Hash Kitchen Named a Breakout Brand for 2022

Hash Kitchen is a ride. A hands-in-the-air, heart-racing, music-pumping kind of ride. No, there aren’t roller coasters, but there are Ferris wheels with tie-dye cupcakes and cereal milk pudding shooters, DJs, disco-ball cups, cotton candy, and carnival-sized food. Everything is dazzling, delicious and different, from the build-your-own Bloody Mary bar and its over 50 tantalizing toppers to the bougie bacon studded with 24K gold flakes. It's a breakfast spot like no other, one that invites bachelorette parties to dance on their chairs to Pitbull midweek, its brunch goals personified — a totally original restaurant concept started in Phoenix by chef Joey Maggiore and his wife, Cristina, that’s finally getting the national recognition it deserves.

The editors at Nation’s Restaurant News recently named Hash Kitchen a 2022 breakout brand, the only Arizona restaurant and only brunch spot on the coveted list of eight. While brunch has traditionally been more of a family affair, Hash gets props for shaking things up, for bringing the party to breakfast with DJ’d brunches, a unique social media-friendly menu and a nightclub vibe.

“The brand is young, Instagrammable, fun and unique,” says co-founder and CEO Joey Maggiore. “Like I told Nation’s Restaurant News, it's not your average breakfast joint. This is a restaurant where you're going to start off the day with a party or finish it with a hangover.”

You won’t find farmers' market quiche, plain pancakes or meh mimosas on Hash Kitchen’s menu, but you will find over-the-top takes on brunch favorites. “The concept is all about creating reimagined spins on breakfast favorites for an elevated brunch and an unexpected dining experience,” says Maggiore.
The biggest and best-selling example of this is Hash’s showstopping Bloody Mary bar. A bonanza of 50-plus items, it lets customers select, skewer, and stack pickles, olives, bacon, and cheese, plus weekends-only additions like hand-rolled meatballs, fried chicken wings, and toasted raviolis for a party in a glass. Magical mimosa flights are also ready for their close-up and come with a cotton candy “glitter bomb” for added fizz and TikTok appeal. The food menu is just as eye-catching: Think creative culinary remixes on breakfast classics, like epic Cap'n Crunch French toast on brioche, super-stuffed hash skillets heaped with braised short ribs, poached eggs, and even onion rings, and an aptly named “Effin” big English muffin sandwich that’s forgetaboutit impressive — all standouts you have to see, and taste, to believe.

“We have a lot of unique menu items at Hash, but some of the customer favorites include the Banana Split Brioche or The Ferris Wheel with cereal milk pudding shooters,” says Maggiore, whose aim is to top himself when it comes to novel fare. “We are always looking to reinvent menu favorites to create new experiences.” 
The recipe for Hash's famous Billionaire Bacon and its yuzu glaze may be top-secret, but the recipe for the eatery's success isn’t so hush-hush. The owners take service, setting, and social media seriously, and all of it comes with a side of fun. That means rotating guest DJs and turntables on the weekends, selfie walls decked out with hashtag-able expressions (“mimosas are for mornings”), and a service staff that is in on the party.

“A great part about having a party-centric brand is that you’re afforded certain liberties with social media,” says Maggiore. “At Hash Kitchen, you expect to have fun, and that’s what we want our social media to reflect. We jump in on all the social media trends, add our own Hash Kitchen flair, and we have a great time doing it."

Along with the unique menu and exciting branding, Nation’s Restaurant News looked at resolve from the pandemic, which created challenges but also proved to be an opportunity for Hash Kitchen. “As a restaurant that often has a wait time of multiple hours, the pandemic gave us the opportunity to slow down and perfect every aspect of our business,” says Maggiore. “We evaluated our menus, operational structure, creativity, safety protocols and more during this time, and were able to produce an even better concept. During this time, we were able to secure a partner to assist with our national expansion and create an unstoppable brand.”
Right now, Phoenix has Hash Kitchen all to itself, with five metro locations, but that’s just the tip of the Bloody Mary bar. Thanks to a $20 million investment from Savory Fund, two additional Valley locations are slated to open in 2022, and Hash Kitchen is expected to open 24 new locations across several states by the end of 2024. In other words, the over-the-top brunch spot is even topping itself. Congrats!

Hash Kitchen
Multiple locations
Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Friday; 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday