Talavera — Restaurant in Scottsdale

Talavera is a nice restaurant. My wife and I have eaten there before and enjoyed it. But today was a bit disappointing. When I made the reservation I was asked if it was a special occasion, which I replied, “Yes, it's our 45th wedding anniversary”. So, obviously, since asked that I naturally thought at least a special acknowledgement would be waiting on our arrival. Sadly, only a Happy Anniversary was stated by the server and that was it for the evening. Quite disappointing. Also, we arrived at 5pm, placed our order at 5:10 and then sat for 40 minutes waiting for word on our order. The waitress did finally come by to tell us it would be another 4 to 5 minutes. 10 minutes later we asked the waitress to check again. A few minutes later our food finally came. I will say the food was excellent, but other than that, the experience was lacking for an anniversary. We probably will not be coming back. After posting this on their website I was contacted by their GM. She apologized and offered to handle a future visit personally. As nice as this might sound, it actually didn't address our disappointment with this special anniversary dinner. There's no real incentive given for a return visit except that the GM offered to handle our reservation personally. I don't see any advantage to that or incentive. I guess I was expecting something offered that would make up for our disappointment. Not financially, but a promise of a night to remember for going beyond expectations. I guess our 45th wedding anniversary dinner will always remain a bitter remembrance.

Well, the restaurant got in touch and wanted us to give them another try. So glad we did. From the time my wife and I entered the restaurant, we were treated to exceptional service and an amazing dinner. It was way more than we hoped for and certainly something we will always remember. Thanks to the Talavera staff for a night to remember. Ratings reflected above show how much we appreciate...

We enjoyed a wonderful meal here. It’s a Spanish (Spain) steakhouse with a contemporary twist. Very chic, elegant, but not stuffy.

The food is delicious, very well thought out, perfectly prepared, beautifully presented. •The pan con tomate was delicious. Very fresh and piled high with a delicious confit-style tomato topping •The croquetas de jamon were amazing, perfectly crispy on the outside and bursting with cheesy hammy flavor on the inside •The gambas al ajillo were our favorite appetizer. The shrimp were huge and perfectly cooked, served with the most delicious sauce and bread for dipping. •The grilled Spanish octopus was a very close second. Perfectly cooked, amazing texture, delicious flavor, great accompaniments. Just fantastic. •The tomahawk, again, was perfectly cooked and beautifully presented. Cut table side and served with roasted bell peppers, a selection of seasonal sauces, and two sides of your choice. The quality of the meat itself was also very obvious: very well-marbled and flavorful. •And you must get the off-menu churros for dessert. You’re welcome!

The service is impeccable. Catherine and Patrick were lovely: friendly and pleasant, helpful with suggestions, and very professional.

The atmosphere is fantastic. Contemporary, colorful, art; comfortable seating with beautiful desert views; and even in a full dining room, it is not too loud.

Resort Chic is...

We had a terrible experience at Talavera at the four seasons in Scottsdale Arizona. The paella was the worst I’ve ever had anywhere it was terribly salty terrible pork belly, overly smoky and absolutely the worst paella I have ever had. The manager was arrogant and condescending and they did not take off the charge for the terrible paella even though I only ate a few bites. I am a local from Desert Mountain. And I was hoping that the high-end restaurant at four seasons would have good food nothing was further from the truth. I would never go back to your again even the mashed potatoes versus Celta you could not eat them. The fillet mignon was tender, but also so salty you could not eat it. And the wine by the glass so expensive was also very poor quality. You would think the four seasons resort would have a high end restaurant with good food and good service, but it’s simply is not true. I would highly recommend that you never go there. What a rip off. But I am asking that it was ridiculously expensive. They wanted $85 for one glass of wine. What a terrible experience. We will never go back...