Lauren Cusimano
Audio By Carbonatix
Tempe Tavern operated “effectively as an illegal ‘speakeasy’ for minors” over the past year, said a scathing investigative report by the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control. On Monday, an investigator recommended the bar’s liquor license be revoked.
The report comes two weeks after Tempe Tavern filed a federal lawsuit claiming that city and state officials conspired in a “smear campaign” to take down the bar through “selective enforcement” that violated owner Robert Tasso’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. That case is still pending in federal court.
The embattled bar at the center of the dispute was the site of two high-profile raids last year, which resulted in 422 arrests. Tempe Tavern has served beers and shots from the historic, cobblestone-walled White Dairy Barn at the northeast corner of McClintock Road and Apache Boulevard, near Arizona State University, since 2011.
Young partiers were found packed into the small bar, sometimes overserved, often with fake or improper IDs, when Tempe police and state officials raided the tavern in April and November. People stood crammed “shoulder-to-shoulder” when police arrived in November. The bar brimmed with about 90 to 114 more people than legally allowed, putting those inside at risk in the event of a fire or crowd crush, the report said.
The tavern is “a clear and present danger to the community,” an investigator wrote, warning that the bar exhibited “a persistent, pervasive and ultimately lethal pattern.”
Tempe Tavern’s attorney, Timothy La Sota, pushed back against this characterization in a statement emailed to Phoenix New Times and other media. He vowed to help Tempe Tavern hold onto its license.
“DLLC cannot just shut a business down. There is a process that must be followed if the DLLC seeks revocation of a liquor permit,” he wrote. “We will vigorously fight any such efforts, and it is noteworthy that we have not been cited by DLLC for anything related to the November 20, 2025, raid.”
Investigators find ‘freshman bar’ with ‘pay-to-enter scheme’
The report outlined a historical “pattern of noncompliance” dating back to 2020, when the bar was open amid the pandemic.
Investigators then highlighted four incidents from the past year. First, state liquor enforcement officials sent underage people to the bar on Feb. 22, 2025. Despite presenting “UNDER 21” IDs, which were scanned at the door, the minors took seats at the bar and ordered beers. Tempe Tavern later paid a $6,000 fine.
Tempe police and the state then led the first raid of the bar on April 24. Of the estimated 180 to 200 people inside, 174 were underage. Tempe Tavern’s owner, Tasso, noted in the federal lawsuit that all IDs are checked and scanned at the door.
Yet, “the sheer volume of minors suggested the staff were either unable to verify the validity of those IDs or were simply ignoring the results,” the report said.
The April raid led to a $3,500 fine.
Tempe police later shared that a 19-year-old driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run in September was at Tempe Tavern. A motorcyclist collided with a self-driving car. A few moments later, he was hit by a Chevrolet Camaro driven by an ASU student. The report notes that she ordered a green tea cocktail at the bar before walking home and getting behind the wheel. The student turned herself in to the police several hours later and could face a felony charge for failing to stop after the accident. The case has not yet been submitted to the county attorney’s office because the investigation is ongoing, according to a Tempe Police spokesperson.
Underage customers interviewed by state investigators said Tempe Tavern is referred to as the “freshman bar” because of the ease of entry. Following the closure of Devil’s Advocate Sports Grill at the end of 2024, Tempe Tavern became the go-to spot for underage drinkers, those interviewed said.
The November raid of Tempe Tavern trumped the spring visit. In total, 248 people were arrested, resulting in 340 charges that included minor possession, using fraudulent IDs and making false statements to police.
An underage ASU student who was at the tavern during both raids described what the investigator called a “pay-to-enter scheme.” Security staff at the door would quickly check IDs and provide entry to the bar for a $5 bribe, the student alleged.
Thirteen of those arrested in November were not in the tavern’s mandatory ID log, which “points to a systemic failure of the establishment’s security staff,” the report said.
Will Tempe Tavern lose its liquor license?
Tempe Tavern’s liquor license is currently active; the bar can remain open while this case moves forward.
The director of the liquor department can suspend, revoke or refuse to renew a business’s liquor license. If the director agrees with the investigators and revokes Tempe Tavern’s liquor license, the bar could appeal the decision to the Arizona State Liquor Board. It’s unclear when a decision will be announced on the fate of Tempe Tavern’s liquor license.
The city of Tempe acknowledged the report and noted its police have likewise received several complaints of underage drinking at Tempe Tavern.
“About 80% of all underage drinking arrests in Tempe over a two-year period took place at Tempe Tavern,” the statement said. “We appreciate the DLLC’s work to make our community a safer place.”
