"It is an end of an era and stay tuned for what is next." That was the sign-off in the post Old Town Tortilla Factory used to announce its closing this summer, as Phoenix New Times reported. The restaurant had served from an adobe house at Main and 69th streets since 1996.
Three months on, Old Town's next chapter has an address, and Main Street isn't it. The new dining rooms and the month's big events are mostly on a single stretch. It runs from the 3700 block of North Scottsdale Road, up past the Arizona Canal at the Scottsdale Waterfront, and over to Fashion Square and Goldwater Boulevard. If you live in or near downtown Scottsdale, that is where your November calendar is.
Friday, Nov. 6: two openings on the same road
The month starts with two openings on the same evening.
Drake's Hollywood opens Friday, Nov. 6, at 3828 N. Scottsdale Road, according to Forking Scottsdale's Oct. 29 newsletter. At about 8,000 square feet, it will be the brand's largest location. The menu covers Italian-American dishes, steakhouse standards and signature martinis, and the room takes its cues from 1930s and 1940s Hollywood and New York. The Scottsdale location also includes Maître D, an invitation-only private members' club, and reservations are open now. Phoenix New Times put it on its fall list as a Vandelay Hospitality project. The date has already moved once. A week earlier, Forking Scottsdale relayed a report of an Oct. 30 grand opening while the restaurant's own page still read "Coming Soon."
Canal Convergence 2026 opens the same night, a few blocks north at the Scottsdale Waterfront. This year is the event's 15th, and it lines up with the City of Scottsdale's 75th anniversary. The theme is "Western Nature." The works deal with water, native plants and animals, and the cultures and histories of the Southwest. The installations sit in and above the canal and along the paths and bridges between Scottsdale Road and Goldwater Boulevard. Solstice Park, at 4420 N. Scottsdale Road, is the reference address. Scottsdale Arts describes it as a free, 10-night public art event.
| Nights | Hours |
|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 6 – Sat., Nov. 7 | 6–10 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 8 – Thu., Nov. 12 | 6–9 p.m. |
| Fri., Nov. 13 – Sat., Nov. 14 | 6–10 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 15, closing night | 6–9 p.m. |
The schedule rewards weeknight visits. Sunday through Thursday it closes an hour earlier, but those nights are also outside the two opening weekends, when the Drake's crowd and the canal crowd will be in the same few blocks.
What's on the canal this year
The 2026 artwork lineup from Scottsdale Arts includes:
- Perigee by Chalk River Labs
- Another Slice of Reality: An Evolving Nature by Shaoyu Su x LedPulse
- Dream Rider and Sky Wrangler by William Nemitoff with Curious Form
- Desert Choir by Ottomata
- grandmother turtle by In Theory Art Studios with Laura Tohe and Nora Naranjo-Morse
- KaKtos by Amigo & Amigo
- Prairie Fire by True North Absurdities
- The Way The West Was Sold by Jolly Productions
- the weight of light by In Theory Art Studio
- Western Fire Garden by Walter Productions
On Saturday, Nov. 7, the fourth annual Sunset Strides 5K uses the same canal. Fashion Square's listing describes it as a family-friendly sunset run and walk that benefits The Women's Collective. That gives you a way to see the canal at dusk on foot before the installations light up.
The newer tables a few blocks south
Three other recent openings sit close to Drake's.
- General Admission Scottsdale is now open at 3737 N. Scottsdale Road, in the former RnR Gastropub space, Forking Scottsdale reported Oct. 29. It pairs a sports lounge with chef-driven food, cocktails and screens on every wall.
- Holla Brunch Girl launched Sept. 26 in the Entertainment District, according to Arizona Foothills Magazine. Evening Entertainment Group runs it as a Saturday rooftop brunch with sing-alongs, for guests 21 and over.
- French Crêperie Scottsdale scheduled its grand opening for Oct. 24 at 4225 N. Marshall Way, Suite 2, according to the City of Scottsdale community calendar. Forking Scottsdale's Oct. 1 newsletter describes the menu as sweet and savory crêpes and French café fare.
Taken with Drake's, that makes a sports lounge, a Hollywood-style supper club and a rooftop brunch, all within a short span of North Scottsdale Road. The crêperie on Marshall Way is the one daytime option.
Mid-month, the action moves to Fashion Square
The second week moves east toward Camelback Road and Goldwater Boulevard, and the dates run close together:
- Nov. 11–15: Fleurs de Villes NOËL at Scottsdale Fashion Square. It's a free showcase of 15 couture floral mannequins in the West Luxe Wing, the South Luxe Wing and Palm Court. Each day has its own program: the Grand Reveal on Wednesday, Fashion in Bloom on Thursday, Cars & Cocktails on Friday, The Art of Flowers on Saturday and Petals & Pups on Sunday, according to the mall's event page.
- Nov. 12: Mariachi Passion at ArtWalk. The city calendar lists a Nov. 12 ArtWalk featuring Mariachi Passion. The Salvation Army Angel Tree also goes up at Fashion Square that day and stays through Dec. 24.
- Nov. 13: two Friday events. Caesars Republic Scottsdale, at 4747 N. Goldwater Blvd., holds its third annual tree lighting. The program starts at 5:30 p.m., the tree is lit at 6, and a concert follows at 7. The Civic Center Library also holds its Fall Book Sale in the lobby the same day.
- Nov. 14: Bacio di Latte opens at Fashion Square, 7014 E. Camelback Road, Space 0565. The Italian gelato brand told Forking Scottsdale it will be the brand's flagship Arizona shop, with gelato made on site and an Italian country-kitchen design.
All four fall on days when Canal Convergence is also running. Between Nov. 11 and Nov. 14, you can see the floral mannequins, get gelato and finish at the canal on the same evening without going far.
Late November: a first lunch and two markets
Maple & Ash Scottsdale, at 7135 E. Camelback Road, Suite 130, will serve lunch for the first time, Forking Scottsdale reported. The holiday lunch runs Nov. 18 through Dec. 22, Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It includes a three-course prix fixe for $55 per person, and new dishes such as a Dungeness crab cake, a prime rib French dip and Fiesta Del Mar pasta. The restaurant usually serves only dinner and Sunday brunch, so this is the rare chance at a weekday midday table there.
Saturday, Nov. 21, is the busiest day at Scottsdale Civic Center, 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd. The Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market runs a "Preserving Wild Foods" class from 9 to 11 a.m. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Grateful Gathering Merchantile Market brings more than 150 vendors and live music, with free admission.
Nov. 28: the Waterfront again
Scottsdazzle runs from Nov. 28 through Dec. 31, 2026. Its opening night is the Waterfront Canal Bank Tree Lighting Spectacular, from 7 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 28. The program includes Phat Cat Swinger, a 36-foot tree, Santa and a pop-up market of local makers. The canal bank that hosts the light art in the first half of the month hosts the city's holiday kickoff at the end of it.
The weekly fixtures
Two weekly events carry on all month, whatever the special-event calendar says.
Scottsdale ArtWalk is free on Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. This post goes out on Nov. 5, so tonight's ArtWalk is the night before the canal lights up. Nov. 12 and Nov. 19 follow.
The Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market runs Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd. Its 2026–27 season goes from October through June, so it's open on Nov. 7, 14, 21 and 28. Each of those Saturdays also has something on in the evening: the 5K, the second Canal Convergence weekend, the Civic Center markets and Scottsdazzle.
The dining rooms that won't reopen
Some of this season's change has been losses. Old Town Tortilla Factory took a monthlong break at the end of June. On the day it had planned to reopen, Phoenix New Times reported that it would not come back. Its setting is hard to replace: a 75-year-old converted house at 6910 E. Main St., a patio shaded by pecan trees, a fountain topped with fire, homemade tortillas and more than 100 agave spirits. PHOENIX magazine's August roundup also recorded the closing of Sel Bistro after 10 years in Old Town.
The next big opening on the calendar is also near Fashion Square. Porta Via, Peter Garland's California bistro, is planned for early 2027 at 4712 N. Goldwater Blvd. It will serve lunch, dinner, brunch, cocktails and coffee, according to Phoenix New Times. The Tortilla Factory's post promised more to come. On Main Street, no new tenant has been named.
Old Town's next few weeks will show how quickly the area around Scottsdale Road and the canal is changing. If you're watching that change because you're considering a home nearby, or because you own one, Nick Steffes can walk you through what it means for your property. Let's Connect.
