Los Olivos Mexican Patio — Restaurant in Scottsdale

A recent published study states that Maricopa County boasts over 1,700 Mexican restaurants. That’s amazing! With this many restos offering some interpretation of Mexican gastronomy – it’s no wonder picking and choosing is so hard! Mexico with 32 federal jurisdictions, with an estimated 68 ethnic groups, makes selection, tasting and enjoying such diversity difficult if not near impossible – but very good for adventuring, experimenting and savoring. Which style is preferred, what methods are favored, what ingredients are important! So, if you’re anything like me, I have some favorites from different regions Oaxacan to Ciudad Mexico, from Bajacaliforniano to Yucatán, Norteño to The Central Highlands, from Caribbean to Pacific, from Veracruzano to Poblano, or Veracruz to Jalisco – they all make their differences discerned (like New Orleans to New York to Chicago)! Locally, the Valley of the Sun being the Sonoran Desert, our very own Sonoran-style Mexican’s home. And that is what Los Olivos Mexican Patio exemplifies and offers so well! The Corral family for years has not only been cooking up fine award-winning Sonoran meals but appear to have been consistent enough to still do it today. Just recently stopping in for lunch we experienced a couple of their extraordinary and delicious Cadillac Margaritas in which you could actually discern tequila in it (compared to other low potent restos)! The sour cream enchilada and green corn tamale, is very, very Sonoran in its prep, as well as the rice and beans that come along were just right. My wife had some amazing Fish Tacos, in soft corn tortillas stuffed with mildly sauteed tender shrimp, along with cabbage, super tasty and fresh pico de gallo with cilantro dressing. The Green Corn Tamales are exquisite, perfectly textured, and are simply sweet deliciousness. Overall, with its comforting atmosphere, unique postmodern adobe architecture inside and out, accommodating separate salons and seating, terrific service and the most delectable Sonoran food, one cannot go wrong here....

Where do I start? About the best thing about this place is the quality service by the friendly staff members. That’s about as pleasant as this review is going to get. When looking online for an authentic Mexican restaurant in the Scottsdale area, the reviews led my wife and I here. I’m guessing that most people that gave these reviews have never frequented a true authentic Mexican restaurant. My wife and I started off with a basket of chips and two different styles of salsa. One was a fresh blend with tomato, onion, cilantro, lime, and Serrano peppers. The other tasted like it was a jarred salsa with dried red pepper flake and had a harsh, bitter aftertaste. My wife then ordered the carne asada dinner plate. I ordered the shredded chicken enchiladas with refried beans and Mexican rice. While my wife waited for her entree, she was served a salad that had a heavy presence of both black and green olives bathed in a vinegar based dressing that was so sour it looked like my wife’s eyes rolled in the back of her head. When I say that Taco Bell puts out a very comparable product, this should tell you what you should expect. My wife’s carne asada was tough, had very little seasoning and lacked any of the true Mexican spices frequently used in Mexican cuisine. It was bland. On top of that, it was served with flour tortillas. True Mexican restaurants use corn tortillas. My enchiladas didn’t fare much better. The shredded chicken was seasoned, but was drowning in red sauce that resembled old el paso canned sauce, or even that of the sauce that Taco Bell uses on their burritos. The cost of this experience was pricey too. All in with tax the dinner was $54 if you paid in cash or $56 if you use debit or credit cards. Add the $11 tip that I left the waiter and I’m out $65 for a meal I could have bought down the street at Taco Bell for $20. This is not authentic Mexican folks, it’s a pricier version of an Americanized fast food giant. Save yourself the...

I would never consider even setting foot in this restaurant, especially to eat the food. The place is infested with cockroaches, and the cooks smoke while they’re cooking the food! I know, I used to watch them do it when I worked there. I’m just being honest here, this place behind the kitchen doors is absolutely disgusting and if you saw what I’ve seen, you would never want to eat there ever again! I very much recommend staying very far away from this place, they not only do that, but they treat their employees horribly and steal from them as well. The boss named Maria, or “chispa” (yes the same one that runs Chispas on East Thomas Rd, just east of Hayden rd.) will not give overtime, they cut the employees separate checks for your overtime at regular pay rate and isn’t that HIGHLY ILLEGAL!?!? You don’t get overtime you don’t get anything but treated like a servant and I never had my food handlers card when I worked there and they made me handle food, every day, also very ILLEGAL, and they filled out my tax forms without me present!! FEDERAL OFFENSE MUCH? This place is the worst company to work for and after seeing the horrendous amount of cockroaches and cigarette ashes in the food and floating in the dish sink, I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU JUST DO NOT EAT HERE!! Have an overpriced drink at the bar but DO NOT EAT THE FOOD!! Nobody wears gloves and most don’t have their food handlers cards because they are here illegally anyways. Take it from somebody who’s seen every angle of that restaurant, I’m not lying about any of this, that is the scary part! Hey, someone has to warn people of the disgusting fashion in which this “business” conducts itself and it’s day to...