Tía Carmen

Tia Carmen sits inside the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in north Phoenix, which ordinarily would place it in the category of hotel restaurants that exist because the hotel needs one. It is not that. Angelo Sosa — a chef with a national profile before he moved to Arizona — built it as a modern Southwestern room drawing on desert ingredients, and it has been treated by local critics as a destination in its own right rather than an amenity.

That matters for non-drinkers because resort dining is usually where alcohol-free options are worst. The bar here is agave-driven and serious, and the zero-proof drinks are built from the same regional pantry as the food instead of being handed off to a soda gun. The Short & Spicy runs aguachile with ginger and pineapple — savoury and hot, which is an unusual register for a drink without alcohol. The Tall & Bubbly is prickly pear and hibiscus lengthened with sparkling apple cider, and reads as Sonoran rather than generic.

The non-alcoholic beer list is the quieter achievement. Rather than one token lager, it carries Athletic Brewing's Upside Dawn alongside several beers from Bravus, which means a guest who wants a beer with dinner has an actual choice of styles. In a resort context that is genuinely rare, and it is the sort of stocking decision that only happens when someone has decided the category matters. Two caveats: this is a full-service restaurant with a substantial agave programme, not an alcohol-free venue, and the Desert Ridge location means a drive from central Phoenix and resort pricing when you arrive. If you are staying at the JW Marriott it is downstairs; if you are not, treat it as a destination dinner rather than somewhere to drop into for a drink, and book — the dining room fills on weekends and the bar is small.