Julieanna’s

That’s a credit to chef and owner Eddie Guzman (pictured), whose tender, flavorful steak creations have attracted a devoted following since he took over and reinvented Julieanna’s in 2020. “We want to make sure we represent Yuma, and all of Arizona, when it comes to quality and service,” he says.

Julie Fritz Feinberg opened Julieanna’s Patio Cafe in the verdant courtyard of a local medical center in 1996, and Guzman started working there as a dishwasher in the early years before honing his cooking skills in the kitchen later on. When it came time for Feinberg to retire, Guzman was a logical choice to succeed her. And given the lack of steakhouse options in Yuma at the time, that direction made sense, too.

A more unexpected direction was dry-aged steaks, which Guzman says only a few Arizona restaurants were offering in 2020. After up to 30 days of a traditional aging process, Guzman’s steaks spend another month or so in a dry ager, making them even more tender and flavorful. Among popular dry-aged options are boneless and bone-in rib-eyes, along with T-bones and porterhouses.

There are traditionally aged steaks, too, and other entrées such as airline chicken breast, squid ink pasta and pan-seared salmon. But the steaks’ true co-star, and the element that’s attracted oenophiles to Julieanna’s, is the extensive wine list. “We wanted to make sure we were highlighting Chef Eddie’s food with a complementary wine selection,” says David Finch, vice president of operations for Guzman Hospitality Group.

Little by little, the staff curated wines from as far away as New Zealand, Argentina and Europe — and as nearby as Willcox, in Southeastern Arizona’s up-and-coming wine country. It was a hefty investment, but it paid off: The wine list, now boasting more than 120 options, received Wine Spectator magazine’s Award of Excellence in 2023, making Julieanna’s the first Yuma restaurant to receive the honor. This past June, it was honored for the third consecutive year.

From mouthwatering steaks to perfectly paired wines, dinner at Julieanna’s is a memorable experience — and that’s a curated element, too. “We train our staff in hospitality,” Finch says. “The steps of service are pretty easy to teach, but it’s the feelings we create for our guests that we hope bring success to us and great memories for them.”