A brand new hospitality group is preparing to debut next year, with three new concepts coming to Phoenix’s Biltmore neighborhood.
Rick Phillips and Peter Hearn have formed 151 Hospitality, which plans to debut within the $50 million redeveloped Esplanade office complex, according to Phoenix Business Journal. The new hospitality group will open 151 Tavern in the former home of MercBar, which has sat near the corner of 24th Street and Camelback Road for the past three decades. 151 Hospitality will also open a new Mexican concept, Camello, and the Little Pickle Jewish Deli. All three concepts will open in the first quarter of 2025.
151 Tavern will pay homage to the original address of the New York City MercBar and will be somewhat similar to the concept. Phillips describes the new restaurant to the Business Journal as an “upscale New York tavern, with “fancy comfort food.” 151 Tavern will also have a private dining area designed as a speakeasy, perfect for hosting small private events.
Camello will be 151 Hospitality’s Mexican concept, featuring 6,000 square feet of space that will be full of fun and energy. It will be centered around a chef-driven menu led by executive chef Fidencio Alatriste, who has worked at The Mission, The Mexicano, and Toro Latin Restaurant at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Alatriste will also oversee the culinary projects for all 151 Hospitality concepts. Customers can expect delicious Mexican food, live music, and a dance floor.
The third and final concept from 151 Hospitality comes from a pop-up Phillips ran a year prior at the Esplanade. Following the success of that event, the building’s owners, Monarch Alternative Capital and Tourmaline Capital Partners, demanded the chef create a brick-and-mortar for the concept. As a result, the group will open The Little Pickle Jewish Deli, offering pastrami sandwiches, bagels, house-smoked salmon, and breakfast egg and cheese sandwiches. The three new restaurants will join Hearsay and Perks, two concepts from Episcope Hospitality expected to open this fall.
