In October 2025, Phoenix New Times reported four restaurants headed to Desert Ridge Marketplace, each with its own target. Kajiken was due by the end of 2025, Nadu in February, Terra Gaucha in summer 2026 and Globe in the Dark in early 2026.
Thirteen months later, two of the four are serving. The other two still say "coming soon" on their own websites. Meanwhile a music room that had been closed for two years came back with almost no advance calendar, and Trader Joe's put a suite number at 21001 N. Tatum Blvd. on its store locator. Restaurant timelines often shift between announcement and opening, so the businesses already open are the ones to plan the holiday season around, starting with the tree lighting on Monday, November 23.
Where the 2025 Announcements Stand
| Restaurant | What it is | Original target | Status in mid-November 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kajiken | Soupless ramen from Nagoya, Japan | By end of 2025 | Opened January 2026 |
| Nadu | Modern Indian from the Feringhee team | February | Listed "NOW OPEN" by late June |
| Terra Gaucha | Brazilian churrascaria | Summer 2026 | "Opening soon" on its own site |
| Globe in the Dark | 800-square-foot cocktail lounge | Early 2026 | "Coming soon at the district" |
The two restaurants that opened were both first-of-their-kind bets for Arizona. Kajiken is a 1,700-square-foot room built around abura soba, the thick-noodle soupless ramen it is known for in Nagoya. The menu also has donburi and conventional ramen. It was the first of the four to open, in January.
Nadu is the larger commitment. It is a restaurant and lounge of more than 4,000 square feet from the team behind Feringhee Modern Indian Restaurant in Chandler, which appears on the New Times Top 100 list. Its chef, Sujan Sarkar, opened the original Nadu in Chicago in April 2025, and that location quickly earned a place in the Michelin Guide. Desert Ridge's dining directory had the Phoenix location marked "NOW OPEN" by June 26.
What "Coming Soon" Means for the Other Two
Terra Gaucha will be the Florida-born steakhouse's first Arizona location, a 7,669-square-foot space that Desert Ridge places near the courtyard. Diners start at stations with charcuterie, salads, soups and pork belly feijoada. Servers then carve chicken, lamb and steak at the table, and a disc at each seat signals when to stop.
Its summer 2026 target has passed. The company's Phoenix page says the restaurant is opening soon and invites sign-ups for grand-opening updates. The online reservation selector lists six other Terra Gaucha locations and does not include Phoenix yet.
Globe in the Dark is the smallest of the four. It is planned as an after-hours lounge serving internationally inspired nightcaps, with a seasonal food menu, happy hour specials and a passport-style loyalty card that logs where each drink "takes you." Its website lists Suite 34-1150 and still reads "Coming soon at the district." Desert Ridge's directory shows every day's hours as "COMING SOON."
Both unopened concepts are tied to the same part of the center. Globe in the Dark is in The District, Terra Gaucha is near the courtyard, and this month's tree lighting is in The District too. Once both open, the busiest evening section of Desert Ridge gets two new reasons to stay after dinner.
The Room That Came Back Without a Countdown
The most significant reopening on the property this fall was never on the 2025 list. Copper Blues Desert Ridge was dark for two years and reopened in early November with a remodeled room and a new menu. The AZ Insider quoted general manager Nick Jonsson on the purpose of the remodel: "to improve the overall aesthetic, improve our menu, and change the whole vibe from a rock pub to a live music pub, so we have a little bit more of a variety of music."
Copper Blues shares a wall with Desert Ridge Improv, and the crew rebuilt and re-engineered that soundproof partition. With the wall open, the two venues form one large entertainment space. With it closed, a comedy set and a guitar solo can run at the same time without interfering. The two rooms can now program together or separately on the same night.
The AZ Insider also reported that live-band karaoke is planned within weeks of the reopening. Guests will choose from more than 500 songs, with a band called The Instant Classics behind them. Copper Blues had live performances on its calendar for November 6 and 7, and Desert Ridge included the "copperbluesdr Grand Opening" in its November events post.
Copper Blues is also part of Desert Ridge's Sip & Stroll program, which lets guests carry a drink between participating venues. The current list is Copper Blues, Dave & Buster's, Islands, The Whining Pig, Yard House and Kajiken. Kajiken is the only one of last year's four restaurants on it so far.
The Grocery Store Behind the Restaurant Headlines
None of the restaurant openings changes the center's daily use as much as the tenant moving into the former Joann space near Loop 101 and Tatum. AZFamily reported construction there in June. Trader Joe's store locator now lists "Phoenix (320)" at 21001 North Tatum Blvd, Suite #1030, under "Coming Soon!"
Phoenix New Times traced the plan in March through a liquor license application filed with the state on February 17. The filing describes a 15,000-square-foot store, the chain's 15th in the Valley, and estimated that construction would finish in November. A Trader Joe's spokesperson told the paper that stores go into the "opening soon" section of its website three to six months before they open.
The store's size and location are what matter for the neighborhood. At 15,000 square feet, it will be larger than the 9,600-square-foot store Trader Joe's opened at Goodyear's GSQ in November 2025. When New Times reported the Desert Ridge plan, the nearest Trader Joe's was just under six miles away, near Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and Scottsdale Road in north Scottsdale. The new store joins Albertsons, Target and Total Wine & More, which already sell groceries or liquor at Desert Ridge. With a fourth grocery option on site, the center supports weekly shopping as well as nights out. On November 6, Desert Ridge told its followers the store was "opening SOON" and mentioned Thanksgiving essentials and seasonal flowers.
The Holiday Calendar, Built Around What Is Open
Each item below has a confirmed date. All of them fall within a short drive of Tatum and the 101 or the I-17.
- November 18, 2026, through January 3, 2027: Jingle at JW. The season at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge runs from November 18 to January 3. This year's ICE! attraction is themed around Elf.
- Saturday, November 21: Outlets North Phoenix tree lighting. The 25th-year tree lighting and concert runs 5 to 6 p.m., and the tree is lit at about 6 p.m.
- Monday, November 23: Desert Ridge Annual Holiday Tree Lighting. The main event runs 6 to 9 p.m. inside The District. It is free and open to the public and includes free Santa photos, a craft and live entertainment on The District Stage. The tree is lit at 7:15 p.m. near Jin Jia Chinese Cuisine and Barnes & Noble. A ticketed hour from 5 to 6 p.m. benefits Phoenix Children's. VIP tickets cost $40 for adults and $5 for children ages 4 to 12, and children 3 and under get in free. A VVIP reservation for up to six guests costs $300.
- December 13 to 16: Coca-Cola Christmas Caravan. The caravan stops at the JW for these four days as part of the Jingle season.
On the night of the Desert Ridge lighting, the tree is a short walk from Copper Blues and the Sip & Stroll venues. Kajiken is on the Sip & Stroll list as well, so a ramen dinner and a drink to carry over to the 7:15 lighting work as one plan.
Russell Harris has worked in North Phoenix and the West Valley for more than 20 years, and part of that work is tracking which changes in a neighborhood are open and which are still on paper. If you are weighing a move near Desert Ridge, or you want to understand how the center's changes affect a home you already own, let's connect.
