Frida American Brasserie is aiming to open in late October in the former Living Room space at La Encantada, 2905 E. Skyline Dr. Owners Charles Hunt and Frida Hunt first planned an August opening. In a Tucson Foodie update published September 29, Frida Hunt said the team hopes to open on October 22, with the end of the month as the safer estimate until that date is confirmed.
This is the third wine-focused business in a row at this storefront. The new tenant keeps the wine and adds a Champagne program, a DJ booth and a second floor. If you live in Paloma Vista or Paloma Encanto, two of the ten sub-associations that make up La Paloma's 856 homes, that changes what a night at that corner of La Encantada looks like.
A storefront with more than a decade of wine behind it
The best way to see what Frida changes is to follow the address back through its earlier tenants.
- Armitage Wine Lounge held the space first. Tucson Foodie's October 2015 coverage refers to "the former Armitage Wine Lounge space" when announcing the next tenant.
- The Living Room was announced in October 2015 with indoor and patio seating, a cafe menu of shareable dishes, 35 wines by the glass and late-night hours. By November 24, 2015, it was officially open. Tucson Foodie described it as a relaxed neighborhood lounge serving wine, cocktails, food to share and weekend brunch.
- Frida American Brasserie was announced on March 18, 2026, for "the former Living Room space." That puts The Living Room's run at La Encantada at about ten years.
None of the published coverage gives a final date or reason for The Living Room's exit. The record shows only that the space was empty by spring 2026. Its run was a long one for a single shopping-center tenant, and the lounge's descriptions from 2015 match how many people still remember that corner: a glass of wine, something small to share, and a late close.
Frida's plans keep the wine at the center. They also build the room around much bigger evenings.
What the Hunts are building in that space
Charles and Frida Hunt run Villa Peru with their family. According to the restaurant's own history, it opened in Tempe in 2012 and came to Tucson in August 2017. That history also says Frida Hunt brings more than 20 years of fine-dining experience, and Charles Hunt is a Citadel graduate and Afghanistan combat veteran. In Tucson Foodie's March report, the Hunts said they wanted a "high-energy yet refined" place for Tucson diners.
The physical plans from that March report are the clearest sign of how much the room will change:
- A custom-built, two-story Champagne display as the main feature of the dining room.
- A private second-floor space for red wines, which the owners describe as a wine-cellar-style room above the main floor.
- A 30-foot indoor-outdoor bar with a backlit marble base.
- A climate-controlled "living patio" designed to stay comfortable through Tucson summers.
- Service buttons at the booths that guests can press to call the Champagne cart.
- DJs during Sunday brunch and on weekend evenings, meant to carry the room from daytime dining into nightlife.
The design takes its cue from Carolyne Bessette Kennedy's minimalist style. The branding, staff uniforms and interior will all be black and white.
The Living Room's 35 wines by the glass made it an easy stop for one drink. Frida's plan gives the same address a second story, a cellar-style room upstairs and a bar running from inside to the patio. The wine is still there, and the room around it is being set up for longer nights out.
The menu, as previewed
Tucson Foodie describes the cooking as European-inspired American cuisine, with dishes ranging from small plates to steakhouse-style and seafood entrées. The owners have released two previews. They cautioned in September that the dinner menu is still a work in progress and may change before opening.
The March announcement listed:
- Mini lobster rolls, crab cakes and duck confit salad
- Filet mignon medallions
- Oysters, lobster tails and grilled halibut
- Caviar and veal ossobuco
The September preview added:
- Crab Louie salad and French onion soup
- A 32-ounce tomahawk steak
- A wagyu "brasserie burger" and a half chicken
- Gnocchi
- About five sushi rolls
Together the two lists cover a wide price range, which fits the Hunts' stated aim of balancing casual bites with upscale dishes. The same room could serve a burger and French onion soup at the bar or a tomahawk with caviar upstairs.
Where the wine list goes from here
The drinks program is the closest link to the space's history. The previewed wine list includes Champagne, rosé Champagne, and still wines from France, Italy, Spain and the United States. Sample cocktails include a Veuve French 75, a Veuve Cucumber Spritz, a Whistle Pig Old Fashioned and a Mango Mojito.
In 2015 the main draw at this address was the number of wines poured by the glass. In 2026 it is one kind of wine, built into the room itself. The two-story display, the cart service and the Champagne cocktails all center on Champagne, while the reds move upstairs to their own room. Someone who stopped at The Living Room for a glass after an errand will find the same category of drink at the same address. The rest of the evening around it will be different.
The menu isn't final. La Encantada's directory has started listing Frida, but its posted hours don't yet say which days carry the later close. Check the restaurant directly before planning a late dinner.
How it fits into La Encantada's food lineup
Frida joins a group of food and drink tenants on La Encantada's directory that includes North Italia, Firebirds, Frost a Gelato Shoppe and Haute Coffee. Haute Coffee is the other recent arrival. The owners of Frost opened it next to True Food Kitchen, and Tucson Foodie listed it at 2905 E. Skyline Dr. in a February 2025 roundup.
That makes Frida the only full-service restaurant change at the center to show up in recent local coverage. La Encantada's other turnovers that Tucson Foodie covered date back to 2015, when The Living Room arrived along with a pizza concept in the former Bluepoint Kitchen & Bar space. For more than a decade, the center's restaurants have changed slowly. A two-story Champagne brasserie with weekend DJs is the biggest change to its dining since then.
The fall calendar around the opening
Frida's late-October target falls between two scheduled La Encantada events, so the first weeks will probably see plenty of foot traffic.
On October 10, 2026, La Encantada hosts the MIXFM Women's Wellness Event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the lower level near Crate and Barrel and West Elm.
On November 21 and 22, 2026, the La Encantada Fine Art Festival returns. It runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, and admission is free.
If Frida opens on its hoped-for October 22 date, the festival weekend will fall about a month into its run. Sunday brunch with a DJ will be playing at the same time as a free outdoor art show in the same center. The center also has a Halloween 2026 page, though no date or details have been posted yet.
For a quieter weekend outside the center, the St. Philip's Plaza Weekend Market has switched to its October-through-April schedule. It runs Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with local makers, artists and food businesses.
What to watch for before opening night
Three details are still open. The opening date may not hold, since the team already moved it once, from August to late October. The menu is still a draft, so dishes on either preview could change. The hours listed on La Encantada's directory don't yet say which nights run until 11 p.m. Frida's Instagram account, @frida_american_brasserie, is where the owners have been posting menu previews.
What is settled is the address and its history. 2905 E. Skyline Dr. has had a wine bar for more than ten years, and it will keep one, now with a Champagne display that rises through two floors.
When the corner you've stopped at for years starts drawing a different crowd, it helps to talk with someone who keeps track of these changes in La Paloma. James Storey follows every opening, closing and new tenant around Paloma Vista and Paloma Encanto. Schedule a private consultation to talk about how the area around your home is changing.
