The search for Burgers and Brews in Ahwatukee

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We JUST got back from a camping trip up in the woods in Pine, AZ over the last few days and we both needed two things, a great burger and a cold brew.  We have very different tastes when it comes to the cold brew, he likes sours and I like IPA's.  We enjoy eating out and have tried many places.  There are some stellar restaurants in the area and it's been a hunt for us to find a place with a finger-licking good juicy burger and our respective 'cold ones'.  

We set out in the car and started the 'So, where do you want to go?' conversation, both agreeing that we'd be adventurous and not just drive straight to our tried and true, where we absolutely hands down knew we'd get exactly what we wanted.  

We arrived at said new location and got seated.  We chose a place that advertises its specialization in 'brews'.  We got the beer menu and even asked our server for the sour choices to no avail... poor Matt.  They almost always have at least one IPA choice for me and typically Matt is stuck saying 'I'll just have water' from behind disappointed eyes.   Being very used to this, Matt ordered water and our server set out for my ice cold Lagunitas which really isn't my favorite but it will do.  

Not two minutes later the bartender runs past our table to the servers window and shouted 'Take the Lagunitas off of the menu.  We're out!" 

Imagine my face 😱

We both looked at each other and asked her to hold the waters, we are out of here!  Although the burgers looked like they could be great...

No conversation in the car.  We both knew where we were headed. 

Uncle Bears, located on Ray Road in Ahwatukee, is our absolute favorite for that perfect burger and the brew of your choice.  The service is always friendly, we hardly ever wait to be seated (even when it's super busy), the burgers are explosions of flavor and the beer that they brew in-house is perfect every single time.  They have a laid back atmosphere so you don't feel like a jerk if your kid is a little crazy.  They have an awesome kids menu and kids eat free on Wednesdays (with the purchase of an adult entree)! 

There are some really cool homes in really cool areas of Ahwatukee!  Live close to Uncle Bears 😍 Click here to take a look! 

#AllAhwatukee

Living in the Ahwatukee Foothills, The Best of Both Worlds

Living in this community for the last few months has been the most enjoyable out of any location that I have lived in since moving to Arizona from New Hampshire in 2004.  I have lived in Gilbert, East Mesa, South/West Mesa, Tempe and North Scottsdale.  There is no other area of the valley with more stunning views coupled with a convenient location, within 20 minutes of Phoenix Sky Harbor, 25 minutes of Downtown Phoenix and within 25 minutes of Scottsdale.  Restaurants, night life and shopping is plentiful and close.

Here's awesome drone footage of one particularly stunning area of the Foothills! 

 

Surrounded by miles of breathtaking landscape, the Ahwatukee Foothills has a 'small town' community feel with a convenient location and tons to do.  Enjoy hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and street biking along with family favorites like the Ahwatukee Farmers Market and the annual Chili Cook-off that takes place each spring. 

South Mountain Park is the largest municipal park in the United States and borders the entire community to the north.  Offering amazing scenery as a stunning backdrop to many homes and neighborhoods.   

The Ahwatukee Farmers Market is every Sunday morning in the Zipps parking lot off of Warner. NW Corner of 48th St and Warner.

Moving and want to see what Ahwatukee has to offer?  View areas homes FOR SALE HERE. 

Popular Ahwatukee Neighborhoods - Ahwatukee Real Estate

MOVING DAY came just as quickly as it went, thank goodness 😓 The movers arrived at the old house right on time...at 7am and they started right away.  Of course, in nervous anticipation of this moment, I had been up since 5am anyway.  We said goodbye to our home of almost 4 years that day...it was a little sad but something that I quickly forgot once I got settled into the new place.

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Our son stayed with us the whole day.  He's four so he got bored quickly and needed to be entertained. He also needed a nap.  I left the old house well before Matt did with the movers and set out to run a few errands and get the kid fed and hopefully some sort of nap.  

I needed a desk for the new house so we headed to the Potato Barn Outlet.   It's so hard to not want one of everything in that store!  We found a desk right away for $200 off the original price and scheduled the delivery for later that day!  Mission accomplished! 

After a quick lunch at Uncle Bears in Ahwatukee we set out on a little adventure.  For the next two hours, I listened to some awesome music and explored all of the amazing and popular neighborhoods in Ahwatukee while my 4 year old snored away in the back seat. 

My top three favorite Ahwatukee Neighborhoods at the moment are:

Ahwatukee Custom Estates:  Located in the Equestrian Trail and 36th Street / Knox and 36th Street area, this is my favorite Ahwatukee neighborhood for many reasons but mostly the location and jaw dropping scenery.  The custom homes in this area are typically a little bit older but have so much character and, of course, stunning views of South Mountain preserve.  A hiker or mountain bikers dream within minutes from the trailhead.  

Mountain Park Ranch:  It's huge and it's awesome.  Offering three community pools and spas, tennis courts, children’s pool and playground area, plus volleyball and picnic areas, residents barely have to leave the "bubble".  

Foothills Club West:  Heaven if you are a golfer!  Grab a bite at the Sunset Grill while you are waiting for your tee time!  The Foothills Golf Club offers a facility for weddings and banquets.  It's a pretty awesome place to be with the stunning backdrop of the Foothills. 

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This is the night we heard the coyotes for the first time... 

Why Ahwatukee?

We chose a home in Ahwatukee for many reasons but these were the major ones:

We really loved the mountain views behind our home when we lived in Scottsdale.  Matt enjoys taking a bike ride here and there and family hikes are a Sunday favorite.  Living near the mountains again is really exciting. 

We love the parks and public recreation areas especially Sun Ray Park!  We have a 4 year old and the park is perfect for afternoon entertainment. He can cruise on his bike while we walk the bike trail beside him, he can run in the huge grass fields and he can hike the "little mountain" without any help from us.  It's a great park with great scenery.  

The location is great for us.  The proximity to the I10 and the 202 is a huge plus not only for work but we do like to take the jeep to the mountains and to Canyon Lake.  It's close to many of our favorite restaurants like Uncle Bears, Smokin Fins and Z'Tejas.  Phoenix Sky Harbor is 17 minutes away.  We travel and have family that visits from back East so airport proximity is important.  Chandler Fashion Center is a great shopping mall that is super close and has a Harkins Movie Theatre.

We know that we'll be on the hunt for a good school for our son in about a year.  We really like what Ahwatukee has to offer.  We did our research on the Great Schools site.