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When the green light is on, the speakeasy is open.
Walk through the glass doors and into an open venue. Ornate details big and small fill the art deco-style room — mighty pillars, the tiled ceiling, a second story overlooking the party below.
Step down a curved staircase and you’re transported into a 1920s-inspired speakeasy where two semi-private rooms sit inside a couple bank vaults.
The building was built in 1929, home to a bank for nearly a century. When it became vacant in December 2023, landlords made calls to several community leaders. Daniel Scordato, the owner behind restaurant gem Vivace, was one of them.
“I said, ‘I’m not going to do another restaurant. Downtown has plenty of restaurants and I don’t think I could do anything that would stand out,’” Daniel recalls. “They said, ‘No, this is different. Just go look at it.’”
It was love at first sight for Daniel. Just over a year later in February 2025, he opened The Treasury 1929 — a chef-led wedding and event venue at 2 E. Congress St.
“One of the things I liked most about this space was the three different floors. Each one has its own appeal,” Daniel says. “When you have an event in just one room, it’s not as exciting as going upstairs for hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. When you go downstairs, it’s for late-night snacks for the hardcore wedding people who stay when most of the other people are gone and they want something different.”
It wasn’t in the plans to open the downstairs area to the public — but event attendees started to suggest it.
In June, Daniel opened Emerald 29, a hidden bar in the basement of The Treasury 1929. There, you’ll find a menu of both signature cocktails and mocktails in addition to a schedule of live music.
“People were saying, ‘You should open this to the public because it’s very unique,’” Daniel says. “We wanted to open it to the public so people could have a different type of speakeasy. There are industrial ones with brick walls and exposed duct work to give that rustic feel. We wanted to create one that was a little more upscale like the older ones from the ‘20s.”
Daniel is certainly no stranger to the restaurant industry — his family opened a restaurant in 1972 when he was just 14. By 1984, he opened an eatery of his own which didn’t see the success he had hoped for — but almost a decade later, he struck gold when he opened Vivace, which has been a Tucson staple ever since.
Daniel has also opened several other concepts over the years, including Scordato’s Pizzeria that still exists today and Italian takeout eatery Postosano that later turned into Uptown Burger. Daniel’s nephew runs Uptown Burger now.
“With a restaurant, it’s almost like an artist. You can paint whatever you want,” Daniel says. “I like how you can control what you put out. That’s what I love about it. I like being an owner mostly so I can create what I feel is the best experience for my customers. When I do something, I think of the customer first and what they want.”
While the wedding industry is newer to Daniel, his expertise in the kitchen sets The Treasury 1929 apart from other venues. Every plate for every wedding is made to order and he takes pride in the dishes on the menu.
When the space isn’t booked for a wedding, Daniel is looking at other kinds of events to bring community to the historic building. He envisions dance parties with interactive DJs playing hits from the ‘60s to the early 2000s. He envisions gatherings for holidays like Halloween.
“I just loved the opportunity to be able to create a space that is unique that you can’t really buy anymore,” Daniel says. “(This building) is something that would cost millions and millions to recreate.”
Emerald 29 is just one of several hidden bars in Tucson. Here are 10 more.
Emerald 29
Tucked into the basement of event venue The Treasury 1929, Emerald 29 offers 1920s vibes with emerald-colored finishings and semi-private rooms inside two bank vaults.
More info: Located at 2 E. Congress St. inside The Treasury 1929. Alcoholic drinks range from $12-$17. Mocktails range from $10-$13. Find more information here.
Tough Luck Club
People rave about the Brussels sprouts, pizza and pasta from Reilly Craft Pizza & Drink, but people are also in love with the basement bar. Tough Luck Club opened its doors on New Year’s Eve in 2014 and is one of the oldest — if not the oldest — basement bars in Tucson. It’s housed in what was once a funeral home.
More info: Located at 101 E. Pennington St. in the basement of Reilly. Specialty cocktails range from $12-$15, but there are $8 classics, $5-$6 mocktails and $4 cans of Coors. Find more information here.
Cabali
The first time I tried to find the entrance to Cabali years ago, I got lost. Maybe that’s an indication of a good speakeasy? Cabali is the tiki bar attached to The Landing, founded by Doug “Fini” Finical who is an avid collector of tiki mugs — he has more than 1,000 of them and was the center of a documentary about tiki culture.
More info: Located at 8195 N. Oracle Rd. next to The Landing. The menu includes food and drinks. Drinks range from $16-$18 or $10 for mocktails. Find more information here.
The Still
Located behind a hidden wall at Vero Amore sits The Still, which opened more than a decade ago and is the oldest speakeasy-style bar on this list. You can enjoy Vero Amore’s full menu while seated at The Still, in addition to the cocktails and cigar pairings. Reservations are required at least two hours in advance.
More info: Located at 2920 N. Swan Rd. in Vero Amore. The cocktail list changes frequently. Find more information here.
Old Pueblo Club
Sonoran House started as a tiny cafe and gift shop, then added a second — much larger — location in Sam Hughes. The second location includes the cafe and gift shop we’ve come to love, but also a full-service restaurant and a speakeasy-style bar. Down an unassuming hallway is Old Pueblo Club, complete with low lights and a menu of more than two dozen drinks.
More info: Located at 2513 E. Sixth St. inside Sonoran House. Drinks range from $10-$17. Find more information here.
Snake & Barrel
Batch is known for its whiskey and doughnuts but over the years, the business has expanded with a speakeasy-style basement bar called Snake & Barrel and a second-floor sports lounge called The Board Room. Snake & Barrel offers specials including Agave Wednesdays, when all agave spirits are 20% off, and Thirsty Thursdays, when all non-agave house cocktails are 20% off.
More info: Located at 120 E. Congress St. in the basement of Batch. Drink prices range greatly from $5-$50 for whiskey pours, though other spirits are also available. Find more information here.
Prohibición
Behind the red glow of a neon light beneath Sonora Moonshine is Prohibición — except this one’s different. There’s no menu and all the drinks are made to order depending on your own tastes. To enter, you have to send a text to a special phone number to see if space is available. Ask an employee at Sonora Moonshine for details.
More info: Located at 124 E. Broadway Blvd. in the basement of Sonora Moonshine. Find more information here.
Pearl Lounge
This is Tucson’s newest speakeasy-style bar, complete with a hidden door next to a cooler inside Gibson Food Hall and Market. The door opens to a staircase beneath the bodega, which leads to a stylish bar featuring cocktails from HighWire Lounge (which shares the same owners as Gibson). Reservations are required!
More info: Located at 200 E. Congress St. inside Gibson Food Hall and Market. Find more information here.
Barbata
BATA is known for its rotating menu of fire-touched dishes but beneath the restaurant sits Barbata. Beyond the curated cocktails and wine, Barbata sometimes has pop-up dinners — and always serves burgers from 9 p.m. to midnight.
More info: Located at 35 E. Toole Ave. in the basement of BATA. Find more information here.
Afterlife
Nex defines itself as casual fine dining, located in the space formerly occupied by Ermanos. If you were a frequent Ermanos diner, you might remember the hidden bar, Portal, in the back. When Nex moved in, they kept the beloved speakeasy and renamed it Afterlife. It feels like an immersive experience completely unlike the restaurant in the front.
More info: Located at 220 N. Fourth Ave. inside Nex. House cocktails range from $14-$17 and it’s $13 for mocktails. Find more information here.
Short Rest Tavern
You might not think to venture into a game store for a drink, but that’s exactly where Short Rest Tavern is hidden. Located in the back of Tucson Games & Gadgets in Tucson Mall is a medieval-themed bar with mead on tap. A self-proclaimed “nerd bar,” you’ll likely walk by customers playing Dungeons & Dragons or a tabletop game pulled from the lounge’s board game library.
More info: Located at Tucson Mall, 4500 N. Oracle Rd., inside Tucson Games and Gadgets. Mead pours range from $7-$18. Find more information here.
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