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Larger patio, more parking and pickleball - McKenzie's Midtown Tavern has big plans

Plans, renderings and more from the bar's owner

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Larger patio, more parking and pickleball- McKenzie's Midtown Tavern has big plans for 2024.

By: Nicole Gutierrez

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PHOENIX — McKenzie's Midtown Tavern has big plans for its popular Phoenix location. Here’s what Ryan McKenzie, the owner, shared with ABC15.

Rendering: aerial overview of the McKenzie's Midtown Tavern planned expansion.

PLANS & RENDERINGS

“After five-and-a-half years, we had a little pause there during COVID, we got the zoning approval… now we're moving forward with making the backyard even more fun than the inside,” said McKenzie.

Rendering of the extended patio space with its new amenities.

The owner shared with ABC15 that customers can expect a bar outside, a pickleball court, and outdoor games like cornhole.

“So, we are going to be using shipping containers to build an outdoor bar out of as well as extend our kitchen with storage,” explained McKenzie. “And a lot of landscaping, the landscaping is pretty extreme, but … we want it to look nice.”

“I hope it brings more community to the community, you know, where people are out there, meet each other, you know, playing pickleball playing cornhole, getting to know one another. A lot of people make new friends here, and they go on for years, and maybe even a lifetime. But it's a special place. There's not many places like this out there,” said McKenzie.

THE TIMELINE

According to the owner, the Zoning got approved in October and the plan to submit the final project is in November.

Rendering: aerial overview that highlights the pickleball court.

“So, our next step is we are going to the city for the approval of the plans. And then after that, we go out to bid with different contractors, and they'll take their scope to work and, you know, we'll give us a bid and we'll hopefully approve it… they'll tell us, ‘okay,’ [these] are the dates, we're going to start and this is the date we're planning on finishing,” said McKenzie. “We're going to let everyone know, as soon as we get the taking the bids and… you know, approve them.”

“We're excited to add the parking. Most of the footprint of the backyard is actually going to be parking lot. The footprint of the actual expansion of our patio is nowhere near as big as we're, we're doing for the parking lot,” said McKenzie.

If all goes smoothly, January 2024 is the timeline to break ground and by mid-next year, this project could be open to the public, McKenzie shared with ABC15.

The bike path situated next to the canal located on the side of the Tavern is an outlet for enjoying outdoor activities in Arizona, something in which the owner is very passionate about for the community and hopes to just add to the canal path experience. “So, we thought, ‘let's, let's make it a pretty special place that people can bike to or walk to or walk their dog to’. And yeah, so we're excited,” shared McKenzie with ABC15.

IF YOU GO

Never been?

“We’re a bar restaurant, we focus on great food, we call it ‘gourmet bar food,’ clean atmosphere, really fun. We have wonderful staff, everyone's super, super inviting… and just a great place for the neighborhood, the central Phoenix community."

“Top Sellers are our wings, of course. And then we've got a nachos with the Blanco cheese sauce that we use a green chili pork, everything we do here we make fresh so it's a scratch kitchen bar food, which is pretty rare these days,” said McKenzie. “Everything's great, our burgers and it's all wonderful food.”

The local business also prides itself in its unique appearance, too. They have tables wrapped with vintage Phoenix photos, license plates and bikes hung inside, and Christmas lights inside and outside the establishment all year long.