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Roosevelt Row, slow and stoned
Phoenix's arts district is best on foot, after dark, with a taco in your hand. Here's the local's version.
Roosevelt Row is the stretch of Roosevelt Street just north of downtown where the murals live. Old brick bungalows turned galleries, new apartment towers, taco windows and coffee shops, all packed into a few walkable blocks between Central and 7th Street. Locals call it RoRo.
It's the most stoner-friendly part of Phoenix to wander, in spirit at least. Slow walk, look at art, eat something, repeat. Just keep the actual smoking for home base.
How Roosevelt Row became the arts district
This neighborhood sat just north of the old city limit, and its sidewalks were poured back in 1909. When cars replaced the streetcar, the middle class moved out and thousands of homes were razed. By the 1990s a lot of it was dirt lots, empty buildings, a hubcap shop and a liquor store.
Artists moved in because it was cheap. Kimber Lanning took over a small brick building on the street and turned it into Modified Arts, which started as a music venue that hosted bands like Arcade Fire and Jimmy Eat World before it became a gallery. Greg Esser and Cindy Dach opened Eye Lounge about a year later, and more galleries followed.
In 2000 a dozen small business owners formed the Roosevelt Row CDC to keep the district alive and affordable. Galleries agreed to keep the same evening hours, and that's how the monthly First Friday art walk grew into the thing it is now. The towers that went up since have changed the feel, and long-timers will tell you it lost some of its scrappy edge. The murals and the old storefronts are still the reason to come.
Things to do on Roosevelt Row
Everything worth doing here is within a 15-minute walk. Start at Central and Roosevelt and drift east.
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Roosevelt Row and Grand Avenue
First Friday art walk
The first Friday of every month, galleries throw their doors open at night and the street fills with people, street vendors, music and art. It also spills over to Grand Avenue.
It's crowded and loud and pretty great. If you want the art without the crowd, come on a quieter night, or try Third Friday, which some galleries also do.
TipEat before you go. Every taco spot on the strip has a line on First Friday.
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Roosevelt Row
Modified Arts
The gallery that kicked off the whole district, in a small old brick building on Roosevelt. Founded by Kimber Lanning, who also owns the Stinkweeds record shop. It was a music room before it was a gallery, and some of the biggest indie bands of the 2000s played its tiny floor.
Monthly exhibitions now, from local artists to international ones.
TipAsk about the building's music history. The stories are good.
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Roosevelt Row
Eye Lounge
An artist-run contemporary space that opens a new show by local artists every month. One of the original Roosevelt Row galleries.
Small, quick to walk through, and usually the weirdest thing you'll see all night in the best way.
TipPair it with Modified Arts. They're both on the Roosevelt strip.
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Roosevelt Row
FOUND:RE Contemporary
The gallery tied to the FOUND:RE Phoenix hotel, with exhibitions every couple of months and events on both First and Third Friday.
A slicker space than the old bungalow galleries. Good contrast.
TipThird Friday here is a calmer way to do the art walk.
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Roosevelt Row
The murals
Walls all over RoRo are painted, alleys included, and the pieces change as new ones go up. Look for the mural marking Duke Ellington's 1966 performance at Trinity Cathedral, part of the neighborhood's deeper history.
Best done at golden hour. The light makes everything pop and it's finally cool enough to walk.
TipWander the side streets and alleys off Roosevelt. Half the best walls aren't on the main drag.
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Roosevelt Row / Evans Churchill
Margaret T. Hance Park
A 32-acre city park built on top of the Interstate 10 freeway tunnel, stretching between 3rd Avenue and 3rd Street on the north edge of the district. Grass, shade, a playground, room to lie down.
It's a public park, so it's not a sesh spot. It's a great post-sesh walk, though.
TipGo in the evening in the cooler months. Midday summer sun out here is brutal.
Where to eat and drink on Roosevelt Row
RoRo is taco country with good coffee mornings. The blocks around Roosevelt, Pierce and 3rd Street cover pretty much every craving. More Valley picks live on the eat page.
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Roosevelt Row
Taco Chelo
501 E Roosevelt St, Phoenix, AZA taco spot right on the Roosevelt strip that stays open late on weekends. Exactly where you want to land after a gallery lap.
TipLate on Friday and Saturday, which makes it the art walk closer.
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Roosevelt Row
Taco Boys
620 E Roosevelt St, Phoenix, AZAnother taco stop a block east, open into the evening every day. Casual, fast, cheap-feeling in a good way. Two taco spots a block apart is just Roosevelt being Roosevelt.
TipIf Taco Chelo has a line, walk one block.
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East of Roosevelt Row
Tacos Calafia
825 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZTacos on 7th Street at the east edge of the district, open late on Friday and Saturday nights. Third taco spot on this page. No apologies.
TipThe late-night move on weekends when the strip spots are slammed.
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Roosevelt Row
Angel's Trumpet Ale House
810 N 2nd St, Phoenix, AZA gastropub with a big beer list and comfort food. Good for groups, good for sitting a while, good when you want something heavier than a taco.
Closed Mondays, so plan around that.
TipGrab a table for a slow afternoon pint before the art walk crowd shows up.
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Roosevelt Row
Bad Jimmy's
108 E Pierce St, Phoenix, AZA Pierce Street spot a block off the main drag, open late on weekends. Easy stop between the light rail and the galleries.
TipClose to the Roosevelt/Central train stop.
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Roosevelt Row
Songbird Coffee & Tea House
812 N 3rd St, Phoenix, AZCoffee and tea in the middle of the district. Wake-and-bake, then walk over. Simple plan.
TipMorning to early evening only, so this is a daytime stop.
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Roosevelt Row / Downtown
POMO Pizzeria Napoletana
705 N 1st St, Phoenix, AZNeapolitan pizza a short walk south of Roosevelt. Sit-down, solid, and a reliable call when the munchies want something better than a slice.
TipGood dinner before a First Friday walk.
Questions about Roosevelt Row
When is First Friday in Phoenix?
The first Friday of every month, in the evening. Galleries on Roosevelt Row and Grand Avenue open up, and the streets fill with vendors and people. Some galleries also open for a quieter Third Friday.
Can you smoke weed at First Friday?
Not legally. The art walk happens on public streets and sidewalks, and public consumption in Arizona is a petty offense. Sesh before you go, on private property where it's allowed.
Where is Roosevelt Row?
Just north of downtown Phoenix, centered on Roosevelt Street roughly between Central Avenue and 7th Street. The Roosevelt/Central light rail stop puts you right at the west end.
What is Roosevelt Row known for?
Murals, galleries and the monthly First Friday art walk. It grew out of an artist community in cheap old buildings in the late 1990s and early 2000s, starting with spots like Modified Arts and Eye Lounge.
Where should I eat on Roosevelt Row?
Tacos, mostly. Taco Chelo and Taco Boys are right on Roosevelt, Tacos Calafia is over on 7th Street, and Angel's Trumpet Ale House is the sit-down beer pick. Songbird handles coffee.