"It is an end of an era and stay tuned for what is next." Old Town Tortilla Factory posted that on Instagram on the Friday before its summer break was supposed to end. Phoenix New Times reported that the post made the break permanent.
That sentence sums up Old Town's offseason. Two Main Street dining rooms that had been around for decades went quiet for the summer and never came back. In the same months, nearly every new opening in and around Old Town landed somewhere else: Marshall Way, Fourth and Sixth avenues, Indian Plaza and Scottsdale Road. Canal Convergence opens at the Scottsdale Waterfront on Nov. 6. The Old Town around it will look different from the one you left in May.
Two summer breaks that turned into closings
Summer closures are normal here. In the same report, Phoenix New Times noted that Valley restaurants often take a break during the slower summer months. Old Town Tortilla Factory announced a monthlong hiatus starting at the end of June. It was due to reopen the day that story ran.
It did not reopen. The restaurant had served Mexican food since 1996 out of a historic adobe home at Main and 69th streets, 6910 E. Main St. Diners knew it for the pecan-shaded patio, the fountain topped with fire, the homemade tortillas and a list of more than 100 agave spirits. The Scottsdale Signal put the permanent closing date at Aug. 1 and reported that no new tenant had been named for the adobe as of early August.
A few doors west, Sel Bistro went the same way. Chef Branden Levine's French restaurant at 7044 E. Main St. had run for 10 years on Wagyu, scallops and caviar. Mouth by Southwest reported on Aug. 9 that its summer hiatus would not end. The Scottsdale Signal added that as of mid-August, no successor concept or lease transfer had been announced for the space.
The two closings have a lot in common. Both were Main Street dinner rooms built for special occasions, both started as summer breaks, and both left spaces with nothing announced to replace them. That stretch of Main Street is also part of the weekly Scottsdale ArtWalk route. The ArtWalk still runs Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m. along Main Street from Scottsdale Road to Goldwater Boulevard and up Marshall Way, according to the Scottsdale Gallery Association. If you walk it this season, two of the familiar dinner stops along the way are gone.
Where the new openings landed
Over the same months, Old Town gained dining rooms on nearly every street except Main. Here is how the summer and early fall changes line up by address:
| Address | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| 6910 E. Main St. | Old Town Tortilla Factory, since 1996 | Closed Aug. 1, no tenant announced as of August |
| 7044 E. Main St. | Sel Bistro, 10 years | Closed, no successor announced as of August |
| 4225 N. Marshall Way, Suite 2 | Arizona Stronghold tasting room | French Crêperie |
| 4121 N. Marshall Way | Frank and Lupe's | Ponderosa House, opened in June |
| 7217 E. Fourth Ave. | Liquor Pig | Wayward, opened June 5 |
| Former Barney's Boathouse, E. Sixth Ave. | Barney's Boathouse | Problem Restaurant & Lounge, opened in July |
| 7320 E. Indian Plaza | n/a | Holla Brunch Girl, opened in September |
| 3737 N. Scottsdale Rd. | RnR Gastropub | General Admission, soft opening since Oct. 8 |
Most of the table is turnover. In almost every case, one operator handed a space to the next with little or no gap in between. The two Main Street addresses are the exceptions, and they are the only ones still empty.
Marshall Way kept its spaces filled
Marshall Way shows what a fast handoff looks like. Arizona Stronghold Vineyards closed its Old Town tasting room at 4225 N. Marshall Way, Suite 2, and Mouth by Southwest reported in late June that it had poured its last flight. By mid-October the same suite had a new tenant. French Crêperie Scottsdale is a French-owned concept serving sweet and savory crêpes and café standards, and it also offers crêpe-making classes. Forking Scottsdale listed its grand opening for Saturday, Oct. 24, at 10 a.m.
A short walk up the street, the former Frank and Lupe's became Ponderosa House in June. It serves scratch-made American and Mexican food. PHOENIX magazine identified the owner as Jacob Finley of Karsen's Grill, so the space went to an operator already working in Old Town. Both Marshall Way storefronts that went dark this year had new tenants lined up within the same season, one already open and one with its grand opening on the calendar. Ponderosa House now serves Mexican food again, a few blocks from the adobe that stopped serving it after 30 years.
The avenues filled in with later nights
The other openings cluster in the blocks of Fourth Avenue, Sixth Avenue and Indian Plaza, and they lean toward evenings and weekends.
Wayward reopened the former Liquor Pig space at 7217 E. Fourth Ave. on June 5. Phoenix New Times described a darker Western interior and a menu inspired by spaghetti Westerns. Executive chef CJ Kahley stayed on in the kitchen, and Kyla Hein joined as operating owner. Liquor Pig regulars will still find the Korean pork belly tacos and the shareable short rib taco board. Hein told the paper that Wayward runs more as a restaurant and lounge than a late-night bar. It closes at 10 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends.
In July, chef Cleashaun Hill and NFL player Deebo Samuel opened Problem Restaurant & Lounge in the former Barney's Boathouse. PHOENIX magazine described it as a place for "elevated cuisine and refined cocktails." September brought Holla Brunch Girl to 7320 E. Indian Plaza. It comes from Evening Entertainment and calls itself a rooftop "singalong brunch bar." It opens only on Saturdays and serves espresso martini soft serve, PHOENIX magazine reported.
Sundays are filling in too. Forking Scottsdale reported that KAUBOI at The REMI, 4415 N. Buckboard Trail, was set to start a Sunday brunch on Oct. 25. It runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at $75 per guest, with a DJ on the terrace and dishes such as a Filet Mignon Benedict.
Put these together and the new Old Town calendar centers on Saturday brunch, Sunday brunch and dinner that runs late. The Main Street rooms that closed served a different kind of night: an anniversary dinner on the patio, or a prix-fixe meal.
Scottsdale Road has a waiting list
Most of the remaining openings are on or near Scottsdale Road. General Admission is a sports lounge in the former RnR Gastropub at 3737 N. Scottsdale Road, and it began a soft opening on Oct. 8. Across the road at 3828 N. Scottsdale Road, Vandelay Hospitality's Drake's Hollywood is moving into the former Buca di Beppo. As of mid-October it was still listed as a fall opening with no date announced. Experience Scottsdale lists BOA Steakhouse at the Scottsdale Waterfront the same way, as a fall 2026 debut without a date.
Neither has an opening date yet, so for now treat them as coming soon. Both would add to the same shift, with the large new rooms going to Scottsdale Road and the Waterfront.
Canal Convergence will be the first big night of the season
The first night of the season with real crowds is Canal Convergence. This year's theme is "Western Nature," and it runs Nov. 6 through 15 at the Scottsdale Waterfront, including Solstice Park, along the canal between Scottsdale Road and Goldwater Boulevard. Scottsdale Arts bills it as a free, 10-night event.
Plan dinner around the hours:
- Opening weekend and the second Friday and Saturday: 6 to 10 p.m.
- All other nights: 6 to 9 p.m.
- Walter Productions fire shows: nightly at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.
- Music headliners: QVLN and Nodaway, on weekends
- New weekday fashion show: Nov. 12
- Hands-on workshops: natural-pigment painting Nov. 9, beading Nov. 10, bandana printing Nov. 15
The artwork list includes "grandmother turtle" and "the weight of light" by In Theory Art Studios. "Grandmother turtle" was made with Nora Naranjo-Morse and Laura Tohe. Other works include "KaKtos" by Amigo & Amigo, "APOGEE" by Chalk River Labs, "DreamRider" and "Sky Wrangler" by William Nemitoff with Curious Form, "Desert Choir" by OTTOMA, "Western Fire Garden" by Walter Productions and "Prairie Fire" by True North Absurdities. Scottsdale Arts says entry to the main event, performances and drop-in workshops is free. Tours, ticketed workshops and some special events cost extra.
Canal Convergence runs west to east from Scottsdale Road to Goldwater Boulevard, the same span the ArtWalk covers on Main Street. A dinner plan built around the festival can still include Main Street, but the two addresses that went dark this summer are off the list. The newer places sit on Marshall Way, Fourth Avenue, Sixth Avenue and Indian Plaza. After that, the Scottsdale Gallery Association lists Scottsdazzle for Dec. 10, though it cautions that dates and themes can change.
I keep track of which Old Town spaces change hands and which stay empty. A storefront that stays empty past a season affects the block around it, and that matters whether you live a few streets away or are thinking about your next move. If you want an honest read on how this year's turnover around Main Street affects your corner of Scottsdale, reach out to Laura Lee Cahal. Let's Connect.
