Barcoa, an upcoming tequila and mezcal bar run by David Tyda and Ryan Oberholtzer, is getting ready to move into 829 N 1st Avenue.
“It’s going slow, but we’re moving forward,” said Tyda when he spoke to What Now Phoenix on Wednesday.
The bar is heading into a historic building that was originally built in 1928. The team is building out a ground level cantina facing the alley with a garage door for taco trucks. The main bar will be down in the basement with a higher end cocktail program.
“Ryan and I became friends in 2019 and just started talking about opening an agave spirits bar. I was joking that I wanted to open a basement in a bar, and he just happened to know one that was available.”
Tyda also says their third partner, Grant Gardner, is their “agave spirit guide” and labels him as a “sommolier, but for agave.” He will head out the education department of the bar, as their main goal is to get people to drink mezcal and tequila neat.
All three partners have a deep love for Mexico, and Oberholtzer and Gardner in particular have connections out of Guadalajara from past business ventures.
“Everything from the bar itself to the doors to the glassware to the furniture all comes from Mexico,” Tyda said. “We have a complete and total love affair with that country.”
As of now, the bar is slated to open by the end of October 2021.
