Reviews of Spotted Donkey Cantina for Dining in Scottsdale at El Pedregal

Reviews
Voted BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANT in the Greater Phoenix Area

"The gimmick is a cute “spotted donkey” theme, with lots of funky artwork featuring the furry beasts. But the menu is serious stuff, offering creative and well-crafted specialties like spicy Oaxacan bean soup with pork hocks; a delightful meatloaf fashioned of veal, pork, beef and green chilies; and juicy beer-braised beef tacos with borracho beans. Some ingredients are local, like the Cedar River Farms beef and La Canasta tortillas, and everything is made from scratch, natch. Yes, Spotted Donkey is a terrific place to grab an ice-cold margarita and a plate of nachos. But these are designer margs with fresh fruit, thank you, and gourmet nachos piled with drunken black beans, pulled pork, Serrano chilies, roasted tomato and tomatillo salsa, cheddar, manchego, Monterey Jack cheese and Mexican crema. Views of the surrounding desert are as gorgeous as the fashionably garbed clientele." Gayot

"..The upscale animal theme is a very clever concept and quite fitting for this tony, touristy area of town... a good gimmick often is what it takes to get customers through the door. But the food had better be as attention-grabbing as the decor. And this is excellent stuff, utilizing quality ingredients like fresh (seasonal) Hatch green chiles, organic chicken and most everything made from scratch...." Carey Sweet-The Arizona Republic