Urbano Bar & Bistro — Restaurant in Sierra Vista

Update 4/17/22: Good food. Reasonable prices. Friendly Service. Not overly crowded.

My husband & I dined in with my Aunt & Uncle yesterday. An employee came to our table & asked if we were waiting for food. I explained we hadn't order yet & this was our first time dining in. She politely explained the process. Saying we could order at the counter which a sign does point to & that drinks would be called by name but food would be brought to the table. She warned us that the team gets busy & it could be a short wait to order. We ordered & she brought our drinks to us. My Uncle had a black coffee which he seemed to enjoy. My husband & I shared a Cremosa (might have that wrong) it's an Italian soda with cream. We chose passion fruit at their recommendation & it was creamy and not overly sweet but well flavored. The Ruben was a little spicier than expected but well flavored. The turkey pesto was delicious as was the Spinach Walnut Salad which had strawberries and creamy Goat cheese. We shared a basket of truffle fries and that was hot and savory. We tried the bourbon bananas foster and a chocolate pie slice and they were both sweet and tasty. I got another Blended matcha mango drink to go and it was just as good as last time. We will be back.

Original 4 Star Review: I had only ordered online prior to this visit The place is larger than I expected. There was one person ahead of me in line to order. When it was my turn they said they would be a minute, which I said was fine. I waited more than 5 minutes before they took my order, but they were polite and the gal that was working the register kept letting me know she would be right with me. I didn't feel ignored but it did take longer than I'd like to order a drink. That said this is basically a full restaurant not just a coffee shop. They have breakfast, lunch and dinner on their menu including alcohol and desserts. The Door Dash menu is deceptively small in comparison to the menu in house. This is not a complaint just noting it in case anyone else only knows them from online orders. I ordered a blended matcha drink and added mango after asking staff for a recommendation on what flavor I might add. The drink was delicious. I shared it with my husband and he loved it too. It was like a mango smoothie and it was creamy, cold and delicious. I would definitely get that drink again. We will have to stop in and try out the food...

-- WARNING! LENGTHY COMPLAINT INCOMING!

Disappointing across the board

I really wanted to like Urbano Bar & Bistro, but almost every part of the visit left me wondering why I’d just spent close to $100 for a burger, a poke bowl, some fried apps, beer, and a cocktail.

Food App: The mozzarella sticks and waffle fries tasted exactly like the frozen-food-aisle versions, just reheated and plated. Even the “house-made warm marinara” was clearly a microwaved supermarket sauce served in a plastic togo sauce cup.

Burger: Think McDonald’s patty on a brioche bun, only at a sit-down price.

Poke bowl: Buried under so much soy, spicy mayo, and ponzu that every bite was a salty blur. Freshness and balance? Nowhere to be found.

Drinks A beer and one cocktail helped push the bill to nearly $100. Hard to swallow when the food feels straight out of a freezer.

UNDISCLOSED Surcharge Surprise 3 % credit-card surcharge appeared on my receipt after I’d already paid. This charge was not disclosed at the terminal or by staff at time of payment.

Service Minimal attention before ordering; once we did, our server came by when we finished to tell us we can pay at the counter.

Only three tables were occupied on a Thursday night, yet employees off the clock were lounging at the bar, watching YouTube, and distracting on-duty staff.

While paying, the tip screen was preset to calculate percentages after tax. When I asked to tip on the pre-tax total, the server insisted “this is how it is everywhere” and couldn’t show a pre-tax amount. Incorrectly informed, pressuring customer to 'simply click the present % amount'.

Atmosphere The space can’t decide what it wants to be: black-and-grey formal tablecloths for tables in the middle, casual couches in the corners, and a bar that doubles as an employee break room, pay counter that serves scones that look like they've been sitting there for days, a corner with board games and shelves filled with books. The vibe ends up feeling confused and a bit chaotic rather than eclectic.

Bottom line: Urbano charges gastropub prices for supermarket food, pads the bill with hidden fees, and delivers inattentive service in a mismatched setting. I’d steer clear until they overhaul the kitchen, retrain staff, and get transparent about...