The Speakeasy on Easy Street

My wife and I visited the Speakeasy this past Saturday hoping for a night of great music, food, wine and fun; they did not disappoint! This was our third visit since we discovered them in December but this time we decided to introduce our neighbors to this little gem. We arrived 30 min ahead of our reservation so we could have a drink at the bar. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the bar had doubled in size since our last visit making it slightly easier to find a seat. Gary, one of the bartenders, greeted us by name and introduced himself to our friends. While 3 of us began with Martinis, Dave went straight for the wine list. The Speakeasy offers many Boutique wines from around the world and Gary was kind enough to offer small tastes before Dave committed to a bottle. After a drink we settled in to our table for dinner. Our waiter treated us warmly and went over that evenings additions to the dinner menu. My wife LOVES wild Salmon and when she was offered the ‘line caught Coho’ she did not need to hear any more! I decided on the 8oz Prime Rib with Fingerling potatoes which was a very reasonable $ 23. When we asked for a wine recommendation to pair with our entrees we were referred to the Manager, Mike. He returned with a glass of Joyce steel cask Chardonnay for the Salmon and Textbook Merlot for my Prime. I don’t usually care for Merlot as I usually find them to be lacking depth but this one was excellent; full bodied with a great tannins structure! Khani Cole was the jazz artist performing that evening and the consensus was she was fantastic! How lucky are we to be able to enjoy big city entertainment just miles from our home?! We will be back soon!

We visited the Speakeasy last night. The atmosphere is nice with a central stage that you can see from all tables. Poor service is the reason for the low rating. The wait staff ignored our table for 30 minutes after we seated. I ordered a bottle of wine from the bar. The bartender gave me 2 glasses & explained the waitress would bring it right out since we were at a table. Another 20 minutes later I flagged down the hostess for help. Had we not purchased tickets for the show, I would have left.
Our waitress brought the wine and blamed a waiter for the mix-​up. When he objected she took ownership saying that it was her oversight & things would be good now. Okay. Well it got worse not better. She then had to get a corkscrew (she was bringing a bottle of wine). When she attempted to open the wine, she shook it and couldn’t get the opener in. I offered to help with open the bottle and redid the corkscrew. The wine tasted fine so we were good again, except she took off without taking our dinner order. Another 10 minutes go by, the music has started. We flagged another staff person to help us find our waitress and ended up ordering an appetizer for a start. Because of the mixup in ignoring our table, the waitress said the house would comp dessert. Okay.
The asparagus bruchetta is very good as is the apple & fig, and the salmon. The mushroom bruchetta is so so — just mushrooms on bread, no herbs or oil. As a split appetizer it is good for two but it is not dinner. Our waitress did not return so we could order entres and I was done reporting it.
Khani Cole was in great voice and the pianist was fantastic. The percussionist was also good. The acoustics could be improved as video of a song clearly displays a high overall noise level over the music. But in the moment, the band sounds good and dance floors are available.
We went to the bar to get refills on water. In the second set the waitress finally came back. We ordered a second bottle of wine and decided it was too late for dinner. She asked if we wanted dessert and recommended tiramisu. The cake had nice moisture but was sweeter than most. I would give it 2 stars even if it was to be on the house.
After the set, I asked for the check. The waitress dropped off our bill, except it wasn’t our bill. I brought it to her and asked for the right check. When she came back, dessert was not comped and there was no apology. I understand that people can be new but I feel the service was way below that. If I could give the Speakeasy 0 stars I would. Beside the waitress, the manager, bartender, hostess, & other waitstaff all knew she wasn’t doing well in her role. Management should have stepped in.
The Speakeasy has been open 4 months but if this is their typical service, they will lose the customer base they are seeking. I know I am extremely unlikely to go back for dinner or recommend it to friends.

This is a cute place with all the decorations of a Speakeasy. The entertainment was enjoyable, but the food was very limited and expensive. Service was slow and food was «so-so…nothing special. Wish this place was better so I could recommend to friends but food choices and content need to be improved. An expensive evening for bruschetta! Maybe we will try again with hope that there have been improvements. Preston’s, The Soul Café and Rancho Mañana offer much better food choices…

What a fun little place! With sexy décor and wait staff that are as fun as they are knowledgeable, this is a great place to chill on a lazy afternoon. We shared a bottle of wine and got the bruschetta — it was unexpectedly delightful and interesting. I also had an eggnog cannoli that may not have been extraordinarily authentic, but it was darn tasty.

Went there with friends last Friday night for a6pm reservation, owner came over told us how we were very lucky tonight because he had «a world class entertainer» that evening, we had some food that was very good the service was decent but the wine was ridiculously priced, you can’t charge $ 46 for a $ 10 bottle of wine and expect people to not notice, the entertainer was singing stevie nicks cover tunes, was more like easy listening than world class jazz in our opinion, with a $ 10 cover charge and over priced wine the owner had better save every dime he makes in the next few months because it will be difficult to make it through the summer when all the snowbirds have left town.

My husband and I and another couple went Wednesday night. We came for the food and drinks. To be clear we want this place to succeed; we need more good places in Carefree. The bruschetta was basically bland, we tasted the mushroom, brie and apple, prosciutto, and crab. The brie and apple tasted like apple on burnt bread, The mushroom was just dry mushroom on burnt bread, The crab was lemon flavored and cold like out of a cold can on burnt bread. The Cioppino was lemon and vinegar flavored with over cooked fish and again the same burnt bread. The chef is lazy in our opinion and If The Speakeasy is just for Drinkers then they won’t notice the food. If you are a foodie you’ll want to find another place. The atmosphere is awesome … I wish the food matched. Places we like are Veneto Trattoria, Spiga, Mortons Steak House, Ocean Club, Greenhouse, Eddie V’s Just exploding flavored food; this place doesn’t have that quality. Please figure it out we want you to stay for the long haul. We didn’t want anything for free so we didn’t complain and paid for it all $ 218.00. The Manager, from Chicago, is awesome your lucky to have him.

Came for first time. Waited about 10 and never saw a server. Never got water. What the heck. I guess you don’t want my money. Wine seems a bit pricy but if you want my business acknowledge that I’m there. Not cool.

Wonderful atmosphere with a really cool vibe. It’s a jazz themed lounge that pays homage to the speakeasy concept from the movies. I’m sure every hipster in Carefree and North Scottsdale will find their way here soon. Fedoras and pinstriped suits are optional!

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE The Speakeasy! Jeff, the personable owner, who will come out from the kitchen to greet you, has created a wonderfully inviting atmosphere that everyone is raving about. We’ve already been here 3 times and it’s only been open two weeks!!! It’s becoming our favorite home away from home.
What’s so great about The Speakeasy on Easy Street? Allow me to share:
1) SEATING: super cozy couches, overstuffed chairs, darling bistro tables for two, comfortable dining tables for 4 or more … the seating choices are endless and the owner Jeff is absolutely brilliant for thinking through this very important detail.
2) ENTERTAINMENT: hello, Carefree … When was the last time you stayed up and danced all night? Normally they roll up the sidewalks in Carefree at 8pm. Hey people, there’s a new game in town! The live music totally lives up to the theme and every weekend there is some new act to listen, enjoy and slow dance to if the mood strikes you.
3) FOOD: can you say «Apple & Brie flatbread»? If so, order it with a glass of crisp Chardonnay and sit back and enjoy the vibe. The menu is varied, centered around appetizers and different flatbreads — all delicious and fun to share.
4) ATMOSPHERE: where else can you go and actually dress up anymore? I love the fact that The Speakeasy encourages costumes (think roaring twenties) and we have so much fun with our friends seeing who can wear the most outlandish outfit. By the same token, you can dress totally casual, that’s what’s so perfect, whatever mood you’re in, you’re welcome.
5) VALUE: Wine, liquor and food are VERY reasonably priced. Where else can you find this amazing value served WITH wonderful entertainment in such a comfortable and inviting atmosphere?!?
Now you know why we LOVE The Speakeasy. Try it, you’ll love it too!

If you are like me and love Jazz, this is the place for you. Salads, soups and sandwiches. Great place to meet friends, relax, have some excellent cheeses and snacks and sit back to listen to some kool Jazz.