A new kind of dining experience is coming to Phoenix, one that blends the grit of Southern barbecue with the freshness of a coastal raw bar. Cowboy Seafood, the latest concept from Common Ground Culinary, is set to open at Park Central in 2026. And with it, founder Christopher Collins is introducing what may be his boldest and most personal restaurant yet.
“Cowboy Seafood is the culmination of everything I’ve learned in my career,” Collins said. “It’s two programs that Common Ground already does exceptionally well, seafood and barbecue, brought together. This is food I love to eat, cooked with intention and served in a space designed to feel alive.”
That intention begins with the restaurant’s dual identity: Surf & Smoke. On the smokehouse side, guests can expect barbecue prepared over a custom dual-spit Santa Maria grill and a J&R Manufacturing smoker, the gold standard used by elite pitmasters around the country.
Collins and his culinary team traveled to Mesquite, Texas to collaborate with the fourth-generation J&R team, refining a smoke program built on oak, pecan, and dried corn husk. The result, Collins explains, is a “sharp, bright smoke at the start that fades into a long, clean burn.” Collins plans to enter competitions, appear at festivals, and even develop a mobile smoking rig for off-site events.
Balancing the barbecue is the Saltwater Saint Raw Bar, an evolution of an in-house concept that brings a full raw bar experience under the Cowboy Seafood roof. Oysters, shrimp, pokes, and sushi rolls will share space with eight daily cuts of fish served grilled, pan-seared, broiled, or blackened.
That sense of contrast carries over into the restaurant’s design. Created in collaboration with Ideation Design Group and developed with Plaza Company, the 5,000-square-foot space blends the natural textures of a rustic smokehouse with the crispness of a coastal retreat. Wood, tile, glass, and neon layer together to create an atmosphere that feels both energized and inviting. One show-stealing detail: an eight-foot taxidermied swordfish wearing a cowboy hat that peers out onto Central Avenue, signaling the restaurant’s playful spirit.
“It’s an elevated dining experience with a twang,” Collins said. “You’ll hear music, you’ll see friends sharing a bottle of wine over ribs and sushi. It’s casual, lively, and soulful. We want people to come for the food and leave remembering how it felt to be here.”
For Collins, Cowboy Seafood is also rooted in family history. His father, Wally, owned the Texas Longhorn Bar & Grill in Reno, where he won Best in the West at a national barbecue competition in 1994 with his celebrated “Maui Wowie” sauce that may find new life on the Cowboy Seafood menu.
Park Central, with its evolution into a hub of residences, hotels, education, and healthcare, offers the perfect backdrop. For Collins, the location is personal: close to his home, his children’s schools, and the community that shaped him. The Midtown restaurant will be the brand’s flagship, laying the groundwork for future expansion across the Valley. Learn more and stay tuned for updates by visiting cowboyseafoodaz.com.
