Red Rock Cafe — Restaurant in Sedona

I’m going to do something I hate doing and give a bad review. My wife and I have come to Sedona 6 times between the two of us and have eaten here at least 3 times… but this is our first time back since 2020 ( we all know what happened then) and was shocked by how different our experience was.

On arrival there was a 15 minute wait. No problem there other than the “no waiting inside” policy on this 20 degree morning… with plenty of room inside for the few of us that were waiting.

Once seating the service was very impersonal, very obviously a get your order, drop off your check and get you out of there sort of thing. Fine, I get it, busy place usually and need to turn over the tables.

But the prices and a structure of the menu is kind of what put my over the edge. For the $17+ omelette you get to pick toppings of course… but EACH topping was $1.75 (if I’m not mistaken). So if you wanted to build a typical western omelette or similar with cheese, onion, bell pepper and a meat you are signing up for a $25+ plate? Breakfast burrito you get to pick 4 fillings which is fine but then $2+ to put a sauce on it… which I wish i would have known ahead of time is practically a requirement because there is literally NO seasoning in the burrito. Order french toast and it’s $2.25 for real syrup with it. I could go on but the nickel and diming seemed really excessive.

On to the food… the “fresh squeezed” orange juice tastes like stems (? Odd whatever it was). The avocado toast was very skimpy on the main ingredient with bacon bits, not even a real piece of bacon. The burrito and the side of potatoes were literally unseasoned. I couldn’t believe it, not even salt and pepper. If I had to guess par-boiled potatoes and then air fried to make them semi-crispy (that’s being generous). Genuinely shocked at how uninspired the food was after loving the food on our previous trips.

If I can give some unsolicited advice, have a couple pre built options at a fixed price so you don’t have to break out a calculator to make sure you aren’t ordering a $30 breakfast plate at a diner. I should have prefaced all this by saying i completely understand Sedona is a little pricer than some locations on top of being a post covid world we live in with higher prices of eating out. My complaints aren’t about the cost, it’s how it’s presented and the lack of everything else. Season your food and certainly don’t make it optional!

We will be back to Sedona as this is one of our favorite places on earth. But we won’t be coming back to Red Rock Cafe. Very sorry to leave...

After several days of talking about eating "Arizona" food, I finally got my chance. My chum and I came here for breakfast after a day of boozy debauchery in town (how we both had appetites to scarf food down is beyond me, though my working theory is that the simple act of being on vacation and travelling a lot speeds up your metabolism dramatically), largely because of its reputation and also because it was on the way back down to the Phoenix area. For some reason I was picturing it as a standalone building in the main area of Sedona, but it's actually in a strip mall about 10 minutes south, which we found pretty easily.

I side-eyed the Giant Cinnamon Roll option (a reckless dining party behind us actually got it for their breakfast, and it IS enormous. I don't know how you don't just end up enduring a massive sugar crash before 8am), but ultimately decided to go with the most Tex Mex-ish item I saw on the menu, the Blue Corn Huervos Rancheros ($14.25). It's relatively easy to find this dish on any legit brunch place in America, but this one for sure had a little extra zip to it, courtesy of the homemade rancheros sauce. I'm pretty sure it was a voluntary add-on and not automatically included, but I also got some avocado to top it off. Might as well have a legit super food soak up some of yesterday's bourbon. It definitely hit the spot and is something I'd get again here. Was it the absolute, unequivocal best version I've ever demolished? Eh, I don't know that I'm going THAT far, but it was pretty scrumptious and I never had a second thought about the novelty item Cinnamon Roll.

Our waitress was very pleasant, as per usual with literally every establishment we frequented on this trip. I honestly can't remember the last time I really had to wait around for brunch food in any scenario, but everything came to our table super quickly and as ordered. Given that we were within a stone's throw of Sedona proper, they could probably get away with charging a few dollars more for these entrees so I thought the price point was pretty competitive. Worth the...

What a hidden treasure. The owner is a professional! Michael, Amber, and his service team are committed to making your experience at this fantastic breakfast and lunch destination memorable. This is breakfast comfort food prepared and presented with style. The plates are colorful and flavorful. Sometimes simple food can be truly appreciated when it is served hot, fresh, and with style. I had a chicken fried steak skillet and my wife had blue corn tortilla huevos rancheros with black beans. We observed all the food going to other tables. The breakfast tacos looked like great fun even though we didn't have them. As with everything they look like they were presented beautifully. The smiles on the other guests were impressive and told the story.. Have you ever noticed that great restauranteurs feature something on their menu that is signature, or something they are very proud of, or something people will perceive to be a great value. This restaurant did not disappoint. At the top of the menu there is a 3 lb sweet roll featured. If I remember correctly it was only $10. This 3 lb sweet roll could serve a table of six, or eight. As we were walking out we noticed a table of eight sharing the 3 lb sweet roll. As with all the food we observed the sweet roll was equally impressive. Through my own fault I misread my chicken fried steak skillet description. I envisioned it to be more traditional chicken fried steak and eggs and sausage gravy. When the owner discovered that I was truly enjoying the skillet but expected something different he immediately brought out some biscuits and sausage gravy. The biscuits were so fresh and moist. And the gravy was hot and of perfect consistency. This was certainly no greasy spoon breakfast joint. Although some of the items might be found on a casual breakfast cafe menu, everything is prepared in a way that will make you feel like you are having a special treat. Isn't that what it's all about? When you spend your hard earned money, why not walk away feeling like it was a good investment in your...