Back in May of 2012, we mentioned that we were just a little bit excited that there would be a super cool new spot opening at the corner of 3rd Street and Mill, right across from the light rail station.
Our friends at the City of Tempe spilled the beans and said…
“Loco Patron will take over an ideal southeast-facing location in the eight-story, 260,000-square-foot Tempe Gateway building at the corner of Third and Mill, adjacent to the Tempe Light Rail stop. The restaurant will feature a sports bar as well as a patio bar where customers will be able to enjoy Loco Patron’s award-winning cocktails and Mexican fare.” – City of Tempe
We were told to expect an opening in the Fall of 2012 and we waited. And waited. You know how it is, you get all excited about something and time can seem to stand still. Fall turned into winter and my impatience was beginning to make me think there could be a problem with the opening. A quick email to the guys at Loco put me at ease, and I was told there had been a slight delay with the build-out. Whew.
Finally, a couple of days before New Year’s Eve, Loco Paton opened on Mill Avenue! Just my luck, I was out of town, playing in the snow over the holiday and wasn’t able to check them out until this past week.
Worth The Wait:
The guys at Loco Patron have done a nice job with the restaurant and the bar. There is a decent amount of space for both, but the place WILL get packed to the gills, especially on days / nights when there is a large event at Tempe Beach Park and you have thousands of people stepping off of or waiting to get onto a light rail train.
There is a small outdoor patio, they also have a bar area facing Mill that will be good for people-watching while enjoying one of their award winning margaritas. They have several TVs and the place seems like a great fit for the area. I was told by a bartender that they will have a happy hour similar to their other locations, but it could be tweaked a bit to fit the area. While I have only been there once ( so far ) you can bet it won’t be the last time. I love me some Mexican food and I have had a margarita or two in the past.
Sometime in the near future, we’ll be having the first annual Rail Life Margarita Ride. So far, I’m thinking of Fuego at CityScape, Los Dos Molinos, Loco Patron and Canteen. What could go wrong? Stay tuned. I’ll have details up in another week, or so.
It’s great to welcome Loco Patron to the neighborhood as another new place for us to all keep rockin’ the Rail Life…
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