How long does a Main Street restaurant space in downtown Mesa stay dark? This summer the answer was about ten weeks. Outcast Doughnuts served its last customers on July 19. By the last day of September, a Valley food truck had signed a lease on the same space and said it could be open within three weeks.
The pattern goes beyond one storefront. Downtown Mesa lost several well-liked businesses between July and September, and the reason the owners gave for leaving got plenty of attention. Less attention has gone to how quickly the empty spaces are being claimed. A kitchen that is already built out has become the district's best recruiting tool.
The Addresses That Went Quiet in July
Rebel Wine Lounge spent a little over two years at 104 W. Main St., near Macdonald and Main. Its owners announced the closure on social media on July 15 and kept pouring until July 24 or until the bottles ran out, whichever came first. Outcast Doughnuts, part of the same ownership group, Incomparably Dope Venture Partners, closed a few days before that.
Co-owner Christina Goldsmith was direct about the reason in a July interview with Phoenix New Times. She said business had been inconsistent and that the crowds expected from new downtown apartments never showed up for them.
"We didn't expect to see anything happen overnight. But we're two years into this particular location now, Outcast is three years in, and we have seen zero progress."
Rebel is expected to reopen in early 2027 at The Gilmore, a development under construction near Val Vista Drive and Germann Road in Gilbert. Outcast and Level 1 are expected to open there too, and Phantom Fox Beer Co., a downtown Mesa neighbor, plans a second location at the same project. Downtown keeps the originals, though. Level 1 Arcade Bar and the Alchemy 48 speakeasy in its basement are both still open in Mesa.
PHOENIX magazine's September roundup added one more loss. Jarrod's Coffee, Tea and Gallery closed after 14 years in historic downtown Mesa.
The Kitchens Did Not Stay Empty
Randizzle's, a food truck known for gourmet burgers and tacos, said on Instagram that it had leased a space near Main Street and Macdonald. That space is the former Outcast Doughnuts. Its post explained the choice plainly.
"The Mesa opportunity came together unexpectedly because we found an existing restaurant space that was already almost completely equipped and could get us open much faster."
This will be the first Randizzle's restaurant. A truck that wants a permanent home usually has to raise money for a full build-out first. Here the build-out was already finished. As of the Sept. 30 report, opening depended on passing inspections, so check before you walk over expecting a burger.
A few blocks west, the same thing happened at a bigger address. Stage 12 West opened on Friday, Oct. 2, in the downtown space that used to be 12 West Brewing. It is a restaurant and live entertainment venue in one, and it promises quality sound and laser displays along with its menu. The food runs from spicy wings and a bruschetta trio to grilled salmon, BBQ pulled pork and pasta primavera, with chocolate lava cake or apple crisp for dessert. A downstairs speakeasy called Jolie's Secret is scheduled to open Oct. 9 at 5 p.m.
| Space | What left | What's moving in | Status as of early October |
|---|---|---|---|
| Former Outcast Doughnuts, near Main and Macdonald | Outcast Doughnuts, closed July 19 | Randizzle's Burger Bar | Lease signed; opening pending inspections |
| Former 12 West Brewing downtown location | 12 West Brewing | Stage 12 West | Opened Oct. 2 |
| 12 West's lower level | None reported | Jolie's Secret speakeasy | Scheduled for Oct. 9 |
| 104 W. Main St. | Rebel Wine Lounge, closed in late July | No tenant reported | Unknown |
One of the closed spaces in that table has no announced replacement yet. Still, two of the businesses taking over were in operation, or close to it, within one season of the closures.
The Slow Opening That Shows Why Ready Space Matters
The fast turnovers make more sense next to the slowest opening on Main Street. Crust Simply Italian first announced a downtown Mesa location in 2023. The project stalled when the original developer filed for bankruptcy in 2024. A new developer took over in 2025 and reworked the mixed-use building to include a hotel.
That building is now The 233, an Unscripted by Hyatt hotel at 233 E. Main St., just east of Hibbert. Crust took most of the ground floor with a 7,300-square-foot dining room and a patio facing Main Street. The team ended up opening three businesses there instead of two. The third, Bombolino, wasn't part of the original plan. It came about after the hotel asked about coffee. The shop serves lattes, croissants and breakfast burritos in the morning, and later it sells gelato from Glendale's Villa Dolce and pastries made with Mesa's Buttered Up Bakery. The Bomba is a doughnut filled with gelato.
Bombolino is also how you get into The Nightingale, Crust's bird-themed hidden bar. Its menu includes the Dead Canary, a dark rum espresso martini, and the Tail Feather, a cucumber-infused mezcal drink. In early August the restaurant was in its soft opening and had announced an official grand opening for Aug. 27.
Owner Michael Merendino's view of the street is close to the opposite of Goldsmith's.
"There's such an energy in the community down here, which is unlike anything in the Valley."
From announcement to opening, Crust took about three years and went through a bankruptcy. Randizzle's says it may need less than a month. A ground-up project depends on financing and developers. A second-generation restaurant space mostly needs an inspection.
The Apartment Question Has More Than One Answer
Goldsmith's comment about the apartments was one owner's experience. Other business owners on the same street have described it differently.
Cameron MacNeille owns Blossom on Main at 146 W. Main St., which has been downtown since 2005 and was revamped earlier this year. He told InBusiness Magazine in June that "the new apartments that have gone up have made an impact on the added foot traffic." He describes the flow from shop to shop as getting coffee at Lonestar or Nile, a haircut, shopping at Blossom, then pizza and beer next door at Phantom Fox.
Pedal Haus Brewery founder Julian Wright opened at Main and Robson in November 2024. In the same article he gave the clearest explanation for this fall's quick turnovers: "There are lots of individuals and companies investing in real estate in the downtown who are, in turn, motivated to find tenants."
Downtown has also picked up businesses that aren't restaurants. Mesa Padel Club held its grand opening at 219 W. Main St. in mid-April. Founder Jeroen Meefout calls it the first padel club on a Main Street in the U.S. and says people walking by see the courts and stop to find out more. Blue Corn Cafe & Bakery opened its first East Valley location at 19 W. Main St.
Most of the new housing is still on its way. As of June, Downtown Mesa Association leadership reported more than 500 residential units under construction downtown and more than 1,000 in planning. One of those projects is The Edge on Main at 311 W. Main St., with 423 homes and 6,900 square feet of commercial space beside a light rail stop. The owners who left in July were counting on residents who haven't moved in yet.
October Puts the New Lineup to Work
The next few weeks will bring the biggest downtown crowds since the summer closures, and the newest businesses are within walking distance of all of it.
- Friday, Oct. 9: Downtown Mesa's free Sunset Market runs from 5 to 9 p.m. at 1 N. Macdonald. Jolie's Secret opens downstairs at Stage 12 West that same evening at 5 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 15, through Saturday, Oct. 17: The free Mesa Music Festival begins with a keynote on Thursday, followed by public live music Friday and Saturday at 1 N. Macdonald.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, and Sunday, Oct. 25: Mesa Arts Center hosts its free Día de los Muertos Festival, and Lila Downs is on the Saturday lineup.
Live music fits Stage 12 West's plan, and it is also a stated goal for the district. Downtown Mesa Association leadership told InBusiness that growing the downtown live music scene is one of the goals they're most excited about. They pointed to Mesa Amplified, which drew 27,000 people downtown over two days.
What Is Still Being Built
Two more projects will add to the pipeline. The Main Street Market at 111 W. Main St. is under construction as a restaurant and food business incubator. The City of Mesa is funding it with American Rescue Plan Act money, and Local First Arizona will run it. The incubator is designed to train new local operators, the same kind of business now taking over equipped spaces on its own.
At 112 E. Main St., the AC Hotel by Marriott is expected to start construction in early 2027 and open in the second quarter of 2028. The project includes restaurant space open to the public. When it opens, it will be the second hotel ground floor on Main Street with a restaurant, joining The 233.
If you've been watching storefronts on Main Street change hands and wondering what that means for your own corner of downtown, I'm happy to talk through what I'm seeing on these blocks. Lisa Gatchalian is always glad to compare notes with downtown Mesa neighbors. Let's Connect.
