Cowboy Ciao

So… I’ve written very few reviews. However, when it comes to horrible customer service, you’re more than welcome to count on it from the greeter named Collie. I may have misunderstood his name, but I was clear about his actions and mannerisms when I spoke with the manager Memo.
We approached the entrance and no one was in-​line and he didn’t even look up to say hello. When he did look up, he gave us a disgusting look! There were only two of us and the place was not full. The first table he brought us to, he threw the menus on the table and we asked if he would mind moving us to a more quiet area towards the back. He then rolled his eyes and didn’t move. So, I took charge and requested to sit at a one of the open tables in the back. Once we arrived, he threw the menus on the table and walked away. I asked him nicely with his back turned was his manager available. He ignored me until I touched his shoulder. I let him know he was providing the worst customer service I had ever experienced, almost borderline racism as we’re a mixed black and Asian couple.
We brought it to the attention of Memo, who immediately apologized and was accommodating. We made it clear we don’t need anything. Our sole intent was to help him understand what took place and he said he would speak to him.
We still ordered our food and left the customary 20% tip!
We all have bad days, but this went well beyond the treatment anyone should experience. Love the atmosphere and the food!

Try the pastrami style short rib Reuben!
I have travelled often on business and holidays and have spent a lot of time in airport «restaurants». I have been to Cowboy Ciao a few times now and have always had great service. The food is quite good, especially by traditional airport standards. The staff is excellent, and they know the menu.
If you are in the Phoenix Airport (terminal 4) you should try Cowboy Ciao. The Calgary flights depart from here so you sun worshipping Cowtowners are a perfect audience.
Two coronas and the Reuben were $ 30. Not bad for airport pricing.
The steak sandwich is also quite good.

Great beer selection and delicious food. Try the «Ruben Wishes He Was This Cool»… A great southwestern take on a classic sandwich with chipotle Infused Russian dressing and braised shortrib meat.
Service is prompt and the people are great. Not a bad place to spend a layover.

Tiger prawns are more like little shrimps. Disappointed. Not impressed by the service. Will not come back

Awful. Not only is the food bad, but the portions are insanely small. The server was excellent though. Very eager to please and be awesome.
Not his fault that the food was awful

So if there as any airport pretty much in the world I would least rather stick at it be PHX. Stumbled upon this spot when we missed our connection and I got to say I was blown away. Amazing service attentive genuine not your typical I hate my life experience. Had the salmon which was stellar. Highly recommend. Great quality and great service.

This place was an unexpected find in the Phoenix Airport.
I had more than 2 hours of layover here, so after spending money on stuff I did not need in the shops, I settled into here to wait out the rest of my time.
The menu had an assortment to suit most tastes, from salads, to grazing (appetizers), to some signature smaller bites and entrees covering all the tastes from carnivore to pescatarian to vegetarian. I loved the wide variety on the grazing menu with items like pork barbacoa, bison tartare, buffalo carpaccio, crispy porkbelly, quesadilla, and a cheese plate.
I settled in with the Truffled Mac & Cheese topped with potato chips and crisp panchetta paired with a nice Brut Rosé (which they offered by the glass or bottle).
All I can say, is that this is not your father’s airport food. I felt like I was in a trendy local spot. The food was delicious, the wine list impressive, and the service was some of the most attentive I have ever had (never mind that I was in an airport).
While I rarely get to pass through Phoenix, I would definitely seek out Cowboy Ciao, in Terminal 4, the next time a layover permitted.

Service is mediocre to say the least. Food is over priced. Staff is isn’t even entirely inviting. Also didn’t think you could mess up Mac and cheese but it was super gross. And cold. So to any of my friends flying from Phoenix airport, please go somewhere else.

Thought I’d get the salmon salad here because I’m gluten free and choices in the airport are limited. The cashier was helpful in getting the fried corn which was breaded off the salad, but then there was all this pasta in the salad that looked like rice that was unlisted in the menu. Also that salad was very pricey at $ 20 (even for airport). So in the end the menu was inaccurate I got glutenated and the food was expensive.

I’m giving this place 4 stars because of the amazing service we just got. We were in Phoenix on a quick layover and time was scarce. The unbelievably helpful cashier went out of her way to tell us what we could have that would work for vegans.
We got the Stetson Chopped Salad minus the meat and cheese and a vinaigrette instead of whatever normally comes with it. The woman who seemed to have a limp and probably some health problems (she mentioned she can’t eat broccoli or tomatoes) was running the show, going out of her way for us and even walking back to the kitchen when she caught them putting cheese in our salads. She stopped that like a sheriff in charge of her county and while we worried about her getting around, we couldn’t have been more grateful. (Give that woman a raise!)
Our food was ready quickly and the manager even came out to see if we had been taken care of. Again, awesome customer service.
The menu is limited for vegans but we made it work and the Stetson Chopped Salad was quite good. It has freeze-​dried fresh corn (new to me) and we got avocado instead of chicken. Really really good. It already comes with cous cous which makes it quite filling.
The food was decent but if I could make that cashier my grandmother and take care of her forever I would. Be nice to her if you see her.

I really liked Cowboy Ciao. The West Coast Wrap was great. The service was excellent.

Guess they don’t realize this an airport. We don’t have time for extremely slow service.

This place is fantastic for airport food. It is prepared with dignity. The people who work here seem to truly care about the food/​drinks they provide.
If you have time to sit down for a meal at the airport and you are in Phoenix… This place is a no– brainier.
Welcomed surprise during my travels.

Shocked at what an awesome experience this was! As I wait for my layover to expire and I can head home, I decided to spend my couple of hours at this bar. Hostesses weren’t extremely warm, but the bartenders made up for it. Oh… and the food… the food was actually that good. Frustrated servers couldn’t even take away the quality and flavor of the dishes that were served.
Entrepreneur noted Cowboy Ciao as the best new airport restaurant, and I would venture to say it rivals most standard street restaurants. The Stetson Chopped salad with lemon grilled chicken was surprisingly out of this world! No joke.
Thinking I may need to route all travel through Phoenix so I can visit this eatery.

If I could give this restaurant no stars I would! We were so excited to dine in all the local concepts in terminal 4 in the Phoenix Airport. My husband and I chose Cowboy Ciao which is one of our local favorites.
We were seated right away, but that’s about the only positive of the entire dinner. I noticed they had a couple of all day breakfast options and even though it was dinner time, I was in the mood for breakfast.
When the server came over I specifically asked if these all day breakfast options were truly available all day and she said yes. So we quickly ordered because we were trying to catch our flight and I ordered breakfast.
Some time after we ordered my husband had a clear view of the kitchen line. He could see his Reuben sitting in the window. Finally our server came to inform us they ran out of biscuits to make my order. They took so long to tell me this that I did not have time to order something else and have them prepare it before our flight.
They brought out my husband’s Reuben and because it was sitting in the window for so long it was luke warm!
We tried to split it but it was really terrible. At this point the server came up and told us the manager had graciously offered to comp our ice teas for me not being able to eat. He never once asked how we liked the Rueben that was mostly untouched left on the plate.
We were unfortunately forced to pay for the Reuben and left hungry! Pathetic! But the worst part was we stopped at McDonald’s a couple doors down to grab something so we wouldn’t starve on the plane and I made eye contact with the manager of Cowboy Ciao while we were standing in the McDonald’s line.
So not only did we have to pay for something that was terrible, the manager saw that we were still hungry and still did nothing to try to fix the situation! Stay clear of this place it is definitely not like the Cowboy Ciao in Old Town!

Ok, I don’t normally sit down at a computer to write a five star review for an airport restaurant. I’m generally lucky if I remember what I ate at an airport, much less to Unilocal about it.
That being said, the Stetson Salad I had at Cowboy Ciao has me hoping for a layover in Phoenix next time I travel out west!
The over-​the-​top friendly server told me this would be an all-​time salad to try, and after a week of eating, well, NOT salads, I figured it couldn’t hurt.
They promptly brought it out for me, and it was not like any salad I’d had before. Each ingredient was set in its own line: roasted dry sweet corn, pupitas, arugula, Israeli cous-​cous, bruschetta tomatoes and I added chicken.
I don’t know if it was my body ravenously craving real ingredients after a week of debauchery, but this salad hit the damn spot! I couldn’t eaten two of them.
Anyhow, I can’t attest to one other thing on the menu but I highly recommend you order this. I may even try to make something similar to re-​create it one of these days.

Apparently this restaurant has received awesome reviews (for an airport restaurant), and they make that known on the menu cover. I was really excited to try the chopped salad with avocado and steak, per one of the reviewers on Unilocal,but the waitress said that wasn’t an option. Fail. Since I was craving steak, I ordered the testosterone salad and the bruschetta duet. The salad was really rich, and I have mixed feelings on the drunken cherries. The steak was really nicely cooked, and the potato chips were a good crunch. If you love bleu cheese, definitely get this salad!
The bruschetta, however, was meh. It comes with 4 pieces generously topped with sauteed mushrooms and chopped tomatoes (separately). The bread was far too buttered, and the toppings were just okay. I could do better at home myself.
It is VERY loud sitting in the dining area because there’s the gate intercom speakers right above, so don’t even think about talking on the phone. The staff were nice, but everybody looked like they hadn’t slept in days and had ultimate resting bitch face.

Cowboy Ciao at the PHX airport may be the best place I’ve eaten in an airport, ever. I got to the airport extremely early one trip and camped out here. The food was impeccable and the service followed right behind. It was a win/​win situation for all.
It was still early so after discussions with the bartender, I enjoyed the breakfast enchiladas. Do yourself a favor and give these a whirl. If you’re not in the mood for this kind of twist, I’m sure anything else on the menu is amazing and made to perfection.

Stopped here for a late lunch before catching a flight. I love this place! It’s eclectic, they play cool music and the servers/​bartenders really take good care of you.
I ordered the Upper Manhattan for a cocktail — which was made perfectly. I also tried the Testosterone Salad and it was amazing. Grilled beef tenderloin with leafy greens, huge raisins and Maytag blue cheese. It doesn’t get any better than this. The meat was cooked perfectly and all the flavors really came together. For a first time visit, this salad really hit it out of the park for me.
They have a really nice wine selection here, and the range of food to choose from will make any foodie happy. The atmosphere here is also different. I can’t put my finger on it — but the bartenders keep the customers entertained and everyone seems to really have a good time here.
I will definitely stop here again next time i’m passing through terminal 4. Given the typical lousy airport food options most travelers are used to, you need to give this place a try!

Is it sad to say I was actually excited to go to the airport early? I really was, and all because one of my favorite restaurants in Phoenix is at the airport. Yes, Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport actually is a gourmet mecca with places like Cowboy Ciao, Barrio Café, La Grande Orange, and Chelsea’s Kitchen finding their home there (just to name a few). Now, other airports just don’t compare!
This menu at the airport compared to the menu at the original location in Scottsdale has some variations. Due to the diverse types of people from across the country, or even outside of the country, that encounter this restaurant, the Stetson salad can come with shredded chicken instead of the traditional salmon for example. The «equal parts» of each salad ingredient idea has taken the culinary scene by storm. Its recipe was even featured in the prestigious Phoenix Magazine, known for its literary prowess in describing new restaurant hot spots. Being a meat-​a-​tarian, it’s hard to admit that it is one of the… Oh well let me be honest. It IS my favorite salad!
I paired my stetson salad with a bourbon drink. Well actually two of them and ordered the truffled macaroni and cheese (also a Cowboy Ciao staple) because it’s nothing short of awesome! Sprinkle anything with truffles (or truffle oil, but truffles preferably), and your taste buds with explode with overwhelming flavor.
Our waitress made a mistake and ordered us bruschetta instead of the truffled mac and cheese when putting the order in, so she gave the bruschetta appetizer to us out of the kindness of her heart and sincerely apologized. I’m glad she did because with all the other intriguing menu items, I probably would’ve ordered something a little more adventurous than bruschetta, but I’m so glad that she did, because we loved the bruschetta! The edges of the bread were crispy but the center was soft but strong enough to hold either the tomatoes and cheese or the mushrooms and cheese, depending on what bite you were holding at the time. So simple, but so good! Definitely worth a bite. or several!
It kills me that some people will stop by this restaurant and just think it’s an average airport bar-​restaurant gig, when it’s actually something amazing.