Brigette Doby
Audio By Carbonatix
The downtown bar scene is getting shaken up with several new options. Last year, the spots making the biggest splash were fun, sudsy craft beer bars. Now, there’s a fresh batch of new and soon-to-open spots, and they’re all about cocktails.
Whether you’re on the hunt for a luxe lounge serving a stiff martini or a funky tropical retreat pouring tiki tipples, there are bars popping up in Phoenix for every kind of cocktail connoisseur.
Here are five bars that are now open, or will debut soon, in downtown Phoenix.
Now open:
Brigette Doby
Filthy
455 N. Third Street, #1005
Filthy, a martini bar hidden inside the downtown steakhouse Cleaverman, made a big splash when it arrived in December. Guests access the bar through a back corridor in the restaurant. Once inside, they will find live piano music, servers in tuxedos and plenty of gilded vintage glamour. Lead Bartender Ruben Fernandez says the Cleaverman Martini is a popular order. Drinkers can choose from celery-infused vodka or gin, which is paired with a house vermouth and sherry blend, lemongrass and orange bitters. In addition to its featured martinis, the bar serves craft cocktails, beer, wine and mocktails. Customers can also nosh on a selection of decadent bites and desserts, including caviar, lobster rolls, beef tartare or baked Alaska. Though a visit to Filthy can be spendy, diners who visit during the bar’s happy hour can snag $10 signature martinis and small plates. That deal is available from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
Tropic Thunder
1014 N. Second St.
Restaurateur Julian Wright hasn’t held back with his latest “cheeky tiki” bar. Tropic Thunder, now open on Second Street just north of Roosevelt Street, is a wild space that features a skull-shaped throne, glass fishing float lights and custom art, including a mural of a man duking it out with a tiger on a beach. We’d expect nothing less from Wright and architect Wesley James, who last collaborated on the Tempe dual bar concept, Devil’s Hideaway and Idle Hands. James has also designed the immersive Valley tiki bar UnderTow. Wright describes Tropic Thunder as a “twist” on traditional tiki with a “bit of a punk rock vibe.” The bar joins Wright’s other downtown haunts, Pedal Haus Brewery, Sake Haus and Luckys Indoor Outdoor, opening the door for an eclectic bar crawl that now can include a classic tiki tipple.
Coming soon:
Vivili Hospitality Group
Bar Saint Bruno
1029 N. First St.
Bar Saint Bruno is one of three new concepts coming to Roosevelt Row from a Prescott restaurateur. Skyler Reeves plans to open the bar in a 1,600-square-foot space behind his forthcoming casual pizza shop, PIZZANISTA! Bar Saint Bruno will have a moody, intimate vibe and will serve classic cocktails. To develop those drinks, Reeves partnered with cocktail pro Vincenzo Marianello. The bar is anticipated to open early this year.
Saguaro Nights Entertainment Group
Pablo’s
800 N. First Ave.
A new hub for nightlife will arrive midyear downtown, at the northwest corner of First Avenue and McKinley Street. Pablo’s will feature three different bars and a nightclub, Night Tiger. The three “spirited” settings at Pablo’s include the plush, intimate Den, the Mexican social lounge-inspired Billiards Room and Pablo’s Living Room, which will be anchored by a large central bar. Saguaro Nights Entertainment Group is behind the project. They have partnered with Barter & Shake, which helms the award-winning cocktail experience Century Grand, on the drinks menu.
Clive Collective
Love Call
801 N. First Ave.
Just across the street from Pablo’s, the team behind Scottsdale hotspots Cala and Tell Your Friends will open a trio of new spots in the historic Stoddard-Harmon House. Among them is Love Call, an elevated neighborhood bar with a circular design, neon lighting and music. The Clive Collective team will also open a Japanese street food restaurant, Kuza Tori, and Ada, an American eatery with a lush patio, on the property. The team anticipates these spots will open later this year.
