Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant 

by Mike Hunter

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant offers its modern, casual dining experience in an inviting upscale setting, with a unique blend of a full-service restaurant inside a winery. American-fusion dishes feature flavors from around the world.

 “At Cooper’s Hawk, we do not believe wine should be intimidating or complicated. Our focus is on creating great-tasting wine and helping our guests discover the ones that suit their taste.  We create the wine first, then the menu. Our chefs develop dishes that pair best with each wine,” says founder and CEO Tim McEnery, who recognized that few wineries had a restaurant to complement the wine experience, and realized the concept with his first Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant in 2005 in Illinois. Wine-pairing suggestions from the winemaker are included on the menu, labeled by bin number.

Each Cooper’s Hawk location welcomes its guests by having them first enter through its Napa-style tasting room and retail store. Wine-tasting is walk-in only; reservations are recommended for dining. 

Guests may enjoy a wine tasting with experienced sommeliers guiding them through the experience. Guests are then escorted to the expansive dining area suitable for both leisurely dining and business meetings, a full-service bar and a large open-air covered patio complete with misters to keep guests cool on warm days. There are also two private dining rooms that can be combined to host events up to 48 people. This private space is equipped with audio and visual capabilities fitting for any private party. Each menu, including one that is gluten free, features dishes that pair naturally with Cooper’s Hawk wines.

Dishes are made from scratch and incorporate peak-of-season ingredients. Among the appetizers is Over the Border Egg Rolls, made with Southwest chicken, corn, black beans, cilantro and cheese, served with the triple choices of tomatillo salsa, cilantro ranch and cashew dipping sauces. Entrées include a chimichurri-rubbed Prime Churrasco Grilled Steak and a Pistachio-crusted Grouper. There’s also a variety of salads, pasta and risotto dishes, as well as the di rigeuer hamburger. Finish with a decidedly upscale version of the campfire classic: S’More Budino – also, of course, paired with a wine. 

Since 2005, Cooper’s Hawk has received more than 500 wine awards from various local, national and international wine competitions. In 2021, it was named a Top 10 Best Winery Restaurant by USA Today. The wines are made and aged at the company’s main winery in Illinois and served at locations onsite.  

Cooper’s Hawk is a privately owned company with nearly 50 locations across the U.S. to date. While well-established throughout the Midwest, Cooper’s Hawk also has locations from Michigan to Florida, along the East Coast. The Scottsdale and Chandler locations it has opened over the past year (with one in Gilbert slated to follow) are the company’s furthest west locations.  

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant

3325 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler
(480) 936-7711

7361 E. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Scottsdale
(623) 473-9463

Sweet Corn & Tomato Risotto

Peas, Shiitake mushrooms, roasted peppers, spinach, Stracciatella and pesto oil

20.99

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

Oven-roasted vegetables, Mary’s potatoes, grainy Dijon mustard butter, crispy onion strings

31.99

Pan-Roasted Barramundi

Garlic green beans, grape tomatoes, ginger rice, Thai lemongrass sauce

26.99

Photos courtesy of Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant

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