Coverage spread: 2 sources — 2 unrated
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Pretty Decent Concepts, the Valley hospitality group behind spots like Filthy Animal, Cleaverman, Uppercut and Carry On, is opening a new Italian restaurant in Tempe called “Roman God of Fire,” shortened to “Roman.” The 8,000-square-foot restaurant is located at 52 E. Rio Salado Parkway, within the Hayden Ferry Lakeside plaza near the north end of Mill Avenue. A limited number of reservation-holding diners began being seated starting the Friday before Aug. 5, with a full grand opening scheduled for Aug. 7.
The Concept and Design
The restaurant is a collaboration between Pretty Decent Concepts founder Teddy Myers and James Beard Award-winning chef Scott Conant, along with his company SC Culinary. Executive Chef Jared Porter will run the kitchen day-to-day, working alongside Conant and Pretty Decent Concepts’ culinary director Ivan Gonzalez. The beverage program is led by the group’s beverage director, Zach O’Haire.
Interior design comes from Peter Bowden of PETERMAX Design, who filled the space with statues, arches and cathedral-like architectural details meant to evoke Rome. According to Phoenix New Times’ walkthrough, the decor draws on Roman sculpture and architecture as well as Catholic cathedral and Vatican imagery: candles stacked in tiers behind the host stand, an ornately detailed bar with a wavy countertop modeled on a Roman piazza, a curtained “halo” nodding to the shades once used to cover the Colosseum, and a central “gallery” of busts and statues anchored by a rearing horse sculpture running through the dining room. Myers described the goal as building a “cultural landmark” where design, food and atmosphere function as one orchestrated experience, and told New Times that the concept mixes the hearth — the heart of the ancient Roman kitchen — with the wood-fire cooking style associated with Roman soldiers on campaign.
The Food and Menu
The menu is built around what both outlets describe as the “soulful simplicity” of Roman cuisine, emphasizing wood-fired cooking and handmade pasta, prepared using a stone oven and an oak-fired grill positioned at the entrance to the kitchen. Conant said he drew on both ancient Roman culinary history and his own travels through modern Rome to shape the offerings. Dishes highlighted across the coverage include Rigatoni Carbonara, Gnudi alla Gricia, Lamb Abbacchio, Octopus Pie, and crisp Roman-style pizzas. Phoenix New Times adds further menu specifics not mentioned by ABC15, including frito misto, grilled meats, and pizza bianca — a Roman flatbread topped with ricotta, rosemary and honey, which Conant likens to Rome’s version of focaccia.
Conant, known nationally for his James Beard Award and his frequent appearances on Food Network programs such as “Chopped,” framed the project as an extension of Italian cooking’s core values. He said Italian food has always been about soul, generosity and connection, and described the Roman project as an attempt to build a dining experience that surprises and delights guests while still honoring traditional roots.
The Hidden Bar
ABC15 reports that Roman God of Fire will eventually include a hidden cocktail lounge called “Mea Culpa,” expected to open beginning in September and accessed through a confessional-style entry. The venue is described in the restaurant group’s release as a modern space built around themes of vice and virtue, using layered lighting and ambient voice elements to create an atmosphere inviting guests to reflect and indulge. This element of the project was not covered in the Phoenix New Times piece, which instead focused its reporting on a firsthand tour of the main dining room ahead of opening.
How the Coverage Compares
ABC15 Arizona’s coverage reads largely as an announcement piece, built from a news release, and centers on introducing the concept, its design pedigree, the chef collaboration, and the upcoming Mea Culpa bar reveal — details that had not yet been reported elsewhere. Phoenix New Times, by contrast, provides an on-the-ground preview based on an actual site visit before the limited-reservation soft opening, offering more descriptive detail about the physical space’s design elements (the Colosseum-inspired curtain “halo,” the sculpture gallery, the piazza-style bar) and quoting Myers and Conant directly about their creative intentions. New Times also supplies additional menu items and situates the restaurant within Pretty Decent Concepts’ broader portfolio of Valley hospitality projects. Both outlets agree on the core facts: the restaurant’s name, location, opening date of Aug. 7, the partnership between Myers and Conant, and the wood-fire, handmade-pasta approach to the menu. Neither outlet includes pricing, hours, or details about weekend availability, so those specifics remain unknown at this point.
Why It Matters Locally
The opening adds a high-profile, design-forward restaurant to Tempe’s Hayden Ferry Lakeside area, backed by a local hospitality group with a track record of building buzzworthy concepts (Filthy Animal, Cleaverman, Uppercut, Carry On) and pairing them with nationally recognized culinary talent. The involvement of a James Beard Award winner with national television visibility is likely to draw attention beyond the immediate Phoenix-Tempe dining scene, while the planned addition of a themed hidden bar suggests the group intends the location to expand into a multi-venue destination over time.
Sources
Featured photo: Dorothea Lange via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)