The Mission Old Town — Restaurant in Scottsdale

As a seasoned culinary critic who explores the globe's diverse food scenes, I recently dined at Old Mission Town in Phoenix, AZ, a restaurant known for its fusion of Latin flavors with a contemporary twist. With high hopes for a unique dining experience, I sampled several of their signature dishes. However, the overall experience was somewhat uneven, starting from the moment we walked in.

Upon arrival, the hostess was less than welcoming, which set an unfortunate tone for the evening. We didn't have a reservation and we were seated outside. While the outdoor area was cozy, it lacked the vibrant ambiance of the main dining room. The real allure of Old Mission Town is the atmosphere of its main dining area, where the energy and décor significantly enhance the dining experience.

Mission Guacamole Old Mission Town’s take on guacamole, the "Mission Guacamole," was a promising start that, unfortunately, fell short of expectations. While the chunky Haas avocado provided a pleasant base, the overall flavor profile seemed to lack cohesion. The fresh garlic, in particular, was overpowering, masking the natural creaminess and subtlety of the avocado and lime. The addition of chipotle puree and toasted pepitas was interesting but didn’t quite elevate the dish beyond the ordinary. Sometimes, simplicity speaks volumes, and in this case, a more restrained approach might have allowed the freshness of the ingredients to shine.

Creekstone Beef Anticuchos Moving on to the Creekstone Beef Anticuchos, this dish brought more to the table with its smoky Oaxacan pasilla glaze and chimichurri. The beef was tender and well-seasoned, with a lovely balance between the sesame and soy flavors. However, it could have benefited from a more generous portion of the mole to enhance the complexity of the dish. The mole’s richness was present but not pronounced enough to leave a lasting impression.

Pollo a la Brasa On a brighter note, the Pollo a la Brasa was a standout. Perfectly cooked, the chicken was juicy and well-seasoned, with a delightful kick from the ají rocoto. The white bean puree added a creamy, earthy balance to the plate, while the oregano and lime gave a refreshing lift. The combination of textures and flavors here was spot on, creating a dish that felt thoughtfully composed and deeply satisfying. It’s a dish I would happily return for, capturing the essence of comfort and innovation.

Tecate Battered Mahi Mahi Next came the Tecate Battered Mahi Mahi, a dish that unfortunately missed the mark. While the concept was intriguing, the execution was flawed. The batter lacked the light, crispy texture one would expect from a well-done beer batter; instead, it was somewhat dense and uneven. When I inquired with the server, I was told, “That’s just how we make them.” However, it is clear that this preparation does not align with the traditional style, where a delicate, airy crunch should be the highlight. The citrus escabeche and green olive aioli were pleasant accompaniments, but they couldn’t quite save the dish from its overly heavy coating. The server mentioned he would relay my feedback to the chef, but he never returned to update us, leaving us with a sense of unresolved disappointment. Eventually, we decided to leave without further follow-up. This dish not represent a Mexican Baja Fish taco.

Old Mission Town offers a mixed experience. While some dishes show promise and a flair for creativity, others could benefit from a more refined approach and a stronger understanding of traditional techniques. The inconsistent service, from the unwelcoming hostess to the server’s lack of follow-through, further detracted from the evening. While there are certainly high points worth exploring, a more consistent execution across the board, both in the kitchen and in guest service, would elevate the dining experience to the level one might expect from a restaurant with such ambition. For those visiting, I’d recommend aiming for a table inside to truly capture the essence of what this...

The Mission came highly recommended to me by many. I have to first state that we did not have a reservation but upon entering the restaurant we were told the wait would be 1 hour. We requested an inside seat as it was raining and very cold outside. We had our name added to the wait list and we were told we would get a text when the seat was ready. We did not get a confirmation text message (like every other restaurant sends out when added to a wait list). So we just checked back in with the hostess and she was very bothered when we asked if we would get a text confirming we are on the wait list. She barked at us, “you will get a message”. Feeling like we were not heard and unsure if we were going to get a text, we headed out for a walk around Old Town. What a beautiful area with lots of cool shops to peruse while waiting for a text. After 30 min we got a text that said our table was ready. Expecting a longer wait time, this was a nice surprise. We walked back to The Mission and checked in. We were told a patio outside was ready. I reminded the hostess that we asked for an inside seat and she said there was none. They were all being held for future reservations. We asked her how long the wait would be if we waited for an inside seat. She turned to people who walked up and ignored us. After searing them without a reservation, she came back and I said that we had been advised the wait was an hour and it was close to that now. She rudely told me I was waiting 42 by saying “it’s been 42 minutes” and walked away. I had to ask the second hostess for help and clarification. The second hostess asked to show us a seat that would he warm and she offered us blankets for use on the back patio. We said okay and went to the back patio for our table. The second hostess was very nice and proceeded to turn the patio heaters on and gave us all blankets for our legs (as we had shorts on). We waited a good 15 minutes before our waitress arrived. She was nice but the service was very slow. Someone dropped off water and walked away. We joked that the first hostess was mad at us didn’t tell anyone they seated us. 15 is a long time in a busy restaurant while the table beside us getting their order taken and food arrived with drinks before we even spoke to someone. Anyway, the waitress took our order and I had to ask for chips and salsa while we placed our drink order. We asked if we could place the food order at the same time as we had waited so long. The waitress took our order and left. We ordered the table side guacamole, however the lady who made the guacamole made it behind us and no one could see her make it. I really picked this restaurant for the amazing table side guacamole. Oh well, just another blow to already sinking experience. When the food came, the shrimp tacos where so greasy the oil saturated the tortilla and made them soggy and the shrimp fell through the tortilla when you picked it up. Now, frustrated with the experience I vowed to write a Google review and explain my experience.

The tortilla chips were lacking salt. The salsa was good but not to my liking, too pasty. The shrimp tacos were excessively greasy and the batter fell off the shrimp as they fell through the grease soaked hand made tortilla. The first hostess was nasty and did not represent the company well. The second hostess was amazing.

I won’t be back. I found Joyride Tacos ($2.50 each on taco night ) or La Pinata ($2.50 each on taco night) to have better flavour and way less money. If management sees this message, may I suggest you educate your hostess to offer great customer service even if they think the people walking through the door are not “Scottsdale” enough...

This restaurant came highly recommended and immediately made a reservation; months prior to ensure we would make it in to dine. This past weekend, 4/29/23, our group of six came to celebrate all our milestone birthdays. We were greeted promptly and seated on the front patio. The hostess did try and move us to the main dining room or the back patio but could not accommodate. Friendly, and proceeded to bring us all a sample of one of their frozen margaritas. As she dropped them off, our rude and intimating server came over to the table to introduce himself and let us know that she should not have given us these margaritas as they do not sell them. Not to mention the recommendations she gave us was to be taken lightly as “hostess’ are not trained on the menu”. He then shared his views on the drink menu and food menu. He took our drink orders and talked up all the appetizers and entrees. He specifically told us that if we came for tacos we were at the wrong restaurant. - All we wanted were tacos. He sold us on the entrees and when they came; we were not impressed. We did not say anything at the time as we were didn't really want to interact any more with the server. I should point out that he did come often to check in and take additional drink orders. Fast forward, we finished dessert and were sitting around talking when a manager came over and told us we needed to leave as the table was needed for another party. We would have been happy to leave but we never received our check. 15 minutes passed from when the manager asked us to leave when we told him that we did not have the check. He brought it to us and told us that he would buy us a round of drinks for the inconvenience, he was too busy getting the table ready for the next party, so the round of drinks fell through. The six of us left for the evening and 5 out of 6 of us got sick, including our pregnant friend that was not consuming alcohol. I called the next morning and spoke with the General Manager, Amanda who recalled the evening before and apologized for our experience. I let her know that most of the party became ill. She told us that she would investigate and call me back before my Sunday departure. She did not. When I called back on Monday she told me that she was willing to give me a 'partial refund' if we were not able to come back and try again. Unfortunately, we are not able to come back as all of live across the US. Our partial refund was $156.00. I have never heard of a restaurant wanting to do right by offering a partial refund. What a joke! I would have probably written this off as a bad restaurant in my eyes and not return/ not complain based off the hospitality but since we got sick and had to miss out on the next days of events I decided to call and to see if others called to complain about illness. At the end of day, the hype of the restaurant did not live up to expectations and the food got us sick. Considered...