Another queer-owned business I love is Tony’s Place, a seven-room, men only guesthouse I stayed at during a previous visit. Founder Tony Cabral, who once owned a trio of video stores, drove back and forth between Palm Springs and Phoenix with mid-century furniture in tow and the result is a meticulously decorated, retro resort-like home complete with an outdoor area for sunbathing, airstream trailer, and clothing-optional swimming pool.
It’s appropriate that en route to Cruisin’ on 7th, a dive bar attracting a transgender crowd, “52 Girls” by the B-52s plays randomly on my Apple Music. I arrive in time for Dirty Daddy Happy Hour fully expecting to see “mature” go-go studs working the box. Turns out the dirty daddies are the clientele like myself. It’s both crowded and dark inside and I’m pretty sure the neon straw the bartender drops into my bitters and soda is is meant to light my way. My attention immediately pivots to a Latin dancer thrusting about atop the pool table. He’s wearing a yellow thong (appropriate color given his large banana) and kneehigh Adidas socks. Every time he bends over I practically faint and find myself greedily feeding his underwear so many dollar bills that by the end it’s like he’s wearing a grass skirt.
Palma Phoenix (Photo by Palma Phoenix Flagship Restaurant Group)
Hunkered around a fire pit, I join a friend for an early dinner at Palma, a gorgeous eatery shrouded in palm trees and frilly umbrellas. Tucked away off Roosevelt Row, downtown’s revitalized hub for drinking, socializing, and gallery hopping, and only a stone’s throw from stalwarts like food hall Churchill, Palma is packed. As flames dance hypnotically above the charcoal as if under the spell of a snake charmer, our server artfully balances several dishes around the pit including irresistible popcorn chicken, crunchy sushi rolls, sweet potato yummy fries, and a salad we throw in for good measure.
Cham Pang Lanes (Photo by Zayla Brantly Boss Up Travels)
Palma is part of an adult funplex that includes cocktail bar Ghost Donkey and Cham Pang Lanes, where prowling tiger wallpaper, a crush of disco balls cloistered together above a bustling circular bar, and narrow, Instagrammable hallways nearly obscure the fact that Cham Pang Lanes is above all else a functioning bowling alley. It’s a shame each lane is full; I happen to be an excellent bowler and the captain of Thirsty Alley, a team I brought to first place victory in Los Angeles a handful of seasons ago. (A hard-fought competition in which we bested teams Barbara Strikes and and Britney Spares.)
Around the corner is indoor-outdoor cocktail lounge and cigar bar Sazerac. Here I run into Diego and Rick, a cute couple I met in LA where I thought for sure we’d have a threesome. They tell me that Sazerac used to be much queerer until the bar allowed the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay conservative group, to host a fundraiser which turned into a rally of sorts for MAGA gubernatorial candidate and strident election denier Kari Lake. Ever since that time, some folks have been gaycotting the bar. Another juicy tidbit I hear from someone at the bar is that Lake used to be a rational, fair-minded person who drank the Kool-Aid and went full conspiracy theorist.
Continuing my nightlife exploration, I discover it’s gear night at The Anvil, the local leather bar, and the place is packed. (There are more puppies running around here than at the local dog park.) While waiting in the long line for drinks I notice there is porn playing on the TV screens, but all the good parts are blurred out, which is both confounding and hilarious. When I finally reach the bartender, I order a double so that I won’t have to queue up again. I recognize a guy I follow on Instagram who I met at the Eagle in Los Angeles. He’s wearing a devil red thong and a harness that’s flashing red like a traffic light. The dance floor is a tangled mess of sweaty bodies, jock straps, and swirling lights, and when the two shirtless dudes I’m eyeing end up making out with each other, I take that as a cue to call it a night.
Sunday morning is gorgeous, and I consider taking a hike. Phoenix boasts an amazing number of traversable trails both within city limits and in close proximity to it. Casual strollers should check out the excellent Double Butte Loop at Papago Park, a large urban park which also contains the photogenic .3 mile out-and-back trek Hole in the Rock. There’s also Dreamy Draw on the north side of town where a coyote once sprinted right past me like he was a morning jogger.
Papago Park (Photo by Visit Phoenix)
Camelback Mountain is the city’s most celebrated peak, but only experienced hikers should attempt the strenuous hike. Instead, I opt to visit Desert Botanical Garden, a triumphant 140-acre garden located within Papago Park boasting an impressive assortment of agave, cacti, and assorted succulents, plus a wildflower garden, butterfly pavilion, a restaurant and café, and a garden shop. But first, there’s coffee and brunch.
Desert Botanical Garden (Photo by Visit Phoenix)
Sunny, upbeat, and optimistic, the cute bartender embodies everything I love about Phoenix, a city that right now is having a very queer moment.
Window Coffee Bar at Hive Studios is an adorable little gay-owned walkup coffee spot that opens onto a backlot playground with benches, games, string lights, and Astro turf. Behind my barista a neon sign reads: ALL ARE WELCOME HERE, though it’s not glowing at this AM hour. Phoenix’s mural game is one of the best in the West and Window Coffee Bar sits just one block from Oak Street Murals, a tucked away alley and low-key tourist attraction featuring dozens of largescale paintings that offer a combination of inspirational, political, psychedelic, abstract, and surreal. There’s an even an annual festival where local artists hit the laneway with their spray cans and paint the block.
There’s something about brunch spot Fez that looks familiar. It’s not the restaurant itself which happens to be LGBTQ owned and has the vibes of a retro diner meets North African spice market meets Pride parade. Rather, it’s that it sits on Portland Parkway Park, a floral strip of public greenery shaped like a Band-Aid. I realize that a few years ago on my way to Tucson, I spent a night at the FOUND:RE Phoenix Hotel which sits right across the street and bustles with a playful energy that tracks with downtown’s irresistible renaissance. Both the hotel and restaurant Fez are just a stone’s throw from Roosevelt Row where I had dinner and drinks last night before hitting the town.
It’s only 10 A.M and already Fez is shaping up to be the buzziest little brunch place in town. Just about everyone here is queer and I’m loving it. My cute server Joey says he’s been working at Fez for 100 years and has an impressive menu knowledge to back up the claim, but he doesn’t look a day over 25, so that math doesn’t quite add up. I let him point me in the direction of the mojo benedict, a messy and delicious duo of poached eggs slathered with mojo pork, sriracha aioli and hollandaise sauce and served atop ciabatta. I also find out that Mark Howard, the queer owner of Fez, took over a collection of nearby automotive garages he’s renaming The Royale and is leasing them to small businesses. They will include a second location of Window Coffee Bar and a new storefront for Lix Uptown Ice Cream. Howard is also opening a second restaurant concept at The Royale called YUMBAR that will feature drag shows.
