🚫 The Merkin Vineyards tasting room, a spinoff of the Verde Valley winery owned by rocker Maynard James Keenan and his partners, has closed on the northeast corner of Stetson and Sixth Avenue in Old Town Scottsdale.
The 75-seat tasting room took over the original FnB space in April 2019 and focused on food and drink produced in Arizona, including wines from Merkin Vineyards and Caduceus Cellars, also owned by Keenan.
No reason has been announced for the closure.
🚫 Pasta Joint, a locally owned concept offering pasta, garlic bread, and meatball subs to go (similar to the better known By the Bucket), is closing after one year on the northwest corner of Higley and Queen Creek in southeast Gilbert.
‘‘While serving this community has been a great joy, we have realized that owning a restaurant does not align with our passions,’’ the owners posted on social media. ‘‘We are choosing to put family first and create a life of sustainability.’’
The eatery’s last day will be Friday – unless it runs out of supplies earlier.
👨🍳 Binkley’s, one of Arizona’s most acclaimed restaurants, is closing this August, owners Kevin and Amy Binkley announced on social media.
The New American fine-dining eatery, which debuted in Cave Creek and moved to midtown Phoenix in 2016, will celebrate its 20th anniversary on May 25.
It offers only a 12-course for $265 per person, with wine pairings for an additional $200. There is just one seating (6:30 p.m.) Wednesday-Saturday.
Kevin Binkley has been nominated for the James Beard Award as Best Chef Southwest 11 times – more than any other Valley chef – but has never won the award.
‘‘While there are many things we will miss, we are excited for the future!’’ the couple posted. ‘‘It has truly been an honor to host so many wonderful and supportive guests over the years. We would like to thank all of the amazing people with whom we have had the privilege to work…we couldn’t have done it without you.’’
The couple plan to take some time off and relax while deciding what they’ll do next. That may include a return to the food and beverage industry, but not as restaurant operators.
Starting May 24, Binkley’s will bring back many of its most popular dishes from over the years for its final three months.
Per tradition, the 22-seat restaurant will be closed for a week after Mother’s Day and again for Fourth of July week.
Liars Club – a downtown Phoenix restaurant and bar launched by Colton Brock and John Sagasta, owners of now-defunct cocktail bar Khla – has closed after 16 months on the southwest corner of Central and Monroe.
The menu featured Detroit-style pizzas, smash burgers, and bar bites.
‘‘We have sold the project to some great local operators that have some cool plans,’’ the owners posted on social media. ‘‘We will be keeping the brand and intend to reopen when the right space arises.’’
🍳 EggsTc, a longtime breakfast and brunch restaurant on the northeast corner of Ellsworth and Ocotillo in Queen Creek, says it’s being forced to leave its space at the end of April.
‘‘After nearly 13 years serving all of you at this location, I received an email stating we needed to be out by April 30,’’ owner Theresa Novak (pictured on left) posted on social media. ‘‘The same thing just happened to the little tattoo shop 3 doors down from us. No option to renew the lease, just get out, a corporate company is moving in!’’
Novak is looking for a new space but is unsure if EggsTc will reopen.
🍰 Karl’s Quality Bakery, founded by Germany native Karl Boerner (pictured) in north central Phoenix in 1994, will close Sunday and be replaced by a new family-owned bakery, according to a post on its social media.
‘‘While our ovens may cool, the warmth of our bakery will forever linger in the hearts and taste buds of those we’ve had the honor to serve,’’ the post reads.
Boerner’s daughter Christine moved the bakery from its original location at Seventh and Dunlap avenues about a mile east to the Marketplace on Central in 2014.
🇲🇽 Barrio Cafe, one of Phoenix’s most acclaimed restaurants for more than two decades, is closing in the coming weeks.
Owner and chef Silvana Salcido Esparza tells the Arizona Republic the closure will happen between the end of March and mid-April.
(Update: Esparza now says Barrio Cafe will remain open until June 1.)
‘‘I gave you guys 22 years,’’ she says. ‘‘I hope you came.’’
Esparza and Wendy Gruber launched Barrio Cafe near the southwest corner of 16th Street and Thomas in 2002. The elevated Mexican regional dishes quickly drew accolades locally and nationally.
Esparza is a seven-time James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef Southwest. Last year she was a James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Chef in the nation.
Along the way she has been an outspoken supporter for the rights of immigrants, Latinos, and the LGBTQ+.
Esparza, who suffers from the inflammatory disease sarcoidosis, says she will retain ownership of restaurant’s building, using rent payments to help support Barrio Cafe’s employees while they look for new jobs.
Her autobiography, “La Hija de la Chingada: Chronicles of a Mexican Chef in the U.S.A.,” goes on presale May 5.
🚫 Carly’s Bistro, a fixture on Roosevelt Row in downtown Phoenix for nearly two decades, will close May 3, it announced on social media.
The Mediterranean-style bistro, opened by Carla Wade Logan in 2005, was one of the first restaurants on Roosevelt Row, which has become a dining and entertainment hotspot.
No explanation was given for the decision to close, but the bistro asked customers to ‘‘please stop by and say hello and enjoy your favourites from Carly’s’’ until then.
🚫 Arizona BBQ Company, a six-year-old establishment on the northwest corner of Val Vista and Ray in Gilbert, announced on social media it will close this Saturday after six-plus years in business.
‘‘Despite exhaustive efforts to adjust our business model and reduce costs, the persistent downturn in business, exacerbated by the current economic climate and continual rising operational costs, makes it no longer a viable option for Arizona BBQ Company to remain open,’’ owners Mark and Colette Nichols wrote.
The couple put an Arizona twist on traditional barbecue by serving their smoked meat platters with tortillas and chips and sauce and offering specialties such as barbecue tacos, fresh chicharrons, and street corn with chile-lime seasoning.
