First Look: Postino South Tempe Wine Café Is a Midcentury Punk Venue Hybrid

Open since September 14, Postino South Tempe is the eighth location of the Arizona-based wine café. It takes over the former spot of Tempe Public Market Café, closed since January 2020, and a Circle K before that.

This is the second Postino in Tempe, but it feels more Tempe than the Annex location just north of Arizona State University. That's because its Midcentury modern design pays tribute to the Valley in various ways.

The hostess stand is an out-of-commission, 1960s-era cigarette machine used in Mad Men. Seriously. They got it at an estate sale. Elsewhere here, you'll find a lounge area complete with antiquarian lamps, books (racy and otherwise), and sofas fit for a Don Draper nap. The crown jewel? A dangling Murano glass chandelier. The hostess says on breezy days, it sounds like an oversize wind chime.

Intermixed with these elegant vintage items are trashy (in a good way) vintage items. A 300-square-foot collage on the north-facing wall is papered with show fliers, skateboard ads pulled from old Thrashers, Tempe concert posters, and more than can be depicted here. Restroom walls are packed with show fliers from The Mason Jar, Boston’s, Silver Dollar Club, and Madison Square Garden (the Phoenix one). Fliers announce decades-old shows for JFA to Bikini Kill, Meat Puppets to Black Flag and The Circle Jerks.

And this being Postino, there are, of course, racks of colorful wine bottles, an always-chill playlist, and a garden patio. Modern amenities, too, like contactless mobile payment, right-in-front curbside pickup parking, and plenty of signage to direct patrons to the takeout area. Delivery is also available, as is dine-in at reduced capacity.

Postino South Tempe is open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch starting at 11 a.m. daily.