Why Alma’s Copper Club changes the rooftop map in North Scottsdale
Alma’s Copper Club is the new North Scottsdale rooftop bar reshaping nights on the quieter northern edge of the city. In a part of town where a true open-air terrace with live music and wide desert views has been rare, the revived Copper Club on top of Alma at The Citadel finally gives Pinnacle Peak a social perch that feels purpose built for sunset. For travelers choosing a hotel near North Scottsdale golf courses or spa resorts, this single elevated lounge can now influence which side of the Valley you book.
The restaurant Alma returns under Soul Hospitality Group, led by founder and CEO Sheila Bryson, in the former Preston’s Steakhouse space at 8700 East Pinnacle Peak Road in Scottsdale, bringing a wood fired Southwest steakhouse, a tequila and mezcal bar and the Copper Club rooftop lounge together in one layered social scene. In announcing the project, Bryson has emphasized creating “a neighborhood gathering place with a true North Scottsdale rooftop lounge experience,” underscoring the focus on locals as well as visitors. That means you can move from a downstairs dinner of mesquite grilled ribeye or a chile-rubbed filet to a rooftop cocktail without ever calling a rideshare, a rare convenience among the scattered nightlife options currently available in the north. For groups planning private events or a celebratory weekend, the combination of a focused menu, a proper rooftop and a lively lounge finally rivals the energy of central city terraces.
Out by Pinnacle Peak, most nightlife has long clustered at ground level bars or around the hotel pool, leaving visitors to drive south for the best elevated experiences. Copper Club’s return changes that equation, giving North Scottsdale its own contender for the top sunset setting, with views that stretch toward Camelback Mountain and the McDowell range. Early plans call for a mix of reserved seating and open lounge space, with capacity expected to suit medium-size private events without feeling like a banquet hall. It will not replace the classic rooftops closer to Old Town, but it gives guests staying near Troon North or The Boulders a sky bar alternative that feels local rather than like a resort annex.
What to expect on the Copper Club rooftop: from golden hour to late night
On the Copper Club rooftop, the focus is squarely on cocktails, music and views rather than a sprawling pool or day club scene. You come up for golden hour, when the desert light softens and the bar team leans into agave spirits, then stay as the sky darkens and the social energy shifts from sunset views to live sets and late night conversations. For a group trip, it is the kind of North Scottsdale sunset bar where you start with a round of margaritas and end with a shared nightcap, not a place where you worry about staking out pool loungers at dawn.
The menu upstairs is expected to echo Alma’s wood fired food downstairs, with concise bar bites that travel well from kitchen to rooftop tables, rather than a full dinner service that competes with the dining room. Think shareable plates that suit a lounge environment, such as mesquite-grilled shrimp skewers, smoked queso with warm tortillas or a ribeye slider trio, designed so you can graze between cocktails without losing your spot in the social scene or missing the best moments as the band kicks in. Pricing is being targeted in the mid-teens for most cocktails and under twenty dollars for the majority of small plates, keeping the rooftop experience in line with other Scottsdale cocktail lounges. If your group wants a more elaborate menu, you book a table in the restaurant first, then ride the elevator up to the rooftop lounge for a second act.
Unlike some rooftop bars that lean heavily on a rooftop pool to drive the party, Copper Club keeps the focus on the bar and the music, which matters in a desert climate where a pool deck can be punishing outside the core season. You still get that elevated feeling of a Scottsdale rooftop vantage point, but without the logistics of a full pool operation competing with the bar program or limiting event formats. For travelers who have done the louder pool bar circuit at places like the W’s Cottontail Lounge or the high energy spots closer to Old Town, this new North Scottsdale rooftop lounge offers a more controlled, evening forward rhythm.
Planning your stay: which hotels pair best with Alma’s Copper Club
If you are choosing a hotel primarily for access to a new rooftop bar, Alma’s Copper Club puts North Scottsdale firmly back into the conversation. Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North sits about 7 kilometres away, close enough that a short ride brings you from your own rooftop pool and quiet casitas to Copper Club’s louder lounge and bar scene. The Boulders Resort & Spa, roughly 15 kilometres northwest, offers another pairing of serene daytime pool life with an evening outing that feels like a proper night out rather than a hotel lobby drink.
Groups who usually book in Old Town for the density of rooftop bars and the easy walk between venues might now consider splitting their stay, using a night or two in North Scottsdale to balance spa days, golf and a focused evening at this elevated lounge. If you still want the classic Old Town rooftop pool and bar circuit, you can keep a night near the Entertainment District, then move north for a quieter hotel and one big Copper Club evening with planned private events or a bachelorette dinner. For help weighing which rooftop options align with your group’s style, use a dedicated rooftop hotel guide that compares views, pool access and proximity to nightlife, such as a Scottsdale rooftop bar overview or a detailed rooftop hotel guide that breaks down neighborhoods and amenities.
Timeline matters here, because Alma’s team has targeted an early fall 2024 opening for both the restaurant and the Copper Club rooftop, with the date potentially sliding by a few weeks depending on construction progress and final licensing approvals, so you should call ahead before building an entire evening around opening night. If your trip lands just before the doors open, you can still lean on other rooftop bars and lounges across town, from Orange Sky at Talking Stick with its long range sunset views to the more theatrical Wolf Vanderpump style interiors that have influenced recent bar real estate design in town. Those spots, along with existing rooftops like Outrider concepts in other markets and social lounges such as Cottontail Lounge, show how the area’s bar scene keeps evolving, but Copper Club’s return proves that in this desert city the real luxury is not the thread count, but the desert light at 6 pm.