Alto Ristorante e Bar

While I really enjoyed almost every aspect of my stay at the Hyatt this was the one disappointment. I hate to give a bad review but we really didn’t enjoy anything that we ate. The service was above standard. It was the food… Just not good. The menu is complicated and the outcome of the food just doesn’t mix. If you’re staying here. … Go somewhere else to eat cause I am sure there are real Italian restaurants in Scottsdale.

While the food and drinks were 5 star, the service was terrible. Our waiter, Philip, seemed overwhelmed at times by his 5 sat tables. Myself and a few work friends had dinner and a drink each and when we asked to split the bill he went in to a long speech about how ‘hard’ it is for him to split checks, it would take 15 – 20 minutes and he would need to get a managers approval. Once the bill came, there was a $ 50 bottle of wine on our tab that our table hadn’t ordered. As someone who has worked in the restaurant/​service industry for over a decade I was shocked at the terrible service.
Update: it’s now been 20+ minutes since he took our bills back to correct. We still haven’t been given correct checks, let alone paid.

Serious legit Italian food. The charcutterie is fantastic! The veal cheek with hommade ravioli is sick! Very tasty. Staff seemed informed. Inside is a little sleepy, outside is tricky with the birds but if you hit the right time of day the experience can be really great! Nice find for resort food!

It is quite overpriced for the food. Beautiful setting within Hyatt hotel. The menu is limited and they do get quite busy therefor the service could be slow.

I dined here the other night with a group of 7 friends and family. I knew that the menu was a bit pricey, but we were expecting a meal that would measure up to the cost.
No such luck. The menu was relatively small, and, for an Italian restaurant, devoid of the food we would expect to find at such an establishment. The service was very good, but the food — what there was of it — was a great disappointment. Four of us ordered the veal cheeks ravioli. When it cam, we were surprised to see about 5 ravioli in the bowl with a few mushrooms and a few pieces of veal. This for $ 27! The others at the table were equally unimpressed.
Yes, the setting is lovely, and there is always the gondola ride. But those are small comfort when the main purpose of the restaurant is the food. Don’t waste your time or money.

I have been to alto a few times now. There’s no denying the food is pretty great and definitely affordable for a higher end restaurant. My one thing that gets me every time is that the restaurant is the service. Service is SLOW. Not bad but just slow and a little forgetful.

We had our 28^th wedding anniversary dinner tonight… service was very good however they are understaffed. The butternut squash soup was delicious… the beet and burrata salad was excellent… The filet mignon was a petite filet (tiny) $ 34 with nothing else on the plate… hubby’s chicken was bland and boring.
The crème brulee was excellent and the presentation was great.

Awesome dinner and experience. Food was excellent. John was our waiter and did a great job. We had the filet and crème brûlée.

Came here with my family and had dinner. Food was good but to little of it on the plate but that’s not why I gave a low review. Had to do with the servers. I came to a high end restaurant and paid big bucks. The server didn’t assist us with any napkins till we asked at the end of the meal when we needed them. Also asked for lemons to go with the salmon special and never got them but did feel asking a second time and waiting for them while my food was getting cold cuz it was chilly out. Other then that prices range from 21 – 30 bucks a plate good food. Very nice resort! Good hang out for a Friday night or Saturday with live music

Okay we came here mainly for the dessert The «Gondola» it’s their version of the crème brûlée and yes it’s still the best ever, we also had a appetizer and a salad which the salad was great but the scallop stuffed calamari just didn’t cut it it, maybe it’s just to opposite textures the rubbery calamari and the scallops that they did something to them like mashed them up to a foam the texture. If it wasn’t for a tasty sauce this dish would of had no taste what so ever., their dinner menu had nothing on it that really appealed to me. The service was excellent.

I was taken here as a surprise for my anniversary and it was phenomenal. My boyfriend and I deem ourselves to be well-​rounded foodies and I have to say that alto was the perfect place for us! For our first course we started off with mozzarella bruschetta– absolutely delicious! For our main course I ordered a chicken dish (unfortunately the specific name of the dish is escaping me at the moment). The chicken; which was cooked to perfection was joined on the plate by a medley of heirloom tomatoes, squash, and other delectable morsels. The best part of this dish was the sauce that was tactfully drizzled on and around the food. This sauce tied everything together so fantastically that my mouth is watering as I type this review. My boyfriend ordered the raviolis; which were highly recommended by our server Christoph and the servers assistant Shaun. These two know what they’re talking about! The raviolis were superb! If I remember correctly the raviolis were filled with a ricotta herb blend and covered in a beautiful Marsala sauce. My boyfriend looked like he had gone to heaven after the first bite! He let me try a piece and I agree– it is incredibly delicious! After the main course had ended the dessert menu was brought out with several decadent and delectable choices! We decided to share the gondolino 8. Speechless… It left me speechless. Not only because I was stuffing my face as fast as I could but because of the presentation. The gondolino is a crème brûlée with a small edible gondola topped with fresh fruit. The crème brûlée looked as though it was the water the gondola was floating across. My first bite of the crème brûlée put me on the edge of my seat! Every spoonful was more enticing than the last! After the crème brûlée lake had been completely devoured another surprise was in store! We went straight to alto’s gondola rides! All in all a phenomenal dining experience, incredible food, a beautiful gondola ride, and an anniversary that I’ll never forget! Bravissimo!!! We will definitely be back!

We had a great time at Alto Ristorante last evening, an enjoyable experience, and we will probably be back for a special occasion or with visitors. Then why just three stars? There was a problem — read on.
First, the setting is beautiful, especially from the outside tables. The service is attentive and competent, although I could quibble and say that it was a bit slow (2 ½ hours for dinner) but this is an experience and not just a meal. And, although our servers came by often to ask if everything was alright, they totally disappeared between times so when we did need something, we had to wait. Where do they go? But even so, the ambiance was 5* and the service was 4 or 5*. So what’s the problem? Read on.
The menu is extensive enough to provide so many choices that your problem will not be finding something you like but making a selection. Consider the antipasto for example. You are given a checklist of about 25 cheeses, meats, bruscheta, and various other varieties at about $ 5 each. Pick the ones you want and they compose the plates and bring them to your table along with creditable bread, two homemade jams, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Each of the four we tried was very good; three were superb (pecorino cheese, burrata bruscheta, mixed olives). We were really looking forward to our main courses. Still 5*, so what’s the problem. Coming up — read a bit further.
Let me also mention that the Gondolino dessert (a crème brule with berries and a cookie gondola) was really great. And the prices here are definitely not unreasonable — entrees running around $ 25. But … here it comes …
Our two main courses were poorly prepared. I had the bronzino, a small sea bass, and it was overcooked badly and virtually unseasoned. The accompaniments were fine but did not work well with the fish. The filet mignon was ordered medium and came out lightly but properly charred on the outside but raw on the inside. We sent it back with a suggestion to butterfly it, but the cook decided to just toss it back on the grill for a minute or so on each side. This resulted in over-​charring the outside, but in that short time, the center did not have a chance to cook any further — the worst possible solution.
So the problem is that we have a truly 5 star restaurant, with everything going for it, but with at least one line cook who was thoroughly incompetent or had a real meltdown last evening. Maybe when you go someone else will prepare your meals. I hope so.

Just ok — nothing worth going back for. My wife liked her meal but mine was not so great. The noodles were all stuck together so it was a giant glob of dough and the shrimp were overlooked and very tough. I brought it to the waiters attention but he didn’t make it right.
It was our anniversary and I thought this would be a good place to go for ambience but they put us right next to a large party so at times we could not even talk to each other. There was no one else in that part of the restaurant but we could hear a screaming baby in the other room. Definitely not the place for a quiet adult dinner.
We topped off the evening with a gondola ride but I don’t think it will ever bring us back to the Alto.

Fabuloso!!!
I visited Alto Restaurant for a nice dinner. The ambience was perfect, and the service exceptional.
We had the perfect Filet mignon with the best truffle sauce ever! I can boldly say that it was the best sauce I had ever had which tasted delightful with my filet. Very perfectly cooked meat and the presentation was gorgeous tooo!
Their dessert selection is also quite decadent. We ordered the hazelnut cherry cake and it was just so satisfying.
Everything we ate at Alto was superb and I am sure to visit again for another fancy meal. The food here is worth every penny spent.

What rhymes with Wednesday?! Whiskey, that’s what! Ok, not really, but Wednesday is a good day to go to Alto Ristorante, get there early, swing over by the Center Stage Bar, and grab a Desert Manhattan while waiting for the rest of the crew. Then, take a seat, take in the gorgeous view while indulging in the yummy concoction the bartender just made. Yup, that’s how my evening started.
Once my crew arrived, we went over to Alto Ristorante and got seated outside on the patio on the most perfect evening in Scottsdale! After getting settled in, Jenna came over and introduced herself, got our drink order, and informed us that Lisa would be our server. Not a moment later, Lisa came over and told us the special of the evening, and gave us recommendations on appetizers. We ended up ordering bruschetta:
* fegato: chicken liver spread, roasted grapes, candy hazelnuts (didn’t try this one, the chicken liver spread grossed me out, lol)
* mozzarella: buffalo mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, basil (this one was flavorful and delish!)
* arrabiatta: tomatoes, olives and garlic (loved this one too!)
Then we ordered a really nice Cabernet Savignon (I think it was 130, hehe). It was a great wine! I highly recommend it!
For entrees, we ordered:
* guance di vitello ravioli: braised veal cheek with house-​made ricotta ravioli and
wilted arugula in a black truffle marsala sauce (This was AWESOME!!! The veal was so tender, it melted in my mouth. And the pasta was cooked al dente, my absolute favorite!)
* pollo scottato: pan-​seared chicken breast, meyer lemon glaze, heirloom
tomatoes, roasted butternut squash, sautéed escarole (This dish was extremely flavorful as well and just absolutely mouth-​wateringly delicious!)
* branzino: Mediterranean sea bass, eggplant caponata,
salsa verde and celeriac purée (Amazing dish! The fish was flaky and cooked to perfection, and the flavors of the eggplant, salsa, and purée went together with it fantastically.)
Then for dessert, (yes, we got dessert, haha! We were being fatties):
* gondolino: vanilla crème brûlée with a floating, chocolate dipped
gondola filled with fresh berries (You can’t go wrong with this!)
* torta di nocciole: chocolate hazelnut cake, amarena cherries, milk chocolate hazelnut mousse, espresso cream, wild cherry purée (For chocolate and Nutella lovers, THIS is the dessert for you! OMGoodness it’s an explosion of chocolate and coffee and yumminess in your mouth.)
* crostata di pere: poached pears, local honey, sweet almond cream, ricotta cheese, honey ice cream (This was ok – it was almost like apple pie with ice cream. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad, just not the «grand finale» of desserts. It is, however, on the lighter side.)
After dinner, don’t forget (and definitely don’t skip) going with the Gondola. I had no idea there was a Gondola in Scottsdale — who would’ve thought it?! You get free vouchers with dinner which is a plus! And the gentleman that took us with the Gondola has a superb Opera voice and serenades you with authentic Italian songs. Fantastic end to the evening!

Great atmosphere and great food. I highly recommend veal cheeks ravioli and pork belly.
Lisa was wonderful and went above and beyond in giving us tips on where to go and what to do while visiting. She served us on both nights and truly made the experience. Thank you!

We went here while staying at the Hyatt. We didn’t expect much because it was just a restaurant in the hotel, but we were presently surprised.
I ordered the cheese board, Caesar salad, and the pasta special. The cheese board was fantastic. They cut everything fresh and have a wonderful selection. This was good enough to come back just for cheese & wine. The Caesar salad was also very good. It was very traditional Italian, which is hard to find. The pasta we really enjoyed. It was fresh with a nice sauce. The service here was also great!
After eating here they also give you passes for the gondola ride, which is fun for after dinner!
We will be back again!

The Italian food was terrible. I ordered pasta, it was NOT homemade. It was overcooked and mushy. The tomato sauce had too much salt. Way overpriced. It was dark and dank, in a lower level. The waitstaff kept interrupting our conversation and stood there so we couldn’t continue speaking to each other. I got eaten up by mosquitos, and today I am still itching profusely. We ate indoors, but mosquitos were everywhere.
To top it off, I valeted my car. When I returned my car, the seats, mirrors, radio and AC was changed. I have never had a valet do this before. I will not return to this pricy establishment in the near future unless they rectify their wrongs in the restaurant. I usually dine at the Sanctuary, where everything is first rate.

For a dinner at the Hyatt Regency this restaurant did me well. It’s a swanky place where you can dress for an occasion– as we have seen the next table over celebrate 35 years of marriage!
A starter menu of mini finger foods to select is given along with the regular menu. Knowing what we all wanted for dinner, we dove in for the entrée because we all know that we have to save room for dessert! The server first asked if we dined with them before and since it was our first time he asked if we had any questions about the menu. I had to ask about the confit crispy duck leg and pan seared duck breast since it is one of my faves. My other to-​eat-​wish-​list item was the baked ziti with braised short rib. I decided to go with the dual duck plate to try the different cooking style. The pan seared duck breast looked like cut slices of a beef filet with a hint taste of liver undertones. Paired with the sweet and sour glaze and toasted pine nuts complemented the taste quite well. Cutting into the crispy confit part was delicious and easy. Biting into the crispness of the skin and soft parts of the meat worked well too. Brussel spouts, pearl onions and other winter vegetables gave an earthy and comfort side to the dish.
Dessert: knowing me I had to choose the dessert that seem like the not as popular: white chocolate panna cotta. I love panna cotta if made right. This was categorized as rich and decadent! Aka made to share with others. This was presented in a giant saucer looking plate. At first glance it looked like the dessert was missing but it was a small bowl sized dessert with 2 slivers of circle cut honey glazed pear, brown butter whipped cream and bits of dried cut apricot. The texture of the panna cotta itself was thick and creamy. For some reason it had an orange undertone to the panna cotta –which I’m not opposed to because I love oranges.
The only star that was docked off was my water refill. At the beginning of the meal my water was filled to the rim. By dessert time I didn’t get a single refill.
After eating you will get complimentary tickets to the gondola ride! Have fun!

We were there to celebrate my birthday. It became a memory of lifetime.
They have nice wine list and our server was very knowledgeable about the wine they had on the list. Both of our server and the front desk staff at the hotel recommended the veal, and they were right! One of the best veal we ever had. We enjoyed cheese and ham from antipasti section, followed by scallop appetizer, caprese salad (mozzarella melted in my mouth), veal entrée, and to my surprise desert with birthday message on it!
Server was very attentive and very knowledgeable about wine and food.
Amazing food, great wine, superb service, nice décor,… Can anything be better than this?