Vincent Guerithault on Camelback

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Phoenix Institution Built on French Discipline and Southwestern Flavor

Vincent Guerithault on Camelback has been a fixture on Phoenix's dining scene for nearly four decades — and the restaurant's reputation rests on something genuinely singular: Chef Vincent Guerithault's mastery of classic French technique applied to the ingredients of the American Southwest.

That combination — chile peppers, corn, cilantro, and masa filtered through the precision of a chef trained at L'Oustau de Baumanière in Les Baux de Provence, and later at Maxim's and Fauchon in Paris — produced a cuisine that, as the restaurant puts it, no one else in America had attempted in quite the same way. When Guerithault arrived in the U.S. in 1976 as sous-chef at Chicago's Le Français, his cooking was rooted in classical French haute cuisine. It was only after he moved to Phoenix and encountered the Southwest's pantry that his distinctive style took shape.

The Chef Behind the Kitchen

Guerithault opened Vincent on Camelback in January 1986, at its current address on East Camelback Road. The early recognition was swift and serious. In the 1980s, Craig Claiborne of The New York Times called his cooking "exceptional" after a single visit. The James Beard Foundation named him America's Best Chef: Southwest in 1993. In 2018, the Republic of France elevated him to the rank of Officier in the National Order of Agricultural Merit — L'Ordre du Mérite Agricole — one of France's most prestigious distinctions. In 2003, the restaurant was ranked 24th on Restaurant Magazine's World's Top 50 Restaurants list, placing this Phoenix address alongside the finest tables on earth.

What to Expect at the Table

The menu changes daily, reflecting Chef Vincent's ongoing attention to seasonal possibility within his French-Southwestern framework. For those who want the full experience, the Discovery Menu offers a seven-course chef's choice tasting — crafted each night by Guerithault himself, blending new creations with beloved classics, with optional wine pairings.

The wine program matches the kitchen's ambition. With over 500 individual selections and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence every year since 1997 — guided by Diane Lorring, Introductory Sommelier of the Court of Master Sommeliers — it is one of the more carefully maintained lists in the Southwest.

Service is described by the restaurant as "unparalleled and attentive," and critics have consistently called the food "always intriguing and inspiring." Zagat ranked it both "most popular" and "best in area" for more than a decade. Gourmet, Condé Nast Traveler, and Travel & Leisure have all recognized it.

The Space

The restaurant offers outdoor seating, valet parking, and private dining rooms for groups of up to 25 — with individualized menus and full event planning available. The dress code is business casual; jackets are not required. It is the kind of room where French-Southwestern cuisine is taken seriously without being made stiff.