Popular pizza pop-up, Churchill team partner on new downtown destination

The team behind The Churchill and a popular pizza pop-up have teamed up on a new restaurant and bar. Otra Pizzeria and Better Days will open in the shadow of Chase Field in Phoenix’s Warehouse District this summer.

Kell Duncan and Stephen Allen are behind the shopping and dining hubs The Churchill in downtown Phoenix and the forthcoming Jefferson House in Peoria.

With this new project, they’re making the most of the historic Gerardo’s Building located on the northeast corner of Third and Buchanan streets. The space was formerly home to a pool hall and soda fountain, and more notably, the long-running Sonorense Cafe.

Duncan moved to the Warehouse District around 2012, and his time living there made him fall in love with downtown Phoenix. The developer recalls often walking by the two-story, Art Deco-detailed brick building.

“I was always looking at that spot,” Duncan says. “I always wanted to know what was going to happen with it.”

Now, Duncan is turning his curiosity into action. A pizza oven helmed by Cesar Velasco and his team will warm the first floor, while The Churchill team will run the bar upstairs. Velasco’s Neapolitan-style pizza pop-up has gained a dedicated following over the last three years. He’s excited to take the next step.

“It’s been very surreal,” Velasco says. “I know we’ve been busting our butts and making sure that we’re out there being consistent, and now it’s finally paying off.”

Though the businesses will operate separately, the teams will serve food and drinks across both floors.

“They’ll be connected,” Duncan says, “but it will feel separate.”

What to expect at Otra Pizzeria and Better Days

When guests step inside the modern, retro-inspired Otra Pizzeria, the open kitchen will set the tone. Giving diners a glimpse of the pizza-making process mirrors what Velasco and his team have done since 2023: cooking pizzas in a wood-fired oven outside local wine bars, breweries and businesses. 

“What we offer at the pop-ups now is what we’re trying to offer at the restaurant,” Velasco says. “It’s just more of a deeper dimension.”

The chef came up through the fine dining ranks at notable Valley eateries, including Christopher’s, Chula Seafood and Fat Ox. Velasco started stretching dough and firing pies at The Pemberton’s pizzeria, Pie-Curious. He soon channeled his culinary know-how and heritage with Otra Pizzeria. 

After a brief residency at the now-shuttered Miracle Mile location of Spce Coffee, Velasco was searching for a brick-and-mortar. A Local First Arizona staffer introduced him to Duncan.

“I had a whole business plan,” Velasco says. “He’s had my pizza, so he knew who he was going into business with.”

Now, the pizzaiolo and bar teams are in a full sprint to open the doors of the dual-concept space. 

The chef will keep Otra’s menu similar to what diners have come to expect at the pop-up: wood-fired pizzas with charred, bubbly crusts topped with classic and fusion ingredients, like housemade fennel sausage and burrata with salsa macha. Seasonal salads and Otra’s popular charred romaine Caesar will continue to be part of the menu, too.

Velasco and his crew will add appetizers and pasta to the menu. Among the noodle dishes is a rolled lasagna made with a barbacoa bolognese, bechamel and a guajillo pomodoro sauce. Otra’s chefs will also craft some desserts, and Velasco plans to partner with local vendors on other treats. In time, the chef anticipates adding more seasonal, chef-driven dishes highlighting Arizona ingredients. 

The pizzeria will offer daily counter-service lunch and full-service dinner.  The Otra kitchen will turn out Roman-style square slices from around 10 p.m. to midnight for Better Days customers.

Beer, wine and cocktails from Better Days will also be available to Otra patrons. Duncan has tapped long-time Churchill bartender Fendi Vaughn to manage the bar.

“I really want her to have creative freedom,” Duncan says of the bar menu, which is still in development.

The bar will open in the evening and stay open late. The upstairs watering hole will feature a vintage dive-bar feel, with warm, dim lighting, checkerboard floors and red booths lining the perimeter.

“We’re going for a friendly, approachable, neighborhood bar,” Duncan says. 

Better Days and Otra Pizzeria

Opens this summer
421 S. Third St.