The Queen Creek Olive Mill is Arizona’s only working olive mill, but it is much more than a place to buy olive oil. The property includes three restaurants, a gourmet marketplace, guided tours, olive oil tastings, outdoor seating, and olive groves you can explore.
It is a good day trip from Phoenix or Gilbert for food lovers, couples, families, and anyone looking for something different from the usual Arizona attractions. I originally expected breakfast and a little shopping, but we easily spent several hours eating, tasting olive oils, taking a tour, and walking around the property.
The mill is easiest to reach by car. Travelers flying into the area can read my Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Guide: Everything You Need to Know (PHX) before arriving. If you need transportation during your Arizona trip, you can compare rental car prices through Discover Cars.
The Queen Creek Olive Mill is a working olive farm and mill in Queen Creek, Arizona.
Perry Rea and his family founded the mill with the goal of producing fresh, locally made extra virgin olive oil in Arizona. The family still produces small-batch olive oils while giving visitors the chance to learn how the oil is made and experience the farm firsthand.
Instead of operating as only a production facility or store, the property combines the working mill with restaurants, shopping, tours, tastings, outdoor gathering areas, and seasonal events. It feels more like a full attraction than a restaurant with a gift shop attached.
I first visited after a friend who lives nearby told me it was a fun thing to do. I was not entirely sure what to expect, but it turned into much more than a quick breakfast stop.
During our visit, we ate breakfast, sampled several olive oils, shopped in the marketplace, took the Olive Oil 101 Tour, and walked around the grounds.
The atmosphere was very laid-back. There were plenty of people eating, shopping, and joining tours, but the property never felt overly crowded or chaotic.
Parking was also easy. There is a large parking area located directly beside the mill, so we did not have to walk far or search for a spot.
I would plan to spend at least two to three hours here. That gives you enough time to eat, browse the marketplace, take a tour, and walk around without rushing from one part of the property to another.
We ate breakfast at Del Piero Kitchen, the main Queen Creek Olive Mill restaurant.
I ordered the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, which came with blueberry compote, cinnamon-sugar dust, and warm maple syrup. I also ordered the Balsamic Glazed Bacon and fully loaded eggs.
Breakfast was excellent, and I would happily order the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes again. The blueberry compote and cinnamon sugar made them more interesting than a standard stack of pancakes without making them overly sweet.
The Balsamic Glazed Bacon was also a good addition, especially if you like the sweet-and-savory combination of balsamic glaze and bacon.
For more places to eat before or after your visit, my Best Restaurants in Phoenix: Where to Eat for Every Craving includes everything from casual local favorites to longer tasting-menu dinners.
There are three different restaurants on the property, so you are not limited to one type of meal.
Del Piero Kitchen is the main restaurant and serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch.
The menu uses seasonal ingredients and the mill’s own extra virgin olive oil. This is where we ate breakfast and where I ordered the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Balsamic Glazed Bacon, and fully loaded eggs.
Di Oliva is a more casual Italian-inspired restaurant serving sandwiches, burgers, shareable dishes, and daily specials.
This may be the better option if you want a casual lunch rather than a full sit-down breakfast or brunch.
The Olive Branch serves lighter options such as salads, sandwiches, and antipasti.
It also has outdoor seating among the olive trees, which would be especially nice during cooler weather.
Sampling the olive oils was one of my favorite parts of the visit.
There were many different flavors available, and it was surprising how different each one tasted. Even if you regularly cook with olive oil, trying several varieties next to each other makes it much easier to notice the differences.
You can also sample flavored vinegars and other products sold in the marketplace. I would taste the oils before shopping because it is much easier to decide what you actually want to bring home once you have tried them.
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The Olive Oil 101 Tour is one of the best things to do during a first visit to the Queen Creek Olive Mill.
The tour lasts approximately 45 minutes and explains:
The information was educational without becoming overly technical. You do not need to know anything about olive oil production before the tour to enjoy it.
It also helped me understand what separates extra virgin olive oil from lower-quality oils and what to pay attention to while tasting it.
Tours are offered daily and operate on a first-come, first-served basis. I would check the available tour times shortly after arriving so you can plan your meal and shopping around the schedule.
The Estate Train Tour is the main activity I did not have time to experience during my visit.
The approximately 45-minute guided ride travels through the olive groves and explains more about how the farm operates. It also includes an olive oil and local honey tasting.
The train gives visitors a closer look at areas of the property that are not normally accessible while walking around on your own.
The Estate Train operates Friday through Sunday, weather permitting. I would make time for it during my next visit because it sounds like a good way to see more of the working farm rather than only the restaurant and marketplace areas.
Travelers who enjoy scenic rides may also want to read my Verde Canyon Railroad Review: Tips, Cost & What to Expect. The four-hour train ride explores a remote part of Arizona’s Verde Valley that cannot be reached by car.
The gourmet marketplace is worth visiting even if you are not planning to eat at one of the restaurants.
The shop carries a large selection of:
I enjoyed browsing after breakfast and the Olive Oil 101 Tour. The store is large enough that it takes time to look through everything, especially after you have sampled several products and suddenly feel like you need an entire section of olive oils at home.
It is also a good place to find gifts that feel more specific to Arizona than a standard souvenir. A foldable Nano Bag can be useful if you plan to shop because it takes up very little space in your regular bag but gives you somewhere to carry smaller purchases.
Leave some time to walk around the property instead of staying only inside the restaurant and marketplace.
The grounds include outdoor seating, olive trees, and open areas where visitors can relax before or after eating. The layout makes it easy to move between the restaurants, shop, tour areas, and outdoor spaces.
There were people throughout the property during our visit, but it never felt uncomfortably busy. The relaxed setup makes it easy to stay for a few hours without feeling like you need to keep moving.
I recommend allowing two to three hours for a first visit.
That gives you enough time to:
You may need more time if you plan to take both the Olive Oil 101 Tour and the Estate Train Tour.
This is not somewhere I would schedule as a fast stop between two tightly timed activities. There is enough to see, taste, and shop for that it is more enjoyable when you can take your time.
Parking was very easy during my visit.
The mill has a large, free parking area located directly beside the property. We were able to park close to the entrance and did not have to walk a long distance.
The convenient parking also makes the attraction manageable for families, older visitors, and anyone who does not want to add unnecessary walking before reaching the restaurants or marketplace.
The Queen Creek Olive Mill works well for families because there are several different activities in one location.
Children may enjoy walking around the grounds and riding the Estate Train, while adults can take the Olive Oil 101 Tour, shop, eat, and sample products.
The property is spread out enough that families are not limited to sitting inside a restaurant for the entire visit.
The Queen Creek Olive Mill is a good option for:
You do not need to be especially interested in cooking or olive oil production to enjoy the visit. The restaurants, grounds, shopping, tastings, and tours provide enough variety to fill several hours.
You could also combine the mill with another outdoor Arizona experience. My Salt River Wild Horses: Where to See Arizona's Famous Wild Horses explains where to look for the horses, when to visit, and what to expect along the river.
The Queen Creek Olive Mill is open daily and has three restaurants, a large gourmet marketplace, free parking, and daily Olive Oil 101 Tours.
The Estate Train operates Friday through Sunday, weather permitting.
Tours may operate on a first-come, first-served basis, so check the schedule after arriving rather than waiting until the end of your visit.
Plan to spend at least two to three hours, especially if you want to eat and take a tour.
Yes. The Queen Creek Olive Mill ended up being much more of an experience than I expected.
We had an excellent breakfast, sampled more olive oils than I knew existed, walked around the property, browsed the marketplace, and took the Olive Oil 101 Tour. There were plenty of people around, but the atmosphere remained relaxed and parking was simple.
I would return and order the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes again. Next time, I would also leave enough time for the Estate Train Tour so I could see more of the olive groves and working farm.
For travelers looking for a unique day trip from Phoenix or Gilbert, the Queen Creek Olive Mill is an easy place to spend a relaxed two or three hours.
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Four hours on a train through a canyon you can’t reach by car — such a fun experience! We picked the indoor seats with unlimited access to the open-air viewing car, which honestly felt like the only right call. You’re not stuck in an assigned seat the whole time we bounced between the two, snacks in hand, chasing the best light.
The scenery is the whole point. Red rock cliffs, the Verde River, a 734-foot tunnel, historic trestle bridges views most people visiting Sedona never see, because you literally can’t drive to them.
The charcuterie box that comes with your ticket is shockingly filling ✨ so skip lunch at the Copper Spike Café beforehand, save your appetite for dinner back in Sedona.
Four hours with no stops did start to feel long by the end, but the trade-off for scenery like this? Worth it.
Would I ride it again? Yes. Would I buy lunch first again? No.
Link in bio for the full review cost breakdown, what to pack, and exactly how early to arrive 🚂
I ate chilaquiles while a Cessna taxied past the window, and that’s just a normal Tuesday breakfast in Sedona.
@mesa_grill_sedona sits right beside the Sedona Airport Scenic Lookout, so along with your food you get red rock views stretching in every direction and a front-row seat to tiny planes lifting off. Chef Mercer Mohr runs the kitchen, serving up Southwestern comfort food from breakfast through dinner, chilaquiles, elevated diner classics, burgers, steaks, seafood, all of it.
The view is what pulls people in the door, but the food actually holds its own. Good enough that this place stays packed with locals, not just tourists passing through on their way to the lookout. It also picked up the 2025 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice and OpenTable Diners’ Choice awards, so it’s not just me saying it.
Indoor seating if you want the AC, a pet-friendly patio if your dog’s along for the trip. Either way, get there before plane-spotting turns into a wait for a table.
Link in bio for the full Sedona breakfast roundup ✈️🌵
Confession: my newsletter is where the good stuff lives. Not the polished, edited-for-the-grid stuff, the “here’s the hole-in-the-wall I almost skipped” stuff, the packing lists I actually use, the “don’t book this hotel” warnings before you waste your money on them.
The newsletter is basically me texting you before a trip instead of after one. Sign up and you’ll be the first to know where I’m headed next, plus a few things I’ll never post here.
Link in bio if you want in. ✈️
Yes, it’s only July. Start planning anyway. Fall books faster than people expect, and a few of these destinations are worth getting ahead of. Here are five places worth putting on your radar right now.
Ireland: Cooler temps, moody skies, dramatic coastline fall was made for it. Tourist crowds drop, the green stays, and the whole country feels a little more like itself.
Great Smoky Mountains, TN/NC: Fall foliage in the Smokies is the real thing. The color peaks mid-October and the views from the ridgelines are hard to argue with. It’s also one of the most visited national parks in the country, so going on a weekday makes a real difference.
New York City: Fall is NYC at its best comfortable temps, the energy of the city shifting into a new season, and every neighborhood doing something worth showing up for. It’s also just a great walking city when it’s not brutally hot.
Japan: Fall foliage season is as good as spring cherry blossoms and somehow less talked about. The colors are dramatic, the temples and gardens are stunning, and it’s worth planning around peak dates by region.
Mystic, Connecticut: Small, walkable, genuinely charming Mystic in fall feels like exactly what a New England autumn is supposed to look like. Easy to pair with a broader New England road trip if you want to extend it.
Full guides linked in bio 🍂
There are two kinds of travelers: people who plan a trip and then figure out where to eat, and people who book a restaurant and then build the rest of the itinerary around it.I am the second kind. I will not apologize for this.
The reservation gets locked in first. The hotel search happens within the same 24 hours. The flights get compared around the restaurant’s hours of operation. The rest of the trip exists to fill the days before and after the table I actually came for.
If this sounds unhinged, I completely understand. It has also resulted in some of the best meals of my life, so I’m going to keep doing it.
Drop a 🍽️ if you plan your trips around food too.
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