In May 2025, the City of Kingman released the results of its annual Retail and Restaurant Survey. Residents said they wanted Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, and Chick-fil-A. The city's economic development team took note and got to work. By Memorial Day, El Pollo Loco had opened on Beverly Avenue. By Labor Day, Tropical Smoothie Cafe followed. Bosa's Donuts and WZ Asian Buffet came after that.
The survey captured what Kingman residents wished they had. It did not capture what they already had but weren't using. That story is on Beale Street.
What the Survey Actually Revealed
The 2025 Retail and Restaurant Survey asked residents where they were already eating. In-N-Out Burger and Chili's topped the list of favorite chain restaurants. Those are interstate stops — the kind of place you pull into between errands, not the kind you plan a Saturday around.
What didn't register as a survey favorite: the craft brewery on Beale Street whose pizza placed second in an international competition. The Italian restaurant serving osso buco and hand-rolled pasta in a historic downtown building. The BBQ and wood-fired pizza spot that regulars have been calling a staple for years. These places exist. They've existed. And for a city where residents report driving to Laughlin for a real dinner out, they represent an option that doesn't require leaving the county.
The survey measured the gap Kingman residents feel. It did not measure the one they've been filling themselves, quietly, on a six-block stretch downtown.
Beale Street's Independent Anchors
Rickety Cricket Brewing — 532 E. Beale St.
Rickety Cricket brews its own beer and makes pizza dough by hand. The pies earned second place in the 2018 International Pizza Challenge's non-traditional category, and first place in the Southwest region. Their signature Dirty Duh pan-style pizza incorporates spent grain from the brewing process into the crust itself. The tap list rotates seasonally, and outdoor patio seating is available. For a weeknight dinner or a Sunday afternoon, it's the kind of place where a beer flight and a pizza stretch into two hours without anyone noticing.
Floyd and Company Real Pit BBQ and Wood-Fired Pizza — Beale St.
Floyd's does two things: real pit BBQ and wood-fired pizza. Reviewers consistently single out the ribs and brisket. The wood-fired crust has its own following. The combination shouldn't work, but it does. The space is large enough to absorb a group without feeling crowded, which makes it the practical choice when you have people in from out of town.
Calico's — 418 W. Beale St.
Calico's has been on Beale Street since 1987. The Sunday breakfast buffet draws regulars. The walls are covered in local artwork, the menu runs American classics, and the service reflects a staff that has worked the same room for a long time. It is not a discovery; it's a constant. If you've been in Kingman more than a few months and haven't been, that's the gap worth closing.
Mattina's Ristorante Italiano — Beale St.
Mattina's occupies a historic downtown building and focuses on Sicilian-influenced Italian: osso buco, hand-rolled pasta, rack of lamb with mushroom salsa, fresh seafood. Reviewers call out the escargot and filet mignon alongside the pasta preparations. It's the closest thing Kingman has to a white-tablecloth anchor. For a city whose residents are requesting Olive Garden as their top casual dining wish, Mattina's is the counter-argument that's been sitting there for years.
Grand Canyon Brewing Distillery — Beale St.
Grand Canyon Brewing is the newer entry on Beale Street and has developed a following quickly, particularly for its pizza. Its proximity to Rickety Cricket means Beale Street now has two craft beverage producers within walking distance of each other. For a city of Kingman's size, that's an unusual concentration.
Beyond Beale, Worth Adding to Your Rotation
The corridor is the core, but a few spots outside it belong in the regular mix.
Bangkok Thai Cuisine sits next to the historic Powerhouse Building, identifiable by the Route 66 murals on its exterior. The menu covers curries, noodles, and stir-fries, with outdoor seating available. It's the kind of low-profile spot regulars don't advertise.
The Healthy Bar on Beale runs a full café alongside a grab-and-go section, with high-top seating facing the street. For a quick lunch or post-errand stop, it fills a gap that nothing else on this list quite covers.
Rutherford's 66 Family Diner handles breakfast and lunch in a format that reads as a genuine American diner rather than a branded experience. It's a reliable first stop for out-of-town guests who want a quick sense of what Kingman actually feels like.
Black Bear Diner at 946 W. Beale St. is independently owned and operated despite being part of a chain. That distinction tends to matter in terms of service consistency, and it functions as a dependable all-day option.
What 2025 Actually Added
The city's recruitment push, driven by the survey results and a formal partnership with retail consultant The Retail Coach, produced four concrete additions in 2025:
- El Pollo Loco at 1969 Beverly Ave opened around Memorial Day 2025. The location is locally owned by franchise operators Jack Frost and Sal Corral, who also run the Lake Havasu location that opened in 2017. The Kingman franchise is their 31st location and employs approximately 50 staff.
- Tropical Smoothie Cafe opened by Labor Day 2025, offering smoothies, wraps, sandwiches, and bowls.
- Bosa's Donuts opened in late 2025.
- WZ Asian Buffet opened during the third quarter of 2025.
These are quick-service and fast-casual additions. They're useful for daily errands and lunch breaks, and they fill a real convenience gap. What they don't replace: a dinner anchored by craft beer and an internationally ranked pizza, or an osso buco in a hundred-year-old downtown building. The two tracks serve different purposes, and Kingman now has more of both.
What's Still Coming
The 2025 survey made the remaining wish list explicit: Olive Garden and Texas Roadhouse lead the casual dining requests; Chick-fil-A and Panera Bread lead quick-service. According to Kingman Economic Development Director Bennett Bratley, "Kingman's growth is fueled by the strong voices of our community." City representatives attended the International Council of Shopping Centers convention in Las Vegas in May 2025 to recruit those brands directly.
Two proposed I-40 interchanges — Kingman Crossing and the Rancho Santa Fe Interchange — are moving forward alongside the I-40/I-93 bypass project. Large commercial parcels at both interchanges are positioned for the bigger-format national brands residents are still waiting on. That buildout is in motion.
The independent dining corridor on Beale Street didn't wait for it.
If you live in Kingman and want to talk about what's changing in the market, what's opening nearby, and what that means for your neighborhood, the team at Destination Havasu has been following Mohave County closely for a long time. Contact our Lake Havasu real estate experts to start a conversation about Kingman and the surrounding communities.
