"Don't leave it in the bottle," reads the neon sign inside Rebel Wine Lounge. In late July, the owners took that literally. They poured $5 beer and wine to clear the shelves before closing the bar at Macdonald and Main streets after more than two years.
Two weeks later, a few blocks east, a 7,300-square-foot Italian dining room was in soft opening on the ground floor of a new hotel. Then on Oct. 2, a brewery space that had been dark since June reopened as a restaurant with a stage.
The summer of 2026 on Main Street can look like random churn. It follows a pattern. Each newcomer brings its own built-in reason for people to show up: hotel guests upstairs, a booked band, or a city-funded kitchen with business coaching. Several of the owners who left said in public that they had been waiting for foot traffic that never grew the way they expected.
The owners who left explained why
Rebel Wine Lounge and Outcast Doughnuts have the same owner, Incomparably Dope Venture Partners. Outcast served its last doughnuts downtown on July 19, and Rebel's final day was set for July 24 or whenever the bar ran dry, whichever came first.
Co-owner Christina Goldsmith told Phoenix New Times that business had been inconsistent. She said the crowds they had expected from new downtown apartments never arrived, and that it no longer made financial sense to keep either concept open while they waited.
"We didn't expect to see anything happen overnight. But we're two years into this particular location now, Outcast is three years in, and we have seen zero progress." Christina Goldsmith, co-owner, Rebel Wine Lounge
The same group is keeping a presence downtown. Level 1 Arcade Bar and Alchemy 48, the speakeasy in the arcade's basement, are still open in Mesa. Rebel is expected to reopen in early 2027 at The Gilmore, a development under construction near Val Vista Drive and Germann Road in Gilbert. Outcast, Level 1 and its hidden bar are planned there too, and Phantom Fox Beer Co., another downtown Mesa business, will add a second location in the same project.
Outcast's next move tells you the most. The team spent about a year converting a former Whataburger near Hayden and Thomas roads in Scottsdale into a drive-thru, which was set to open Aug. 1 at 2955 Hayden Road. Co-owner TJ Tillman said that since the pandemic, he has seen more interest in grab-and-go service. Mesa is still part of the plan. Outcast is building a drive-thru from the ground up at the northwest corner of Ellsworth and Elliot roads in east Mesa, and Tillman estimates it will open around mid-2027.
Jarrod's Coffee, Tea and Gallery closed for a different reason. The shop had been open since 2012, and an Instagram post dated Sept. 11 announced the closing after 14 years. Jarrod Martinez told The Republic they had tried to buy the building but ran into problems with the sale. No plans for the space have been announced.
The 233 opened with guests already upstairs
The Crust project had a slow start. It was first announced in 2023, then stalled when the original developer filed for bankruptcy in 2024. The building was planned as an apartment project called The Grid. New owners Soltrust and Hospitality Capital Partners took it over and turned it into a boutique hotel with office space. The City of Mesa marked the official opening of the Unscripted by Hyatt hotel at The 233 on Aug. 6.
The building at 233 E. Main St. has 76 extended-stay rooms and 13,600 square feet of Class A office space above three ground-floor venues run by Crust Concepts. Owner Michael Merendino told Phoenix New Times that sharing a building with the Hyatt, and being close to Benedictine and Arizona State universities, puts the restaurants "nestled in a really good spot."
Each venue covers a different part of the day:
- Bombolino handles mornings. The cafe added at the hotel's request serves lattes, croissants, breakfast burritos and its namesake doughnuts. The Bomba is a doughnut filled with gelato. Glendale's Villa Dolce makes the gelato and Mesa's Buttered Up Bakery makes the pastries, which the Crust team bakes and finishes on site. Posted hours are 8 to 11 a.m. daily, with evening hours Wednesday through Sunday.
- Crust Simply Italian handles lunch and dinner. It serves East Coast-style pizza, chicken Parmesan and pasta in a dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows facing a patio on Main Street. It is open 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Crust started in Scottsdale in 2007, and Mesa is its fifth Valley location.
- The Nightingale handles late night. You get in through Bombolino. Inside is a dark, jewel-toned bar with faux birdcages hanging over the bar and a private patio. Cocktails include the Dead Canary, a dark rum espresso martini, and the Tail Feather, made with cucumber-infused mezcal. The posted Sunday hours on its own page don't match each other, so call ahead before a Sunday visit.
Merendino also expects Bombolino desserts to show up on Crust's menu this fall.
A taproom became a stage
12 West Brewing's taproom at 12 W. Main St. went dark in June. The brewery called it a summer break and hinted at a new concept for fall without saying what it would be. The new concept is Stage 12 West, which opened Friday, Oct. 2, near Country Club Drive and Main Street. It is a restaurant that is also a live-entertainment venue, with sound and laser shows.
The menu covers bar food and a few entrees: wings, loaded nachos, a bruschetta trio, grilled salmon, a BBQ pulled pork sandwich and pasta primavera. Desserts include lava cake, cheesecake or apple crisp. Opening weekend continues tonight with DJ Lexus Ranger at 8 p.m. and Sedona Red Band at 8:30. Regular hours weren't posted on its website at opening. A downstairs speakeasy, Jolie's Secret, is set to open Friday, Oct. 9, at 5 p.m.
Main Street, address by address
| Address | Before this summer | As of Oct. 3, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 233 E. Main St. | Stalled building site, formerly planned as The Grid | Unscripted by Hyatt with Crust, Bombolino and The Nightingale |
| 12 W. Main St. | 12 West Brewing taproom | Stage 12 West, with Jolie's Secret opening Oct. 9 |
| Macdonald and Main | Rebel Wine Lounge | Closed; reopening planned at The Gilmore, Gilbert, early 2027 |
| Downtown Mesa | Outcast Doughnuts | Closed July 19; east Mesa drive-thru planned for mid-2027 |
| Downtown Mesa | Jarrod's Coffee, Tea and Gallery | Closed after 14 years |
| 104 W. Main St., Suite 101 | Former Boutique clothing store | Pinnacle Brewing, early 2027 target |
| 111 W. Main St. | Former A.J.'s Grocery | Main Street Market under construction, early 2027 target |
The next two openings follow the same pattern
Main Street Market goes furthest in building in its own reason to visit. The $6 million project, run by Local First Arizona with the City of Mesa, is under construction in the former A.J.'s Grocery at 111 W. Main St. It will give seven first-time restaurant owners two-year leases in a shared food hall, along with in-depth business counseling, and it is paid for with the city's remaining COVID relief funds. The plans call for a shared kitchen, a bar, outdoor seating and a private dining area built around the old bank vault. The basement will hold classrooms and a production kitchen. In July, ABC15 reported that applications were expected to open in late July or early August and that the market would open in early 2027. No tenants have been announced, so treat that date as a target.
Pinnacle Brewing, an award-winning Scottsdale brewery, plans a second taproom and kitchen at 104 W. Main St., Suite 101. The space is at Macdonald and Main, in the former Boutique clothing store, and the brewery has said early 2027. Along with its own beer, the bar is expected to serve wine, cider and cocktails. The city's July 2026 retail update still listed both projects as "on the horizon." In the same update, the city noted that PHOENIX magazine named Downtown Mesa Best Downtown in its Best of the Valley 2026 issue.
Downtown has about 50 restaurants, according to city officials quoted by ABC15. Seven new food concepts and a brewery would be a big addition to that count. Together they make up much of the street's 2027 pipeline.
Where the fall calendar lands
The fall events cluster near Macdonald and Main, the same corner that lost Rebel and is waiting on Pinnacle and Main Street Market.
- Sunset Market, Friday, Oct. 9, 5 to 9 p.m., at Macdonald and Main streets. It returns Friday, Nov. 13, at the same hours.
- Día de los Muertos Festival at Mesa Arts Center, Saturday, Oct. 24, noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 25, noon to 5 p.m. It is free and includes live music, dance and art.
- BBQ and Bluegrass Classic, Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7, at Macdonald and Main streets. The organizer's page says more details are coming.
Jolie's Secret opens downstairs at Stage 12 West at 5 p.m. on Oct. 9, the same hour the Sunset Market starts a few blocks away at Macdonald and Main.
Downtown businesses change hands, and buildings get new lives, sometimes years after they were first announced. If you're thinking about what those changes mean for a home near Main Street, or for one you might buy there, Morales Group Real Estate can walk you through it calmly and plainly, at your pace. Contact Us.
