Openings/Closings

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Desert Digest Dining Openings/ClosingsChef Rene Andrade Opens Bacanora on Grand Avenue

Nikki BuchananFebruary 26, 2021

Great news for Downtown dwellers and the avant-garde peeps who appreciate Grand Avenue for its quirky coolness. Rene Andrade, the Nogales-born chef who garnered a following at Ghost Ranch, is opening his own Grand Avenue restaurant today in the tiny sunlit space that most recently housed Silvana Salcido Esparza’s Barrio Café Gran Reserva – and years before that, the historical Bragg’s Pie Factory and Bragg’s Pie Factory Diner. Andrade is calling his pie wedge-shaped place Bacanora, name-checking the little-known and underrated mezcal produced...

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Desert Digest Openings/ClosingsReel Pizza in Surprise Combines Pies and Vibes

Madison RutherfordMarch 11, 2020

Kaleb Copenhaver believes that passion is the most important ingredient when it comes to making pizza. “You can buy the good flour, good products and a good oven, but you can’t buy the passion,” says the 22-year-old chef and entrepreneur. “That’s the most important thing.” Copenhaver’s passions include pizza and music. He recently rolled his two obsessions into one with his new culinary concept, Reel Pizza Pies, slated to open in Surprise in early April....

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Desert Digest Openings/ClosingsGuacStar: A New Plant-Based Mexican Restaurant Set to Open in Tempe

Angelica OlivasJanuary 30, 2020

GuacStar Kitchen and Cantina, a new one-of-a-kind plant-based restaurant and bar, is coming to Tempe in early March. This full-service Cantina will be located at the Cornerstone Mall across from Arizona State University’s Tempe campus. “Everything is going to be edible art,” says executive chef Vincent Contreras. “It’s not going to be a plant-based restaurant, it’s just going to be a great restaurant.” GuacStar will feature Mexican-inspired cuisine that is completely plant-based, and the majority...

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Desert Digest Openings/ClosingsNew Restaurant Review: Zinqué

Kristy DurkinJanuary 27, 2020

Scottsdale Fashion Square is becoming the ideal spot for foodies with new restaurants popping up everywhere you turn. The latest addition, Zinqué (pronounced zinc-kay) had its grand opening this past week and I was lucky enough to snag an invite to their media event. The relaxed but stylish Euro-inspired restaurant mimics cafes found in the South of France, Italy and Spain where guests can start with a latte and end with a glass of wine....

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Desert Digest Openings/ClosingsKaleidoscope Juice Arrives in Gilbert

Madison RutherfordJanuary 21, 2020

Kaleidoscope Juice, a local health and wellness company, will open its eighth Valley location in Gilbert next month. Kaleidoscope offers fresh-pressed juices, nutritious smoothies, coffee, acai bowls, grab-and-go salads and gluten-free baked goods. It uses high quality, organic ingredients that are locally sourced when possible. The new location will feature a walnut wood bar, banquet seating and a community table. It will also include a baking production area that will allow the company to expand...

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Desert Digest Openings/Closings12 West Brewing Comes to Downtown Mesa

Madison RutherfordJanuary 16, 2020

Bryan McCormick’s dream of bringing his brewery to the 12 West building in downtown Mesa has become a reality. McCormick founded 12 West Brewing with Noel Garcia in 2016. The pair began brewing on a one-barrel system at its original location at Barnone in Gilbert and quickly started producing on a 10-barrel system due to increased demand. Now, the duo is finally expanding their business to a former events venue at 12 West Main Street...

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Desert Digest Openings/ClosingsMarauders is a New Pirate-Themed Bar and Restaurant in Tempe

Madison RutherfordJanuary 16, 2020

Marauders, a pirate-themed bar and restaurant that recently opened in south Tempe, is “built by musicians for musicians,” according to owner D.L. Marble. The singer-songwriter identifies with the pirate lifestyle, spending much of his time on his sailboat in San Carlos, Mexico and frequently visiting San Diego. He is also a yacht rock enthusiast, so he named many of the nautical watering hole’s cocktails after songs of the genre. Marauders features drinks, many of which...

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Desert Digest Openings/ClosingsHula’s Modern Tiki Opens Third Location

Helena WegnerDecember 11, 2019

Restauranteur M. Dana Mule’s new Hula’s Modern Tiki location is set to open this January on High Street in north Phoenix. “You’ll get everything you used to at Hula’s but with a slightly different perspective,” Mule says. The new space will depict the same ’50s and ’60s modern mid-century inspired tiki bar elements like the Old Town Scottsdale and Uptown Phoenix locations, but Mule says this new restaurant will be beachier and “a little less...

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Desert Digest Openings/ClosingsTaco Bell Cantina Comes to Tempe

Leilani FitzpatrickNovember 15, 2019

A Taco Bell Cantina is opening at the former Restaurant Mexico site on Mill Avenue in Tempe. A Taco Bell spokesperson confirmed that the cantina is set to open before 2020. The site at 423 S. Mill Avenue previously housed Restaurant Mexico, which had been around for nearly four decades in four different locations. Its doors closed on August 15, as owner Carolina Chavarria, 83, was ready to retire from the restaurant business. The new...

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Desert Digest Openings/ClosingsCanada-Based OEB Breakfast Co. Opens First U.S. Location in Scottsdale

Madison RutherfordOctober 23, 2019

OEB Breakfast Co. owner and founder Mauro Martina believes breakfast means so much more than the first meal of the day. The award-winning Canadian concept puts a creative spin on breakfast classics, offering inventive eats like Nutella French toast and blue crab eggs Benedict. OEB is opening its first U.S. location in Scottsdale next month. “It’s about elevating the whole breakfast experience,” Martina says. “That’s what OEB is all about.” The restaurant will be located...

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Desert Digest Openings/ClosingsDonut Bar Scottsdale Closes its Doors

Madison RutherfordOctober 22, 2019

Donut Bar’s Scottsdale location closed abruptly last week, according to an Instagram post from franchise owner Sheley Brien. The San Diego-based donut shop known for its extravagant, Instagram-worthy culinary concoctions, opened in The Promenade shopping center in November 2018. “We regretfully announce the closure of Donut Bar Scottsdale on Monday, October 16th, 2019. We have enjoyed being a part of our hometown community and appreciate how welcoming everyone was to us,” the post says. “We...

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Desert Digest Openings/ClosingsPersepshen Opens in the Former Hula’s Modern Tiki Space

Helena WegnerOctober 15, 2019

Husband and wife Jason and Katherine Dwight are bringing something new to the Uptown Phoenix area. The duo recently opened a restaurant and bakery called Persepshen – pronounced “perception” – in the space formerly known as Hula’s Modern Tiki on Central Avenue and Camelback Road. Their menu reflects high-quality, farm-to-table recipes and will change daily to incorporate fresh, local and organic ingredients. Persepshen spent two years at the Uptown Farmers Market selling sandwiches, smoked sausages,...

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Desert Digest Openings/ClosingsModern Mexican Restaurant Toca Madera Debuts in Scottsdale

Madison RutherfordOctober 14, 2019

A posh Hollywood hangout is coming to the Valley.

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Desert Digest Openings/ClosingsSo Far, So Good: A New Cocktail Bar Comes to The Churchill

Madison RutherfordOctober 1, 2019

A new cocktail concept just opened at The Churchill, an urban marketplace made of shipping containers in Downtown Phoenix. The all-new bar, So Far, So Good, will replace Pobrecito, which closed on August 31. Spearheaded by The Churchill’s new beverage director, Sam Olguin, So Far, So Good will serve unique cocktails featuring fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs. “So Far, So Good is an approachable neighborhood cocktail bar, where we’re not pigeonholed to a certain type...

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Desert Digest Openings/ClosingsDōH!, a Donut and Coffee Shop, Debuts in Uptown Phoenix

Madison RutherfordSeptember 26, 2019

Oreo cheesecake and Jack Daniels. Peanut butter dream and Bailey’s. Orange glazed pistachio and Grand Marnier. These are just a few flavor combinations of “drunken donuts” offered by DōH!, a new donut shop in Uptown Phoenix helmed by Brat Haus owner Dave Andrea. These boozy breakfast treats are injected with a shot of specialty liquor and served with a pipette protruding from the donut’s sugary center. Customers can pair their booze-infused pastry with coffee from...

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