FOOD & DINING

Best new food hubs: With 20-plus restaurants, Gilbert's Heritage District proves doubters wrong

For a long time, Gilbert was a sea of chain restaurants. Now, more than 20 top-notch eateries are concentrated within the Heritage District, creating one of the best new food hubs in the Valley.

Jennifer McClellan
The Republic | azcentral.com
This is Postino Winecafe in downtown Gilbert, Feb. 2, 2017.
  • Gilbert native Joe Johnston opened Joe's Real BBQ in 1998; back then, Applebee’s was the main draw
  • When Postino opened in Gilbert in 2012, “They told us we were crazy. We look really smart now," restaurateur Lauren Bailey says
  • Since 2015, big names like Clever Koi, Barrio Queen and Pomo Pizzeria have opened branches in the Heritage District

Best New Food Hubs is a Food & Dining team project that shines a spotlight on the most exciting new restaurant cores in the Valley. These are not the establishment. These are the newly sprouted clusters that have grown out of unexpected places.

It’s fitting that in a metropolis as sprawling as Phoenix, one of the most exciting dining areas has sprouted up in suburbia.

The town of Gilbert (calling it a city will mark you an outsider) has long attracted people for its high standard of living. It made CNN Money’s list of best places to live and was named one of Arizona's safest communities by Safewise.com.

But from a dining perspective, those accolades didn’t translate into anything worth celebrating. For a long time, Gilbert was a sea of chain restaurants broken by the occasional independently operated island.

This is Joe's Real BBQ in downtown Gilbert, Feb. 2, 2017.

“When we opened the barbecue (Joe’s Real BBQ) 20 years ago, the Applebee’s up the street at Baseline and Gilbert was the highest-grossing Applebee’s in the United States,” said Joe Johnston, a restaurateur and champion of Gilbert.

Over the last decade or so, that has changed — at least within the few blocks of downtown referred to as the Heritage District.

Now, more than 20 top-notch restaurants are concentrated along Gilbert Road from Cullumber Avenue north to the Western Canal.

A driving force: the town’s gradual shift from an aging, agricultural population to a young, white-collar one. It helps that, as a municipality, Gilbert is considered friendly toward development. The Town is the largest landowner in the Heritage District and has executed its vision by selling and working with like-minded developers.

Slice of a small town

If you visit the Heritage District on any given day or time, you’ll find a bustling dining scene. So much so that you’ll probably have to wait for a table.

During the mornings, diners fill the breakfast tables at The Farmhouse Restaurant and sip coffee outside in the garden at Bergies Coffee Roast House.

For lunch, they come for fresh-ground burgers and loaded fries at Zinburger; authentic Neapolitan pizza at Pomo Pizzeria; and chicken and bacon sandwiches at Even Stevens.

On Monday and Tuesday nights, they stay out after 8 p.m. for Postino Winecafe’s $20 deal for a board of bruschetta and bottle of wine.

Mobile users can view a full interactive map here.

Play dates are scheduled at Snooze an AM Eatery; date night happens at Nico Heirloom Kitchen.

So far, the Heritage District dining experiment has been a success.

It’s earning the town hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in sales taxes. And it’s saving southeast Valley residents the gas money and time they once spent on the trek to trendy Phoenix and Scottsdale restaurants.

The town likes to refer to the Heritage District as a “30-year overnight success,” meaning decades of investment, planning and relationship building preceded the last few years of actualized change.

Making Gilbert cool

This is Joe's Real BBQ in downtown Gilbert, Feb. 2, 2017.

The Heritage District is built on the town's original site. Five years ago, it was home to just a few pioneering restaurants such as Joe's Real BBQ, Romeo's Euro Cafe and Oregano's Pizza Bistro.

Most of the chefs and investors dismissed Gilbert as a sleepy suburb, skeptical that hip restaurants that slung alcoholic drinks could thrive in the area. They chose to do business in Phoenix and Scottsdale, instead.

Then Postino took over the Grainbelt building in 2012. The space had seen a string of failed restaurants, including Gonzo's All American Grill and steakhouse Mahogany Run.

With six Valley branches, Postino is part of the restaurant empire run by Upward Projects. Also to their credit are Windsor, Churn, Federal Pizza and Joyride Taco House, which has a Gilbert location next to Postino.

Company co-owners Lauren Bailey and Craig DeMarco went to school in metro Phoenix — they know the ins and outs of the city. They have a proven track record of building restaurants in chancy neighborhoods. They opened Postino in Arcadia in 2001, before the area was a hot spot. They did the same in central Phoenix at Central Avenue and Colter Street, an intersection they have turned into its own dining corridor.

They seem to know the magic formula for restaurants with impeccable food and effortlessly cool atmosphere. But even they weren’t sure about Gilbert.

“They told us we were crazy,” Bailey said. “We look really smart now.”

Bailey and DeMarco credit two people for convincing them to open in Gilbert. One is DeMarco’s childhood friend, Dan Henderson, director of the town Office of Economic Development. Henderson admitted he “relentlessly” called DeMarco.

“I was patient but I was persistent,” he said.

The other person is Johnston, a Gilbert native who is highly respected in the local restaurant industry. He was co-founder of the original Coffee Plantation, a landmark of Mill Avenue until 2009. Along with his barbecue joint, Johnson operates Liberty Market, Joe’s Farm Grill, Agritopia and Barnone. He told the Upward Projects team what he tells everyone: Gilbert is underestimated.

He was right.

A “tsunami wave” of a crowd came to Postino on opening day, Bailey recalled. Immediately, the Gilbert location became one of their best-performing branches.

This is Postino Winecafe in downtown Gilbert, Feb. 2, 2017.

More to come

Postino was the catalyst to the major restaurant boom we see today.

Since 2015, big names including the Clever Koi, Barrio Queen, Lo-Lo's Chicken & Waffles and Sushi Brokers have opened inside the Heritage District.

But there’s more work to be done.

Ann Moeller, 38, lives in Gilbert but still drives for about 20 minutes when she goes to the Heritage District. The haul means the downtown area is more of a date-night destination and those nights are over too soon.

“That’s my only complaint, there’s not much of an after-hours,” she said. “It’s like, ‘We drove out here, now where do we go?’ ”

Moeller hopes newly opened Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row is be the first step toward a more lively downtown. It’s the first place with a celebrity name and a distinct nightlife slant.

She was excited to hear that OHSO Eatery + Brewery plans to build in downtown Gilbert. Fox Restaurant Concepts wants to build The Yard at Gilbert Heritage District, a restaurant and entertainment hub similar to the ones in central Phoenix and Tempe.

OHSO Brewery is planned to open in downtown Gilbert.

Brad Kircher, too, is looking forward to the newcomers. He owns Nico Heirloom Kitchen in Gilbert and Virtù Honest Craft in Scottsdale with chef Gio Osso. Virtù is a high-concept dining room that was nominated for a coveted James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2014. Nico, meanwhile, was designed to have a more homegrown feel with the same labor-intensive dishes and attention to detail in the kitchen.

Kircher wanted to create a place “where diners sit back, relax, enjoy the meal and company… order a few courses and let the servers handle the rest,” he said. But that’s taking some getting used to.

“At Virtù, people expect to spend 2½ hours at dinner. Gilbert people don’t like to wait for 15 minutes,” he said.

As The Yard and OHSO open, Kircher hopes more people will come downtown with the intention of staying out instead of just popping in for a meal.

Everyone seems to agree the area needs more offices and shops to sustain business to all the restaurants.

In a 2016 survey done by Gilbert, nearly 60 percent of the 4,000-plus respondents said they wanted to see more retail and entertainment options downtown.

Johnston pointed out that the national trend is for retail to follow restaurants. Moving forward, he said, striking the right balance between shopping and dining is essential.

“It’s going to be re-balanced by market forces," he said. "How that gets re-balanced remains to be seen.”

NOTABLE RESTAURANTS

Joe’s Real BBQ

This is Joe's Real BBQ in downtown Gilbert, Feb. 2, 2017.

Opened in 1998, this is the original restaurant of the Heritage District as we know it today. Of the area’s many restaurants, it’s the one that most reminds you of Gilbert’s agricultural roots. On one side of the dining area, there’s a massive mural of workers in a farm field. On the other, there’s a life-size tractor and vintage covers of Arizona Highways magazine. Diners push red trays and order their barbecue cafeteria style. Meats are smoked with Arizona pecan wood, the smell of which hits you smack in the face the moment you open the entrance doors. Families eat brisket sandwiches and baked beans on picnic tables. After eating, they play games on the grass courtyard. Within the district, Johnston also owns Liberty Market, which was built in a 1930s grocery store. On your birthday, get $10 off if you dine in or a free dessert for takeout.

Details: 301 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert. 480-503-3805, joesrealbbq.com.

Postino Winecafe

This is Postino Winecafe in downtown Gilbert, Feb. 2, 2017.

When Upward Projects opened this bruschetta-and-wine concept in Gilbert in 2012, it was as if they were the first popular kid to befriend the new student. Once they were successful, other restaurateurs started looking at the town favorably. Diners line up for Postino’s elegant bruschetta laden with such toppings as prosciutto, fig and mascarpone; burrata, bacon, arugula and tomato; or smoked salmon with pesto. The drink program is top-notch, and offered at a deal. Glasses of wine and pitchers of beer are $5 until 5 p.m. daily. Go on Mondays and Tuesdays after 8 p.m. and get a bottle of wine and bruschetta board for $20. Next to Postino, Upward Projects also operates Joyride Taco House.

Details: 302 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert. 480-632-6363, postinowinecafe.com.

Nico Heirloom Kitchen

Most new restaurants in downtown Gilbert are Phoenix transplants: second or third locations of established concepts. Not Nico. Chef/owner Gio Osso lives in Gilbert and decided to open the new concept, named after his son, near his home. His kitchen serves some of the dishes that earned him a James Beard nod, including wood-fired octopus with calabrese chile butter. Chefs turn out handmade pasta in such dishes as lasagna al forno and rigatoni with pork sugo. Branzino, pork short ribs and 40-ounce Niman Ranch rib eye are among the main dishes. The drink menu features a variety of wine, beer and signature cocktails.

Details: 366 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert. 480-584-4760, nicoaz.com.

Snooze an AM Eatery

This is the Snooze an AM Eatery in downtown Gilbert, February 2, 2017.

The scrumptious breakfast menu combines with an adventurous atmosphere to create the perfect spot for brunch. Order French toast with mascarpone whipped cream; chilaquiles eggs Benedict; pineapple upside-down pancakes; or breakfast pot pie topped with rosemary sausage gravy. If you’re 21 or older, add on a breakfast cocktail such as a mimosa, Bloody Mary or "brewmosa," made with wheat beer and orange juice. Don’t miss the lovely patio area, compete with a game area with pingpong, cornhole and other activities. Snooze is one of the only restaurants in the Heritage District that’s not owned by an Arizonan. The brand is based in Denver and has four locations in the state, along with more than a dozen spread throughout Colorado, California and Texas.

Details: 310 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert. 480-664-4488, snoozeeatery.com.

Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row

Downtown's newest addition, this restaurant-entertainment venue has long hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. weekends. The patio takes up about half the space, which features games such as cornhole and pingpong, as well as a dance floor. Live music on a dedicated stage happens on weekends. TVs are located throughout the place. Look for American fare such as sliders, pretzels, sandwiches and fried chicken; and 50-plus beers on tap along with wine and cocktails. Country singer Dierks Bentley grew up in Arizona. He partnered with Scottsdale-based Riot Hospitality Group to launch the Whiskey Row brand. The fourth Whiskey Row is scheduled to open this summer in Nashville.

Details: 325 Gilbert Road, Gilbert. dierkswhiskeyrow.com.

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