Phoenix’s burgeoning Downtown district makes for convenient and rewarding exploration before the first pitch. Neighborhoods like Roosevelt Row, Grand Avenue and Garfield are making a major comeback, racking up coffee shops, restaurants, music venues and other community spaces like points on a batting average.
Itinerary: A Locavore’s Dreamscape
Downtown Phoenix is expanding at a dizzying pace, with locally owned small businesses leading the charge. Keep this handy guide in your back pocket to enjoy some of the area’s best local hangouts.
- 9 a.m.: Get Your Caffeine Fix at Futuro
Sleek and immersive, this Roosevelt coffee shop makes a grand cup of joe. It’s also one of the few places you’ll find the delectable cream cheese Danishes and cinnamon brioches of James Beard Award-nominated baker Mark Chacón. @futurocoffee - 1 p.m.: Grab Some Grub and Good Vibes at Central Records
Credit DJ-owner Jake Stellarwell for bringing the “vinyl bar” concept to Downtown Phoenix, offering a casual, coffee-fueled hangout by day and vibey wine bar by night, with a mishmash of records and books to browse or buy. Chef Dana Arbel’s Mediterranean-inspired menu is creative, featuring breakfast items until 3 p.m. and a dozen sandwiches, salads and small plates all day. @central.records - 9 p.m.: Have a Nightcap at Greenwood Brewing
Megan Greenwood opened her namesake brewpub in 2020, joining the 3 percent of solely female-owned breweries in the country. Along with head brewer Kristin Luparello, Greenwood hopes to change the narrative with award-winning, Arizona-brewed beers like Essence Rosemary IPA. greenwood-brews.com
Downtown Cocktail Crawl
There’s no shortage of cool, new cocktail nooks in Downtown Phoenix, but this trio of nascent bars are a massive home run.
- Teddy’s Preserve
“Inspired by the National Parks and the man who helped establish them,” this indoor-outdoor gastro-lounge winningly sticks with a theme. Located upstairs from Rough Rider in the lobby of Downtown’s Ten-O-One building, it’s essentially a cocktail-centric undercard to the Teddy-Roosevelt-themed main event below. teddyspreserve.com - Quartz
A cocktail bar with a menu inspired by gemstones? Forget Sedona, we’re seeking healing energy here. Sip your birthstone drink in the main bar and then book a reservation in The Cave, Quartz’s inner sanctum, where mixologist Maxwell Berlin and beverage director Paul Waxman have crafted incredibly complex cocktails – and an otherworldly aesthetic experience – inspired by Earth’s great deserts. quartzphx.com - The Liar’s Club
We’ve always felt a certain warmth for Downtown’s “Monrovia” district south of Monroe Street, so it was heartening to see mixologist Colton Brock and company plant their moody little gin joint there. Also heartening: creative infusions and mezcal sips. liarsclubphx.com
Must-Visit
The Pemberton PHX
This “ever-evolving collective” is situated on 2 acres of the historical Pemberton House grounds. There’s plenty to do here, with a rotating roster of food and drink vendors, an Instagrammable dining area, local boutiques, events and more. pembertonphx.com
