Cielo Rojo — Restaurant in Phoenix

Nestled in the heart of downtown Phoenix, Cielo Rojo Mexican Restaurant offers a promising dining experience, albeit with room for improvement. Upon entering, the vibrant, modern decor immediately sets an inviting tone, complemented by the warm greetings from the friendly and attentive staff.

The journey begins with good chips and a “beef tartare” that tantalized the taste buds with a great balance of acidity and saltiness. The chips were the perfect complement to the tartare and this particular appetizer really showcased the kitchen's skill in crafting delightful starters.

However, the main course falls short of expectations. While the dishes are fine-tasting, they lack the wow factor expected from the opening hype. Despite the staff's warmth, the service is marred by disorganization, evident in the need to request utensils after dirty utensils were removed and forgetting to bring rice and beans.

Furthermore, the restaurant struggles to marry their desired high-end identity with their execution. While the ambiance strives for a high-end vibe, it falls short of achieving the sophistication they promote. The disconnect between expectation and reality detracts from the overall dining experience. This is further exasperated in the experience with management. While management solicited explicit feedback, there's a notable tendency to quickly defend dishes when critiqued, rather than genuinely listening for opportunities for improvement. This lack of receptiveness to constructive criticism dampens the potential for growth and refinement within the establishment, hindering its ability to fully meet the expectations of discerning diners like me having grown in Hispanic homes eating authentic dishes from perfected recipes passed down for generations.

In conclusion, Cielo Rojo shows promise with its friendly staff, modern decor, and tasty appetizers. However, improvements in food quality, service organization, and aligning the ambiance with its market messaging are necessary to fulfill its potential. With dedication to refinement, this new establishment is poised to carve its place in the culinary landscape.

TL;DR summary of pros and cons.

Positives: Staff was friendly and inviting Fun decor “Beef tartare” was excellent but please call it what it is! It’s a beef ceviche, not a tartare! Rice and beans have great flavor

Negatives: Salsa is bland and unmemorable. More of a pico de gallo than a salsa. Spiciness overpowers any flavor. Dirty utensils were taken without promptly replacing. We had to ask for new utensils. Mole was very cumin-heavy, almost like a curry. The restaurant boasts 21 ingredients in the mole but I could only taste cumin and banana. Not a great view behind the bar from the high top tables Manager asked for feedback but was quick to defend each dish instead of authentically...

I never felt so uncomfortable walking into a restaurant. There were 6 servers working. Empty restaurant. Literally, I was the ONLY customer when I arrived. I had 2 friends joining me. They felt equally awkward arriving. There was a very serious dissatisfied look in all their eyes.

The bartender was friendly. Unfortunately, he was not well versed in English. Which is completely fine. I gave the 2 stars because I felt he actually tried, and cared. We felt uncomfortable that he had to ask the other 5 girls standing around for help every 2 minutes. They looked annoyed, and completely aggravated there were customers. Our 1.5 hour of the most miserable meal ever: we could not wait to get out the door. Over consisted of 5 guests total. Us being 3 of them. Food came out too fast. Like buffet express style. Food was mediocre at best. I'm not sure if the service turned us off. Needless to say, I'll never be back. I live walking distance and usually go to another restaurant up the street, Casa Corazon, Should have stuck with my gut and did that. They were constantly speaking in Spanish while looking at us. ONLY 3 people at the bar. Talk about uncomfortable. Then addressed us like we were a complete inconvenience and then proceeded to talk about us. Spoiler alert: 2 of us 3 speak Spanish. Jokes on them. They will not survive the new year. Save the hassle. Over staffed shoebox with amazon wall decals, obnoxious racist staff. I look forward to not going back.

If you appear Caucasian be prepared to be completely gawked at and basically told you are unwelcome.

they charge a...

Unfortunately I was on a 1st date and couldn't really tell the staff how I was feeling in the moment as I didn't want to spoil the vibes. It seemed like my date enjoyed her cocktail and meal but then again she wasn't swiping her card. $115.46 for two cocktails made with house/well tequila, and two entrees. I came to calle dies y seis area of PHX for an authentic dining experience at a good value. I feel like I got fleeced or swindled; same as what happens to silly gringos who go to the wrong restaurants in Cancun or Rocky Point, MX. There are llanteras and pawn shops on this same block as Cielo Rojo. I didn't expect to pay like I'm in Vegas or Hollywood. For the same $$ we could have went to a more impressive venue and gotten same or better quality food. I went on dates to nicer Mexican restaurants in Scottsdale and downtown PHX and didn't pay this much for 2 drinks and 2 entrees. Menu pricing wasn't appropriate although the portions were gracious, and I took home some of my entree to go as it was easily 2lbs of chicken cooked, no one could or should eat that much meat in one sitting. So I guess keep that in mind that some of the entrees are big enough to share. Still, highly...