Postino WineCafe will open its first Queen Creek location at The Switchyard — a new mixed-use development at the northeast corner of Ellsworth Loop and Ocotillo Road — this fall. Upward Projects confirmed fall 2026 as the target, though no specific date has been announced. It is the furthest south and east that Postino has ever landed in metro Phoenix.
If you live in the Southeast Valley, this corner is about to change
Until now, Queen Creek had no walkable downtown dining district to speak of. A night out at Postino meant a 20-to-30-minute drive to Tempe, Scottsdale, or Chandler. The Switchyard changes that in a concrete way — it adds 54,000 square feet of restaurant, retail, and office space to a town core that has had almost none of that.
For homeowners nearby, the tenant mix matters. Postino, Shake Shack, Snooze, and Bamboo Sushi are names that draw repeat traffic. That kind of walkable anchor — in a suburb built almost entirely around single-family homes — tends to support property values in the surrounding blocks. The 215 planned luxury apartments add a layer of urban density the area has never had.
The town also locked in public access. A March 2026 council agreement guarantees more than 200 surface parking spaces for the public on private land — so even as the site moves from town ownership to private hands, residents keep the right to use it. That was a deliberate negotiating outcome, not an afterthought.
What is The Switchyard — and why did Queen Creek build it?
The Switchyard is a $120 million mixed-use project on 10 acres that the Town of Queen Creek once owned. In April 2022, the town issued a request for proposals to find a developer for the land. Creation — a Phoenix-based firm co-founded in 2018 by David Sellers and Bob Agahi — won that competition. The town ultimately sold the land to Creation for $8.6 million total; the first tranche of 6.8 acres closed in December 2023 for $7.4 million. Horizon Real Estate Ltd., led by president Enzo Gabrielli, is Creation’s development partner on the project.
Creation broke ground in May 2025. Construction on the retail and office buildings began in July 2025. The first phase — restaurants, retail, and office — is on track to open in the third quarter of 2026. The residential component follows in a later phase.
At full build-out, seven buildings will occupy the site: four single-story commercial buildings and three four-story residential buildings housing 215 luxury apartments. Creation’s broader portfolio spans $4.5 billion in ground-up developments across Arizona, Texas, California, Tennessee, New York, and New Jersey.
Postino Queen Creek: location, size, and what to expect
The Queen Creek Postino sits inside The Switchyard at the northeast corner of Ellsworth Loop and Ocotillo Road. The interior covers 3,800 square feet with seating for 107 guests. The outdoor patio adds 1,953 square feet and fits up to 86 more. Total capacity is nearly 200 people between the two spaces.
Postino co-founder and CEO Lauren Bailey opened the original location in a former Phoenix post office in 2001. On the Queen Creek opening, she said: “Arizona is where Postino first began, and growing our footprint here in a thriving community like Queen Creek feels incredibly special.” The Queen Creek location marks the brand’s furthest reach into the southeast metro.
An existing Postino location at night, showing the open-air patio and signature neon sign — the Queen Creek outpost adds a 1,953-square-foot outdoor patio for up to 86 guests. (Postino WineCafe)
Inside the design: cattle ranching, Pogs, and vintage Arizona
The Queen Creek interior takes its cues from the area’s late-1800s cattle-ranching past. The most distinctive element is a custom art installation made from vintage milk caps — Pogs — that references the region’s ranching heritage. Midcentury modern furniture came from three Arizona vintage shops: Soda Pop, MoM, and Modern Manor. A Zuru floor-to-ceiling lamp partition and custom walnut wine walls round out the look. The design connects the space to Queen Creek’s history in a way the brand hasn’t done in the same way at any other location.
Menu, hours, brunch, and happy hour
Postino will serve lunch and dinner every day. Weekend brunch starts at 10 a.m. The daily Happy Hour runs until 5 p.m. and offers $6 glasses of wine and draft beer pitchers. Those terms apply across Postino locations; the Queen Creek menu will follow the same format.
Full tenant lineup: every restaurant and retailer confirmed so far
Alongside Postino, The Switchyard’s confirmed tenants include Shake Shack, Snooze an A.M. Eatery, Bamboo Sushi, ROOM and PORCH, Zara Nail Bar, and Edward Jones. Snooze is also targeting a 2026 opening at The Switchyard — read the full details on that location.
Bamboo Sushi deserves a closer look. Founded in Portland, Oregon in 2008, it is North America’s first certified sustainable sushi restaurant, holding Marine Stewardship Council Chain of Custody certification. It runs 10 U.S. locations — all outside Arizona. The Switchyard is its Arizona debut.
Parking, public access, and the town’s role in the deal
On March 4, 2026, the Queen Creek Town Council approved a public-parking and access-easement agreement with The Switchyard’s developers. The commercial portion of the site will include more than 200 surface parking spaces open to the public. Creation reimburses the town 50% of easement maintenance costs. The agreement also requires Creation to install directional signage pointing to the Queen Creek town library at three separate spots on the site, at no cost to the town. This keeps a privately developed parcel functionally public — a condition the town built into the deal from the start.
Fall 2026 opening, and what comes after
The retail, restaurant, and office phase of The Switchyard is targeting a Q3 2026 opening. No specific opening date for Postino has been announced as of publication. The 215-unit residential phase will follow in a subsequent phase, with no confirmed date yet. When Postino sets an opening date, the brand’s announcement channels are the fastest place to catch it.
