Tempe Public Market Cafe is supposed to be the savior of south Tempe's alleged culinary woes. I haven't been convinced.
Al fresco dining during Arizona's winters is great and the Cafe's roaring fire is definitely appealing. The music was distractingly loud though, and we had to raise our voices just to have a conversation.
We both ordered the fried chicken sandwich (no pizzas were available the night we went) with a side of french fries -- all of which was very tasty -- but we paid $32 plus tip for two chicken sandwiches, one order of french fries, and a can of Diet Coke.
I know the zeitgeist regarding the Cafe ("We were forced to drive from south Tempe to Phoenix just to eat") means we should've paid our bill of $32 plus tip and thanked the Cafe for granting us the opportunity to eat there, but, come on. The food is good but overpriced and there ARE plenty of restaurants in south Tempe that offer better value for food-buying dollars and more variety on their menus.