Ranch House Grille Post-Fire Update: What the Hell Is Happening Over There?

A good friend of mine told me the other day that there was some "activity" going on at Ranch House Grille, the popular breakfast spot in East Phoenix that, sadly, along with all of the other stores in its strip mall home on Thomas Road, was the casualty of a...

By Laura Hahnefeld

July 8, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

A good friend of mine told me the other day that there was some "activity" going on at Ranch House Grille, the popular breakfast spot in East Phoenix that, sadly, along with all of the other stores in its strip mall home on Thomas Road, was the casualty of a fire last November.

She wasn't kidding.

I had hoped by "activity," she meant the humble joint I used to routinely frequent for biscuits and gravy, huevos rancheros, and chicken fried steak topped with pork chili verde was back in the breakfast biz.

Nope. Seems the entire strip mall has been gutted with a gaping hole in the front wall. Whoa.

So what gives?

According to a construction worker at the site, while the fire's flames didn't make it to all of the spaces in the strip mall, the smoke did, causing extensive damage and the need to basically gut the strip mall and start anew.

He went on to say Ranch House Grille would be returning and that now with construction under way, the project should last around three months.

"Have you had the chicken fried steak at Ranch House Grille?" I asked him. "It's amazing. You should try it when they come back."

He told me he hadn't. And then took a step back to let the crazy lady take photos.

Follow Chow Bella on Facebook and Twitter.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.