The Social Hall, a huge restaurant and bar offering American food with Latin American influences, opens at 11 a.m. today on the northeast corner of McClintock and University in Tempe.
Grand-opening festivities today and Saturday will include free happy hour food samples and appetizers, live bands, and a DJ each night.
For three decades, the site was home to popular Minder Binders, a two-story, barn-like venue that closed in 2005 and sat vacant for nearly a decade.
Eventually, it was purchased by the owners of San Tan Flat, who gave it a Santa Fe-style makeover and reopened it as The Mission @ Minder Binder in 2014.
The restaurant closed again last year and was sold to Mike Kenney, one of the owners of a Seattle restaurant and bar called Art Marble 21.
Like Art Marble 21, Social Hall features a slightly upscale and eclectic menu, including empanadas, tostones (fried plantains), jerk chicken, and coconut agave muffins. (Pictured: Coconut prawns.)
Signature entrees range from a two-taco plate for $10 to a Cuban ribeye steak for $22.
Happy hour is 4-6 p.m. daily with $5 craft beers, well drinks, and house wines. Small plates are $5-$6.
The restaurant’s interior was extensively remodeled. Gone are the wooden booths labeled with city names and the bric-a-brac that covered the walls and ceiling.
The venue can accommodate up to 600 people, who can play a variety of games, such as pool and shuffleboard, or watch sports events on one of the several large-screen TVs.
Social Hall is open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday, 11 a.m.-midnight Wednesday-Thursday, and 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday.
