Toca Madera Scottsdale — Restaurant in Scottsdale

I have never been so bummed and disappointed after leaving a restaurant like this. My girlfriend and I went here for a celebration as we are vacationing in Scottsdale for a few days. The vibe of the place was sweet, it had us very excited to eat there, but clearly they were backed up or overbooked as we got there for our reservation, checked in and didn’t get seated until after 20+ minutes after our reservation time…which is fine but it was everything after that that made the experience very disappointing. We first got introduced from one server, then got introduced to another. They said they would be working together but we were never served by the first one at all so that was just odd. They were clearly really busy and working hard, maybe trying to make up time. From there on out it felt very rushed. Our server said they’d come back from drinks in a few minutes as we scan over all the drink options that were hard to chose from as they all sounded good, then all the sudden a random staff person, I think he was like a bus boy, comes up right behind my ear and goes “hey what drinks do you guys want?” so we order, he comes back and says the drink I ordered is all out, so at that point I said whatever you suggest just bring it (I’m not too picky when it comes to nice cocktails) However, I regretted that the moment I took the first sip as it tasted like a flavored margarita straight from the Jose Cuervo pre made bottles with some nice garnish. With the prices of the drinks, I expected much better. We got an appetizer which was fine, good presentation but flavor was nothing special. For our main dish, the prawns were overcooked and the steak was definitely served raw as it was cold in the middle and I had ordered medium rare. Again, just an overall disappointment with the price that we paid. Also with the spot we were sitting we were jammed in between two larger groups. Which again, fine no problem with that but a server kept going into between our table and one of the groups to fill up there waters and what not, and is rear end would literally be right in my face, I had to scoot over and lean away multiple times just to make it so there wasn’t physical contact…how does that happen at a restaurant like this? We typically love restaurants like this, with the vibes and typically good food and service, we typically don’t care about what the final price tag is. But after this visit, it was one that I wish we could get a redo or get our $200+ back as it felt like the overall experience that we ran into ruined the evening for us. The food and service overall was very disappointing. I’m sure if we went again the chances are we would have a better experience, but the expectations we had were certainly...

When the reviewer is trying to come up with a worthy enough sounding review you know the place is epic. It’s like James Bond finds a bar/restaurant in a secret (Spanish) garden. The atmosphere, once the evening sets in, is plain and simply “sexy.” We sat at a table but on the way out I popped into the lounge/bar room to take a look and the vibe and aesthetics were amazing with the very dim lighting surrounded by in-wall fire features. I plan on returning to spend my next visit in the lounge!

Complimentary valet parking right out front was perfect. Upon entering you immediately take in the ambiance and are greeted by hosts. After being sat our server, Alicia, greeted us and explained everything. She was absolutely friendly and professional the entire evening. The cocktail menu is large with various tequila, mezcal, and margarita style concoctions. The cocktails were excellent.

We started with the calamari and it was good, nothing sensational, but very good. The chips and salsa along with the guacamole was extremely good. The guacamole had pomegranate and pumpkins seeds which I thought was fantastic. I had the Japanese thin sliced wagyu which was cooked in front of us by the check on a hot stone to medium rare, per my request. The wagyu was exceptional and extremely tender. The other entree was the scallops. The scallops were perfectly prepared with excellent seasoning and flavor. The street corn was very good as was the spicy broccolini for sides.

Our server took note after hearing that my birthday was a few days away and brought out a dessert on the house complete with a sparkler. The dessert was good and reminded me of a churro ice cream sandwich almost.

During the meal, as the evening set in, the lights dimmed and the music started. At random times a fire dancer came out which was unique and really complemented the overall vibe.

The tables in certain areas are extremely close together and I wished they were a little farther apart. You can hear the table’s conversation next to you and if I stretched out my arm I would have been able to touch their shoulder.

Overall the food at Toca Madera was very good, not quite up there with the best, but still very good. The service, atmosphere and experience is simply outstanding. Five stars from me....

Beautiful restaurant, I would give it 5 stars for the decor and ambiance. However, the food was subpar for the price and expectations. The service was okay, although I had to ask for specials. It did feel as if the waitress was always in a hurry. I would have to tell her I'm ready to order; she never asked if we were ready. Again, in this setting you would expect excellent service. They started with chips and salsa. Salsa was salty but the chips were really good on their own (a little tangy, yum). We also ordered a guava Margarita and passionfruit Margarita. Although they were both good, they tasted quite similar to one another. Our appetizer was the Queso fundido with tortilla. Nothing special. Tasted like regular melted store bought cheese. We added the salsa from the chips to give it more flavor. Boyfriend ordered the tacos. Bonefish Tuna and wagyu beef. The waitress did say they were small portions which we did not mind. If you're hungry, this dish may not satisfy you. He enjoyed the Tuna (the cheaper of the 2) and related it to civeche. He did not enjoy The wagyu beef taco (the more expensive one). He felt it was too fatty and lacked flavor. I would say the same for my dish. I ordered the "flight of 3". Each 1 oz slices of olive wagyu, certified a5, a5 kobe. If you are hungry, do not order this dish. The beef was cooked table side on a hot stone. Although it was suppose to be cooked to "medium rare", I do think they were more on the rare side. However. It was really hard to tell since they were such small slithers. They served it with a side of chimachurri. The chimichurri was great. The wagyu was surprisingly lacking. First time tasting wagyu so I was expecting different profiles of flavor. I tried them without the chimichurri first and I cannot say anything special about them. They lacked flavor. The texture was off putting, very fatty, which you would expect from the marbling. The texture comes down to preference, which we did not enjoy. I also ordered a side of truffle fries which were overcooked. Overall, I was disappointed for what I paid for. Perhaps I should not have ordered wagyu beef at a "Mexican" restaurant. However, I thought the menu was lacking in mexican entrees/options. I will not be...