Main Street in downtown Mesa Photo: Ixnayonthetimmay (CC BY 3.0)
2025 Centurion Award winners

Best of Mesa.

Citrus-grove roots, Sonoran flavor on Main Street, and the Superstitions standing guard to the east.

America's 38th-largest city · 514K people 5 verified winners · 2025 21 categories open
Award categories

The 2025 winners, by category.

Every winner below cleared the same published bar. Only winners are published — no rankings, no runner-up lists, no sponsored placements.

Every category in Mesa

Categories open as their first winner is verified. If a category is still accepting nominations, the fastest way to open it is to put a business forward.

  • Restaurants 4 winners →
  • Steakhouses accepting nominations
  • Delis accepting nominations
  • Cafés & Coffee accepting nominations
  • Ice Cream & Sweets accepting nominations
  • Bakeries accepting nominations
  • Breweries & Meaderies accepting nominations
  • Bars & Nightlife accepting nominations
  • Music Venues accepting nominations
  • Tours accepting nominations
  • Lodging accepting nominations
  • Local Retail accepting nominations
  • Bookstores accepting nominations
  • Specialty Shops 1 winner →
  • Markets & Grocers accepting nominations
  • Barbers & Salons accepting nominations
  • Fitness & Wellness accepting nominations
  • Outfitters accepting nominations
  • Makers & Crafts accepting nominations
  • Home & Trade Services accepting nominations
  • Auto Care accepting nominations
The market

Why Mesa is worth the fuss.

Mesa grew from orchards and canals, and the agricultural soul survives: date shakes and citrus stands on the Fresh Foodie Trail, taquerías and Sonoran counters along Main Street, and family restaurants that watched the light rail arrive decades after they did.

The Superstition Mountains fill the eastern horizon, Usery Pass draws cyclists at dawn, and Cubs spring training turns March into a holiday month. Mesa’s character is family-first and steady — the kind of town where a business’s reputation is its whole inheritance.

Mesa, in short

What locals would tell you first:

Fresh Foodie Trail Date shakes Superstition views Spring training March Main Street taquerías
How to use this guide

What “best” means in Mesa.

This guide is built for people who want a better local signal than vote drives, paid badges, or anonymous directory rankings.

Each category starts with public evidence: years in operation, sustained online presence, a real customer track record, positive community sentiment, and recognition in the local community. Open a category to see the winner, the reasons it cleared the bar, and links back to the business itself.

Only winners are published. We don’t sell sponsored placements, publish negative verdicts, or let a business buy its way onto this list. The exact thresholds stay internal so the award can’t be gamed, but the methodology is public and applies the same way in every market.

Know a Mesa business that deserves a serious look?

Nominate it for the next evaluation. Free, takes a minute, and nothing is ever published unless it clears the bar.