Blanco Cocina + Cantina — Restaurant in Scottsdale

A group of 8 of us age 45-50 went to Blanco Monday Feb 5 at 6:30pm and had the rudest 2 hostesses you could possibly hire. One asked if we wanted inside or outside, if the heaters were on we would take outside. She said it would be a 30 min wait so we opted for inside then was told that would be an hour. I looked outside through the window as it is right across from the hostess stand and saw 2 small tables seated so I said “but no one is out there?” to which she replied like I was stupid “our kitchen is backed up so I can’t seat you”. I then mentioned that we would be more than happy to just sit down and order drinks if that was an option and relax while we waited as no one was in a rush to eat or split into 2 tables of 4, we didn’t care. We would have happily sat for an hour outside while they cleared the kitchen as we had just finished golfing and were all just wanting to sit. I was rudely told “that’s our policy, I cannot seat you while the kitchen is busy!”. I took this information back to the group and no word of a lie the hostesses put there hands to their mouths to talk and giggle and shift their eyes to us like 12 year old girls. My back was to them but the couple people in the group that saw couldn’t actually believe what was happening and told me. The restaurant was maybe half full if that and there was barely anyone outside and you’ve got hostesses acting like children that are supposed to be the face of the company. At that point I called Salt and Lime over on Shea to see if they had room to get us in and she gladly said yes. We had just been there two nights before, so didn’t really think of going there again, but we’re more than happy to after what was happening at this restaurant. I have owned and managed restaurant's for 25 years and I am very polite and I know what I would expect from my staff and if they were my staff there would be a lot of coaching happening and I would be embarrassed they were my staff. After I got off the phone with S&L I just said to the girls thank you, we will head someplace else to which they both just smirked and said nothing. There was zero reason for me to say anything rude as it will not accomplish anything, but what will is warn you not to go there (unless you’d like to feel like you are in the movie Mean Girls as one of my friends said) and also all 8 of us tell everyone else we know to not go there. It’s unfortunate as I had it recommended to me, but we had another great night at Salt and Lime (who were also busy) with outstanding service and although our $600 that night might not affect either business but I will now recommend Salt and Lime...

I would love to give this place more stars but I just can't do it. The reason I would like to is because the food is great, the kitchen even went out of their way to make a special dish for me and it was amazing. That is where the good part of the review ends. I have been here several times now and several of those times the Very Young staff and managers seem to be overwhelmed. On two separate occasions I witnessed customers complaining and the staff seems to not know how to deal with it. They literally argued on the floor with the customer in front of other guests!! One of them I'm sure was about their reservation policy. They tell you to be there early for your reservation and then make you wait 30-45 minutes past it? Not sure why I have to be there early if you aren't even going to seat me on time? My next major issue is their inability to split checks. The last time we were in was for a birthday party. There were 5 couples. Now one of the couple's is rather wealthy and decided to buy rounds of shots and many drinks. Well I can't drink and neither does one of the other couples with us. When the bill came the waitress and manager acted like I was asking them to reinvent the wheel when I asked them to split the bill. Now I was in the restaurant industry for 20 years and managed several popular establishments. I know it is sometimes inconvenient but I didn't drink any alcohol and don't see why I should have to split that cost with the couple's that did. Yet as simple as it is to split the drinks off they would not do it, they really wouldn't help at all. That is Terrible Customer Service. What made it even worse was there was another party waiting, looking at us and the hostess and our server were overheard telling the party and I quote "sorry you are having to wait, the people sitting at your table can't figure out how to pay their bil"... Now to me that is just wrong, as we walked out several people chuckled and looked at us as if we were broke and couldn't afford to be there, when in reality the policies and unhelpful staff were why we took so long to close out. This used to be one of my favorite spots in Scottsdale for fresh food and a good atmosphere, well after my last two dissapointing visits I will be looking for a new place to go and doubt I will return. So again, hats off to the kitchen, but that is where the good about Blanco stops. Maybe you should put the kitchen manager in charge of the...

Man, I was disappointed. If you want authentic Mexican food, this is not the place to go to. It's really Americanized to cater to a narrow consumer base. However, the food is usually great, this is not my first time here.

This time, I ordered what I usually get: Chicken Enchiladas with poblano sauce (this is usually extra because the poblano sauce comes with a different enchilada plate). This time I also got something for my mother: A carne asada burrito with green sauce. (I asked for a wet burrito with green sauce, and the lady who took my order said that they did have it on their menu, but she was dishonest with me and still said yes). I also asked for a side of guacamole, but all I got was roughly cut up avocados with no salt, no lime, or flavor. I had to finish mixing the guacamole with the flavor I wanted at home. It's a very simple thing to make, and they couldn't finish it themselves. (Photos for all my complaints are in this review).

My mother is a recent liver transplant patient, and she needs to eat well-cooked red meat to avoid infection because of the immunosuppressants she is on, so I asked them to please make sure all meats are well cooked, but they took that to mean burnt. The carne asada was dry, crunchy, and we could not finish it, so I tossed it. It was a bummer because I've eaten here before, and they gave me what I ordered. This time, I did not even get the poblano sauce I asked for. All I got for my chicken enchiladas was a pre-packaged green sauce over the whole thing. For everything, it cost me around $52 dollars, which is horrible for just two people and without good customer service. At least the plates come with rice and beans that tasted simple, but not bad.

The only good thing about this experience was the girl who took my debit card and gave me the receipt to sign. That's it. I won't be eating here again. The only reason why I ate here was because of my previous experience and because it is so close to my hotel.

For anyone who has ever eaten at El Super, Mi Ranchito, or Pollo Loco, they are miles better and they serve good burritos for much much less. The environment here is phenomenal, they have a bar, and a nice well kept place with monitors all around showcasing sports games and the like. I just wish the quality of the food and customer service matched the quality of the restaurant itself. They need to get the orders right and be honest about what they...