Scottsdale fine-dining restaurant Course made USA TODAY’s 2025 Restaurants of the Year list.
According to USA TODAY’s list, the local powerhouse is one of the top 44 places to eat in America.
Course is executive chef Cory Oppold’s dream come true. A graduate of Scottsdale Culinary Institute, Oppold worked at Arizona dining destinations like Binkley’s, L’Auberge, Tarbell’s and Atlas Bistro. During his time at Atlas, he competed on an episode of Food Network’s “Chopped” titled “Eat Your Vegetables,” taking home the title and $10,000 prize. During the pandemic, he branched out with his own in-home dining business Simmer Down and later a high-end catering business called Course.
In 2022, during one of his private dinners in Napa, his food won the hearts of two brothers who offered to open a restaurant with him. The next year, Course debuted.
What makes Course stand out
.
Oppold, who had planned to become an architect before falling in love with food, breaks down familiar dishes and reinvents them in smaller geometric ways.
The result is artistic plates with beauty to match the inventive flavors. The menu changes seasonally.
In addition, Course stands out with its excellent service and inclusive environment. There’s no super-stuffy dress code here. You should arrive business casual, but a jacket’s not required.
What to order at Course
As the name would imply, Course offers tasting menus.
If you have a big appetite, go for the eight-course tasting menu ($175) that changes every quarter. If eight courses seem too much, opt for the five-course tasting menu ($135), which is offered Tuesdays through Thursdays.
Back when the restaurant first opened, Course served a playful six-course brunch. Each course was a bite-size interpretation of comfort food such as avocado toast and chicken and waffles. It ended with “cereal,” a dessert made of pumpkin spice panna cotta with white chocolate mousse that acted as a bowl of milk. There was a small cereal box for each guest. Inside was granola and a wind-up toy. And that sense of whimsy remains in the dinner menus, which are always changing.
This winter’s menu features squab with wild rice, cranberry, beet, rosemary, goat cheese and red meadow sorrel. For mignardise, there’s a gummy bear made with coconut and kaffir lime and half-sphere chocolate with sesame, sea beans and chocolate mint.
A meal at Course is never boring.
See the full menu.
Coming soon: Course’s upcoming menu themes include Steakhouse and Valentine’s Day.
Course in Scottsdale
Details: 7366 E. Shea Blvd., Suite 106, Scottsdale. 480-687-0491, courserestaurantaz.com.
Book your reservation now at Open Table.
Throwback to 2024: These restaurants were named the best in the US
Reach the reporter at [email protected]. Follow @banooshahr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
See the entire list of Restaurants of the Year here:
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Scottsdale restaurant named among best in US by USA TODAY
