After seven months of delays and several days of soft openings, The Hidden House in downtown Chandler finally is open to the public. The 8,500-square-foot venue takes over a refurbished 1939 bungalow and its lot on Commonwealth, a block behind SanTan Brewing.
The concept is a sibling of The Brickyard Downtown, a small-plates restaurant and cocktail bar that opened on Boston in downtown Chandler in January 2016. Unlike its sibling, The Hidden House is open for lunch as well as dinner.
The Hidden House features four distinct areas: a casual front patio with a 15-seat bar, a more formal 34-seat dining room inside the house, a back patio with a 10-seat bar, and a garage-like ‘‘hangar’’ (pictured) at the rear of the enclosed courtyard. All offer the same menu.
That streamlined New American menu from chef Aaron Rickel features just eight dinner entrees, such as squash ravioli ($19), a 16-ounce boneless ribeye ($42), and Scottish salmon ($28). The lunch menu includes an espresso-dusted BBQ burger ($15) and an Italian sandwich ($14).
Besides a long list of cocktails ranging from Prohibition-era classics to tiki drinks, including six cocktails on tap, the bars stock more than 100 wines and 30-plus beers (eight on tap).
