A peek inside Tempe’s hotly anticipated, Rome-inspired restaurant

When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon, it sparked a war that changed the history of ancient Rome forever. Phoenix diners need only to cross the Salt River in their own quest to taste a new, over-the-top homage to Rome in Tempe.

Roman God of Fire, the anticipated Italian restaurant from Pretty Decent Concepts and celebrity chef Scott Conant, will begin welcoming a limited number of reservation-holding diners on Friday, through Aug. 5. The restaurant’s grand opening is scheduled for Aug. 7.

Phoenix New Times got a sneak peek of the opulent restaurant ahead of its opening. 

“Roman God of Fire is a celebration of the art and architecture of Rome,” Teddy Myers, a cofounder of Pretty Decent Concept, says while standing in the restaurant’s dining room. “We wanted to bring the hearth, which was really the heart of the Roman kitchen, and mix that with the soldier’s perspective, which would be wood-fire cooking while they were conquering the world.”

What to expect at Roman God of Fire

Outside the restaurant, the aroma of charred oak fills the Hayden Ferry Lakeside plaza off Rio Salado Parkway on the north end of Mill Avenue. 

Behind the heavy wooden door, the stunningly detailed interiors nod to different elements of Rome, from its iconic sculptures and architecture to Catholic cathedrals and the Vatican. Candles are arranged in tiers behind the host stand. The bar boasts ornate wood details and a wavy countertop inspired by a Roman piazza.

The dining room makes a statement from top to bottom, starting with a halo of curtains representing the shades that once covered the Colosseum to the “gallery” of busts and sculptures, spanning the middle of the dining room, with a rearing horse at the center. 

Each of those details is “meant to transport you to a different destination,” Myers says. 

Myers’ restaurant group is also behind the Tempe hotspot Filthy Animal, the downtown steakhouse destinations Cleaverman and Uppercut and the immersive retro plane bar experience Carry On, among others.

The Pretty Decent Concepts team announced Roman at the end of 2025 and partnered with Scott Conant, the James Beard Award-winning Valley chef who’s a fixture on Food Network shows including “Chopped.” To develop the menu, Conant considered Rome’s long history and drew on his own travels there.

“Where we landed is a pretty good mixture of things where there’s some inspiration from old Rome way back in the day,” he says while standing in the pass between a stone oven and an oak-fired grill that frame the entry to Roman’s kitchen. “And then to what Rome looks like today.”

The menu includes frito misto, handmade pasta, grilled meats and pizza bianca, a Roman-style flatbread served with ricotta, rosemary and honey that Conant calls “Rome’s answer to a focaccia.” For the chef, “Italian food is at its absolute best” with these kinds of “simple and straightforward” dishes. Diners can pair those with spritzes, negronis or an old fashioned made with Chianti syrup. 

Mea Culpa, a modern cocktail lounge hidden inside Roman, is anticipated to open in early September. Ahead of Roman’s Friday debut, take a peek inside.

Roman God of Fire

Opens Friday
80 S. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe