Lodged within the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass, the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Kai Restaurant showcases locally grown produce and surprisingly rich Arizona agriculture through recipes that merge contemporary tastes and time-honored Native American techniques (Kai means “seed” in Pima.) The results include lobster tail, corn and avocado atop fry bread, and rack of lamb sauced with a mole made from American Indian seeds.
Kai Restaurant’s calming interior design reflects the earthy palette found in the Arizona Gila River Indian Community around the restaurant. Most tables have views of the Sierra Estrella and South Mountain ranges through the floor-to-ceiling windows — bringing the desert landscape into the dining room. Kai Restaurant’s table settings match the colors of the setting sun, and the rest of the décor is subdued — allowing the food and stunning views to take center stage.
Kai Restaurant’s calming interior design reflects the earthy palette found in the Arizona Gila River Indian Community around the restaurant. Most tables have views of the Sierra Estrella and South Mountain ranges through the floor-to-ceiling windows — bringing the desert landscape into the dining room. Kai Restaurant’s table settings match the colors of the setting sun, and the rest of the décor is subdued — allowing the food and stunning views to take center stage.
Our Inspector's Highlights
- In form and function, Kai Restaurant’s menu is unlike any you’ve seen before. Each course at the Phoenix restaurant is an inventively titled chapter — from the small plates of “The Birth” through the savory appetizers of “The Beginning” up to the main “The Journey” and finally the heavenly desserts of “The Afterlife.”
- The dishes meld Native American and global cuisine and are explained in generous detail in the menu. And beyond the literary text, Kai Restaurant’s menus are beautiful, too. Each is hand-painted by Joshua Yazzie.
A popular entrée is the grilled tenderloin of tribal buffalo with smoked corn puree, oxtail and scarlet runner bean cassoulet, cholla bud and saguaro blossom syrup.
- Inside, eye-catching local art adorns the walls, including pieces created by Mike "Medicine Horse" Zillioux, Amil Pedro and Toby Manuel.
If it’s on the menu, try the lobster poshol, a soup with Pima wheat berry, Ramona Farms blue corn hominy, white tepary bean and wolfberry mole in a toasted red chile broth.
Things to Know
- Although reservations are not required here, they are strongly recommended. With 16 regular tables and just a handful of seatings per night, spots can be snapped up quickly.
- Kai Restaurant’s dress code encourages formal wear and smart business-casual attire. Activewear, bathing suits, graphic/logo T-shirts, hats, spandex and open-toe shoes for men are not permitted. Distressed denim and shorts are not preferred.
- The dining experience is recommended for guests over the age of 13.
Amenities
Bar
Business casual
Dinner
Private dining
Reservations recommended 
Valet parking
Getting There
Stories
