A revitalized Arizona Center is the newest addition to a rapidly evolving downtown Phoenix, a city that had already invested more than $5 billion into the downtown sector, including hotel renovations, transportation infrastructure, retail space and more.
Located in downtown Phoenix and just steps from Phoenix Convention Center, the Arizona Center is becoming the newest feature of a city that has continued to rank among the top destinations for meetings and events. The Arizona Center was purchased in 2023 by Preston Corporation with the goal of reimagining the space to include new restaurants, retail and art installations, and that vision is now well underway. 
Photo: Courtesy of Visit Phoenix
Pretty Decent Concepts, a restaurant development group whose creations have recently won two Foodist Awards (Best Signature Dish and Best Chef for the group’s Wren & Wolf restaurant in Phoenix), is opening a pair of new restaurants and a martini bar in The Arizona Center.
Two steakhouses—Cleaverman and Uppercut—will feature a beef-forward menu, but each with different culinary experiences. Cleaverman will offer that classic steakhouse experience of big cuts prepared to your perfect temperature in an elegant atmosphere that reflects steakhouses of 40 to 50 years ago. Uppercut will be more focused on education and feature a 12-course steak omakase-style tasting menu with limited seating and reservations. The omakase experience takes guests on a journey into the particulars of beef, demonstrating, for example, the differences between corn-fed and grass-fed varieties.
Each restaurant also will offer event space, providing a convenient option for planners in search of meeting facilities with dining options near the Phoenix Convention Center.
After dining, visitors can head over to Filthy, also developed by Pretty Decent Concepts and heavily influenced by the firm’s James Beard Award-nominated mixologist. Filthy is a new martini bar that takes a more modern and elevated approach to the classic drink and celebrates varying flavors and ingredients. Like Cleaverman and Uppercut, Filthy will offer meeting and event space. 
Photo: Courtesy of Visit Phoenix
In addition to the elements developed by Pretty Decent Concepts, the Arizona Center is transforming into a vibrant facility for community engagement. Other tenants in the center include Dough Boys Pizza and several extended-term pop-ups, like a Jiu Jitsu gym that is open in a temporary space in the center, a roller rink, and a spin cycling gym. The center welcomes weekly pop-ups in an effort to help local entrepreneurs transition their ideas into functional business concepts. And finally, the center hosts cultural and entertainment events such as outdoor markets, art installations and festivals.
To keep up with the latest from Greater Phoenix and discover even more ways the city continues to solidify its position as a premier meeting and events destination, go to visitphoenix.com/meetings.
