A new restaurant and lounge has opened on 7th Street inside the former home of a drive-through liquor store.

Led by owner and real estate developer, Rick Cordova, the Joe’s Midnight Run building at 6101 N. 7th St. was originally going to be scraped and turned into a parking lot for a larger mixed-use commercial building located next door.

“But the more I looked at the building,” Cordova says, “the more I fell in love with its 1950s charm, clean midcentury forms and great bones.” Inspired, Cordova decided to transform the former Joe’s Drive-thru Liquor into the sort of funky, tasty and music-fueled venues that he loved back in his hometown of Chicago.

Carved into a compact 1,800-square-foot space seating 60 inside and an additional 40 on the street-front patio, Joe’s Midnight Run stripped away decades of stucco, paint and graffiti to reveal the original terracotta slump block walls. Joe’s also installed an open kitchen that offers a chef-crafted menu of all wood-fired fare paired with a worldly selection of craft beer, spirits and wine on tap.

Cordova assembled an experienced team, including Executive Chef Michael Goldsmith (Lon’s, Joyride Taco House), designer Mike Rumpeltin of Brick & West (The Yard, Postino Tempe) and consultants, Troy Watkins and Kyu Utsunomiya of Be: Coffee + Food + Stuff. Together they crafted an all-wood-fired menu cooked on wood-burning grills and ovens, with no ranges or stovetops in sight. Built around a globe-spanning menu of hearty, sharable dishes, Joe’s also specializes in regional parings with wine or beer suggestions.

Joe’s also features some larger entrées such as whole-roasted trout, Cornish game hen, skirt steak and pork chops.

Open weekdays at 11 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday for weekend brunch, Joe’s fills a unique niche by serving a full menu daily until 2 a.m.

For more information call 480-459-4467 or visit www.joesmidnightrun.com.

 

 

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