Persian Garden Café Is Closing at the End of January
You have just two weeks to eat Koobideh Kabobs and say goodbye to Persian Garden Café in west Phoenix. The Persian restaurant at the courtyard plaza at 15th Avenue and Thomas Road will close after Saturday, January 30. The cause, aside from a COVID-related dip in sales, is an increase in rent from Scottsdale-based real estate developers Arizona Partners, according to The Arizona Republic. Persian Garden Café was opened by Mahmoud and Afsaneh Jaafari in 2001, which would have made this its 20th year in business.Arcadia’s UnderTow Space Will Now Be …
The underbelly of Sip Coffee and Beer at 3620 East Indian School Road was once famously home to UnderTow. But since the tiki bar moved in with its parents next door at Century Grand (with a second location coming in 2021 to Agritopia in Gilbert), there’s an opportunity for a new venture in the subterranean space. The petite spot will soon be 36 Below, another basement bar serving extremely high-end cocktails from the looks of it. According to ABC15, 36 Below will be overseen by Sip’s owner Josh Katz, his business partner Maurice “Moe” Murillo, and mixologist Sheldon Wiley — also known for being a Guinness World Record-holding super-fast bartender. The opening is set for March.![](https://media2.phoenixnewtimes.com/phx/imager/u/blog/11525412/covershot_horizontal-dunn.jpg?cb=1642608839)
Applications are now being accepted for the James Beard Foundation Food and Beverage Investment Fund for Black and Indigenous Americans.
Jacob Tyler Dunn