Elote Cafe — Restaurant in Sedona

UPDATE FEB 2025 RETURN VISIT Returned to my most favorite of restaurants in the entire USA- Last visit was June 2021. So delighted to reconnect with Juan, General manager who has always been so accommodating with reservation arrangements, And to see that smiling face of Adrian behind the bar. You won't find a more knowledgeable mixologist When it comes to Tequila and Agaves. Adrian was assisted by Omar and Armando. Front desk hospitality from Emma and Isabel were appreciated when I purchased one of Chef Jeff's cookbooks ( a must for any collection) as a gift for my dining companion. And super personal and attentive service from Jose, who on our second evening dining at the bar (I prefer) came over and greeted us on a very busy Saturday night You will not find a more flavorable authentic and unique culinary experience. 'Must Order', sopa de elote, elote appetizer, dessert pastel ( If you are too full take an order home for breakfast), Authentic tamal, mole, salas on meats, seafood and vegetarian menu items..... Reservations are a must and available to book 60 days out which if you know you will be there It is highly recommended... Dine either at the bar, the community table, the restaurant (some lovely private booths for an intimate dining experience) or patio.. And if you don't have a reservation sometime you might get lucky with a last minute cancelation. Chef Jeff Smedstad is one of the most gracious, personal and passionate chefs I have met- His culinary expertise and his creation of this family centric ( management and staff) Restaurant is one not to miss and return to.... And, far above the exorbitant pricing of other supposed high-end dining experiences in Sedona that advertise of you it's a view and you pay for it..... It is more affordable than any of them. Elote Cafe.... Go for the food, expertise and outstanding hospitality- you will not be disappointed.. Gracias a Todos! Johanna in Tucson. From 2021 Sedona's unique world class culinary experience is at Elote Cafe. New location, uptown, easy to park, state of the art beautifilly designed restaurant (dine at bar, family table, indoor and or outdoor patio). They now take reservations, up to 60 days in advance- a must, or take your chance and call around 4 to see if there have been cancels for that day...rarely. Everything on the menu is as good as a culinary experience gets. From the Huitlacoche Corn Soup (get the bowl), Elote Appetizer, all entrees to the Skillet Pastel Dulce de Leche cake (get to go if you are too full). I love to sit at the bar and enjoy the exemplary service and homespun hospitality of Adrian- he knows his mezcal and tequila. He and his serve team preform a well choreographed and entertaining service. If you re lucky, Chef Jeff may pop out of the kitchen to greet guests (he doesn't linger or interfere with diners), and serve your dish- am always starstruck! Manager Juan and his front of the house team are always accommodating. And, I'm always in amazement when they drop the check...so affordable with no detail overlooked for food and service. Run, don't walk to Elote Cafe- give a gift certificate..open for dinner only. J in...

OMG what an experience. I’m on cloud nine with the service, food, atmosphere, and the experience.

The service…wow…we got to sit at the bar. Adrian was amazing!!! We were given salsa and chip. The salsa was really good. Favorable with a little kick to it. It paired really good with the crispy chips.

We got the guava & Serrano margarita. Taste very fresh with a small kick in the end. Highly recommend it.

For the main entrees we got the smoked pork cheeks and the buffalo mole poblano. The pork cheeks flavor was on point and the portions were more than enough to satisfy you. The chile flavor sauce was really good and it complimented the pork.

For my taste the buffalo mole probando was not good. The buffalo meat was cooked amazingly to the point that the meat fell off the bone but what turned me off was the flavor of the mole. It had no flavor for my own liking. I asked my server if i could get something else, they were EXTREMELY ACCOMMODATING. I got the shrimp and espinacas. Wow, I was able to get my second entrée within 5 minutes. AMAZING!!! Never had a plate replaced so quickly. But to top it off….the flavors were amazing and it tasted GREAT!!! Love it.

For dessert we had the lime crème brûlée and elote coffee. Once again was amazed with the flavors. The crème brûlée made perfectly. Flavors on point. The coffee was also great. Very flavorful and sweet enough to be satisfying for a dessert option.

OVERALL the experience was amazing. I was left speechless with the amazing flavor of the food. I most definitely would recommend it to anyone that want to have an amazing flavorful experience with the Mexican...

There are no words to describe the experience that is Elote Cafe in Sedona. There is a reason this place is rated as the number 1 place to eat in Sedona. I feel the name is so underwhelming because it’s so much more than a cafe! I had high expectations coming in and I was absolutely blown away.

First things first- MAKE A RESERVATION! Many people who came in even at 8:30pm were turned away because they didn’t have a reservation. It is always packed so do yourself a favor and secure a reservation. The food…wow the food- every single morsel we ate was amazing. Clearly the theme is corn and having corn in so many different ways was an experience in and of itself! For appetizers, we had the best Short Rib Quesadilla, Elote was tangy and flavorful and the Fundido was deliciously cheesy. The Corn Crusted Scallops were out of this world! For entrees, We ordered the Brisket Enchiladas which were absolutely amazing. My husband ordered the Pork Cheeks and said it was super tender and one of the best pork dishes he has ever eaten. My brother in law ordered the Carne Asada which was incredibly delicious. Save room for dessert! That corn cake with the Guava ice cream is the perfect finisher! The Cookies and Cream sandwich Corn Cookie was great as well! Overall, I would come here every weekend if we lived closer.

The service was great and our waiter was kind and offered suggestions on what to order- they also quickly came to clear the used plates away and refill drinks which we appreciated. Already can’t wait for our next weekend trip to Sedona and Elote Cafe will be...