Longtime Phoenix watering hole Swizzle Inn acquired by Valley restaurant group

Swizzle Inn, a long-running dive bar on the southeast corner of 16th Street and Bethany Home Road in Phoenix, is under new ownership.

BY BRANDON BROWN/PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL

Jun 5, 2025, 10:30 AM Updated: 10:36 am

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Swizzle Inn, a long-running dive bar on the southeast corner of 16th Street and Bethany Home Road in Phoenix, is under new ownership.

The unpretentious, windowless bar located into the back corner of a strip mall is known for its pool tables, dartboards, Christmas lights décor and a shot of booze called the “Shark Fart.” Swizzle Inn opened in 1996 by longtime proprietor Beth Johnson, who sold the bar last month.

Valley-based restaurant group POV Foods closed on the establishment on May 19. The financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

“The Swizzle Inn is the neighborhood’s living room,” Bill Toole, the owner of POV Foods, said in a statement. “It’s a place people come to unwind, share a story, shoot some pool. We’re not here to change that, we’re here to honor it and keep the doors open for the next generation of regulars.”

This story is posted in partnership with Phoenix Business Journal. Click to read the full story.