Rancho Pinot

One of my favorite places in Scottsdale. Great food, great service. I recommend this place. Bartender and server Jimmy goes above and beyond. Great recommendations and conversation.

The ambiance in the restaurant is casual and rustic Western. It has a comfortable open atmosphere to give diners plenty of space. The staff is so friendly, they practically greet you in the parking lot! Well actually, we were waiting for 3 guests and our waitress, Jillian, did head outside to greet and usher them in. And a hug on the way out was not due to an overabundance of wine at our dinner, but just because she was so delightful!
Of the three dining experiences we had in Scottsdale this trip, Rancho Pinot served up the best food. Our incredible meal began with their Crispy Stuffed Squash Blossoms filled with ricotta herb filling and served with a tomato vinaigrette. Squash Blossoms are few and far between on menus as their availability is limited and one must know what to do with them. These were absolutely divine!
Our main entrees were their famous Nonni’s Sunday Chicken, (one bite tells you why it has remained a favorite for so long as it was succulent and delicious!) Grilled Lamb Chops (a great presentation and I loved the accompaniments to the perfectly medium rare grilled chops) and the Vegetable Plate (forget relinquishing vegetarians to a sad plate of uninteresting veggies –this dish was so stunning, I was seriously jealous that I didn’t order it myself!)
Too full? Not a chance as we ordered two luscious desserts — Ice Cream Sundae studded with what seemed like chunks of bread pudding and an Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake, worthy of a few extra pounds. UNCLE! I surrender!

Just had another great meal here. This has always been one of my favorite restaurants in Scottsdale. Made it out for restaurant week. Fantastic food and always a great menu.

Not child friendly! We went to dinner tonight as a request from my 8 year old. We take our children to fine dinning restaurants to experience the service, and enjoy conversation. We have always been welcomed with our two children and complimented on their manners. (People are amazed how well they enjoy dinner without screens) When we made the reservation we indicated that we’d have a child with us. The restaurant was kind in saying they could get us in at 530, this was perfect. We understand that not everyone likes children and go early out of respect for other patrons. As we were waiting for food my son was playing with the plastic candle (picked up to see how it works). Instead of helping out and bringing bread to suffice a child. The owner stomped over and ripped the candle out of my child’s hand! How insulting and demeaning to the next generation!
The food was mediocre at best. We ordered the lamb chops with mint pesto. The pesto was nothing more than chopped mint. My son enjoyed the ravioli and would have wanted another order. However, he was concerned that the «women expediting» was giving him mean looks. It’s sad that the owner didn’t just deny our reservation if she truly didn’t like children. We gladly would have went elsewhere. I DO NOT recommend this restaurant. There are many amazing restaurants in the area.
#ranchopinot #badservice #restaurants #scottsdale

We dined here for Valentine’s Day and had a lovely time. The place itself has a southwestern upscale vibe. They added tables for the evening as they were booked solid, but it didn’t feel overcrowded.
We had an awesome server who was able to explain offerings, and suggested a Burrata salad to start, phenomenal with some beets, a vinaigrette and mozzarella to die for.
We had a bottle of the Carpe Diem cab that was delicious. I had the Sea Bass — I’ve never had Sea Bass, but it was delicious, and melted in your mouth. He had the Flank Steak with chimichurri (a tradition for him since he was young at Rancho). My Sea Bass came with colored cauliflower that was well grilled and the lemon caper sauce was great.
We split an espresso crème brule and I had an 18 yr Glenfidditch for dessert.
Overall the meal and the service was phenomenal. The only reason it is not five stars is that I only eat fish, and I did not have very many options on the menu. Even the pastas (ravioli stuffed with short rib) and gnocchi with a lamb… also a risotto with prosciutto — so that was the only disappointing part as I was looking forward to some pasta (they make it in house and their chef originates from Northern Italy.)
Would definitely recommend for price, service, quality, and atmosphere.

If you are looking for great and smart food, make a stop here. Cool atmosphere, wonderful and friendly service, delicious food and awesome wine. I had the house made pâté=awesome then the quail small plate. Cooked to perfection and very flavorful. Enjoyed the Ano Verde Pinot Noir with both… oh so good. Lovely and truly talented service and a must when in the PHX or Scottsdale area!

We found RP a couple months ago. Until Restaurant week, for sure a five star dinner. Sadly our experience this special week horrible! Sea Bass was so over cooked like in a rock. Neither were able to finish, went home to something quick.
We will try again when Salmon is on the menu. Not to make excuses but, white fish is extremely hard not to overcook in large quantities. The place was busy. Bass requires close attention and ours got far far away.

Haven’t been here in a couple of years & thought I would dine here for Restaurant Week. Went last night & service was meh. Food was mediocre. Overall not sure if it could have been better on a regular evening. The fact that I spent the amount I did per person, I could have spent my $ better at a different dining destination.
I constantly hear great things from several people on social media, unfortunately that greatness did not play out for me.
I ordered the butternut salad which was good but not memorable, pork tenderloin which I think was a tad over cooked & the pear crisp was good for the first couple of bites but then the pears seemed way too firm and it was unenjoyable.
The chocolate cake was a stand-​out for me & the only thing worth complementing.

Started with the sweet gum salad, antipasto, wild quail with polenta then shared gnocchi with bolognese and pasta with Italian sausage! Enjoyed wine on tap too! Yum! A great find!

First I must say the service was tops! The waiter was soooo experienced, personable and funny. Food was solid and consistent across the board. Prices were fair according to Scottsdale standards. Overall we would definitely go back again.

There were 6 of us for dinner. The server suggested and we took her up on a very nice 1.5 bottle of cab. Killed it. She suggested another winner killed that too. I had the lamb chops. Not only were they prepared good they were excellent quality to start with. Wonderful place. Tip: go soon as they will change location in May 2916.

Excellent dinner, great wine recommendation. The dinners were perfect — pork and lamb. We will be back.

Peg and I first met Chrysa Robertson in 1998 or so. We loved the food, and met a wonderful server… Pavle Milic. We didn’t know Charlene Badman at that time who was also mentored here. You can know from that that Chef Robertson had it goin on in a serious way. Fast forward to three nights ago, and the whole use of local ingredients and farm-​to-​table phrases (now ubiquitous) have always been in this Chef’s wheelhouse. Watermelon and golden beet salads, crispy stuffed squash blossoms, pappardelle (porchetta-​style braised pork, winter greens, italian cheese mix), garganelli pasta (roasted carrot purée, marjoram, bacon., goat cheese, and crispy onion) in addition to Monchong (the pan roasted fish of the day), played together so well! You know when you see Tracy Dempsey and her husband in the house that you are the midst of wonderfulness! Chef Robertson did amazing things with a peach cobbler and a bittersweet chocolate-​cashew cake. While we are limiting our desserts these days, to say that the splurge here was worth its calories is such an understatement. Fritz was our server and made sure all was well. He is a professional and made the experience that much better. We look forward to our next trip here… and of course to the night when Chef Robertson and other Chefs once again support the Joy Bus in October of this year. This is definitely one of the best… ever! Dr. Bob

Just had a lovely meal to celebrate our anniversary. We’ve been coming to RP for many years and have always enjoyed it, but tonight was exceptional. It happens to be Restaurant Week and options available beautifully highlight the menu. We love the quirky cowboy décor and the restaurant is never too noisy even when full. It’s a great romantic spot, yet appropriate for business entertaining as well. Tonight, being Monday, was especially quiet, with a few regulars at the bar. Background music was fun. Our waitperson was attentive and knew the food. Oh yeah, now to the food…
If squash blossoms are available, get them. Best ever, period. Perfectly stuffed with goat cheese, crispy, and set off with a bit of arugula and tomato salad.
From the restaurant week menu, we started with the watermelon salad. So refreshing, with baby greens, mint and feta, but then a bit of black olive, red onion shavings, and pine (?) nuts in a sherry vinaigrette. What a perfect explosion of flavor!
I had the brown grouper with leeks, asparagus and kumquat relish. Hubs had the grilled pork tenderloin. I could have licked the plate. Portions were just right (I’m perplexed by other reviews to the contrary, and will bite my tongue so I won’t be unkind, but those folks should stick with chain restaurants, nuff said).
Desserts were OK… lemon verbena pudding and strawberry shortcake. From other visits, I would get the sorbet from the regular menu if you are a dessert person.
We had a glass of sparkling wine (Shaumberg?) and WillaMcKenzie (?) Pinot Gris, both very light and refreshing. I’m no wine guru, but the list is interesting and different
Especially with the restaurant week prix fix menu pricing, the price is reasonable, and even from the regular menu, appropriate for the food quality and Scottsdale location. Hubs and I agreed that we won’t wait for our next anniversary to come back. This local gem deserves our frequent business!

I had a wonderful dinner at Rancho Pinot tonight. The food, service and comfortable ambience made it a perfect dinner. The evening specials included a brightly colored cold beet soup, which was simply outstanding. I also had a meticulously-​made green salad with Little Gem lettuce, colorful shaved radish and Maytag Blue cheese. If there is one pet peeve of mine in many of today’s restaurants it is that salads are a complete afterthought. That’s not the case at Rancho Pinot. The salad greens are fresh, perfectly dressed, and the shaved radish thoughtfully placed on the plate. The Maytag blue cheese was perfect for this salad. I ordered the grilled lamb chops with white beans and frisée for my entrée. The lamb was cooked perfectly and was served with a mint pesto. I’ll be making my way back to Rancho Pinot soon!

The Rancho Pinot Grill is outstanding. Everything that we had was perfectly prepared and seemed as it was specifically made just for us. The food, wines and service all came together to create a very memorable experience. We have dined here several times and have yet to be disappointed by any aspect of this fine restaurant. Without question worth trying!!!

The food was mediocre, The main mahi tasted more of cumquat than fish and the process are extortionate. The wine list was very limited, but we had a good French red. The desserts were marginally better than the entrées. The service was very good. All in all, I wouldn’t go there.

Racho Pinot is everything Arizona. Make sure to try the exceptional wine list to be paired with even better meat and fish dishes. Rancho Pinot has a soft and relaxed atmosphere, but nicer dress seems appropriate. Service is great as well

First time visit for dinner on Feb 14^th, 2015 so I don’t have reference to ‘the way it used to be’, however:
1) Quality — 4.5
a — Good quality food, interesting flavors, unique items — definitely RP’s strongest aspect
b — Side dish of roasted carrots prepared with pistachio dukka was REALLY good!
c — Beef was good/​tender and fish was good/​crispy skin (citrus cream sauce was a bit heavy handed) but super tiny portion of fish
2) Price/​Value — 1
a — WAY too high for the portions; at least 20% over comparable ‘upscale casual’ competitors
b — Total price for me, wife and 2.5 year old = ~$ 140 tip included
— 2 entrees (beef/​fish — shared with daughter), 2 total beers, 1 side order (delicious carrots!), 2 desserts ($ 10/​each).
— Portion of fish was, how do I say, teensy on a bed of savory mushroom. Wife’s immediate reaction (look in her eye) was ‘should we order another entrée for you?‘
c — A $ 42 beef entrée REALLY ought to include sides; something. Although I loved the carrot side dish we ordered separately, this seemed exorbitant.
3) Ambiance — 3.5
a — Casual and friendly; décor is Southwest style complete with Saguaro skeleton and bull-​skulls on the wall
b — Big open central room, so not ideal romantic spot
c — Parking was a bit of a hassle; large lot but multiple stores in this upscale ‘strip mall’ location; drove around lot 3 times to find a spot
4) Service — 3 (due to slow kitchen/​staff was very good)
a — Friendly/​down to earth staff/‘just right’ checking in with us
b — Food was slow to arrive/​however measured on a very busy night
Overall: 3 —
Worthy of a 2^nd visit due to food quality and uniqueness; perhaps a lunch menu has more down to earth pricing. We just arrived from CA and thought this place was high, go figure.

I had made a reservation for a later time than I wanted for dinner through Open Table. I have a good friend who’s a Concierge at a MAJOR hotel in Scottsdale who called to see if she could get me an earlier time for dinner. The owner not only was rude to the Concierge (not a smart move on a restaurants part, so much for getting ANY business from the Concierge) but the owner CANCELLED my reservation.
I’ve traveled ALL over the world and eaten in many fine restaurants and NEVER have I had an owner or a restaurant CANCEL my reservation. I guess Rancho Pinot has SO MUCH business that they don’t need any more! As my Father used to say «take a last look around because we’re NOT coming back.» There are SO many great restaurants in Phoenix and Scottsdale please choose one of them and don’t go here!

Sad to say it, but Rancho Pinot is a dark shadow of its former self. My wife and I used to eat here regularly. The place was outstanding in every way. Then two years ago we endured a horrific meal and decided to give RP a long rest. We returned for my birthday recently and decided that we would have fared better had we stayed away.
All of Rancho Pinot’s formerly exciting, vibrant, and personable atmosphere is gone. We were greeted very curtly and seated with little to no discussion. Our server was friendlier but still not of the engaging nature to which we’d grown accustomed here.
The food? Just so-​so and VERY salty. Grilled seafood salad is still tasty but the paltry mass of protein on the plate was a crime considering the price. Our pan-​roasted fish entrees were nicely cooked but also quite small and way too high in sodium content. The wine selection is good and prices are low.
Wish I could have written a better review, but honestly, what you read here accurately represents our experience. We currently do not plan to return.

This was our first visit after many recommendations of the place. We read the reviews that stated that the Nonni’s Sunday Chicken dish was out of this world. My wife and I both ordered that dish. Braised thigh meat (a large helping) in a mushroom, onion, white wine sauce, with crispy polenta on the side, was to die for. We were given a soup spoon that we both used to scoop every bit off the plate. We had different desserts and each was super. I highly recommend this place to anyone who is into fine dining in a casual atmosphere. If you are lucky enough to have a waiter named «Fritz» you will not only get good and fast service, but you will have a waiter who really knows his food preparation.

I live in the area and enjoy having dinner here. The servers are excellent, always checking back to be sure everything is just as you ordered. The lamb chops are my favorite, cooked perfectly and served with beans that have so much flavor and garlic. You are never rushed and the atmosphere is relaxing. I suggest a reservation on the weekends.

this place is tasty!
came here with co-​workers for dinner. i must say the name of the restaurant threw us off a bit. we were thinking mexican cuisine.
but this place is actually more of a fusion-​type spot with surprisingly complex flavors in their dishes. we ordered: gnocchi with a lamb sauce, grilled peppers with mozzarella and assorted vegetable platter (mostly grilled root vegetables) to begin. The peppers and mozz was my FAVORITE. such a simple dish but the way they made it was soo good.
for my meal I got the flank steak with chimichurri, fingerling potatoes and arugula. The dish was acceptable, didn’t knock my socks off. I thought the chimichurri was too sparse and too dry. overall the dish could have used more flavor, i wish the steak was seasoned a bit more.
The menu is pretty limited, but the staff is willing to work with you to make sure you order something to suit your preferences. they were great!
They are a wine bar — I had a glass of delicious pinot noir. My co-​workers had the malbec which i was told was good and also cocktails which they said were well made.
For desert I had their homemade sorbet in the following flavors: tangerine, pink grapefruit-​mint and raspberry. holy cow… i am not crazy about grapefruit but the way they made it was delishhhh. Second place goes to the tangerine, followed by the raspberry sorbet — i’m assuming it’s because of the texture of the fruit that the consistency varied so much for the sorbet… while it tasted good, i wasn’t a fan of the texture of the raspberry.
overall, this place was delish. a must try for this area!

Fine dining in Scottsdale gets no better than Rancho Pinot, located in a small mall, decorated in what can only be called a quirky manner, and serving food that is often astonishingly good. Do not be fooled by the faux Western wall hangings — Rancho Pinot is using them to tell you that they are striving for a comfortable feel and unstuffy service. Take them for what they are. After you taste the food you won’t care and when you finish the meal you will probably … well you will probably think the décor is still quirky.
As to the food, Rancho is serious about creativity. They do standard dishes with flavors, ingredients, and twists that make almost everything into an «oh, wow!». Once in a while they miss, as they did with the grilled striped bass, which they dried out a little going for crispy. But not often, and even then the sides were superb.
One example: their strawberry shortcake is pretty standard except the shortcake is basically a scone, and it works beautifully.
Expensive indeed, but not too much so for what you get.