GLENDALE, AZ — José Andrés will open his first Arizona restaurant ’Bar Mar’ at VAI Resort in Glendale!
VAI Resort, scheduled to open in phases starting in 2025, announced the celebrity chef partnership on Tuesday, saying the following:
We’re thrilled to unveil Bar Mar—the first José Andrés Group restaurant in Arizona, where the finest seafood creations meet modern culinary artistry! With Bar Mar by José Andrés as JAG’s first Arizona venture, we’re setting a new standard for dining in the state, bringing bold innovation, world-class seafood, and a dynamic atmosphere to Glendale. With modern takes on classics, you know and love, festive cocktails, and a vibrant design envisioned by Lázaro Rosa Violán, Bar Mar will elevate VAI’s culinary offerings with its world-class cuisine and immersive dining experience. This is a true milestone for VAI Resort, as we partner with one of the most visionary chefs in the world, redefining what it means to dine in Arizona.
’Bar Mar’ will be a part of the more than a dozen concepts created by Chef José Andres and his restaurant group.
Andrés is a world-renowned chef and has appeared on countless culinary shows. He's also a humanitarian and was named one of Times' "100 Most Influential People" twice for his efforts.
The announcement comes after an ABC15 interview with Rian Kirkman, Senior Vice President of Marketing at VAI Resort, who shared that there would be three celebrity chef-driven restaurants on their property.
A total of 12 restaurants are said to open at the resort.
“There's going to be a ray of culinary offerings. I mean, there's going to be […] different types of cuisines. And it's going to be important for us, not only to have guests enjoy it, but we want the locals- so if you're in Glendale, if you're in Peoria if you're in Goodyear, you know, if you're in Surprise- we want to be a destination where people can go to enjoy themselves, whether they stay at the resort or not,” said Kirkman.
MORE ABOUT VAI
What was once Crystal Lagoons, which broke ground in 2021 in Glendale, has since changed to an entertainment venue concept with hotel towers called VAI Resort.
Drive down Loop 101 near Cardinals Way in Glendale and you can’t miss the massive project that’s still under construction. The original plan for VAI Resort was to open in late spring of 2023, but that’s now been pushed back to 2025.
“It will be a phased opening starting late 2025 […] with the other phases opening through the first half of 2026,” said Kirkman. “The amphitheater will certainly be phase one, as well as that Amphitheater Tower. And so, you know, we're, we're going to be a luxury resort that's really going to be about entertainment. I mean, luxury can be sometimes a little stodgy, and we're going to be, we're going to have this playful sophistication around us. So, phase one will really incorporate that amphitheater and that concert experience, the room product, and the restaurants in there.”
What’s next?
“Phase two- as anyone who has worked on […] a major construction project, can be a little bit more fluid- but we anticipate a couple of other towers,” said Kirkman to ABC15. “And then [the] conference center and some of the other elements in the resort in a third phase. Now those things, again, can be fluid and can change, but that's at least [that’s] what the plan is for right now.”
