Shift Kitchen & Bar

One of the best dining experiences I’ve had in Arizona. The restaurant itself is quaint and very cozy. The staff is super nice and helpful, and the food was just amazing. Everything we tried was truly crafted to perfection and was very flavorful. Would definitely recommend for a special occasion or when visiting Flagstaff.

My FAVORITE place to dine whenever I come to Flagstaff: innovative, thoughtful, clever, impossibly cool. What an unexpected treat this time to stumble on the monthly baked good sale. Finely European in style, delicious and toasty, never excessively sweet. Do you think we practiced reasonable restraint at this event? Heck no. Damn the gluten, full speed ahead. I ordered an accompanying espresso. Ya gotta do that at this altitude. There’s something about an espresso here that’s so smooth and bold, forgoing the common bite of (at times) overbearing bitterness. With luck, we’ll return for an actual meal, assuming we recover from this morning overload.

Unbelievable! The pasta, the burger (forgot to take photo), the drinks (non-alcoholic)!! INSPIRING. This is, by far, one of THE BEST RESTAURANTS in Arizona, hands down! The menu might look unusual, but I guarantee that you’ll be delighted with whatever you order. Amazing. I was speechless, then I was inspired by the food and service to leave a review. Truly a culinary experience of the highest pleasure. Thank you SH/FT!

From Houston Texas, drove in from vacationing in Santa Fe... they accommodated my husband and I. The food was 5 star. We enjoyed every dish!! Had Crispy Brussels, Smash Yukon, Smoked Olives, Sorbet, Burger, Tagliatelle pasta, Pate & Sticky Toffee Apple. I recommend every one of these dishes. Staff was very friendly and nice.. They asked us to wait outside until table was ready- this made me feel like they are being extra Covid careful. Didn’t mind at all:)

Amazing Meal! The ever-changing menu will have you coming back to see what the Fantastic Chef's are designing next. Each dish is truly a culinary masterpiece. Have faith in the menu and just try whatever is on there! I was a chef for years and I got schooled by this meal. Utter bliss! The Pastry Chef even came out and talked to our table. Exceptional service!

I think there is nothing worse than after a meal you think about how else you could have spent your money vs being grateful for the meal you just got to experience. I have gone to both the bake sale and the dinner for Shift, and since the bake sale is only done once a month, it is less important, but here it is. With exception of the 12 dollar burrito, I will say that my expectations were more than met. I wish that the owner of Shift will make a bakery, as Flagstaff is lacking in a good sweet bakery (of which they informed me has been tried but was sadly unsuccessful). I think the once a month bake sales should be a monthly tradition for anyone in Flagstaff, minus of course, the 12 dollar burrito, which although good, does not command the price it ask. Excited from the bakery, I ordered the four part taster for dinner. The first course, the salmon, looked good, but I have never been crazy about raw fish, but over all, it was fine, but maybe a different judge is needed for this item. The pumpkin pasta was amazing. I thought the sage flavor could have been a little stronger, but I would have loved to have four plates of it alone and if Shift was just a pasta place, I would easily given it five stars. I can't say enough about the pasta, except I wish I had more. (The sorbet was a nice pallet cleanser, but it's a pallet cleanser, it is not what you go there for) However, it is not, and that brings us to the lamb. The most expensive item on the menu (40 dollars) and it tasted....odd? At first I tried to make excuses for Shift in my head "well I do not eat lamb all the time, maybe that is the taste," but then remembered that several places in Flagstaff that I go to often do indeed serve lamb, and I am sure to always order a side of it. Again the dish looked good, but the 40 dollar menu item was something I'd rather not have ordered, and instead have gotten another place of pasta. The biggest offense was the pumpkin pie. Still confused from the lamb, I was greeted by what I can only describe as a sliver of a slice of pie, that was then "deconstructed". For 13 dollars, and after having the disappointing lamb (and the fact that none deconstructed hamburgers are on the menu) my thought was that this is honestly just a way to make as much money as possible from giving a little food as possible. If I was a ruder person, I'd definitely have sent it back, and asked were my slice of pie was (as something I do not think is too much to ask for a single slice) and had flash backs of when Gordan Ramsey was served half of a cake for over 50 dollars, but, I am not as aggressive as Gordan Ramsey, and had faith from the pasta, which was misplaced. The sprinkles were unneeded and out of place. Between being a flakey pie crust and having a more expired texture, I'd go with expired. The filling was fine, but even if I did have a slice of this pie, I'd have just thought that I could make a better pie, for just as much money, at home. For pasta and for the bake sale, I'll give this place a 5/5, but odds are, you are likely to have an experience out side of just those, so I must give it only one. You're likely better off going to Brix or Tinderbox for a "not mountain food" experience. Maybe I ordered some of the more mediocre items, but with a kitchen this small, I'd expect there to be no fat on the menu.