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- Poolboy Taco, a new restaurant from the owners of Gadzooks, is set to open in December 2025.
- The restaurant’s design will blend retro diner aesthetics with a poolside cabana atmosphere.
An anticipated new restaurant by Aaron and Jared Pool of Poolhouse Group, which also owns Gadzooks Enchiladas and Soup and The Green Woodpecker, finally has a opening date — and a new location.
Following the concept’s success at Aspen Food and Wine festival, the brothers knew they wanted to open Poolboy Taco a year after they opened The Green Woodpecker at Park Central. Then the Central Avenue location fell through. They continued pop-ups while looking for a new home. Turns out, they already had the perfect spot. In December, they plan to open Poolboy in the Gadzooks Arcadia space on 40th Street and Camelback Road.
Gadzooks Arcadia will close on Nov. 8 and the crew will remain with the company but be assigned to other locations.
What to expect at Poolboy Taco
The group hired House of Form, an award-winning local interior design firm, to create a look that combines retro diners and poolside cabanas. As guests enter the counter-service restaurant below a striped awning, they will encounter red vinyl banquettes, terrazzo flooring and tables, pastel neons, brass accents, a bronze seal mascot and playful murals. A PHX heart wall installation rounds out the decor and appears in the restaurant’s merchandise. Glass walls offer a view of the kitchen.
Outside, hedges line a cabana-style patio with striped chairs.
“Poolboy is built to be that third space and a spot where you can grab a margarita, hang out on the patio, and feel like you’re somewhere completely different,” said Aaron Pool.
What’s on the menu at Poolboy Taco?
Drinks such as draft beer, frozen margaritas and cocktails will be served in branded Poolboy cups.
On the food menu, patrons can expect the Poolboy Taco, made with roasted tomatillo chicken, sweet and spicy cornbread, honey vinaigrette slaw, jalapeño ranch and cotija cheese offered in soft and crunchy versions. Other options include beef taco, breakfast taco, nachos, a composed enchilada, a salad and a bowl. Guests will have access to a salsa bar with five house salsas. Dessert will include rotating cakes, including their mom’s popular carrot cake and German chocolate cake as well as seasonal specialties.
The Pools plan to collaborate with other Valley chefs for a Taco of the Month program.
Expected opening: December 2026.
Details: 4031 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix. poolboytaco.com or @poolboytaco on Instagram.
Reach the reporter at BAnooshahr@azcentral.com. Follow @baharcreative on Instagram.