This chic wine bar is leaving downtown Mesa, moving to a new Valley home

“Don’t leave it in the bottle,” advises a neon sign hanging inside the stylish downtown Mesa bar Rebel Wine Lounge. Over the next few days, its owners will pour it all out. After more than two years on Macdonald and Main streets, Rebel will close its doors later this month. 

“We get a lot of great feedback on Rebel. People love it when they’re in here,” co-owner Christina Goldsmith says. “I think it’s not the right fit for Mesa at this time.” 

The wine bar’s owners aren’t calling it quits for long, as they’ve had an expansion in the works in Gilbert. Instead, it will now be a reopening. Rebel is anticipated to open in early 2027 in the forthcoming Gilbert development, The Gilmore, located near Val Vista Drive and Germann Road.

“It’s booming over there,” Goldsmith says.

Goldsmith and co-owner Macee Tillman announced Rebel’s impending closure on social media on July 15. The wine bar will remain open in Mesa until July 24 or until the bar runs out of beer, wine and spirits, whichever comes first. To send off Rebel and clear out those bottles and cans, Rebel is offering $5 beer and wine, along with discounts on bottles. 

Rebel is among New Times’ Top 100 Bars, a pick as a classy, modern spot to sip a glass or two in the afternoon and nosh on a flatbread.

Wine bar to reopen in Gilbert

Goldsmith anticipates she’ll have the keys for The Gilmore location in August, allowing their team to start construction on the wine bar. For the Gilbert outpost, they’ll lean into moodier colors, Goldsmith says, and a room for private events. They will also build a larger kitchen to create more “robust” options for brunch, lunch and dinner. The wine bar owners also aim to attract remote workers with coffee drinks.

Rebel is part of Incomparably Dope Venture Partners, which also owns the downtown Mesa bakery and bar Outcast Doughnuts along with Level 1 Arcade Bar and Alchemy 48, a speakeasy hidden in the arcade’s basement. Outcast Doughnuts closed on July 19.

Goldsmith says business in Mesa was inconsistent, and they never saw the promised crowds moving into new Mesa apartments. Ultimately, it didn’t make sense financially for the wine bar or doughnut shop to try to ride it out.

“We didn’t expect to see anything happen overnight,” Goldsmith says. “But we’re two years into this particular location now, Outcast is three years in, and we have seen zero progress.”

Level 1 Arcade Bar and Alchemy 48 Speakeasy remain open in Mesa. 

When Rebel reopens in The Gilmore, it won’t be the only concept from Incomparably Dope Venture Partners. Locations of Outcast, Level 1 and its hidden cocktail bar will also open there next year, Goldsmith says. A downtown Mesa neighbor, Phantom Fox Beer Co., will add a second location at the Gilbert development, too. 

“We’re excited,” Goldsmith says. “We’re bringing a little bit of downtown Mesa.” 

Rebel Wine Lounge

104 W. Main St., #107, Mesa