If you know, you know. The most buzzed-about new dining experience in the country is secreted away in the heart of an unlikely city, in a surprising venue, with no signage, and no walk-ins. A lucky few know how to secure a reservation, where to find the unmarked back entrance, and how to get there through nondescript hallway until a neon martini is seen flickering over an otherwise unremarkable door. This is the place.
If you’re one of the lucky few, you’re on your way to the members-only Ra Ra Room super club hidden inside the PHX Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, site of Arizona’s biggest concerts, and sporting home of the Phoenix Suns NBA basketball team and the Phoenix Mercury WNBA team. Whenever there’s an exciting indoor arena event in Arizona’s capital city, chances are it’s at the Mortgage Matchup Center (formerly known as the the PHX Arena).
No wonder it’s the most coveted dining experience among Arizona’s well-heeled. The Ra Ra Room sounds like a concept that could have been introduced in NYC, Chicago, or LA, but it’s in Phoenix, and it’s the country’s first private supper club built inside a sports and entertainment arena. they enter a world of glamor and indulgence that evokes a grand residence.
It all makes perfect sense when you discover that The Ra Ra Room was co-created by Mat Ishbia, owner of the Phoenix Suns and Mercury teams. Since both of his teams call the Mortgage Matchup Center home, Ishbia wanted to create an elevated, private club experience to out do the venue’s VIP Sky Suites. It’s just what Arizona’s well-heeled fans had been biting at the bit for.
The Ra Ra Room is a destination in its own right — a seductive hideaway, open only on weekends and during select events. And what an experience it is. Club members and guests approach the venue from the rear of the Mortgage Matchup Center. Once inside, past the humdrum door, club members and their guests discover another world. Dripping with velvet, gold, and crystal chandeliers, the Ra Ra Room is an opulent, Art Deco speakeasy designed to dazzle the eyes, while the cuisine dazzles the taste buds.
The menu is orchestrated by Major Food Group, the creative force behind iconic restaurants including Cardone, The Grill, Saddle’s and ZZ’s Club. features a wealth of signature dishes and drinks from Major Food Group’s greatest hits, like Carbone’s Veal Parmesan, Spicy Rigatoni Vodka, and Caesar Salad all ZZ. There’s a Tomahawk steak for two, sizzling Shrimp Scampi, the popular Steakhouse Burger, and sumptuous Raw Bar options such as Dressed King Crab and Chilled Half Lobsters. After a decadent dinner, when it’s time to leave the Ra Ra Room and move to their arena seats, supper club members and their guests are invited into the Ra Ra Room’s utterly wonderful gourmet snack pantry to pack up boxed snacks and drinks to enjoy during the sporting or concert event.
Dinner here is a hard act to follow, but it’s the very special first act of a complete night out. The Ra Ra Room pulls out the stops, endeavoring to deliver the highest caliber of experiences of any members-only dining club in the world. For an annual $15,000 membership fee for two, the luxe hideaway is proving to be an ideal setting for everything from quiet cocktails with friends, to lively celebrations, and a calendar of special events.
As an invited guest, I got to peek behind the curtain for a catered private dinner for twelve, a raid of the candy room before a Shakira concert, and a “Behind The Martini” cocktail class that — as it should be — was more about drinking than thinking (although I did love hearing about the history of the Vesper Martini before diving into one). Special thanks go to Shakira’s dancers and musicians who cheered us on as we passed through their backstage tunnel on our way to our Sky Suite…with arms full of toffee, popcorn, and M&Ms. It was a memorable Ra Ra Room night, indeed.
WHERE TO STAY: Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix. Not only is the hotel one of the coolest properties in Downtown Phoenix, it’s directly across the street from the main entrance to the Mortgage Matchup Center. The proximity means you can be swimming in the Kimpton’s roof-top pool mere minutes before throwing on more stylish duds for an evening at the Ra Ra Room followed by a sports event or superstar concert in the same place. The Kimpton will even chauffeur guests to the Ra Ra Room entrance in an open air golf cart.
If you’re traveling with a rock-star-sized entourage you’re going to need a lot of beds, so you can’t go wrong with the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, a $350 million high rise and the largest hotel in Arizona. Just a few blocks away from the Ra Ra Room in the Mortgage Matchup Center, the hotel has 1,003 guest rooms, a 4,300-square-foot fitness center, an elevated pool and sundeck, 112,000 square feet of meeting space (including two ballrooms), and three food and drink venues, including the signature restaurant Carcara, a casual chic draw for visitors and locals alike.
