{"id":709517,"date":"2026-04-06T21:16:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T21:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/709517\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T21:16:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T21:16:24","slug":"postino-phoenixs-iconic-homegrown-wine-bar-turns-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/709517\/","title":{"rendered":"Postino, Phoenix’s iconic, homegrown wine bar, turns 25"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lauren Bailey never stops. Standing inside the dining room of the historic brick post office that houses the original Postino<\/a>, she adjusts the latest vintage install.<\/p>\n

The geometric stained glass was found by the team from the retro showroom Modern Manor, one of her go-to pickers of unique, quirky finds that fill 34 locations of the wine bar and restaurant around the country. The glass slats, set in resin, create a light-catching screen between two sections of the Arcadia restaurant\u2019s dining area.<\/p>\n

Bailey co-founded Upward Projects<\/a>, the restaurant group behind Postino and a slew of popular Valley eateries. She makes her way across the room, hugging servers and bar staff and quickly catching up before walking over to a curved yellow velvet couch in the mid-mod lounge at the edge of the restaurant. Bailey straightens a few of the framed prints that hang over the couch before taking a seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has just been a special place that we\u2019ve tried to replicate in all the cities that we\u2019ve gone to,\u201d she says, looking around the room that was the catalyst for one of the state\u2019s most recognizable chains.<\/p>\n

This month, Postino marks its silver anniversary with 25 years of serving wine and dressed-up bruschetta.<\/p>\n

\"ThePostino opened in Arcadia in a former post office.<\/p>\n

A serendipitous partnership<\/p>\n

Before she got involved with Postino, <\/strong>Bailey studied fine arts and communications at Arizona State University. That included a year abroad in Italy, \u201cwhere I fell in love with food and definitely Italian culture of just connecting and having time with friends and family in a casual setting,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

To help pay her tuition, she got a job serving at P.F. Chang\u2019s. She\u2019d never worked in a restaurant, but embellished a resume to get a foot in the door. To keep the gig and prove herself, Bailey absorbed the restaurant\u2019s entire handbook overnight. She soon rose through the ranks in the hospitality industry, working for some of the most lauded restaurants and owners in town, including the now-shuttered House of Tricks, as well as chef Mark Tarbell and prolific restaurateur Sam Fox.<\/p>\n

With time in Europe and at Valley eateries under her belt, Bailey graduated in 2002 with a clear dream: to launch her own restaurant.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really was all the things I loved about life,\u201d she says. \u201cThe people, the environment, the music, the food, the wine and bringing all that together to create these pretty awesome experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bailey scraped together about $30,000, thinking that could get her toward two restaurants. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was 2002,\u201d she says, commenting on her youthful naivete. \u201cYou couldn\u2019t Google how hard it was to do stuff back then.\u201d<\/p>\n

A year prior, Craig DeMarco and his wife, Kris, succeeded in their own plan to build a restaurant from few resources. They opened Postino in the historic Arcadia post office after cobbling together funds and even using their own couch as furniture. A year later, they were upgrading some of the interiors. Bailey drove to the original Postino with plans to buy the wine cafe\u2019s tables for one of her own would-be restaurants.<\/p>\n

DeMarco, intrigued by her plans and their shared appreciation for Europe\u2019s laid-back cafe culture, invited Bailey to take a seat and share some of the ideas she had in a binder she\u2019d filled with images clipped from food and design magazines \u2014 her version of a low-tech Pinterest board. Bailey conceded that opening one restaurant, let alone two, with her budget would be challenging.<\/p>\n

Before she\u2019d have to face that reality, DeMarco suggested she come aboard at Postino.<\/p>\n

\"LaurenThe second location of Phoenix wine bar Postino opened in 2009.<\/p>\n

No science, all art<\/strong><\/p>\n

Under this new partnership, Postino became a destination for first dates, happy hours, laid-back lunches and late dinners with girlfriends. With its unpretentious approach, global wine list curated by Brent Karlicek and the right balance of snacky bites, paninis and salads to pair with a drink or two, the wine bar grew a cult following. Wine flights were too stuffy, Bailey says, so instead they offered $5 happy hour pours to encourage people to try something new.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not really a restaurant, it\u2019s not really a bar, it\u2019s a third-place for people,\u201d Bailey says.\u00a0\u201cAll we ever want to do is make people feel better than they did when they came in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

In just a few years, she and the DeMarcos were plotting more restaurants. <\/strong>They formalized their partnership as the restaurant group Upward Projects in 2009. That same year, they opened the second Postino on Central Avenue in the former Katz\u2019s Deli.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had no science back then, it was all art,\u201d Bailey says. \u201cI wish I could sit here and tell you we had some big plan, but it wasn\u2019t. It was very much just what was available. We love old buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Postino Central became the anchor to a cluster of eateries from Upward Projects that would open over the next five years, including Windsor, Churn, Federal Pizza and Joyride Taco House. This diversification in Phoenix didn\u2019t slow down plans to put more customizable bruschettas, mini beer pitchers and glasses of ros\u00e9 onto tables around the Valley.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe minute we get open with one, (Craig)\u2019s looking for the next one,\u201d Bailey says. \u201cAny money we were making in one restaurant, we were rolling right into the next one.\u201d<\/p>\n

The co-founder says she <\/strong>would sweat over each new outpost. When Upward Projects moved into the East Valley in Gilbert\u2019s Heritage District in 2012, \u201ceverybody told us we were crazy,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n

The building had played host to a revolving door of failed restaurants on \u201ca cursed corner,\u201d as the East Valley Tribune<\/a> put it. There were questions about whether the community would show up \u2014 concerns which later proved trivial.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember getting that open and just being so busy,\u201d she says. \u201cStill to this day, it\u2019s our busiest restaurant in the whole company.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bailey outfits every Postino with decor that honors the building\u2019s history and the neighborhood. To make each space distinct, she scours auctions, scouts eclectic pieces online and sifts through vintage stores (though now, her favorite \u201cpickers\u201d will set aside entire pallets of stuff for her).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bailey points to the couch she\u2019s sitting on in Arcadia. It is the only one of its kind at any of their restaurants, as is the dovetailed credenza that splits the lounge and dining room. (The carpenter branded \u201c1\u201d on the side denotes its singularity.)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want it to feel familiar to you,\u201d Bailey says. \u201cBut we also are OK with having this sense of discovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

That curation runs counter to the streamlined process that defines most chains. But the details are worth it, she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my mind, when we stop being a place that people take their friends from out of town, you got a problem,\u201d she says, \u201cbecause to me that means it\u2019s not special, it\u2019s not part of your community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LaurenSome Postino locations feature walls with thousands of crowdsourced items, like sunglasses in Denver.<\/p>\n

Postino expands<\/p>\n

Growing Postino wasn\u2019t without its challenges. As the group expanded its restaurant count into the double digits, the owners were still using their credit cards to fund their projects. Bailey quipped that in such lean, fast-paced times, she ran on ramen and Red Bull.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Upward Projects took on \u201csignificant investment\u201d<\/a> from the Los Angeles-based Brentwood Associates in 2017. The private equity group\u2019s portfolio also includes the breakfast and brunch spot Snooze and fast-casual Blaze Pizza. The backing and capital meant \u201cwe weren\u2019t riding the line so close,\u201d Bailey says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a very rare experience with private equity. Brentwood has been phenomenal,\u201d she adds, while acknowledging, \u201cat some point they\u2019ll have to realize their investment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Outposts of Postino are now open in California, Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. The group has continued to grow amid a chaotic past six years for the restaurant industry, starting with the pandemic. During the shutdown, the group had to lay off 1,200 people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was, hands down, the worst day of my life,\u201d Bailey says.<\/p>\n

To make it through, the team added online ordering and a wine club<\/a>. In spite of the stress and so many unknowns, Bailey was reminded of the joy restaurants can create for people, and what created joy for her in Italy: slowing down with family and friends over a bottle of wine.<\/p>\n

As they\u2019ve grown and opened in other states, not every Postino has been a hit. Upward Projects opened an outpost in Deep Ellum, Dallas\u2019 trendy arts and entertainment district, in 2021. The challenges of the pandemic and the area came to a head, and Bailey soon realized two things working against them: a lack of a lunchtime crowd and an audience that prefers spirits over wine and beer. The group quietly closed<\/a> Deep Ellum in 2023 and transferred employees to other Dallas locations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat stung a lot,\u201d Bailey says. \u201cThat was really tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lessons like that encouraged more evolution at Postino, which added a taut cocktail menu<\/a> and spirits selection in 2024.<\/p>\n

Currently, new locations in Charlotte, Chicago and Salt Lake City are in the works, with more to come, Bailey says. Before the doors swing open at those spots, Postino hit a milestone in Phoenix. On April 4, the wine bar officially hit 25 years in business. <\/p>\n

To mark this silver anniversary throughout the rest of the year, the team will uncork limited-edition bottles of two of Postino\u2019s signature pours: Holly\u2019s Way Chardonnay and Stagedive Pinot Noir. Upward Projects will also roll out a digital wallet perks program for customers called Postino Pass.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sitting in the Arcadia lounge, Bailey notes she and the DeMarcos aren\u2019t the types to celebrate themselves. Instead, Bailey seems intent on continuing to work with the same intensity that\u2019s made Postino what it is today. She muses about Upward Project\u2019s direct partnerships with wine makers, a recent vintage find (a massive concrete fish statue still in need of a home) and dressing in costume as bruschetta, Postino\u2019s most recognizable menu item that now gets an annual showdown<\/a> to pick new toast toppings.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on these last 25 years, Bailey says neither she nor DeMarco anticipated Postino would grow to this level. She credits the nearly 3,600 people who work for the restaurant group and the people who have continued to visit Postino in Arizona and beyond for decades. <\/strong>As we head out of the chain\u2019s very first location, Bailey lingers, chatting with other members of the Arcadia crew.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really neat to see the neighborhood and just continue to be a spot for people to meet,\u201d Bailey says while looking around the dining room. \u201cAfter all these years, it\u2019s a pretty huge honor.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lauren Bailey never stops. Standing inside the dining room of the historic brick post office that houses the…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":709518,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5131],"tags":[5229,5643,1587,141257,1589,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,9963],"class_list":{"0":"post-709517","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-arizona","10":"tag-az","11":"tag-history-nostalgia","12":"tag-phoenix","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-united-states-of-america","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","17":"tag-us","18":"tag-usa","19":"tag-wine"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116359842441621132","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=709517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/709518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=709517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=709517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=709517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}