Pizza Fest Weekend Is the Easiest Way to Taste Downtown Phoenix's Newest Pizzerias

The Gerardo's Building was built in 1928 at the northeast corner of Third and Buchanan streets, and its roots go back to Phoenix's historic Chinatown. It sat empty for more than a decade. On Oct. 30 it reopened as Otra Pizzeria, a Neapolitan pizza place whose red pies run from an $18 Tomato Pie to a $24 Diablo, Mouth by Southwest reported.

Fifteen days after that opening, Otra is serving a few blocks north of its own kitchen, on the first line of the 2026 Phoenix Pizza Festival vendor list. This is the festival's 11th year at Margaret T. Hance Park East. In past years it mostly meant pizzerias from around the region. This year it's also the easiest way to try what downtown has opened since summer. One of the two new pizzerias is at the park. The other is on Grand Avenue, and it's not on the list.

The newest name at Hance Park is also the closest

Otra's chef, Cesar Velasco, has been running pop-ups since 2023. Kell Duncan, a co-founder of The Churchill, redeveloped the building with Stephen Allen. Otra is the first half of a two-concept project. The second half is Better Days, which Mouth by Southwest describes as a laid-back "high dive" bar upstairs with pool, darts and cocktails from Churchill beverage director Fendi Vaughn.

Otra's menu is built on D.O.P. tomatoes. Besides the Diablo, which comes with house-made spicy sausage, pepperoni, salsa macha and hot honey, there's the Don Pepé with pepperoni, herbed ricotta and a house ranch drizzle, and the Little Peggy with spicy fennel sausage, burrata and confit garlic.

Here's how Otra fits into the rest of the 2026 pizza lineup, as published on the festival's Eventbrite page:

So the festival weekend puts a two-week-old downtown kitchen next to pizzerias that drove down from Flagstaff and up from Tucson. If you've been meaning to try Otra and haven't yet, a $6 slice at Hance Park is a cheap way to decide whether to book a table on Buchanan.

Grandioso is the second stop

The other new downtown pizzeria opened earlier. Justin Piazza opened Grandioso at 1229 Grand Ave. on Aug. 14, across McKinley Street from Bacanora, Phoenix New Times reported. The Valley has known Piazza for his pizza for years, and Grandioso is his return after some time away.

The menu is short on purpose. Five pies, plus wings and a market salad, and beer from local breweries. Some of the pies come from Piazza's earlier restaurants. One is the O.G., with prosciutto, spicy soppressata, Calabrian chile, arugula and hot honey. Another is a white pie with garlic cream, whipped ricotta, mozzarella and arugula. Piazza plans to add Roman and Detroit-style pizzas later.

Grandioso isn't on the 2026 festival list, so you can't taste both new pizzerias in one ticketed afternoon. You'll need a separate trip to Grand Avenue. Put the two side by side and they make an interesting comparison. Both are downtown pizzerias that opened this year, both put hot honey on a signature pie, and both have short menus. Otra builds on a pop-up following. Grandioso builds on a name the Valley already knew.

What your festival ticket covers, and what it doesn't

People new to Pizza Fest tend to get caught by the ticket rules. Here's what the festival FAQ and the Eventbrite listing spell out:

• Hours: Saturday, Nov. 14, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 15, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Location: Hance Park's east side between Central Avenue and Third Street, at 1202 N. Third St.
• Admission: General admission is $22 for a single day, according to Downtown Phoenix Inc. Buy tickets online ahead of time. They aren't sold at the gate, and they're non-transferable and non-refundable.
• Food and drink cost extra: Your ticket only gets you in. Most vendors will sell a slice starting at $6, and beer is $10.
• Payment: Some vendors take cards, but organizers recommend bringing cash.
• Weather: The festival runs rain or shine.

Here's what that adds up to. Admission plus three slices and one beer comes to about $50 per person before fees and tips. That's a fair price for tasting more than one pizzeria in an afternoon. A whole Otra pie runs $18 to $24, so just walking a few blocks to the restaurant would cost less.

You'll find plenty besides pizza. The official site lists drinks and desserts from Spritz Bar, Pedal Haus Brewing, Sana Sana Cerveceria, Wilderness Brewing, Ljiljan Crepes Co., The Outside Scoop, Gelu Italian Ice, Chocolate Moonshine Co. and The Original Berrie Kabobs. Downtown Phoenix Inc. also mentions lawn games, kid-friendly activities and market vendors around the park.

Bands play both days. Saturday's lineup is Blood Feud Family Singers, The Sugar Thieves, Tayrona, Metropolis Man and GEMM. Sunday's is BBGAIL, The PJ Bidwell Band and MYR. Set times are posted on the festival site.

Downtown is busy all weekend

The Hondo Rodeo Fest runs Nov. 13 through 15 at Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson St., from noon to midnight each day. Downtown Phoenix Inc. describes it as a free street festival paired with a rodeo and a concert series. Concert tickets are sold separately. And on Saturday morning, the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market runs its usual 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. hours at Arizona Center, 455 N. Third St.

Here's one way to fit the new pizzerias into that weekend:

1. Saturday morning: Start at the farmers market at Arizona Center, which runs until 1 p.m.
2. Saturday midday: Head to Hance Park when the festival opens at 11 a.m. and start with Otra's slice, since it's the pizza you can't get anywhere else yet. Then try Pizzicletta and Lumbre, both of which came from out of town.
3. Saturday evening: The Hondo street festival at Chase Field keeps going until midnight, long after Pizza Fest closes at 6 p.m.
4. Sunday or any weeknight: Take a separate trip to 1229 Grand Ave. for Grandioso's O.G. and a local beer.

North First Street adds a third format

Hero, a restaurant from the Vivili group, opened Oct. 30 at 1030 N. First St., The Best of the Southwest reported. Phoenix New Times described the menu, which includes tuna crudo with yuzu kosho, black spaghetti vongole made with cuttlefish ink, and cocktails by Vincenzo Marianello. Restaurateur Reeves told the paper a 2,500-square-foot patio and outdoor bar will come later.

Hero is the first of three Vivili concepts. Another is PIZZANISTA!, a fast-casual slice-and-pie shop at 1029 N. First St., across the street from Hero, with Bar Saint Bruno, a cocktail bar, in the space behind it.

Put them on a map and you get three different pizza formats a short drive from Hance Park. Grandioso serves a small menu of pies on Grand Avenue. Otra serves Neapolitan in a restored 1928 building in the Warehouse District. PIZZANISTA! is built around fast-casual slices on North First Street. The festival covers only one of the three this year.

At Shannon Gillette, we keep track of what opens around Hance Park, Grand Avenue and the Warehouse District, from Otra's first weekend to whatever comes next on First Street. If you're curious which parts of central Phoenix put pizza like Otra and Grandioso within easy reach, our team is happy to talk it through. Contact Us.