Distrito

I’m giving this ‘2 stars’ because the build-​out of the Saguaro is phenomenal, the valet and the hostess were also very nice — were it not for those things, I would have given 1 star.
THIS PLACE SUCKS. There is no shortage of awesome Mexican food and Margaritas in the Valley, why anyone would eat here is beyond me. If you’re staying at the Saguaro, you can walk right outside the door and get better food and drinks anywhere else.
First, let me state that I have eaten here before and the food was OK. What prompted me to give one star for the bar was the incredibly unprofessional service I received upon my last visit; we arrived about 15 minutes before happy hour was over (unknown to us), sat at the bar and waited until 6:02pm, when the very stressed-​out (though the bar was far from full) bartender asked to see our IDs — not a big deal, we’re all 20-​somethings and are used to it. About 5 minutes later she came back and took a drink order and then about 5 minutes after that, she gave us our drinks. Let me first start by saying 2 of us have been/​currently bartend and all three of us having working in foodservice for 5+ years, so when we received said drinks that had apparently no alcohol in them to perceive, we were collectively annoyed. With cash and card laying right on the counter, it was almost 7pm before the bartender spoke to us again — drinks gone, unhappy, and with our payment sitting in front of us the entire time. I told the bartender we would like to close out and she responded with, «all on one check?» Um, we had our individuals payments sitting in front of us? really?!
The margarita tasted like it was a glass of lime juice with salt on the rim, it was about ¾ of the way full and I only finished it because we had been sitting there for 45 minutes waiting for service and the ice melted watering it down.
The bartender was super stressed out the entire time and since we were sitting at the bar we got a front row view of the action which compounded our distaste for the place.
It’s not hard to be a good bartender, honestly, for social people it’s the easiest goddamn job in the world and when it’s busy that tends to be the time when good bartenders are even better. Maybe she thought because we were younger than most of the other customers we wouldn’t mind, or we wouldn’t tip? not sure. Whatever the case, I’ll definitely not go back.
For not-​great food, TERRIBLE drinks, and bad service, I’ll go anywhere else before I go here.

Just a heads up… this is now called the Saguaro Restaurant. I sat down at the bar and the staff were very nice, I recommend the mezcal mule, very smoky! I’m taking away points because of a small detail.
The guy wore a grey shirt, and the girl wore a pink shirt. They asked if I wanted some food but I saw some stains on the girl’s shirt and it wasn’t appetizing to look at. The guys shirt didn’t show anything, maybe it was just the way they were working. I don’t often see different shirts for the staff so maybe she had a different position. Otherwise great stuff, will come back!

5 stars for this place??? ahh!!! Are you kidding me?
You can find much better Mexican AUTHENTIC food for the fraction of the cost pretty much anywhere. Don’t let Chef Garces’ name blind you from how this place really is.
4 bucks for each individual small taco. Chips and salsa is not on the house, which is common at other places. Also, where is the salsa bar? Not gonna find it here.
I get that they’re trying to be more upscale and cater to the retired people and tourists. I get it. I knew this coming in but wanted to try it regardless since they’re actually changing the menu up completely. According to the waitress, this location initially was doing very well due to Garces’ name attached to this place. But after all the hype, they’ve been really slow. There were only two tables total when we were there. It was 99% empty.
Garces likes to place his locations in wealthier areas where a bunch of retired people live and I don’t blame him. Case in point; he has another location in Palm Springs. But when an area like Scottsdale doesn’t generate revenue, it’s a a pretty bad sign, hence they’re revamping the menu very soon.
At the very least, I can say I was one of the last to try the soon to be «old menu», for whatever that’s worth.

Very cool, colorful, and modern take on both Spanish décor and cuisine! There’s a blend of traditional and new age. I ordered the guacamole to start and it was worth the price, fresh yet a bit spicy. Next I ordered the Pescado Tacos. Mahi mahi, red cabbage, avocado and a chipotle remoulad – a unique take on fish tacos that I enjoyed that was both soft and crunchy! All in all, a good experience here sitting out on the patio. There was even a live musician. Just didn’t get why more people weren’t here.

We are always looking for good, interesting places to eat when in Scottsdale for the winter. We found a real winner in Distrito. The lunch deal they have for $ 15 (appetizer and main course) may be the best deal in town. I had a very large (and very delicious) shrimp ceviche along with a big braised pork sandwich. My wife had the ceviche and a fundito which was accompanied by four small flour tortillas. Not only is the food excellent, the service is impeccable. My only quibble is that they have no draught beers — only cans and bottles. We liked our lunch and the restaurant so much, though, we have already made two additional reservations in the coming two weeks. The really sad news is that they are changing the theme in mid-​February, abandoning the Southwest/​Mexican food in favor of more traditional American fare. I suppose I understand the impetus to change as the place wasn’t very busy when we were there.

The Naranja Roja margarita is a sweet yet spicy concoction (don’t let anyone try yours as you might not get it back) that perfectly blends heat and sweet. The nachos are as big as your head (well, almost) and the steak is brilliantly seasoned. My chicken tacos were tasty although some of the chicken was unfortunately chewy. My husband ordered the mushroom flat-​bread featuring huitlacoche (corn fungus, for the uninitiated) and it was very odd but delicious. Great little patio for peep-​watching at the Scottsdale Civic Center.

The only reason I give this place 3 stars is because of the service, which was great. Our waiter was kind and helpful and went above and beyond. If it wasn’t for him, a definite 2. I am a huge fan of Mexican food, whether it’s Tex-​Mex style or traditional Mexican. However, the food here was crazy over-​salted and didn’t taste right at all. I was disappointed with my experience.

Went there for lunch and it took a very long time for anyone to come to our table. The waitress named Amanda rolled her eyes at me twice when I asked questions. Food was okay. Horrible attitude from the waitress. The table next to us had to wait longer than we did.

My husband and I don’t always pool party but when we do, he needs food.
We actually were staying at the Saguaro for a night over Memorial Day weekend so the pool was lively with music which goes very well with drinks which is how we got involved with this spot.
Tacos, salads, taco salads. Mexican foods and normal fare poolside with delivery to your chair (or not).
We ordered pitchers of mojito — or was it margarita? In reality it was possibly both — one after the other — because when billing to the room, who’s really counting anyway?
I think we likely could have gone into the restaurant at other points in our stay but really poolside dining + a nap suited us much better.
I think I’d probably skip it next time if I could — it was all a bit over priced and not tasty enough to merit the cost.
There’s too many other good spots!

At first I wanted to really run rampant over this place but I’m going to temper my response by saying this… it’s fine. The guac is good. The space is OK for a hotel restaurant. They close early sometimes because it’s dead quiet half the time. I’ll leave it at that.

I had high expectations. Ordered the elderflower martinis after having them at La Hacienda. The difference being they use hibiscus syrup. Being a fan of St Germain liqueur I tried it. Big disappointment. Maybe it’s the tequila but it’s far from La Hacienda’s version.
The guacamole is very good and the shrimp ceviche appetizer is a little too busy for my liking. Too many flavours.
I tried the duck tacos. Mine had muscle joints in the first bite which is not very appetizing. Very oily so couldn’t taste the duck. Nonetheless it was ok. Also tried the hamburger which my partner said was delicious. For an iron chef restaurant I’m disappointed.

The Saguaro Hotel turned out to be a hidden gem. The holiday weekend was chock full of pool parties and fun. The staff was excellent all the way down to the cleaning crew. Distrito on the other hand was the one sore spot. We only ate there once on Sunday morning right between the breakfast and lunch turn at 11. We were one of 2 tables seated in the empty place. The food was barely passable and after 45 minutes of waiting around, we finally asked Waitress #2 if waitress #1 could bring us our check (as we hadn’t seen her in the empty restaurant for over 20 minutes). When she came out with the bill she had the nerve to jokingly say that she’d forgotten she had a table to serve. OMFG! One table and you forget about it.
Distrito should change the name to Distraughto.

We are here at The Saguaro to stay for the weekend, and ended up at the bar for some drinks and grub. First the bad: beer is not on tap. What the hey??? It’s a billion degrees outside, Arizona! Don’t you want a cold brewski on tap?
The VERY good: the tacos were delicioso! Especially the hongos (mushroom). Rich, savory, filling. The fish tacos were light, crispy, with crunchy veggie garnishes.
Worthwhile stop, except for that beer…

We stayed at the hotel and ate at Distrito for lunch one day. Our drinks (some sort of spicy margarita) were terrific and the fish tacos were some of the best I’ve had recently! Chips and guac were quality as well.

Boy has Distrito gone downhill. We had been there on two other occasions before our visit last night. I was suprised to see that I hadn’t written a review from our very first visit (which was almost 2 years ago now), because we had such an amazing dinner that time. We had the Chef’s tasting menu, recommended by our server and we were blown away! I believe it was $ 50 a person and the food never stopped coming! We had to have tried at least 10 different dishes from apps to salads to entrees. We raved about or meal to everyone we knew.
Last night we were excited to have the chef’s tasting menu again. They now offer a 2 course for $ 45 or 3 course for $ 55. We decided on the 2 course because based on the last time we figured we’d be full by dessert. So, about 10 minutes later out come two dishes. The small order of Esquites (corn salad) (which is on the menu for $ 6), and the Chilango Chop Salad ($ 9). Both were really good, although the Esquites was really oily. The corn was literally swimming in the mayo/​butter sauce, but the flavor was good. We purposefully didn’t eat everything because we knew a lot more food was coming! So they cleared the dishes away and about 10 minutes later two more plates came out. A small piece of Carne Asada ($ 28) on a plate with a smear of refried beans and a little bowl of red rice on the side, and 3 mushroom tacos (not on the menu but $ 9 at the most). So my first thought was that I don’t care for mushrooms. But the tacos were surprisingly good and didn’t even taste like mushrooms! Phew. My second thought though was that these were entrees. I started thinking «is this the last of it?» We finished the two dishes and after a bit we realized that they were in fact the last two dishes we would be getting. So I quickly do the math. 6+9+28+9=$ 52. So, we were supposed to pay $ 90 for $ 52 worth of food? Were we missing something? I think one of the employees (not sure what his role was) noticed the confused look on my face because he came over and asked if everything was ok. So I asked him why we just got $ 52 worth of food for something they charge $ 45 per person for. He explained that he wasn’t really sure how it worked but it seemed as if we were only served one person’s worth of food and that he would go talk to the chef and find out. A few minutes later our server came back out and apologized for the confusion and told us that one of the meals was removed from the check. I’m still unclear of what the «confusion» was. Were we really only served a tasting menu for one or did they actually think we wouldn’t notice that we were paying $ 90 for $ 52 worth of food?
I’ll add that the place was DEAD. Three other tables in the whole restaurant between 7 – 8:30pm on a Friday night. Not good.
So, needless to say, we will not be going back. Disappointing because we really did like this place.

I was very disappointed about our visit to Distrito. My Father and I got a Living Social deal for $ 50 off and were very excited.
First, we walked into the restaurant and sat down at the bar, at about 5 pm on a Sunday. We were the only two people there. No staff, no patrons, nobody. After about five minutes my father got up and went to the front desk of the hotel the restaurant is in to see if they were even open. This is when a bartender arrived. He gave us menus and asked what we would like to drink. I got a Margarita that was pretty good. My father ordered a Boulevardier (a drink that’s on their drink menu), but they didn’t have sweet vermouth. So, he ended up getting a different drink on the menu, another Margarita, that was also pretty good.
We started looking at the menu and asked a few questions. We were referred to the manager and he seemed to be more concerned with other tasks than helping us (the only two people in his restaurant). Then we had to move to a table because the fluorescent light that was inside the bar (it was backlit) was flickering and driving both of us nuts.
We then ordered an appetizer, the duck barbacoa, it was very good, I was very impressed with the food. I personally wish it had have been a little spicier — but you can’t complain about personal preferences.
I then ordered another drink, the Red Sangria, which was horrible and got sent back. So, I stuck with my original Margarita. So, after another drink we ordered our main course. My father ordered the scallops and I ordered the lamb. Both dishes were very good and I would order again — if I ever went back. I was very impressed with the flavor and the thought that was put into the meals.
In closing, I give this restaurant 2 stars. The staff seemed to try very hard but has no direction. Most of the time, if I walk into an empty restaurant and have to wait five minutes for somebody to show up I’d leave but we had that Living Social deal. I was glad we stayed to experience the food and drinks but most likely won’t go back. I guess there is a reason the restaurant was empty.

Wow, what a disappointment. In what aspects? Honestly, all aspects. Here’s some detail…
Service: We sat for about 10 minutes before anyone filled water (sat with empty glasses), had to ask for more water 3 times throughout the meal, waitress was on her first day on her own, which I get, everyone has a first day, but she didn’t know the menu, never had any desserts so couldn’t recommend one and when we asked what we should get «to go», she said she wouldn’t know, bizarre! Saw our bus boy twice, no water, dirty table. Honestly on a 10 point scale, service was a 3.
Food: mediocre at best. Absolutely not James Beard quality. Why? Steak absolutely unflavorful, guacamole was an avocado with no spices and a sprinkle of Mexican cheese,., for $ 10. Fish tacos had a nice chipotle sauce, but it was over a fish stick, poor. Dessert was a chocolate torte. Literally, the chocolate layer cake (cupcake) was out of the freezer. The little chocolate log was okay. Food on s scale of 1 to 10 was maybe a 5.
Atmosphere: cheap and strange. Trying to be eclectic, but it just seems «forced». The hotel it’s in is clearly a «pig wearing lipstick». It’s an old hotel that has been poorly kept up and painted in funky colors and with unusual «amenities» that simply make it feel like what it is, an older, poorly maintained building that is trying to be trendy in a K-​Mart/​IKEA kind of way.
Summary: There’s definitely a reason you see this restaurant on Groupon. They need to get people in the door and the food, service and value aren’t doing it. AZ88 next door was packed and known for good food and service. But, this place was pretty empty, for good reason. Expensive for mediocre food and poor service. If this is an award winning restaurant, they are clearly missing some critical controls to keep it worthy. My prediction, this place won’t make it. Here’s a good way to gauge, if I were in the area again, I would rather try just about any unknown restaurant than go back to Distrito.

This review isn’t for the restaurant per se but for some of their staff
We went to the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts for a music concert tonight and Distrito was there to provide appetizers.
I can’t eat Jambalaya (shrimp allergy) but they had guacamole and chips so we requested that. The «chips» were fried pork skins however so we decided to pass. A few minutes later we were surprised when one of their staff came over to tell us they got some tortilla chips just for us… one of the people here at the booth walked over to the restaurant and came back with a basket of chips specifically so they could fulfill our request.
That’s going the extra mile in my book and definitely worth 5 stars for CUSTOMER SERVICE.
Based on this experience we will definitely try the restaurant.
FYI… the guacamole and chips are really good.

At first glance, the breakfast menu is seriously underwhelming. However, having now had the house Eggs Benedict with black truffle hollandaise sauce and chorizo over fresh tomatoes (with actual taste!), this place is going into the delicious breakfast rotation. Service was great (we were the first people there and wary of being alone in such a large restaurant), and the coffee was super tasty. Breakfast burrito, custom omelet and the eggs benedict were all perfectly cooked, the roasted potatoes on the side a serious star of the morning. Love the super modern Latino décor throughout the restaurant and The Saguaro Hotel.

What you need to know:
–This place has a very vibrant, modern, and colorful ambiance. The space is open, bright, and playful. There are interesting decorations and paintings that I enjoyed looking at.
–The service is quick and kind.
–The food is «okay». We ordered the guacamole, tacos, nachos, and sponge cake dessert – none of these entrees would bring us back. We got a pitcher of original margaritas that were extremely watered down. Although the food and drink didn’t taste amazing, I have to say that the presentation was very appealing and pretty.
–We came because of a Groupon offer, which was a good deal.
In the future, I would come back for a small bite and to enjoy the beautiful space.

Best Sunday Brunch in Scottsdale! What a fun atmosphere! Unlimited bottomless mimosas add to the fun too!
Jose makes the best Omelets! We are from California & eat super healthy & it was SO COOL that Jose was able to make our egg white Omelets with No oil, made them super lean & yet… Still best omelette anywhere!
Try the blueberry barbecue square Also. Never heard if this before & now can’t live without it ;) thanks guys!
Thanks Destiny for being super fun as out waitress today! Xo

What a nice little find for a very busy Friday night in Scottsdale! The hotel itself is rather cute, in the evening, the colors seemed less invasive. Although, the orange was certainly a fitting color for the Giants and Giants fans during Spring Training staying there.
The restaurant is straight to the back of the hotel entrance and the service started off just right stepping off the last stair. There was no wait for this particular Friday night although the parking lot was full and finding parking took 30 minutes… that’s a whole other story! We were seated right between inside and outside, a nice table in an open space.
Our server was helpful and immediately excited to serve us and help us look over the menu. She was spunky and sweet and she took our guacamole order with no onions. Just the way I like it!
Let me just say, the guacamole was amazing (yes, even without the onions)! It was just the right amount of everything and I have been trying to replicate it since. No luck… not sure if there’s a secret ingredient. I bet it’s probably the type of sea salt or what sea it came from… yup, that’s probably it. On the other hand, the chips that the guac were served with were soooo salty. I’m never one to dash salt on my chips in the first place but oh man, these things needed to be gently scraped off before scooping.
We also ordered the white wine sangrias, chicken tacos, the cup of creamy corn (that’s not what it’s really called) and… some flatbread thing that never ended up coming out in time for us to eat and enjoy.
Of everything we had, I would definitely ONLY get the tacos and guacamole again. The corn was gross and I usually love corn! It was just corn and chopped up white onion with watered down cheese. No thank you… and the sangrias were nauseating. It tasted like cinnamon apple juice.
Cute hotel, fun restaurant, good live music, and pretty good food (for the most part). If I ever went back, I’d try a different drink and hope the flatbread comes out in time for me to enjoy.
Overall, great service but they’re missing a few details on drinks and tapas, especially for the price. I wouldn’t exactly say «Mexican» either.

First, our server was great. Very courteous, helpful, funny, with just the right timing of his pop-​ins.
Second, what a value. The tasting menu was really two very large dinners for one person. I don’t know how they do what they do for $ 55, but wow. So much food. So much very good food.
— The guacamole was very flavorful. The sea salt on top made it borderline exceptional. Adding the crab took it to another level
— The salad was ok. Nothing great.
— The jalapeño salsa had the perfect amount of heat
— The shrimp tacos in the corn tortillas were full of wow. They added a small amount of chorizo which made the whole taco one of the better tacos I’ve ever had
— The sweet corn was fine
Yes, we’re still going.
— The queso with duck was pretty good, but about a ¼ inch too much cheese. Nice flavor, but it wasn’t my favorite. Just too much cheese
— The branzino in the savory tomato preparation was very nicely cooked. Meaty fish with a savory prep is always going to be one of my favorites
— The carne asada was super tender and still had that great carne asada flavor. It was my wife’s favorite dish
Finally, we get to dessert. At this point, I’m just taking a bite to taste it and then having another server pack up the rest.
— The panna cotta with strawberry sorbet covered in pineapple sauce was my favorite. Just all kinds of tasty creamy goodness
— The chocolate bar covered in chocolate jello with a thin piece of chocolate with chocolate sauce was out of control. Oh, it had coffee ice cream with it
As I said, this was the tasting menu. For $ 55 per person. These were not small little tapas dishes. Aside from the guacamole, these were full size plates. I’m still full and happy a day later.

I’ve eaten at Distrito twice, and I have to say the first time was definitely a better experience. Three of us met for breakfast, and it was excellent! We grabbed a spot on the almost deserted patio in the warm morning sun, which was lovely despite the plastic chairs (they got a little sticky on my bare legs as the sun came up further!!!) The décor is bright and vibrant, just like the rest of the hotel, with a cool rustic slant that I liked a lot.
Our server was really sweet and attentive, and kept our water constantly refilled. We all ordered the Huevos Rancheros (I’m a sucker — I LOVE Huevos!), and I was very excited to try it somewhere it was likely to be more authentic than Canada! I really enjoyed my dish; it was filling and well cooked, but definitely hotel-​ified, if you know what I mean! The sauce was a little sweet, and there were some greens and radish sprinkled on top more for decoration than flavour. I loved the cast iron it was served in, though.
My second experience was dining solo in the evening. I entered via the patio gate, still relatively early — around 8pm, but was mostly ignored by the server (this became a theme) until brusquely directed to the hostess on the other side of the restaurant. She was lovely and showed me straight to a table on the (sparsely populated) patio. The same «charming» server eventually came by to give me menus, and was not very responsive when I asked her questions about the drinks and dishes. She did make some recommendations, which was good because it was hard to read the menu with only the light from one candle on the table! I ordered the Enchilada de Pollo and the Distrito Margarita. The cocktail was pretty good, but the enchilada was disappointing. It had an odd, over sweet taste to it, and not enough spice for me. I drenched it in hot sauce, which helped, but it wasn’t my favourite.
I’d come back for sure, but probably in the morning!