A spring refresh is taking place at Downtown Ocotillo with the introduction of three new restaurants – Bonsai, Lucca Coastal Kitchen and Lucca Living Room. Spearheaded by Spike Lawrence Ventures, the mixed-used development features a diverse mix of entirely local establishments, including a wide array of food and beverage offerings, all of which are independent concepts exclusive to the Chandler neighborhood.
Bonsai and Lucca Coastal Kitchen are now open, and Lucca Living Room is slated to open by the end of April. Bonsai will celebrate its official grand opening on April 24 with food and drink specials from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and a live DJ from 5 to 10 pm. Raise a celebratory toast with drink specials, including $2 off wine by the glass and draft beer, half priced sake, well liquor, and signature cocktails, such as the White Lotus Martini, Yuzu Garden, Spicy Koi, or Midnight Tokyo. A wide variety of food specials include $3 edamame or Blue Point oysters, $6 California, spicy tuna, and cucumber rolls, and pork and chicken gyoza, plus $9 Vegas and Philly rolls and Bonsai fries. Reservations for the grand opening celebration are strongly suggested.
Bonsai, Lucca Coastal Kitchen and Lucca Living Room take the place of existing restaurants, Rock Lobster, Sea & Smoke, and The Living Room respectively. The three new establishments are owned by restaurateur and real estate developer, Spike Lawrence of Spike Lawrence Ventures, in addition to a group of investors, all of whom are longtime friends of Lawrence’s. As established Chandler business owners with strong ties to the community, the investor group, including Bill Ryan, Nancy Purdy, Steve and Alane Kovach, and Lori Gates, amongst other Chandler business people, all share the same passion for making Downtown Ocotillo a unique and sought-after destination in the east Valley. Serving as restaurant operations manager for Spike Lawrence Ventures, as well as a key player in menu development, Dhan Gwthierez brings a wealth of experience in front of house management, as well as culinary training from the esteemed Le Cordon Bleu Paris.
“The focus with Downtown Ocotillo has always been to maintain a neighborhood-centric destination that feels uniquely Chandler. When creating the ownership teams for Bonsai, Lucca Coastal Kitchen, and Lucca Living Room, it was important to comprise a group of individuals that share my passion for the local community. I’m honored to partner with not only a group of close-knit friends, but well-respected Chandler business owners who are deeply invested in the prosperity of the area,” said Spike Lawrence, Founder of Spike Lawrence Ventures.
Bonsai is a lively, elevated Japanese-inspired restaurant serving a wide variety of sushi and modern Asian cuisine. With a focus on quality, freshness and attention to detail, wild-caught, sustainably sourced seafood is flown in fresh daily, straight from the source. In the center of the restaurant, a 10-foot-tall Bonsai tree serves as a symbol of the restaurant’s philosophy, which is focused on craftmanship and respect for the art of Japanese cuisine.
Standout signature dishes include the Grand Bonsai Roll, a deep fried roll with eel, octopus, smoked salmon, shrimp, spicy tuna, avocado, fried jalapenos, green onion, cream cheese, and eel sauce, as well as the Hamachi Verde, with thinly sliced yellowtail, avocado, fresh jalapenos and poke sauce. Bonsai also offers an interactive dining experience where guests cook tableside on a hot rock a choice of wagyu, salmon or scallops, which are paired with dipping sauces. For the adventurous diner, choose the omakase menu, a nine-course chef’s choice tasting menu. Bonsai has an extensive bar menu featuring wine, beer, sake and signature cocktails, all crafted to perfectly pair with the cuisine.
Designed by Palm and Mountain Design, Bonsai features a modern aesthetic and calming warm green and earth tones. The restaurant seats approximately 70 indoors, including a large bar, which offers views of cocktail-mixing, as well as sushi-making. Bringing the outdoors in, a large wall opens to views of the covered patio, which seats 40. Bonsai is open daily for lunch and dinner and offers happy hour Tuesday through Friday, as well as Sunday Funday specials.
Lucca Coastal Kitchen is a quaint, elegant space with a scratch menu that is inspired by the Tuscan region of Italy. Hearty Italian classics include such dishes as bolognese pasta with fresh, house-made pappardelle, Reggiano, ricotta, EVOO and Italian parsley, and chicken parmesan with sugo, mozzarella, provolone, Reggiano, alfredo sauce, basil and EVOO. Leaning into the coastal element, Lucca also serves a wide selection of sustainably sourced seafood, such as branzino piccata with lemon caper white wine sauce, Italian parsley, and charred lemon, and Chilean sea bass with creamy butter tarragon sauce. Along with the seafood, succulent meat dishes are cooked over a wood-fired mesquite grill. Lucca has a full bar menu, with a heavy focus on wine, including wine flights.
Palm and Mountain Design and Whyte House Design worked in tandem to create Lucca’s refined aesthetic, which brings in plenty of warmth with moody lighting, dark wood and stone, gold tones, Italian terra cotta, and tablecloth draped seating. An intimate space, Lucca seats 52 indoors, in addition to 34 outdoors. Lucca Coastal Kitchen is open for lunch and dinner daily.
With a separate entrance but adjoined to Lucca Coastal Kitchen by an interior passthrough, is neighboring sister concept, Lucca Living Room. It evokes the same Italian flair in both décor and menu, but in a more casual, lounge-like atmosphere fit for socializing, live music and late-night drinks and dining. Lucca Living Room pays homage to the longstanding former establishment, The Living Room, which amassed a loyal following since the opening of Downtown Ocotillo.
The soon-to-open space will wow guests with its dramatic transformation, most notably the newly configured, u-shaped bar, which provides twice as much seating and better flow for service and mingling. An open pasta and pizza kitchen showcases the artisanal menu of small plates, sandwiches, and wood-fired pizzas. Notable choices include awesome fries topped with parsley, garlic, parmesan, lemon zest, and chile flakes, a meatball sub of homemade meatballs, provolone and tomato sauce on a hoagie roll, and a meat lovers pizza loaded with housemade tomato sauce, pepperoni, sausage, bacon, black forest ham, and mozzarella.
Lucca Living Room has a seamless flow from the interior to patio dining. The restaurant seats 88 inside, and an outdoor patio seats 46. Once open, Lucca Living Room will serve lunch and dinner daily, as well as weekend brunch. In addition, the space will be open late every night of the week.
