Mill Avenue is about to get a serious upgrade in the beer-and-pizza department. Phantom Fox Brewing Co. and its in-house pizzeria, Goat and Ram, are set to roll into downtown Tempe this spring with a full-scale taphouse and wood-fired pies, expanding on their original Mesa operation. The new spot is headed to a prominent storefront near Sixth Street, with plans for a larger kitchen and a beefed-up tap list compared with the Mesa flagship. For a stretch of Mill that has been steadily filling in with new concepts, it is another locally grown name joining the mix.
Where and when
According to WhatNow, the Phantom Fox and Goat and Ram combo is headed to the corner of W 6th St and S Mill Ave, with the Mesa team expecting to open the Tempe taphouse sometime this spring. Downtown Tempe also lists Phantom Fox as one of the businesses coming to Mill Avenue, placing it right in the core of the corridor between Fifth and Sixth streets.
Owners, timeline and backing
Local coverage notes that the brewery and pizzeria are taking over the former Illegal Pete’s space just south of Fifth Street, with an opening window between March and April mentioned in early reports. Phoenix New Times quoted co-owner Trent Smith saying the city reached out about the move and that he was eager to bring Phantom Fox into the evolving Mill Avenue lineup.
What they'll pour
In Mesa, Phantom Fox typically keeps about 20 beers rotating through its taps and lists its Main Street address on the brewery’s site. Phantom Fox Beer Co. outlines the Mesa tap program, and the team has indicated they expect to mirror that rotating approach in Tempe. WhatNow has also pointed out some of Phantom Fox’s more playful beer names, including “Chupacabra” and “Nanook,” which hint at the kind of lineup Mill Avenue drinkers can expect.
Pizza and the plan for lunch
Goat and Ram, a former mobile operation that now runs inside Phantom Fox’s Mesa taproom, focuses on a changing menu of wood-fired pies. The lineup has included a roasted potato and goat cheese pizza along with sides like hummus and cheese toasties. Goat and Ram lays out the current offerings, and reporting says the Tempe kitchen will be larger so it can handle slices and a broader lunch service. Phoenix New Times
Why this matters for Mill Avenue
City and district leaders have been pitching a refresh of Mill Avenue that leans into local operators and extends the street’s appeal beyond late-night student crowds. Tempe Tourism includes Phantom Fox in a roster of more than 20 new or upcoming downtown businesses. The Phantom Fox and Goat and Ram pairing fits that strategy, aiming to serve daytime diners, downtown visitors and ASU audiences from a single, central location.
As of now, the owners have not posted a firm Tempe opening date on Phantom Fox’s website, so anyone tracking the project will need to keep an eye on company announcements and city listings as buildout and permitting move toward the finish line.
