Americana-style sports grill to replace Angel’s Trumpet in downtown Phoenix

A casual, affordable sports bar and grill will take over a longstanding former gastropub near Roosevelt Row in downtown Phoenix.

Pinky’s replaces Angel’s Trumpet Ale House, a destination for craft beers and juicy wings that served downtown customers for 13 years before shuttering in October.

The incoming sports bar and grill is a partnership between industry veterans Robert Cissell, Ariel Bracamonte and developer Chuckie Duff. Pinky’s is anticipated to open in the reimagined space on Second and McKinley streets on June 1. 

“It’s the kind of place that I spend my time in,” Cissell says. “It’s really just kind of the Americana corner pool bar food hall.”

Cissell was previously part of the hospitality group that founded the gemstone-inspired bar Quartz, the pan-Asian restaurant Belly and the macabre vegetarian eatery Sin Muerte, all of which are now shuttered. Meanwhile, Bracamonte and Duff are behind some of downtown Phoenix’s notable bars, including Roosevelt Row’s Cobra Arcade Bar and Ziggy’s Magic Pizza Shop and its hidden Stardust Pinbar. 

What to expect at Pinky’s

There’s been an influx of high-end, luxe restaurants around downtown, Cissell says. He wants Pinky’s to be a contrast, offering an affordable, laid-back option. The menu is still in the works, but Cissell says it’ll feature “regular bar food done well,” including wings, stadium dogs, nachos and rodeo sliders topped with onion rings and barbecue sauce. 

“We’re really aiming to keep the price point as low as we can because I think a lot of people are feeling the squeeze,” Cissell says. “There’s not a lot of places to go that feel affordable anymore.”

The bar will boast 10 beer taps, along with bottles and cans, with a focus on easy-drinking styles. Bartenders will also make classic, straightforward cocktails.

Renovations are underway to transform the space, adding warm wood tones, vintage neon signs and TVs that will hang above the bar. A jukebox, pool table and darts will be on hand to keep customers entertained. Communal picnic tables will fill Pinky’s dog-friendly patio. 

The new bar’s name is a nod to Arizona’s ranching past, honoring a bull. Rich brown paint inspired by the worn leather of cowboy boots now covers the bar and restaurant’s block exterior. The name “Pinky’s” loops across the wall in the style of a palomino-hued rope.

There’s a bit of personal nostalgia for Cissell in Pinky’s. Not only is it the type of place he’d go out with his dad to as a kid, but also the style he still feels drawn to during a night out with his friends.

“Culturally, we get a little carried away with trying to make stuff super fancy and try to push the envelope,” Cissell says. “Sometimes it’s just comforting to go back to those homey places.”

Pinky’s

Opens June 1
810 N. Second St.