Penelope Pizza to take over former Maynards space downtown

Penelope Pizza, the wood-fired pizzeria that earned a loyal following on Tucson’s east side, plans to open a second location inside the former Maynards Kitchen space at the historic Southern Pacific Railroad Depot at 400 N. Toole Ave. Owner Jared Schwartz confirmed the project, which includes two concepts under the same roof: a dinner-focused pizzeria and a fast-casual breakfast-lunch cafe. Schwartz targets a September opening for both.

The move brings Penelope into one of downtown Tucson’s most storied addresses. Maynards Kitchen & Bottle Shop, which owners Richard and Shana Oseran ran from 2008 until its closure, anchored the east end of the 1907 depot for nearly two decades.

A Space Too Good to Pass Up

Schwartz said the historic character of the space made the decision easy.

“I just couldn’t go to sleep at night after I walked through here,” he said. “It was just like the ideas were flowing. It just is such a beautiful community space that it hurts to sit in here empty.”

He described the project as one he could not walk away from.

“It felt like a deal that if I didn’t try to make happen, I would never see it again,” he said.

The main restaurant spans approximately 2,400 square feet. The cafe occupies about 3,000 square feet. Together with a large patio of roughly 6,600 square feet and additional upstairs space, the property totals around 18,000 square feet.

Schwartz acknowledged the scale of the undertaking, especially for a solo operator.

“It’s a little over our skis, as far as going from 2,700 square feet at the east side to 18,000,” he said. “It’s obviously like a big venture with multiple projects.”

Two Concepts, One Address

The dinner restaurant will operate as a second location for Penelope, serving a refined version of the east side menu. Schwartz plans to trim the pizza selection from 15 pies down to roughly 10, then expand with fresh pastas and large-format Italian entrees. Hours at the downtown pizzeria will mirror the east side: 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

The second concept, currently called Sunnie’s Cafe, takes the former market space. Named after Schwartz’s daughter Sunnie, the cafe will serve breakfast and lunch seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to about 3 p.m. The menu targets downtown workers and residents with counter-service coffee, bagels, pastries, sandwiches, salads, and pre-made grab-and-go items. Schwartz envisions a freezer section stocked with par-baked lasagnas, pizzas, and meatballs.

“We want you at TEP to come for your 30 minute lunch break, be able to walk 10 minutes, order quickly at the counter, and then receive your food in the right amount of time to like make it back to your office,” Schwartz said.

On pricing, Schwartz aims to keep the cafe affordable.

“I really want to have like a $1 cup of coffee somehow,” he said. “Going to Presta, finding like a really a great bean that we could do like a black drip and have like, you know, kind of those OG days of like being able to grab a $1 cup of black coffee.”

However, Schwartz understands that costs may require him to sell the coffee at a different price.

Honoring the Building’s History

Schwartz said the team plans to preserve as much of the depot’s original character as possible. The cafe space features 1940s-era tile work and a terrazzo floor that will guide the color palette.

“We’re going to go off the tile work that’s already here, the terrazzo floor that exists in here, and try and stay as true and classic to like what this place was like originally,” he said.

For the restaurant side, Schwartz said Maynards’ previous stewards left a strong foundation.

“The previous tenants, the Oserans, did an amazing job for 20 years being stewards of the space and designing it to feel like a part of the train station,” he said. “We want to pay homage to the train station as much as we can, while still feeling like we’re not Maynards.”

The depot also holds broader meaning for him.

“When you think of why Tucson exists, it’s because of the train station,” Schwartz said. “It’s an honor to be a steward of a space that has that much history.”

Building a Neighborhood Hub Downtown

Beyond the menus, Schwartz frames the project as a community effort. He wants the patio and cafe to serve as a gathering place for downtown residents, workers, and visitors.

“We really want to see the patio and this cafe being utilized as a central hub for the downtown community,” he said.

Schwartz also operates under a broader hospitality group umbrella he calls Sunnie Side Hospitality.

“Our core focus in the hospitality group, as corny as it sounds, is like our core tagline is like putting the neighbor back in neighborhood,” he said.

He described the guiding question as straightforward.

“What would a friendly neighbor do, how would a friendly neighbor be, how would we act, how would we look?” he said. “That kind of a vibe.”

Schwartz said he wants the downtown location to contribute to the area’s revitalization, not slow it.

“Downtown needs it, it’s working really hard in its region, you know, revitalization of it, right?” he said. “And I want to be a continued addition to that, not any hindrance to the growth of that.”

From Food Cart to Depot

Schwartz launched Penelope as a food cart in early 2020, operating under the name Over The Counter Pizza. After two years parking at spots like Tucson Hop Shop, Dragoon Brewing Company, and Patagonia Lumber Company, he moved into Cartel Roasting Co. on East Broadway in fall 2022. Then in August 2024, Penelope opened its current east side home at 800 N. Kolb Rd.

The east side location earned national recognition quickly. Penelope landed on 50 Top Pizza USA’s list in 2024, 2025, and 2026, and made Yelp’s 100 Best Restaurants in the U.S. in 2025.

The east side location remains open and will not change its menu or hours.

For updates, follow Penelope Pizza on Instagram at @penelope.woodfired or visit penelopepizza.com.