Known for his CenPho hits, restaurateur Omar Alvarez is now pouring inspiration into the oft-neglected West Valley dining scene.
At first glance, Omar Alvarez’s little stretch of 24th Street doesn’t look much like the headquarters of one of Phoenix’s most steadily expanding restaurant groups.
There’s the laid-back patio at Pa’La Wood Fired Cooking, a converted historical cottage shaded by mature trees along a Central Phoenix corridor where older homes, mom-and-pop businesses and newer destination restaurants now coexist.
Next door sits the bakery commissary supplying Tortas Paquimé, Alvarez’s long-running Mexican sandwich concept. Nearby are company offices, storage buildings and a well-known brewery Alvarez helped nurture in its early days by leasing space to its founders.
The whole property feels less like a polished restaurant headquarters and more like a family enclave that’s grown organically over time – the way relatives might gradually settle onto the same block. Which is kind of how he’s done it. “The only way we can grow is by really strengthening our team – just doubling up on good people,” Alvarez says. “We have people who’ve been with us for more than 20 years. That’s something I’m very proud of.”
Long before Alvarez became one of Phoenix’s more influential restaurateurs – before Pa’La and his partnership with chef Claudio Urciuoli placed him within the city’s increasingly ambitious culinary conversation (the two have since parted amicably) – the budding restaurateur was selling tortas and paletas from a small shop at 43rd Avenue and Indian School Road to a rapidly growing following.
“People would come from Las Vegas or Colorado or New Mexico to visit family here,” he says, “and they’d fill up coolers with 100, 200 tortas to take home because they couldn’t find anything like it where they lived.”
Born in El Paso but raised in the Casas Grandes region of northern Chihuahua, where Mexican ranching culture mingles with generations-old Mormon colonies with strong ties to Arizona and Utah, Alvarez was already familiar with the rhythms of a cross-border economy. “I was 23 years old. I’d never worked in a restaurant before,” says Alvarez, 48. “But I grew up eating these sandwiches in Chihuahua, and when I came to Phoenix, I brought that product with me.”
More than two decades later, Alvarez now runs TPQ Foods from the offices next to Pa’La, overseeing five Tortas Paquimé shops, two Pa’La restaurants and a growing slate of new Valley dining projects.
Increasingly, those bets are being placed west of Downtown Phoenix, including a new Tortas Paquimé in Glendale. More momentously, he’ll open Magdaleña, a wood-fired Latin American concept, in Goodyear this summer. Led by longtime Pa’La chef Jason Alford and featuring elevated cuisine and beverages, it’s precisely the kind of ambitious, chef-driven culinary experiment this part of the Valley has often lacked. “Do we want to open where there are already a million restaurants?” Alvarez asks, referring to dining hubs like Old Town Scottsdale or Gilbert. “Or do we want to bring something new to areas that are missing it?”
The decision is also personal. Alvarez opened his first restaurant in West Phoenix and lived for years in the area with his wife and four children, who have all worked in the business at various points over the years – though he says he’s careful not to pressure them into following his path. “I think my kids are a lot smarter than me,” he says with a laugh.
Alvarez spends whatever free time he gets golfing, competing in team roping events and participating in nonprofits – pursuits that, much like his restaurants, have helped root him deeply in Phoenix.
For an ambitious restaurateur who once considered expanding to Texas or Colorado, Alvarez now speaks about the Valley less like a tapped-out market than an unfinished opportunity.
“We’ve had so much growth in Phoenix that we really haven’t had the need to look elsewhere,” he says. “There’s still a lot to be done here.”
Booze Cruise
Fans of Scottsdale’s rowdy party bikes have a new venue for communal cavorting: Tempe Boat Cruisin’. Arizona Party Bike founder Rob Mayer launched the cycle boat ride across Tempe Town Lake in collaboration with the City of Tempe in January. The cycle boat is a hybrid between a party bike and a boat, accommodating up to 26 guests for public and private paddles. Guests will be able to take in scenic views of downtown Tempe while enjoying a unique social experience on the water. Adults 21 and over can purchase alcoholic drinks during their ride, naturally. tempeboatcruisin.com
– Abigail Wilt
Tech Corner: Grand Canyon West App
Your Grand Canyon checklist is complete: Hiking boots. Water bottle. Sunscreen. App? The West Rim of the Grand Canyon doesn’t have access to WiFi, which is great for unplugging but not for relying on phone maps. The free Grand Canyon West App – produced in concert with the Hualapai Tribe – equips visitors to fully enjoy their visit without the need for internet connection, providing maps, activity news and cultural connections. Visitors are encouraged to download the app before their arrival for ease of access. grandcanyonwest.com
– Abigail Wilt
