New owners of Durant’s steakhouse pay homage to original restaurant with their own elevated take

PHOENIX — One of the oldest steakhouses in the Valley is set to reopen next Wednesday under new ownership after a more than year-long closure and restoration project.

The new Durant’s is like stepping into a time capsule that pays homage to the iconic Phoenix eatery that opened 75 years ago.

Guests will still get to walk through the kitchen once they open the front door, a unique floor plan Chief Culinary Officer Marc Lupino fought to keep.

“As they’re coming in, they’re a little confused, if they haven’t been here before. If they have been here before, it’s old hat for them. They walk in, we welcome them,” Chef Lupino told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

The smell of sizzling steaks and freshly baked bread drifts from the kitchen into the new dining room.

Phoenix steakhouse Durant’s has gone through restoration process

The upgrades at Durant’s come from its new owners: brothers and restaurateurs Jeff and Mike Mastro. They’re behind other Valley concepts, including Dominick’s, Ocean 44 and Steak 44.

“We wanted a lot of people to come in here and not realize what changed. We wanted them to come in, ‘Man, this is Durant’s and it just feels great,’” Jeff Mastro told KTAR News. 

They updated the carpet, lighting and sound system and got some new equipment for the kitchen. The dining room very much still feels the same with vintage-inspired red wallpaper, velvet red curtains the original red leather booths with new upholstery.

“We kept Durant’s, Durant’s,” Mastro said.

He said it was a very different process for them, as they’re used to building restaurants from scratch, and this was their first acquisition.

Durant’s in Phoenix offering same old favorites, along with new menu items

As for the new menu, Chef Lupino said he aimed to preserve the mystique of the original while introducing elevated new offerings. He listened to past diners when deciding which fan favorites would return.

“The relish tray … the creamed spinach, the prime rib, everything that they were saying, ‘Please don’t take this away, please don’t take this away,’ we made sure that we had it,” he said.

New additions include veal parmesan, caviar service, and a variety of appetizers and sides designed to entice repeat visits. The restaurant also introduced a butcher room where steaks are cut in-house daily.

Durant’s has been a central Phoenix staple for the past 75 years. After a sale and a monthslong renovation, the steakhouse is set to reopen on Dec. 17. @heidi_hommel got a sneak peek inside on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/AFtVBJU5mP

— KTAR News 92.3 (@KTAR923) December 10, 2025

Lupino said he loves watching old vendors walk into the new restaurant and be taken back by the new ambiance that is so reminiscent of Durant’s past.

“We’re the stewards for the next generation, so we have to come in and be stewards of this brand. I want people to come in and say ‘This is Durant’s,'” Lupino said.

Mastro is excited to own a piece of history and hopes the public will appreciate what they’ve done with the space.

“It’s not easy to keep a restaurant open for two or three years, so 75 years is something else,” Mastro added.

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