Calavera Bar And Grill — Restaurant in Cottonwood

Very nice, intriguing and lovely place. The staff was courteous and attentive . Food to table time was approximately a 15 minute wait. Drink order came quickly. However, the food is not great. It's okay at best. I ordered the carnitas torta, fries and a single beef taco on the side with a Pepsi. This usually tells me how the food is in a latin inspired grill, covering both pork and beef. While the red, purple and white corn chips and salsa with a refried bean dip with cheese topped dip was good as an appetizer and was appealing to the eyes, I was not impressed with the main entree. First off the pork carnitas appeared to broiled first then quickly blanched in hot oil to give it a deepfried "look". The taste was not of a proper deep fried pork carnitas but more of a steamed pork with a watery bland aftertaste. This denotes an improper cooking method of steamed/broiled pork vs deep fried (which is more proper for true carnitas). It was edible but lacked flavor. There was some use of red chili but it was minimal. The buns also where not steamed first before being toasted I could tell because the bun was to dry. Of note on the bun, it was toasted but not very long on the open side with a light glaze of butter on the heel which was nice and not to overpowering in terms of being savory, however the toasted surface (open side was minimal) and should have been more heavily glazed with butter, light seasoning then toasted to a light brown with edges crispy on the open side. Also the use of pre-made buns was a turn off instead of a fresh bun that is opened with a knife. The filling was what appeared to be mostly lettuce with some "Pico and light avocado" which tasted great. On to the fries, they appeared to be frozen bagged fries that were simply heated up. Good, but I was not impressed as they where not freshly made fries like I had hoped. The "beef" taco was made using shredded beef that again appeared to be steamed and lacked flavor. It was a wet mess, with water draining out and bland to taste. The cheese used was a bagged type of mixed white "mexican style" and cheddar and a bit dry. Inside the taco was a kind of "Pico de gallo" which wasn't bad, consisting of shredded cabbage, lettuce, cubed tomato and black beans and yellow corn mixed in the pico. This means, that the cuisine more truly inspired to a South/ American cuisine and less toward a true "Mexican style" grill as many of the menu items denote such as a carnitas torta (Mexican) or a simple beef taco which is also (Mexican). The taste was not what I expected and to be quite honest the cook(s) should know this. If I had known it was more of a South American taste reminiscent of that of Peru/ Argentinian or even a Bolivian taste I would not have dined here as that palate is more bland than the more northern Central American countries. All that was missing was fried plantains and it could have passed for South American food which I have never been a fan of. Edible but not delicious by no stretch of the imagination. The Pepsi drink cup was half full of ice and half product, so drink wise this was perfect for the meal. Everything on the plate looked colorful, was neatly presented and looked appetizing. The use of multi-colored plates of different shapes and sizes was very nice, artistic and refreshing to the senses. The cutlery was spotless. The lack of a bold deep fried flavor with seasoning was the only thing that was missing. This meal was less than $15 and is quite affordable and...

I WISH I COULD GIVE MINUS A BILLION STARS

Went for a taco Tuesday. This was my 2nd try at the place. The tacos were horrible, both my friend and I got sick later that night. The service was horrible. The server was nowhere to be found. We had to keep asking other servers for things as they passed by and they would tell her, and our server would bring it. After the 6th or 7th time, you would think she'd get a clue, but no. I had to alsk her several times for a refill on my coffee, to which she would bring my friend more water. My cup stayed empty for 45 minutes. Back to the tacos.... We both ordered the street tacos. They were so horrible, we could only stand to eat one each. There are 4 in each order. We told our server that they were terrible. She offered to bring us more. I said why would we want the same horrible food? You can't even refill my coffee. She did not take the tacos off the bill for either of us. She didn't offer too bring us something else to comp for the garbage they were serving as tacos.

So we paid full price for food we didn't eat. We both left hungry and I was thirsty (never did get my coffee refilled). We asked for a manger, but noone came. We waited for an additional 25 minutes AFTER we paid. We did leave a tip of $1.....ONLY because we all struggle in the service industry and I won't leave without something. When I walk in, you have $10 just by getting me as a customer. As the service goes along, money is added to and taken awake as needed. This server was down to $1 before we even got our food.

This place is highly recommend by nearly everyone I know.....I will NEVER recommend this place to anyone. My hotel guests will be referred to any and ALL other restaurants in cottonwood.

The fact that this server nor management respected us as customers is sad and pathetic. It seems all they care about...

+JMJ...SUNDAY, 12 Sept and 10 October 2021, evenings between 5 and 6:30 pm. Have visited this restaurant twice to attend an Open Mic event sponsored by 2 friends. Very festive atmosphere and restaurant is decorated with lots of colorful, locale folk art. My first meal was a very delicious Navajo Taco. The pork topping was savory and tender. No photos because I was half done eating before thinking about taking a photo. My second visit I ordered a combination platter with a pork stuffed tamale and a shredded chicken enchilada. The entire meal was very tasty! Looking forward to the next opportunity I will attend the Open Mic event. I am not a musician but I thoroughly enjoy all the performances. +JMJ Sunday, 11 September 2022 Arrived sometime before 5 pm to attend Open Mic event, scheduled twice a month. Love the atmosphere of the entire restaurant but most especially the room set aside for the Open Mic. A great group of friendly and entertaining men and women who share their love for music. My main participation is as appreciative audience. Also, this is a near monthly opportunity to sample the restaurant's culinary delights. This evening's meal was of Flautas. Impressive presentation of 3 crisp flautas stuffed with shredded beef and topped with pico de gallo and a dollop of sour cream and sprinkled with cheese. These were accompanied with a serving of refried beans and Spanish rice. Yummy! And, couldn't pass up ordering a Margarita! Oh so refreshing with just enough Tequila to enhance the taste of the entire drink. Lastly, didn't get the name of the waiter, but must mention that he was friendly, professional, and pleasantly observant to all patrons. This is a wonderful dining experience and all should be encouraged to participate in the Open Mic, which is scheduled twice a...