The Downside Risk

RUMOR HAS IT THAT THIS PLACE CLOSED. I hope not, I just discovered this place a few weeks ago and really liked it. Planned on going back.

Stopped in for a bite last Friday night just before eight. The live music was really loud, so sat on the patio, which wasn’t too crowded. The music noise level was okay outside except when the servers and patrons opened the doors. But the crowd inside was loving it, so who am I to judge? Anyway, the noise level is the only reason for my three-​star rating. The food was quite good — at the recommendation of the server I ordered the fish tacos with the green bean side. The tacos were outstanding (grilled instead of fried fish), and the beans were quite good as well. I’ll be back on my next visit to Scottsdale.

Love this place! Friendly staff, Emily is our fav! Awesome live music with Marley Taylor, we go and dance every weekend!!! She packs the place. Great food, Cuban sandwich is the best in town and the salmon is fantastic. This is the local hang folks, good people, yummy food and a fun time for me and my friends-​every time!

Coldest beer in town with the chilled/​frozen glass they provide from the freezer. Best on a hot day. I love the salmon sandwich and have not tried much else. Generally have lunch on Saturday with a friend and several times we go here.

Very marginal. Atmosphere was poor, clientele may have been worse.
Food reminded me of cafeteria food.

The service is unpredictable. Some days it’s super snappy, others its kind of slow. One time they actually ran out of beans. You’re saying what? Beans? Well, you HAVE to try their deep fried green beans. They are the most delicious thing on the planet. Also, order the burger with Havarti cheese. You will never be the same. I would give this place a full 5 star except for the service is not always up-​to-​par. Give yourself some time and enjoy those beans.

Service was great and the recommendations from Affy led to delicious fish tacos and bacon teriyaki green beans! We were staying at the Hyatt Regency and it was a nice short walk.

The food & service here is awesome! Their ribs are to die for. Everything I have ordered has been exellent. Even though it is getting close to summer here, they have live music on Friday & Saturday. Friday in my opinion, is the night to go, Marley Taylor & Chris will have you dancing up a storm! Give it a try!

We went to The Downside Risk on a whim and LOVED IT. Randy, the owner, is very personable and hospitable. He made our experience amazing! The food, service, and atmosphere are all top notch! We will certainly be back and look forward to hosting events in their private dining areas!

Amazing patio, amazing food… I only stopped eating because I physically couldn’t eat any more. Definitely going back!

Today was the second time I’ve been to down side risk. Both times were for large parties (20+). The private room and adjoining patio are fantastic for parties. The service was great. Our server for the evening kept track of everyone and was on top of drinks and food all night. We had a great time and I would highly recommend it if you are looking for a great location to host a group.

This is close to work for me so I have been here a few times to grab lunch with coworkers. It’s solid fare, but not necessarily somewhere I would drive to go experience. I really like their barbecue sandwich and their fries are super good. I’ve also had the Asian salad and it’s a very hearty choice that fills me up. Id skip the sushi fare, though.

I’m just down the street from Downside, so it’s more of a go-​to than something I plan on doing. The bartenders are always on-​top of the game, normally remembering everyone that comes through the door. Gotta say that the happy hour prices aren’t the «happiest», however the food is still pretty decent and always comes out pretty quick.
Like I said, it’s more of a last-​minute place for me being that I’m less than two miles from there on Via de Ventura however Downside is still a staple in the area where a lot of locals go for a friendly drink or two and a good meal.

One word describes this place… COCOON!
I’m 43 and when we went on a Friday for happy hour the average age had to be 70.
Had one drink, actually nice pour, then left.
Great for much older people, I will see u in 30 years.

2 sliders on a long huge plate for $ 8? Ridiculous! 1 piece of thin meat that covered only ²⁄₃ of slider sized bun… rip off!
I won’t be back!

(Lyrics — Dire Straits — Money for Nothing)
Now look at them golfing that’s the way you do it
You eat your sushi at the Downside Risk
That ain’t workin’ that’s the way you do it
Sushi and drinking at The Downside Risk
Now that ain’t workin’ that’s the way you do it
Let me Unilocal it them rolls ain’t dumb
Maybe get a goblet with your Stella Artois
Maybe get a goblet with your beer
I like this place! I didn’t expect much as I sat down. It was like a golfers haven and cowboys wannabes!
My bartender was a good guy attentive and on the ball about what I needed and what I wanted. They don’t come like that anymore! So I ordered me a Stella and he offered my a super chill goblet. Boy was it chilled because it created ice in my beer, which in my opinion was awesome and tasty! My partner and I ordered their sushi; yeah they had sushi! We ordered the Tuna sashimi & Eel Dragon Roll — I didn’t care much for the Eel roll, but the Tuna Sashimi was well plated and tasted perfect! Who knew a golfing cowboy joint would have such good sashimi; not a downside to this risk at all — wink!
Overall, I would totally recommend this place for a quick bite and definitely a nice cold beer! — Enjoy!

I live and work in the area so I come here pretty regularly for happy hour. I’ve always had fast, friendly service and good food. They also have a great patio. I wish they had better drink specials and a better selection of wines on happy hour (it’s just $ 1 off select drinks) but other than that, no complaints.
Some of my happy hour appetizer favorites are the hummus, the buffalo chicken sliders, and the chicken satay. Definitely better than your average bar food.

After driving past here hundreds of times and thinking «what a clever name», I finally enjoyed an evening at Downside Risk. I came in with a former bartender and we were treated like royalty.
The food is excellent and the service was great. I love the glasses which caused my Rockie Mountain water to exhibit a small glacier.
I look forward to going back and trying more menu items.

When you think of a bar, this is it. It’s old-​school classy, intimate, clean and stocked. The friendly bartender and servers talk with friendly regulars who talk with anyone, well-​dressed people unwind after work, old friends catch up, couples canoodle.
A client staying in McCormick Ranch told me about Downside Risk and I put it on my list to check out eventually. I figured it would be a good meet-​in-​the-​middle spot when I was meeting a friend coming from Old Town, so we checked it out.
At 7ish on a weeknight, the bar stools were mostly taken, a few tables had guests and there seemed to be some sort of event going on in their private room. The large patio looks great with lots of casual seating and firepits. The bathrooms were clean and cutely decorated with the money scheme.
In our 20s, my friend and I were by far the youngest people in the place, but we didn’t mind and the regulars didn’t seem to either. At about 9:30, we were told the kitchen was closing and by 10, most everyone had cleared out and the staff was cleaning up. Not exactly their posted hours, but with no customers, I don’t blame them.
If I lived closer, DR would be my MacLaren’s…a reference that I’m sure is lost on the majority of the clientele… Cheers? Regal Beagle?

One of favorite afterwork watering holes, The Downside Risk is a cool place to grab an ice cold Beer. The owner walks around and greets everyone to make sure that all is well… who does that anymore?
The best thing about this place is the frozen Beer mugs they use. It keeps your Beer very cold.
It can get very crowded for happy hour, so I suggest getting there early.
Return Factor — 89%