Buck & Rider Phoenix — Restaurant in Phoenix

I really really hate to have to leave this review, only because I am a Buck N Rider superfan. The food is amazing, their happy hour is the best but unfortunately my view has been tarnished by the staff. Myself and a friend come here on a weekly basis to enjoy happy hour and unfortunately one of their waitresses, Vanessa feels it’s necessary to bring her personal afflictions towards individuals to work. Vanessa spent her entire shift this past Thursday shooting dirty looks to myself and my friend in attempts to intimidate us? Make us leave? Not sure, but she also decided to pull seemingly every server on the clock aside and point and snicker at us. (Including our server the bartender, and an individual that appeared to be a manager of some sort) Our entire dinner was spent feeling uncomfortable and alienated by the entire staff. It was so bad to a point that the group of four sitting to our right and the individual to the left actually said something and jokingly asked what we did to make everyone so mad. After waiting for our check uncomfortably for 30 minutes (and after one of our sushi rolls was never brought out) we left feeling uneasy. My friend is usually not one to complain, she is very much a “let it go” person, but was very bothered by the experience and decided to write the manager an email describing how upset she was with the experience and Vanessa’s behavior. In the email, all she asked was that the behavior stopped so we could enjoy our weekly outing to B&R without feeling like we were being alienated by the entire staff. She signed her name and left it at that. Not even 12 hours later, my friend is receiving threatening calls and intimidating messages at 1:30AM from none other than Vanessa. The only way that Vanessa could have known who my friend was, is if the manager Mike had shared her name with Vanessa. We have made attempts to reach out and find out why exactly why her information was shared, and there has been no response or help from anyone at Buck N Rider. This has now become a safety concern, as Vanessa has my friends direct number and has now made attempts to harass me in my place of work. Patrons should not have to worry about their safety after making a very VALID complaint to management and Buck N Rider management should not under any circumstances release a patrons personal information to a very obviously unstable employee. It is such a shame how this has played out because I love Buck n Rider, as I come here weekly and used to go to the Phoenix location weekly when I lived in midtown. If I had the time, I’d drive to the Phoenix location (which is the better location anyways) but unfortunately it does not seem that B&R takes the privacy and safety of its...

During my visit to Buck & Rider my family enjoyed some of the best seafood we’ve had in quite some time. We ordered the Lobster and Waffle (Was overwhelmed with a very spicy red sauce), The Hawaiian Swordfish, Salmon Caesar and some additions from the Raw Bar such as Rock Shrimp and Purple Plumps Oysters.

The Atmosphere was aesthetically pleasing although loud, and when I say Loud, I mean you can’t hold a conversation without shouting at each other lol If you have issues with loud noise , This place is not for ya in a Sunday Brunch !

The Start of our meal we delved into a few Purple Plumps Oysters and Rock Shrimp (Shrimp are a bit small for 3.90 a piece) but we’re fresh, mild and sweet. The Oysters were Very Mild and Slightly briny, best oysters I’ve been handed in years hands down. I enjoyed them even better than Ocean44. Not a note of fishy flavor or odor, which was a winner for me.

The Hawaiian Swordfish was spectacularly seared and served with a side of Fresh Broccolini and a cup of Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc. I will say the Swordfish was perfectly cooked and absent of any flaws ! The broccolini looked vibrant and were seasoned well.

Lobster and Waffle - serrano cheddar waffle, corn butter, sweet chili, tempura lobster, scallion Very interesting concept however I think as thrown off by the Overwhelming spice of the “Sweet Chili Sauce” . It hit me like a freight train and was difficult to find parts of the waffle that weren’t drenched. The flavors were awesome and I fought through the spice to enjoy this dish. Lobster was fried and cooked to the best consistency and texture ! I really enjoyed the tempura lobster.

LGO Caesar- sweet gem romaine, parmesan reggiano, hand-torn croutons, Seared Salmon Very crisp, Fresh and tasty! The salmon was seared perfectly, incredibly moist and the texture was spot on!

Over all I still present this restaurant with a 5 Star rating. The food was to die for.

Ohh and did I mention 50% off Bottles of Bubbles during Brunch!? AMAZING !! They’re served alongside juices.

Thank you for this experience, I am very excited to return This Sunday for Father’s Day!

Erik S , your Local Critic and...

My spouse and I had an amazing experience at this restaurant. All of the staff we encountered were kind, professional and efficient. Abby was our server and she was WONDERFUL! She was well educated on the menu and how often seafood is delivered to the restaurant to ensure freshness. Her recommendations were based off her experiences eating at the restaurant and they did NOT miss! I tried almost all of them and they were delicious. She was funny, friendly, professional, efficient, articulate and just an absolute cup of tea. The Peruvian Scallops were an excellent bite even with the touch of brine. The plating was cool with it being on a shell and the shells on ice to keep it cold. The fresh Purple Plumps WA oyster was great paired with the lemon and mignonette sauce/vinaigrette. The Civiche was fresh and delicious. I love how they offered Tapatio as another addition to try the ceviche with which isn't always presented and upper scale restaurants. The baked Yuzu crab roll was not my favorite after the first bite but my spouse loved the roll and thought it was excellent. The Barrel Aged Old Fashion was strong but delicious. The drink Your Money Or Your life had good bourbon and was yummy. My spouse ordered the Shrimp Rosotto and thought it was SOOOO GOOD! The Tuna Crispy Rice was the best I've ever had, such an excellent recommendation. The Wild Cortez shrimp were super fresh and packed full of protein. We were super impressed with the whole experience. We walked out full, which is a rarity at upscale restaurants. We thought the bill would be much pricier but it was way under what we expected. I would reccomended this place and I would come again. The atmosphere was very calm and quiet at 3-4pm. This felt like a perfect place for a romantic dinner with my spouse. Thank you Abby and the other amazing staff...