Spaghetti in a bucket is coming to Phoenix. By the Bucket, Bret DaCosta’s restaurant offering cheesy meatball subs, cheesecake, and, yes, spaghetti in buckets of all sizes, opened in 2018, setting up shop in Payson along the Beeline Highway in a free-standing green house with an iconic red fence. According to the Phoenix New Times, by 2021, DeCosta had opened his second location in Pinetop, and had abandoned the green house for even greener pastures along Arizona Route 260.
And now By the Bucket is headed to the Valley. Dacosta plans to open the restaurant’s third location within the month, at 1420 East Chandler Boulevard in Ahwatukee. Like all By the Bucket locations, the Ahwatukee spot will be take-out only — serving up pasta and more in big ole popcorn buckets. I mean, really, is there any better way to eat spaghetti than from a giant bucket in your lap as you re-watch Sopranos for the twentieth time? We think not.
Looking ahead, By the Bucket is franchising, and reportedly plans to open locations in Mesa, Apache Junction, Queen Creek, west Phoenix, and Tempe within the next six months. From the looks of it, they’ve already pinned down a spot in Tempe, on the corner of South Rural and Guadalupe. Check them out on Facebook for updates.
