downtown phoenix date night: the breadfruit & rum bar

Oh, hey! You don’t even know. It’s been something else around here lately, and as I explained here, not in all the good ways. In trying to keep positive, Joe and I went on a date night a few weeks ago to lighten the mood. I decided to treat him to a restaurant I’d heard about from a coworker, and it turned out to be pretty great.

The Breadfruit and Rum Bar is a downtown joint hidden on a shaded street filled with cool condos. We were surprised to pull up to the place, considering it was hidden from view on our approach. I’d kept the destination a surprise from Joe, just to add a little intrigue – 16 years doesn’t leave much to the imagination! We had a fantastic server named Karlie, who walked us through what drinks would accompany our food as well as what food to order as our appetizers and main course.

After getting her suggestions, Joe ordered The Punchbowl Special, which changes daily and was delicious! I got The Spanish Gentleman, which was stronger but equally as good.  With our drinks, we ordered the Rum Glazed Prawns and Roti Flatbread. SO freaking good! We were able to split it evenly without a fork fight. Talk about restraint!

For dinner, Joe got the Guava Glazed Pork Belly while I had the Coconut Curried Tofu. Both amazing! There was a palate cleanser in between the appetizer/drink course and the dinner/drink course. Which clearly made us feel so fancy! We were seated outside and it was a beautiful night, and you KNOW that probably made everything taste that much better. The ambiance and employees were a much needed reprieve from our everyday junk.

I don’t claim to be a restaurant critic, so I won’t try to get all into every detail. I will tell you that we fully enjoyed our food and experience with The Breadfruit and Rum Bar, and I can’t wait to go back and introduce this place to other people!

Once dinner was finished, we took a walk to a cool little arcade/movie theatre bar that definitely took us by surprise.

The Cobra Arcade and Movie Bar was filled with all the classic arcade games, fun music and characters galore! What an epic people watching experience! We stopped in for a drink and played a couple games while soaking in all the fun around us.

After a drink and our fill of gawking, we decided to wander just a bit more for the night. We walked past the light rail, through the Phoenix Civic Space Park and stumbled upon this beacon in the night.

This is a popular art piece in Downtown Phoenix, but nothing I’d ever noticed before. The structure and lights were mesmerizing. I took another shot, and posted it here. How fun would it be to get some macros of this thing? After admiring her beauty, we walked over to Seamus McCaffrey’s for our final date night drink. A downtown staple, and with live music to boot!

All in all, a great escape from our recent reality.  We loved every bit of it, including the Uber rides back and forth.  Is it me, or are Uber drivers getting better and better at creating fun driving experiences? I mean, I don’t want to start a whole new conversation here, but it’s something I’ve noticed recently.

So. Next time you’re in town or going downtown, definitely check out the local flavor in these places. We highly recommend them!