Three Thirty Three opened in Tempe in December 2024 and almost immediately became the most talked-about new restaurant in the Phoenix area. Located minutes from Sky Harbor Airport, it is the kind of place that is hard to describe without sounding like you are overselling it: an Asian-inspired menu, a genuinely grand interior, and what is reportedly the largest LED screen in the United States serving as the backdrop to the entire dining room.
We went in curious and left impressed, with a few honest caveats about the price point. The restaurant review everyone was writing in the first weeks after opening was enthusiastic to the point of breathlessness, so we wanted to go in and give it a fair, grounded look.
The Atmosphere
Walk in and the room hits you immediately. The ceilings are high, the lighting is dim in the way that makes everyone look good, and the LED screen wraps the space in constantly shifting visuals that are genuinely beautiful rather than gimmicky. This is not a screen bolted to a wall. It is the room. The effect is closer to a concert venue or an immersive art installation than a traditional restaurant.
The scale of the screen is difficult to communicate without standing in front of it. Whatever number the square footage is, the experience of sitting at a table while the visuals shift from ocean waves to abstract color gradients to what looked like a digital forest is something that does not compress into a photo. It is fundamentally a thing you have to experience in person to understand why people make the drive specifically for it.
The music matches: loud, curated, and part of the experience in a way that makes conversation feel more like a soundtrack than a challenge. That said, if you are coming with older family members or anyone who wants a quiet dinner where they can hear each other clearly, this is worth flagging ahead of time. The "vibe-dining" concept is real, and it comes with real volume. We were at a table with four people and had to lean in to hear each other at points during the meal.
The design concept is confident and fully realized. Three Thirty Three knows exactly what it is trying to be, and it succeeds on its own terms. We have been to plenty of restaurants that chase this kind of energy and fall short. This one pulls it off. The staff match the energy of the room without being performative about it, which is a harder thing to train than most restauranteurs acknowledge.
What We Ordered
Wagyu Taco
The dish everyone is talking about, and for good reason. The wagyu is sliced thin, seared, and piled into the taco with enough meat that it is almost structurally unstable. Incredibly juicy, rich, and seasoned well enough that you do not need any additional sauce. If you are ordering one thing here, this is it. The tortilla holds up to the filling better than you would expect, and the whole thing somehow stays together through the first bite. That structural integrity sounds like a minor thing but it is not. A taco that falls apart immediately undermines everything else.
Wagyu Dragon Beef
A different preparation of wagyu: charred on the outside, soft and tender all the way through. The contrast between the crust and the interior is the point of the dish, and it delivers. This is a more composed plate than the taco, better for sharing and slower eating. The char flavor adds a dimension that the taco does not have, and the two wagyu preparations together cover very different taste profiles even though they share the same primary ingredient.
Braised Pork Belly
The standout of the non-wagyu dishes. The pork is properly braised: falling apart, deeply savory, with enough fat to make it rich without being overwhelming. Served with rice, which is the right call because you need something neutral to balance it. This is the dish we would order again without hesitation even if the other options disappeared from the menu. The braising liquid has reduced into something close to a lacquer, glossy and intensely flavored, that coats every piece of pork.
Whipped Edamame with Shrimp Chips
An unusual starter that works. Smooth, creamy edamame spread served alongside crispy seasoned shrimp chips for scooping. It is lighter than most of what else is on the table, which makes it a good way to open the meal before the heavier wagyu dishes arrive. The edamame has been seasoned in a way that pushes it away from the mild flavor you expect and toward something more savory and interesting. The shrimp chips have real flavor, not just crunch.
DIY Handroll Board
One of the more fun elements of the menu. The board comes with bluefin tuna, avocado, and the sheets and rice to roll your own. The quality of the tuna is good enough that the handroll concept does not feel like a novelty. It is a genuinely enjoyable way to break up a meal that could otherwise feel like a parade of rich, heavy plates. There is also something about rolling your own food mid-meal that resets the pacing. You slow down, you interact with the table, and the next dish lands with fresh attention rather than fatigue.
Mocktails
The cocktail menu is expensive, as you would expect from a restaurant in this category. The mocktails, around $15, are a reasonable way to participate in the drink experience without the full bar tab. We tried the How to Train Your Dragon and the Hollow of the Flying Lotus. Both had a toasty coconut quality that worked well alongside the Asian-inspired food. Neither mocktail tasted like a diminished version of a cocktail. They were designed as their own thing, which is the right approach.
The Price Point
This is where the honest conversation has to happen. Three Thirty Three prices itself like a 5-star hotel restaurant, and in some cases above it. For a special occasion, a birthday, an anniversary, or a first-time visit to a genuinely unique dining experience near Phoenix, it justifies itself. You are paying for the room, the LED experience, the quality of the wagyu, and the overall production.
Budget roughly for the food and then add the mocktails or cocktails on top. Our table of four walked out having spent more than we had budgeted initially, and we knew we were going somewhere expensive. The individual prices look manageable on the menu. The total when it all arrives does not.
For a regular Tuesday dinner? There are better value options in the Phoenix area. This is a destination, not a neighborhood spot, and it works best when you treat it that way. When you frame the visit as an experience rather than simply a meal out, the price becomes more defensible. The LED screen, the atmosphere, and the quality of the wagyu are all things you are actively paying for.
Practical Tips
- Make a reservation well in advance. Three Thirty Three was immediately in demand when it opened and the wait for walk-ins on weekend nights is significant.
- Go for a special occasion. The price point and the energy of the room are both calibrated for a celebration or event, not a casual meal.
- Prioritize the Wagyu Taco and the Braised Pork Belly if you are keeping the order focused.
- Arrive for the full experience. The LED visuals rotate through different programs and the full effect takes a few minutes to settle into. Do not rush.
- Parking near Sky Harbor is available in the lots along the main corridor. Budget extra time if you are driving in during peak evening hours.
