Matilda’s All Day Café, a warm, community-driven concept serving coffee, meals, and cocktails from morning to night, is set to open in Winter 2025, with a grand opening in the works for the end of the year. The café is located at 822 N. 6th Ave. in Roosevelt Row, downtown Phoenix’s walkable arts district known for its galleries, independent restaurants, boutiques, and vibrant street art.
Matilda’s occupies a 1,860-square-foot historic 1914 bungalow that has been reimagined into a layered, lived-in café. Guests enter through a grassy garden and front porch before moving into a service counter and bar area, two intimate dining rooms, a lounge anchored by custom millwork, and a back patio designed for both daytime and evening use.
“Matilda’s is meant to feel familiar from the moment you walk in, warm, lived-in, and full of small, meaningful details,” said owner Devon McConville in a statement. “Whether someone stops in for a morning coffee or meets friends at night for wine and snacks, our goal is a space that feels grounding, nostalgic, and welcoming.”
The all-day menu includes coffee, pastries from local bakers, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. A curated bar program will offer beer, wine, classic cocktails, and thoughtful non-alcoholic options. The culinary program is led by Head Chef Matt Celaya, known for his pop-up Mas Amable, whose seasonal, approachable cooking style shapes the café’s offerings.
The interior was designed by Phoenix-based studio Need To Know, co-founded by Carmen Tabatabay and Sophia Pappas, with Tabatabay leading the project and approaching it through the studio’s philosophy of storytelling through space. The design blends classic brasserie influences, vintage café culture, warm woods, playful objects, and nostalgic artwork to create a collected, lived-in aesthetic that naturally shifts from day to night. The studio is known for delivering spaces that are polished yet playful, high-energy, and deeply connected to the people who use them. A standout feature of the space is its hand-painted ceiling mural, created by local artist Carlisle Burch. With its playful brushwork, soft color palette, and narrative scenes, the artwork brings warmth and personality to the bungalow, serving as a true statement piece in the café.
“Designing Matilda’s with Devon felt like giving the original Matilda coffee truck a permanent home, one layered with history, charm, and enough soul to hold the community that’s grown around it,” says Tabatabay. “Every choice carries a piece of the story. By day it’s bright and communal, by night it becomes more intimate and moody.”
Matilda’s continues the nearly eight-year evolution of First Place Coffee, McConville’s beloved 1970s coffee truck known for its loyal community, dog-friendly culture, and approachable hospitality. The café will build on that foundation with programming that spans morning work sessions, casual lunches, golden-hour wine, themed nights, and future activations.
