Carlsbad Tavern — Restaurant in Scottsdale

Okay... New Mexican restaurant are not getting great reviews from me here in Phoenix. Here is why, I grew up in NM the food is not something you can take ingredients from anywhere but new Mexico. And you really need to actually know where and what to get. First they serve black beans? Ok... Now when I want NM food if it's not hatch it's not NM. There is no argument here it's just the way it is. You can't source your ingredients from northern NM you will end up with some bland shit that any Texan Colorado or person from maybe Canada is going to like and think it might be authentic. Now this is the tricky part. If you are making a new Mexican dish. It's going to be spicy. Now it doesn't have to be so spicy that you start to sweat but... It's going to make a lot of new Mexicans happy if it does. Now there are several places in New Mexico that the Chile is not that how but.... The flavor you can't mistake the flavor of a hatch green Chile. If you know you know. Now with that said my parents friends who took us to this location. They absolutely loved it and so did most of the party. But the people who are from NM were not impressed. I am not just bagging on this place I am just stating facts. If you are not from NM you are going to like this food I promise. If you are from NM please reach out to me and tell me where I can get a real F¥€#ing breakfast burrito.... With real green Chile. The closest place so far is little Anita's and they are a chin in NM. But they still don't hit the spot. (I never really liked little Anita's when I lived in NM) But they are the closest so far. Sorry I didn't give a great review but I am just being honest and this is one food I am passionate about.

Update- as you see the owner responded to me same day. This actually makes me very happy. This restaurant strives to make customers happy and I will give it a month and go back to try it again. In this post I did say that pretty much everyone liked the food that went with us. I am going to be more picky than most people. Just because I lived in NM for so long. I really think people should try this restaurant because the food is very good. If you are from NM you probably are not in Phoenix to eat NM food you know where to go when you go home. But if you live here and don't have options please try this place as it has good food. Hopefully this establishment or any other restaurant can get spicier Chile with more flavor. In a perfect world a NM based restaurant would have a heat chart to pick from kinda like when you order buffalo wings. But that wouldn't probably just be a huge inconvenience for the staff and owners. But again please try this restaurant with what this owner responded with and how quickly they responded. I absolutely know they are here to make you happy and enjoy your dinning experience. I didn't even give them a very poor score rating but they still took the time to acknowledge me and respond. Thank you Carsbad and I will come back and try again .... If you tweek some stuff just a tiny bit I think you would capture exactly...

There’s a kind of magic that can happen when a restaurant gets the vibe exactly right. The one I walked into on a recent evening had that rare sense of personality—kitschy and proud of it—with menus printed to look like old newspapers, special items looking like vintage license plates, and walls that practically winked at you with charm. It was the kind of place where you’d happily linger just to take in the decor, maybe even snap a photo—if, unlike me, you remembered to take one.

And yet, as we settled in, admired the quirk, and eventually turned our attention to the food, that sense of delight began to unravel—gently at first, then all at once.

Let’s start with the Filet Mignon Carlsbad Tacos, which arrived looking modest in portion but bold in flavor. The meat was well-seasoned, and the combination had real potential. But any joy I might have felt was cut short—literally—when I bit into two separate pieces and met the kind of gristly tendon that makes your dentist twitch in their sleep.

The skillet nachos were spicy, layered, and good enough to warrant a second bite, maybe even a third. They came out as expected, save for one thing: we’d asked for the jalapeños on the side, and they arrived firmly embedded. Not a tragedy, just a small missed note in a meal already playing slightly out of tune.

Then came the green chili chicken quesadilla, a dish that should have been the star of the show, or at least something memorable. Instead, it was strangely muted. The green chili flavor barely whispered, and the chicken inside—while tender—tasted like it had been lifted straight from a cozy bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. It was mild, almost comfortingly so, but in this context? It felt out of place, like someone had brought a lullaby to a rock concert.

The house margarita on the rocks helped. It was balanced and refreshing, not trying to reinvent the wheel, just happy to spin it smoothly. For $60 to $70 total, with food and drinks for four, it’s hard to complain about the price.

The service, on the other hand, danced an odd line between cheerful and checked out. The host was all smiles and fast feet. Our server was friendly but gave the impression we might have been keeping her from something more interesting. At one point, we waited nearly 10 minutes with the check ready to go before finally paying in cash to escape the table limbo.

So, was it a bad meal? Not entirely. There were moments of promise. But much like the chicken in that quesadilla, the overall experience felt oddly misplaced—soft where it should have been bold, and in the end, more about the vibe...

Well earned 1 star review. After an event, we decided to stop here with another family of three. I was informed that “grat” would be included. Being a functioning adult who speaks English, I didn’t know what “grat” meant: I was informed it was gratuity. Gratuity means to give voluntarily or beyond obligation. If you’re taking it off the top, that’s not gratuity. I explained to her that we were separate families with separate checks. Oh no she responded. We were all going on the same check since 6 of us dared to sit at one table instead of two. At this point I would have left but it wasn’t my decision. I was miffed about the 20% surcharge (not gratuity) being added because where is my server’s motivation to earn a tip? Nowhere. As was evident by the fact that I ate a spicy meal with an empty glass of water for about 85% of my visit. Now I’m in an awkward position of figuring out how to Venmo and calculating out how much to send to people I hardly know. And there the awkward “oh just don’t worry about it, etc..”. I don’t mix finances with anyone as it can lead to problems even small meals. I’ve been a regular here for 5 years. This is the absolute most asinine policy I’ve seen at a restaurant. Won’t be back. Too many good restaurants around here to waste time dealing with brain dead management policies to wrangle a few extra bucks out of you.

With today’s technology you don’t have to hang onto 28 year old policies that annoy your customers. Modern POS systems can handle 2 checks for 2 families at one table.

Let’s see, I had to ask for a water refill. As it was empty for the majority of my visit. My order was wrong. I had to use 3rd party apps just to pay for my family’s meal I certainly don’t think it was worth 20%. Regardless, I won’t be coming back to a place of business that won’t simply allow me to pay for me...