Phoenix has had many memorable eateries over the years—downtown one could have dined at Hensley’s Horseshoe at 615 West Van Buren or high tailed it a few blocks away to nosh at the Travis Café located at First Street and Monroe, whose motto was “There Is No Better Food At Any Price”.
Given the opportunity to go back in time, my curiosity would lead me to “Where Turkey Is King” at the Covered Wagon Restaurant, 28 South Central. The restaurant’s entryway featured an overhang of a Calistoga wagon.
But my selection for the funkiest place to eat in yesteryear Phoenix, hands down, would be the Cloud 9 Restaurant. This establishment, for a brief period in the early 1960s, towered over the dining competition in the Valley.
Most restaurants started with an eye towards a unique theme or style of cooking; the Cloud 9 owed its genesis to a mechanical Renaissance man, a Harley Davidson motorcycle and lots of dynamite. Carving a path up the 40 acres of property he owned on Shaw Butte just north of Sunnyslope, the owner built the highest private residence in Phoenix—and then on a whim turned the place into an exclusive supper club.
The Cloud 9 was the toast of the town for several years until mysteriously destroyed by a fire amidst rumors of illegal endeavors such as backroom gambling. Read more about this amazing restaurant at: www.neonmotel.com/download/cloud9.pdf
Ruins of the Cloud 9 Restaurant atop Shaw Butte
What’s your favorite forgotten Phoenix dining establishment?
Douglas Towne