5 new bars coming to booming Roosevelt Row scene
Roosevelt Row, located in downtown Phoenix, has long been recognized as a place where artists and the community gather. Murals decorate buildings throughout the district and art galleries are dispersed throughout.
But Roosevelt Row is going through an evolution as more bars, restaurants and entertainment destinations move into the area.
Gilbert-based brewery Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company opened in February 2019 and has quickly become a popular spot to grab a beer. The Theodore, a new beer bar, joined the neighborhood in October. Angels Trumpet Ale House has been pouring pints in the area since 2012 and the Sazarac opened in 2018, to name a few.
But the steady sounds of construction indicate these bars and restaurants are about to have some new neighbors.
From a recently opened cocktail bar to others scheduled to open in the coming year, here are five bars to look forward to trying on Roosevelt Row soon.
Coup de Grace
Josephine, a new restaurant on Roosevelt Row from local restaurateur Grace Unger and development group True North Studio, opened on Jan. 3 in an allblack bungalow. The French-inspired global menu offers a high-end dining experience among dried flower bouquets decorating the elegant dining room.
But tucked around back, accessible from the restaurant patio or from the adjacent alleyway, is a spot with a decidedly different feel. Coup de Grace is a new cocktail bar, located in what used to be the bungalow’s garage.
Initially designed as a late night speakeasy, the bar now opens at the same time as the restaurant. Coup de Grace functions as a place where diners can grab a drink while waiting for their table or as its own destination.
The bar features a cocktail menu unique from Josephine’s and a small snack menu is in the works.
Details: Coup de Grace, 218 E. Portland Street, Phoenix. Opened Jan. 3.
Killer Whale Sex Club
In October, friends and business partners Sam Olguin and Brenon Stuart opened their first bar inside The Churchill. The bar, called So Far So Good, took over the spot that used to house Pobrecito, a Latin-inspired bar in the downtown shipping container collective.
When the bar space became available, the opportunity was too good to pass up, Olguin told The Arizona Republic in August. But the plans for another bar just down the street were already in the works.
So, while the new bar owners have been slinging cocktails by night, they’ve also been working on construction at the new space by day. The bar, initially called Axiom and currently dubbed the Killer Whale Sex Club, will be located on the southwest corner of Roosevelt and Sixth streets close to Taco Chelo and Golden Rule Tattoo. It is set to open in early February.
Details: Killer Whale Sex Club, 922 N. Sixth St., Phoenix. Opening early February.
Greenwood Brewing
Megan Greenwood’s upcoming brewery has been in the works for quite some time. And if the name sounds familiar, you might have already tried her beer.
Greenwood has been brewing her flagship beer Herstory Pale Ale among others at a Freak’N Brewing Company in Peoria and distributing her beer around the Valley since 2017. She now hosts pop up bars at the construction site of her new brewery on Roosevelt Row’s First Friday events.
The new brewery building will be an addition onto an existing Roosevelt Row bungalow that houses Eye Lounge art gallery and MADE Art Boutique. All three businesses will share the space and customers will be able to browse art while sipping a Greenwood brew.
Construction is underway and Greenwood hopes to start brewing in February. Rainy weather over the holidays slowed down the build out, but a grand opening is planned for March.
Details: Greenwood Brewing, 922 N. 5th Street, Phoenix. Planned opening in March.
Punch Bowl Social
Another project brought to Roosevelt Row by True North, Punch Bowl Social is set to open at the end of the first quarter of 2020, probably in March, according to Dorina Bustamante, Community Development for True North Studios.
The entertainment hub opened its original restaurant, bowling alley, arcade and cocktail bar combination destination in Denver, followed by locations around the country. Anyone who has walked along second Street recently has heard the hammering and sawing of the finishing touches going on to the new Punch Bowl Social, an adaptive reuse building located close to Film Bar.
Details: Punch Bowl Social, 903 N. Second St., Phoenix. Opening this spring.
Lucky Lounge
The Lucky Lounge, a new bar coming to Second Street, is scheduled to open in May. The building is owned by Jonathon Vento of True North.
The new nightlife location includes plans for a 15-seat bar, tufted bar stools, low ceilings and dark lighting according to a spokesperson for the company.
Customers will also be able to play skee ball, pool and darts among vintage beer signs. The bar will have no food, but an outdoor patio, complete with picnic tables and yard games, will feature food trucks.
Details: 817 N. Second St., Phoenix. Opening planned for May.