Creative new eatery opens at Phoenix Art Museum. Meet Alden

The Phoenix Art Museum has always been a place to linger. Museum-goers spill out of the Ellman Gallery into the Dorrance Sculpture Garden, wander into the Museum Store and stop to absorb the light-filled geometry of Alden B. Dow’s iconic midcentury design. Now there’s another reason to stay a little longer: a brand-new restaurant named in the architect’s honor. 

Alden, a stylish and spacious restaurant inside of the museum, was developed in partnership with CS Hospitality, the team behind Conceptually Social Catering and now-shuttered Kaizen and Silo. Additionally, operating partner Monica X. Castillo — whose career has touched some of Arizona’s most recognizable restaurants, including La Grande Orange, Chelsea’s Kitchen, Parlor Pizzeria, Upward Projects concepts and Loews Ventana Canyon — is bringing her hospitality prowess to Alden’s kitchen and dining room.

Artful twists, familiar favorites

Castillo’s approach to menu development pairs approachable flavors with fine dining ingenuity. The globally-inspired menu at Alden follows suit, balancing modern flavors with familiar favorites — all artfully plated, of course.

In the lychee and coconut salad, juicy lychee anchors a salad of arugula with a tropical sweetness that plays against coconut and togarashi. Other shareable appetite-exciters include the burrata with hefty beefsteak tomatoes, toast points, pesto and a drizzle of saba. The calamari, tossed in rice flour and served alongside dippable chile jam and peanut sauce, is an unmissable gluten-free option.

Mains include a wedge of delicate salmon with just-right crispy skin that balances on curry smashed potatoes and broccolini. Alden’s classic bistro-style steak frites are doused in verdant chimichurri and plated next to a stack of thinly-cut fries. And the kielbasa and pierogi, a fancied-up rendition of two Polish staples, come dripping in brown butter and dressed up with a cauliflower puree and sauerkraut.

More casual lunch-to-dinner options include a lineup of handhelds like the KFC steam bun with slaw, house pickles and a sweet Korean honey glaze and the Ruben on marble rye stacked with pastrami and finished with Russian dressing.

And then there’s dessert. When envisioning the menu for Alden, the Phoenix Art Museum connected with Dow’s relatives to incorporate some of the architect’s favorites on the menu, including his most-loved dessert: strawberry shortcake.

Alden’s nod to Dow’s favorite dessert is a standout strawberry trifle. It’s equally whimsical and nostalgic and features a medley of strawberries, crispy buñuelo tiles, mint leaves, strawberry chantilly and a nut-oat crumble. 

Castillo says there will “always be a vision of strawberry shortcake,” offered on the dessert menu at Alden. 

Other sweet meal-enders include a gluten-free almond cake topped with amaretto, Luxardo cherries and bite-sized meringues. For fans of chocolate, Alden’s dessert menu offers a hazelnut dark chocolate mousse cake and a chocolate rice pudding constructed with Abuelita chocolate, jasmine rice and berry compote.

There’s a full kids’ menu which includes fried rice, macaroni and cheese, chicken tenders and grilled cheese. For Castillo, offering a kid’s menu was one feature she felt was essential in a dining space designed for the local community as much as art and culture.

Standout sips

At the bar, house cocktails share equal billing with zero-proof drinks that take their cues from citrus, spice and herbs. The Sculptural Garden blends strawberry, citrus and lavender with seltzer, resulting in an alcohol-free cocktail that drinks crisp and floral without losing its edge. And like any desert dining destination, prickly pear finds its way into the glass at Alden. Here, by way of the High Desert, a refreshing non-alcoholic sipper accented with zesty orange blossom and tangy verjus. 

For those who choose to imbibe, there are ample options. Try the tart, bright and just a little smoky Battle for Puebla, a cocktail with a Western edge that mixes agave spirits with grapefruit, lime and cherry bitters. There’s also the rum-drenched Pacific Modern, a tiki-style sipper anchored by cashew cream, Amaretto and fragrant citrus notes. And undoubtedly popular is the eye-catching and pink-hued Structural Integrity, which brings a drinkable swirl of bourbon, Sunshine Sour and cassis together. 

The spirits and suds offerings at Alden are rounded out by a globe-spanning wine list that includes bottles from France, Italy and Slovenia, and a selection of local drafts from Arizona breweries, including Greenwood Brewing, Mother Road Brewing Co. and Historic Brewing Co., to name a few.

Built on blueprints

The restaurant takes its cues from its surroundings. The dining room, with its full perspective windows, overlooks the Dorrance Sculpture Garden, blurring the lines between art, design and food. Inside, the space pulls together wood, earthy tones, glass and clean angles that echo Dow’s mid-century vision while layering in contemporary warmth. 

What sets Alden apart is how intentionally it ties itself back to place. Naming the restaurant after Dow roots it in the museum’s history. And a collaborative partnership with Valley hospitality veterans signals a new era for dining in Phoenix’s cultural institutions.

From the dishes to the decor, Alden feels both new and familiar. It’s an ideal setting for a weekday museum date or a Sunday family outing that, naturally, ends with a meal. 

Alden opened on Oct. 1 and will be open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Reservations can be made at AldenPhx.com. 

Alden at the Phoenix Art Museum

1625 N. Central Ave