Coming to Tempe: Phantom Fox Beer Co. and Goat and Ram Open on Mill Avenue October 8

What’s new in Tempe this week?

Phantom Fox Beer Co. and its in-house pizzeria Goat and Ram have set a grand opening date of Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 525 S. Mill Ave. in downtown Tempe, taking over the former Illegal Pete’s space just south of Fifth Street. A soft-opening week runs the week before. It’s the popular Mesa brewery’s first Tempe location, and it brings 20 taps, wood-fired pizza, and seating for more than 200 people to Mill Avenue.

By Dr. Kevin Shufford | August 22, 2026

Downtown Mesa has quietly built one of the best beer strips in the Valley over the past few years, and Phantom Fox has been right at the center of it. Now that crew is heading west. Phoenix New Times reported on August 18 that Phantom Fox and Goat and Ram will officially open October 8, and Mouth by Southwest confirmed the same Oct. 8 grand-opening date the same day. If you’ve been watching that black-and-gold sign go up on the patio and wondering when it finally opens, now you know.

What Phantom Fox and Goat and Ram are bringing to Mill Avenue

The format is one you’ll recognize if you’ve made the drive to Main Street in Mesa: a working brewery and a pizzeria sharing one roof, so you can order a flight and a pie at the same table. Owners Trent Smith and Eric Cady started with Chupacabra Taproom in downtown Mesa back in 2019, opened Phantom Fox in 2023, and partnered with Dan and Morgan Medlen’s wood-fired pizza operation, Goat and Ram, for the food side.

Here’s what you can expect when the doors open. The bar will run 20 taps of Phantom Fox beer along with Cider Corps cider, plus a slightly bigger cocktail list than the Mesa location carries. The beer itself will still be brewed in Mesa. On the food side, Goat and Ram is expanding the menu with wings and loaded fries, with toppings that rotate alongside the specialty pizzas (those change roughly every two weeks, so there’s usually something new). The dining room and patio together seat more than 200, with more outdoor space than Mesa has, and there will be TVs for college football and NFL games.

Location-wise, this lands you a short walk from Arizona State’s campus, the light rail, and the rest of the Mill Avenue run. Tempe Mayor Corey Woods personally recruited the brewery as part of a wave of new restaurants coming to the street, and the Downtown Tempe Authority’s official new-business list has Phantom Fox and Goat and Ram alongside Carmen, Novel Ice Cream, and a new concept from the Glai Baan team, all landing this fall and beyond. Tempe is not slowing down.

One more thing worth noting if you’re an East Valley regular: the same duo has a Phantom Fox and Goat and Ram combo planned for The Gilmore in Gilbert in 2027. Mill Avenue is the next step, not the last one.

Also on the calendar: Taco Fest returns to Scottsdale October 17 and 18

If you’re already circling October, add this one. Taco Fest at Salt River Fields runs October 17 and 18, 2026 at 7555 N. Pima Road in Scottsdale. The venue’s official event page lists the October 17 to 18 dates, and Scottsdale.com reports that James Beard Award winner Aarón Sánchez joins as a guest judge on Sunday, October 18, alongside a new main stage bringing celebrity chefs, live music, and cooking demos together.

The two-day festival features more than 40 taco makers, more than 30 brands of tequila and mezcal, multiple music stages, a mercado, art activations, and kids’ activities. It’s one of the few Valley food events big enough that you should buy tickets before the week of, and it’s a genuinely easy day out if you’re anywhere in the North Scottsdale, Talking Stick, or Salt River corridor.

Why this matters if you’re house hunting here

I’m not going to pretend a pizza and beer spot changes anybody’s home search. But it’s a real signal. When a brewery with a proven following picks a corner, and the mayor is actively recruiting restaurants to that street, that’s a district investing in itself. Downtown Tempe has added something like a dozen new places in the past 18 months, and walkable blocks with things actually worth walking to tend to hold their value better than blocks that don’t.

If you’re curious what it actually costs to live within walking distance of Mill Avenue, or what the trade-offs look like between Tempe and Scottsdale, that’s my world. Come tell me what you’re looking for and I’ll give you the honest version.

Sources

Opening and event dates in this post were confirmed against Phoenix New Times, Mouth by Southwest, the Downtown Tempe Authority, Salt River Fields, and Scottsdale.com. Opening dates can move, so check with the business before you make the drive.

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Dr. Kevin Shufford holds a PhD in Communication and is a professor who teaches how to have healthy relationships, skills he brings to his real estate practice. As a licensed real estate agent and mortgage loan officer serving the Phoenix metro and Southern California, Kevin operates as The Property Professor under Real Broker and One Real Mortgage. Work with Kevin at thepropertyprofessor.blog or call 480-725-4658.