Century Grand is located on Indian School Road in the Arcadia area and is a multi-concept space with three bars inside. Ship-themed UnderTow resides in the front of the space, the apothecary-inspired Grey Hen Rx serves drinks toward the back and parked right inside the building is Platform 18, a cocktail bar housed inside a replica Presidential Pullman train car. Outside of the train, customers wait on a platform for their tables, and listen as the train horn sounds.
Each of the bars is an immersive experience complete with a narrative origin story that invites customers to go on a journey. Platform 18 recently updated its menu and now takes travelers through New York City. The train's windows, which are screens showing the landscape theoretically passing by, previously displayed scenes from the bayous of New Orleans and Colorado's snowy mountains.
"Century Grand boasts one of the most unusual concepts on the North American bar scene," the 50 Best Bars award listing explains. "But Century Grand is more than just a visual theme. Jason Asher and Jax Donahue have also crafted a world-class bar programme built around culinary roots and narrative structure."
The list is part of The World's 50 Best Bars list, an annually published ranking compiled by nearly 700 beverage experts from around the world. The international list was founded in 2009 and has expanded over the years to include regional bar lists as well as restaurant and hotel rankings.
Handshake Speakeasy, a bar located in Mexico City, took the top spot on this year's list of North America's 50 Best Bars. Of the top five, two are located in Mexico City and three are in New York City. Century Grand is the only bar from Arizona to make the list.
Century Grand was recognized last year as well, and made the list at number 48. This year's jump of 12 spots is in line with the bar's rise in national recognition. In July, Century Grand was named the Best U.S. Cocktail Bar at the 2023 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.
So make your reservations fast, tickets for the train sell out quickly and seats at this prime Phoenix drinking destination keep getting hotter.
