The departure of Bragg’s Factory Diner will leave retail space in a historic Grand Avenue building empty, but not for long.
The vegan diner, opened in 2013 by Liam Murtagh and his wife, Emily Spetrino-Murtagh, with partner Dana Stern, will have its last day this Sunday. Downtown foodies will be satiated, though, when award-winning local chef Silvana Salcido Esparza opens a new Barrio Cafe location in its place.
Esparza posted a photo on Barrio Cafe’s Facebook page Thursday morning showing her standing outside the Grand Avenue building, her arms outstretched and a wide grin on her face.
“Well it’s true. Barrio Cafe is going to Grand Avenue,” the caption read.
Well it's true. Barrio Cafe is going to Grand Avenue.
Posted by Barrio Cafe by chef Silvana Salcido Esparza on Thursday, October 1, 2015
The Bragg’s Factory Diner Facebook page was more grim.
“Phoenix is a very special city,” read a Monday announcement on the page, “And Grand Avenue is a very special street, and we tried to show them both as much love as possible in every pancake we flipped or slice of pie we served. Thanks for the memories and we hope to serve you all once more before we go.”
Fans of chef Liam Murtagh’s cooking can still get a taste of his creations at The Coronado, a restaurant he recently opened on Seventh Street and Montevisto Road.
The Coronado’s menu, he noted, is “outrageously different” from Bragg’s. The new restaurant serves Mexican-style vegetarian food and incorporates a coffee shop and bar.
Murtagh said he thought it was unlikely that Bragg’s would open at a different location in the future, but he doubted that menu favorites would disappear along with the diner.
“I think Bragg’s itself, that is very site-specific… (but) I’ve got a menu full of recipes that are good recipes,” he said.
Murtagh wouldn’t comment on the exact reasons why the diner was closing, but stressed that it wasn’t a landlord-tenant issue. Beatrice Moore, the director of Frontal Lobe Gallery on Grand Avenue, expressed similar sentiments.
“All I can tell you is that we have a great relationship with [Murtagh and Spetrino-Murtagh], and it doesn’t have anything to do with us and it doesn’t have anything to do with Grand Avenue,” Moore said.
Moore also declined to explain the impetus for the diner’s closing.
“There were … some internal issues going on that I’m not really at liberty to talk about,” she said. “They’re not closing because of lack of business … I think Emily and Liam did a great job with everything they did.”
Dana Stern, the Bragg’s Factory Diner pastry chef, generated some enthusiasm from fans on the diner’s Facebook page when she announced that she would try to continue to bake pies for customers on an order-by-order basis.
“Thanks to everyone who’s supported us here at the Diner for the last couple of years,” she wrote. “I truly appreciate you all! As for you pie and treat lovers, feel free to shoot any inquiries about ordering to smallfrypie@gmail.com. I am hoping to continue feeding your sweet teeth if I can. Thank you all again for making my sweet dreams come true.”
In the meantime, downtowners upset about the diner’s departure can get excited about Esparza’s Barrio Cafe expansion. Esparza said she would offer menu items not included on the menu at its 16th Street and Edgemont Avenue location at the new space, including vegan recipes.
“It’s going to be Barrio Cafe on steroids,” she said.
Esparza said she plans to open the new location at the end of this year or the beginning of next. She said she was happy to be working with Moore, who owns the Bragg’s Pie Factory building as well as several other buildings on Grand Avenue. Esparza cited the effect Moore’s efforts have had on revitalizing the area.
“We’re just going to give that little area, which is adorable, lots of love,” Esparza said. “The efforts have already been fought hard to make [Grand Avenue] a really cool place … it has its own integrity and identity.”
Moore said she was excited to work with Esparza, not only because of her expertise as a chef, but also because Esparza cares about Grand Avenue.
“We’re bringing another person to Grand Avenue who really cares about the history and cares about the community,” Moore said.
Contact the reporter at Faith.Anne.Miller@asu.edu.
