3 great culinary districts to know in metro Phoenix
You can find a tasty meal almost anywhere in metro Phoenix but there are some streets where you’ll have a better shot than others.
The Republic
- A new pizzeria and bar is opening in Phoenix’s Warehouse District in a historic building.
- The project is led by Kell Duncan, the creator of The Churchill food hall.
- The new venture is expected to open in late spring or early summer of 2026.
Kell Duncan, the powerhouse behind The Churchill, is working on a new venture in the Warehouse District. This one will be a pizzeria and bar.
He’s using a historic building for his new project. Gerardo’s Building at the corner of Third and Buchanan streets was built in 1928 and named after owner Gerardo Verdugo Walker. In 1936, Walker turned the building into Sonorense Café, store and bar and ran it until the 1960s.
Duncan said he’s been wanting to do this project since 2019, but the timing hadn’t worked out. He said the building had many lives and was part of the long gone Phoenix Chinatown, and served as a market and bodega, a cigar shop, though, as long as he’s known it, since 2012, it’s been empty.
“I love that area,” Duncan said. “It’s just early down there. It got crushed during COVID and I think it’s bouncing back now. There just needs to be more stuff to do.”
Duncan chose two businesses to debut in the space: Otra Pizzeria for the restaurant portion, occupying the bottom floor, and Better Days, a new bar, for the top floor. On the east side of the building, there will be a patio.
What to expect at Otra Pizzeria
Chef and owner Cesar Velasco opened Otra Pizzeria foodstand in January 2023, offering Neapolitan-style pizza “with a modern twist.” He brings nearly 10 years of experience in French, Italian, American and Latin American cooking, including stints at Christopher’s at Wrigley Mansion and Fat Ox. Velasco has been doing pop-ups at several bars, with regular appearances at Sauvage.
“I met Cesar at Sauvage. He’s an incredibly hard worker, he’s dedicated and his food is really good. And that’s what I’m looking for,” Duncan said.
“We’ve been fortunate for what all of this hard work has gotten us to,” Velasco said.
He plans to work with local vendors and create a chef-driven restaurant. He said he’ll have beer, wine and some cocktails from the upstairs bar.
Otra’s menu will have red and white woodfired pizzas, Roman pizza by the slice and salads. Some of the pizzas include:
- Diablo, prepared with house-made spicy sausage, pepperoni, salsa matcha, hot honey and D.O.P tomatoes.
- Don Pepe, made with pepperoni, parmesan, basil, house-made ranch, D.O.P tomatoes and herbed ricotta.
- La Bianca, prepared with mascarpone sauce, roasted garlic puree, basil, fresh mozzarella, ricotta, almonds and topped with a hot honey drizzle.
He also plans to add pizza al taglio or Roman pizza by the slice. Roman pizza’s crust is a lighter version of focaccia and is cut into squares. He said he’ll also experiment with family-style specials.
“I’m always going to be a doughboy at heart,” Velasco said. “Without that trailer, I wouldn’t be here.”
What to expect at Better Days
Better Days, according to Duncan, is a “high dive. Just a real good neighborhood bar.” It’ll have one pool table, one dart board, two wells and music. “I want it to be a neighborhood spot,” Duncan said.
Fendi Vaughn, the beverage director of The Churchill, who runs So Far So Good, will be in charge of the bar program.
“One thing I’ve always wanted from The Churchill is to create more opportunities for people who work for me,” Duncan said, “which in turn will open more room at The Churchill.”
Patrons can expect bottled and draft beer, high-end cocktails and late-night pizza by the slice from Otra.
Expected opening: Late spring/early summer 2026
Details: 421 S. Third St., Phoenix. otrapizzeriaphx.com and @betterdaysphx.
Reach the reporter at BAnooshahr@azcentral.com. Follow @baharcreative on Instagram.
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