"We wanted to create a more complete experience while remaining true to who we are," De Babel founder Marwan Kandeel said in a news release when his second Scottsdale location opened at The Edge, the plaza at 90th Street just east of Loop 101. According to Phoenix New Times, that "more complete experience" means larger patios and a room designed for lingering. The bigger change is a retail market.
For anyone living off Shea Boulevard, the market is the news. The menu is the same one people already drive to Pima Road for. The new location adds a shelf of pantry goods, an hour more of morning service, and an address just south of Shea at Via Linda. Meanwhile, the stretch near Scottsdale Road is going through turnover. One decade-old spot left over lease costs, a Gainey Ranch Italian restaurant went dark without explanation, and a new taco concept has filed for an address near the same intersection.
What's on the shelf at The Edge
De Babel has made Yelp's annual list of the Top 100 restaurants in the country four years running, and in 2025 it reached No. 3 nationwide. That reputation was built on the dining room at Pima Road and Raintree Drive. The Edge location adds something the original never had: a dedicated retail market. The restaurant describes it as "an extension of De Babel's food identity."
According to De Babel, the market stocks:
- Halal products and Pereg kosher products
- Middle Eastern spices and pantry essentials
- Specialty cheeses from Cyprus and Lebanon
- Dubai chocolate
- Other regional products chosen to match the cultures behind the menu
The kitchen stays strictly halal and keeps its made-to-order approach, Kandeel said. He added that the market is meant to make "important Middle Eastern products easier to find." For a household that cooks at home most nights, that turns De Babel from a special-occasion dinner into a stop you might make on an ordinary Tuesday.
The space itself is about 2,600 square feet, with outdoor patio seating and a beverage counter pouring six organic drinks on tap. De Babel says the larger kitchen layout is built for higher volume.
The hour that matters
De Babel posts different hours for its two Scottsdale locations. The Edge opens at 10 a.m., Monday through Saturday. The Pima Road original opens at 11 a.m. Both close at 9 p.m., and both are closed Sundays. That earlier start gives the new location a late-morning window the original doesn't have, which helps if your plan is to pick up spices and cheese before lunch instead of sitting down to eat.
Why the Via Linda address matters
Phoenix New Times put the new location roughly four miles south of the original. De Babel's own description places The Edge at 8980 N. 90th Street, Suite 124, just off Loop 101 and Via Linda. The restaurant says it is surrounded by "residential, healthcare, business, and retail destinations" and complements the Pima Road location "while making De Babel more accessible across the city."
For Scottsdale Ranch and the neighborhoods along 90th and 96th Streets, that four miles changes how often a meal like this happens. Since the menu is the same, nobody needs to try The Edge to taste something new. They go because it's closer, it opens earlier, and the shelf by the door is stocked. Phoenix New Times gave Sept. 1 as the planned opening date, and PHOENIX magazine's September openings roundup, published Oct. 2, confirms the location is open.
The Via Linda pocket picked up a destination this fall. The far western end of the corridor is going through a different kind of change.
Turnover at Shea and Scottsdale Road
After 10 years, d'Lite Healthy On The Go closed its location at Shea and Scottsdale roads in August. Mouth by Southwest reported that the farewell sign posted at the shop cited rising lease costs, thanked customers for a decade of loyalty, and said the company was looking for a new spot nearby. The menu was built for quick, healthy meals: made-to-order wraps, poke-style bowls, salads, bagels and bialys, plus a drink bar known for protein shakes, smoothies and pressed juices.
The timing was part of a bigger pattern. In the same Aug. 12 report, Mouth by Southwest said August was "shaping up to be the worst month for restaurant closures in Valley history." It pointed to Salad and Go, which filed for bankruptcy and was closing roughly 70 Valley locations, along with closures of Old Town Tortilla Factory and Sel Bistro in Old Town Scottsdale. Measured against that, the loss of one 10-year tenant near Shea fits a Valley-wide summer of closures. It doesn't point to a problem specific to this corner.
A replacement for that kind of quick meal is already announced nearby. Forking Scottsdale reported on Sept. 24 that Cali Tacos plans a Scottsdale location at 7337 E. Shea Blvd., Suite 100, near the Scottsdale Road intersection. The concept is known for California-influenced street food, including birria, tacos and cheese-heavy combinations. Its only current Arizona location is in Tolleson, so Scottsdale moves the brand much farther east. No opening date has been announced. None of the reporting says whether Cali Tacos is moving into d'Lite's former space. They're two separate changes at the same end of the corridor.
Gainey Ranch is still waiting on an answer
A short drive north of Shea, Corso Italia at 7704 E. Doubletree Ranch Road went quiet in June. Patch reported on June 17 that OpenTable had told reservation holders the restaurant closed unexpectedly, with future availability canceled "until further notice." Patch also said it was unclear whether the closure was temporary or permanent. PHOENIX magazine's July roundup, published Aug. 3, said the restaurant had "gone dark with no explanation."
As of early October, no reporting confirms that the closure is permanent, and no new tenant has been named for the address. For Gainey Ranch neighbors who counted Corso Italia as their walkable Italian dinner, the honest status is unresolved.
The dates to know through December
The rest of the fall calendar near the corridor mixes new openings with neighborhood traditions. Only some of it has firm dates.
- Oct. 24, Scottsdale Ranch Oktoberfest. The Scottsdale Ranch Community Association lists the event, planned for 3:30 to 6 p.m. at the Community Center, as cancelled.
- Oct. 28, Via Linda Senior Center overview. A 10 a.m. presentation at the Scottsdale Ranch Community Center covering activities, fitness programs and resources at the senior center, with coffee and donuts. RSVP through the association.
- November, Dash. Chef Matt Carter's all-day restaurant is planned for 9619 N. Hayden Road, Suite 101, near Hayden and Mountain View roads, with a November target reported by Phoenix New Times on Sept. 24. It sits west of the corridor in McCormick Ranch rather than on Shea.
- Nov. 7, Community Wide Sale and Donation Drive. Yard sales across Scottsdale Ranch run 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration for the shopper's map is due Oct. 30. A Salvation Army donation drive follows from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Community Center.
- Nov. 13, Food Truck Friday. Rockin Rollz Lobster and Sushi serves lobster rolls, lobster tacos and sushi bowls at the Scottsdale Ranch Community Center from 5 to 7 p.m. Seating is provided, and it's BYOB.
- Dec. 12, Holiday Party and Boat Parade. From 6 to 8 p.m. at the Community Center, with carolers, Santa and balloon twisters. The Lake Serena boat parade is expected to reach the Community Center between 7 and 7:15 p.m. Admission is one new item per family for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, and the event is for Scottsdale Ranch residents only.
Cali Tacos isn't on this list because it has no date yet. If Dash's November target slips, it would be the first move on the calendar to change.
Through all of this, De Babel at The Edge is the one fall addition with a confirmed opening, posted hours, and a market you can shop today, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Restaurant turnover along a corridor like Shea affects how buyers judge a home's location. Whether a new arrival like The Edge is five minutes away or a longtime favorite is gone shows up in how buyers compare one street with the next. If you live between Scottsdale Road and the Loop 101 and want to know how your home compares, Smith Real Estate can walk you through it. Request a Market Valuation, and we'll ground the numbers in the streets and plazas around your address.
