowd· 1
- Good for groups
- Planning· 3
- Brunch reservations recommended
- Reservations required
- Dinner reservations recommended
- Dining options· 5
- Serves brunch
- Serves dinner
- Serves dessert
- Has seating
- Has table service
- Atmosphere· 4
- Cosy
- Romantic
- Trendy
- Upmarket
- Parking· 2
- Free parking lot
- Somewhat difficult to find a space
- Highlights· 5
- Has great beer selection
- Serves great cocktails
- Serves great dessert
- Has great wine list
- Serves local speciality
- Popular for· 2
- Popular for dinner
- Good for solo dining
- Facilities· 1
- Has toilet
- Accessibility· 3
- Has wheelchair-accessible entrance
- Has wheelchair-accessible seating
- Has wheelchair-accessible toilet
Location
How Restaurant Progress compares to nearby restaurants
- Restaurant Progress · This shop4.7533 reviews
Mentioned in reviews: chef's tasting menu, cocktails, mushroom lasagna
- 2,537 reviews1.3 mi
Mentioned in reviews: pappardelle braised pork shank, ribeye, grilled chicken wings
- First & Last4.5720 reviews2.8 mi
Mentioned in reviews: little jerry sandwich, fresh focaccia bread, vodka sauce
- The Gladly4.71,814 reviews2.9 mi
Mentioned in reviews: chopped salad, espresso martini, whiskey selection
Restaurant Progress This shop | Ocotillo Restaurant | First & Last | The Gladly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.7(533) | 4.4(2,537) | 4.5(720) | 4.7(1,814) | |
| Price | $60–70 | $20–60 | $20–70 | $20–70 |
| Distance | — | 1.3 mi | 2.8 mi | 2.9 mi |
| Open today | ||||
| Vegetarian options | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Good for kids | — | ✓ | — | — |
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How this listing is sourced
Hours, contact details, and amenities are sourced from publicly available business data and re-checked regularly. Listings are ranked independently — no paid placement.