Months after historic Tempe pub Rula Bula closed, a buzzy restaurant prepares to move in

Roughly seven months after the beloved Irish pub Rula Bula closed on Mill Avenue in Tempe, a new tenant has been announced.

Rula Bula, a community hangout for the Tempe residents and the Arizona State University student base, shut down when, after 20 years in business, the restaurant's lease was not renewed. Owner Steve Goumas was left with little time to strip years of history from the bar, saving what he could. He packed up furniture, wood from the bar and stone from the floors into a storage container, hoping to find a new home to set up shop.

Authenticity and a lot of Guinness: Tempe's Rula Bula is gone. But its legacy lives on

A name familiar to the Tempe restaurant scene is taking over the old location. Julian Wright, a restaurateur known for Pedal Haus Brewery along with his now closed Tempe establishments Ted's Refreshments, Library Bar & Grill, Fifth Street Bar, Canteen Modern Tequila Bar, La Bocca Pizzeria + Wine Bar and Gringo Star Street Bar, confirmed to ABC15 that Sake Haus will open inside the old Rula Bula on Mill Avenue, along with two other concepts he plans to fit into the large space.

This will be the second location of Sake Haus, a much-delayed concept described on its website as, "a spirit forward sushi bar with a Tokyo street vibe."

The first location was originally planned to open in downtown Phoenix in December 2020, but after years of continuous delays, the opening has been pushed to Spring 2022.

Reach the reporter at tirion.morris@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @tirionmorris, on Facebook at Tirion Rose and on Instagram at tirionrose.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sake Haus restaurant set to open in the Rula Bula space on Mill Avenue