Can't decide on Sedona restaurants. Need Help!!
Jul 9th, 2006, 06:34 PM
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Can't decide on Sedona restaurants. Need Help!!
Staying for 5 nights in Sedona. Can't decide which restaurants to pick. Have a few on my list...Dahl and DiLuca, Shugrues, Cowboy Club, Javelina Cantina, and Cucina Rustica. I probably will have to cut one of these off the list as we are doing the wine tasting Verde Canyon Railroad trip and won't get back into town until 10:00pm. Which would you choose? Any restaurants stay open late? Can you dine outdoors? or is it too hot? We are leaving July 13. Thanks
Jul 9th, 2006, 07:22 PM
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Hi..
I would definately do Yavapai Restaurant at the Enchantmentresort.com for lunch or dinner..I like lunch because the view you can take inside or out and it is stunning and the food to match. Go to Boynton Canyon after lunch to hike and there are pay and park a couple of blocks away and it is the most beautiful place..
Cowboy Club is a hoot and good and I like to go for Marg's at Oaxaco but the food is average. oaxacarestaurant.com/
Breakfast at the Coffee Pot..across from the Airport exit..Yum
I haven't been to Sedona since March and I wonder how much damage the fire did to the beautiful forest..
Have a blast and go to the Vortexes!
I would definately do Yavapai Restaurant at the Enchantmentresort.com for lunch or dinner..I like lunch because the view you can take inside or out and it is stunning and the food to match. Go to Boynton Canyon after lunch to hike and there are pay and park a couple of blocks away and it is the most beautiful place..
Cowboy Club is a hoot and good and I like to go for Marg's at Oaxaco but the food is average. oaxacarestaurant.com/
Breakfast at the Coffee Pot..across from the Airport exit..Yum
I haven't been to Sedona since March and I wonder how much damage the fire did to the beautiful forest..
Have a blast and go to the Vortexes!
Jul 10th, 2006, 03:56 AM
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Tahiti, unfortunately the trails in and right around Sedona are still all closed (due to fire hazard), so you can not hike in Boynton Canyon, or hike or bike on any trails for that matter.
Of the ones on your list, I would also have Cucina Rustica (5 stars, for a special meal) and Shugrue's on my list also. Dahl and DiLuca is great and is owned by the same couple who own Cucina Rustica. I like Cucina better. I have not been to Cowboy Club, as my daughter is a vegetarian and they serve only meat dishes, but it gets good reviews on here.
Do you like Japanese food? I like a little place called Minami in the Village of Oak Creek. Very small, great sushi and other Japanese food. The agedashi tofu is great there, and you get a free bowl of miso and edamame w/your meal. Takashi in Sedona gets good reviews also, although I have not been there.
Heartline Cafe also gets good reviews, but I have not been there either.
And yes, considering the very high temps Sedona has been having this summer (upper 90s and over 100 degrees)it will likley be too hot to want to eat outside.
You might want to head up Oak creek Canyon and eat at Junipine's Grill. It will be cooler up there and the drive is lovely- also I think it helps to support businesses in the Canyon because they are still recovering from the fire (no damage to Junipine). They have very nice fresh trout there, they catch them in Oak Creek right there at Junipine. It is simple food, not like the other places on your list, but I love it. Kind of like a little rustic lodge you'd find in the Colorado Rockies.
Most restaurants do not stay open real late, certainly not past 10 pn.
There is a good place now on 89A going towards West Sedona (past airport rd) called Pizza Picazzo. Very good pastas and pizza, very upscale, very nice bar area too.
http://www.picazzos.com/pages/welcome.html
You will love the Verde Vally rail ride. We did, and I have never talked to someone who didn't enjoy it. You can combine it w/a side trip to Jerome if you are interested in that. I do not like Jerome but many others on here do, and you coudl eat lunch thhere before heading over to the train. You can also see Tuzigoot ruins which are close to Clarksdale and the train, on the road going to the train station.
If you want to go more informal on another night, there is a really great Thai place on 89A west, called Thai Spices. VERY good.
http://www.thaispices.com/
Of the ones on your list, I would also have Cucina Rustica (5 stars, for a special meal) and Shugrue's on my list also. Dahl and DiLuca is great and is owned by the same couple who own Cucina Rustica. I like Cucina better. I have not been to Cowboy Club, as my daughter is a vegetarian and they serve only meat dishes, but it gets good reviews on here.
Do you like Japanese food? I like a little place called Minami in the Village of Oak Creek. Very small, great sushi and other Japanese food. The agedashi tofu is great there, and you get a free bowl of miso and edamame w/your meal. Takashi in Sedona gets good reviews also, although I have not been there.
Heartline Cafe also gets good reviews, but I have not been there either.
And yes, considering the very high temps Sedona has been having this summer (upper 90s and over 100 degrees)it will likley be too hot to want to eat outside.
You might want to head up Oak creek Canyon and eat at Junipine's Grill. It will be cooler up there and the drive is lovely- also I think it helps to support businesses in the Canyon because they are still recovering from the fire (no damage to Junipine). They have very nice fresh trout there, they catch them in Oak Creek right there at Junipine. It is simple food, not like the other places on your list, but I love it. Kind of like a little rustic lodge you'd find in the Colorado Rockies.
Most restaurants do not stay open real late, certainly not past 10 pn.
There is a good place now on 89A going towards West Sedona (past airport rd) called Pizza Picazzo. Very good pastas and pizza, very upscale, very nice bar area too.
http://www.picazzos.com/pages/welcome.html
You will love the Verde Vally rail ride. We did, and I have never talked to someone who didn't enjoy it. You can combine it w/a side trip to Jerome if you are interested in that. I do not like Jerome but many others on here do, and you coudl eat lunch thhere before heading over to the train. You can also see Tuzigoot ruins which are close to Clarksdale and the train, on the road going to the train station.
If you want to go more informal on another night, there is a really great Thai place on 89A west, called Thai Spices. VERY good.
http://www.thaispices.com/
Jul 10th, 2006, 04:22 AM
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Thanks for the replies, emd...that was my plan on the day of the RR trip was to go to Jerome and eat lunch at the Asylum Hotel and tour Tuzigoot ruins. It also looks like that Picazzos Pizza is open until 11PM and that might be a place to try after our RR trip.
Jul 10th, 2006, 04:31 AM
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That's great, because that place (PP) is very busy at regular dinner time, so going later would be good. It would be a good place to go after the rail ride, you can relax there at that time of night. And it is right on 89A as you go back into Sedona.
Have fun! Please report back- I severely need a Sedona fix and would like to hear how the town is doing post-fire. I think the only deal is no hiking/biking on the trails- otherwise you won't see a lot of damage from the fire (not visble from the road) except perhaps close to Slide Rock where the fire came down by 89A. I don't know if Slide Rock is open now or not, but my guess is it probably is open.
Have fun! Please report back- I severely need a Sedona fix and would like to hear how the town is doing post-fire. I think the only deal is no hiking/biking on the trails- otherwise you won't see a lot of damage from the fire (not visble from the road) except perhaps close to Slide Rock where the fire came down by 89A. I don't know if Slide Rock is open now or not, but my guess is it probably is open.
Jul 20th, 2006, 05:56 PM
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We had a great time...I am a foodie so I plan out all my restaurants..One breakfast was the Coffe Pot, had huevo's rancheros, (spelling is bad)my husband had a omelet, like a taco omlet, they have 101 omelets to choose from, very good. Lunch was at Picazzo's OMG the best pizza I have eaten. It was a pesto, mozzarella, goat cheese and basil, with tomato. along with a salad the special of the day. DH had a pepperoni also great. Another lunch was at Javelina Cantina, I had the fish tacos platter and DH had beef tacos and enchiladas...We should have ordered ala carte because it was way too much along with the rice and beans. It was also very good.
Another lunch was at the Asylum Hotel in Jerome...had the butternut squash soup along with a turkey sandwich and DH had a pastrami sandwich, we shared the soup...no complaints, very cool place.another lunch was at the Beaver ST Brewery in Flagstaff, burger and pizza good too.
Dinners...Cucina Rustica...awesome and what a beautiful place, I had a seafood fettucine, with shrimp,clams,mussels,scallops and lobster in a light red sauce, DH had veal dish, just wonderful. Shugrue's was a swordfish special and DH had a lobster tail with shrimp. Another night was the Cowboy Club, we ate in the Silverado Room, great service and we both had steaks ribeye and tenderloin. We also tried the cactus fries...too much, it was good, but wouldn't do that again. Another day we had reservations for the Verde Canyon RR wine tasting trip. 5:30-9:30 out of Clarkdale. Had 5 different wines paired up with hors d'oeuvres to match each wine. We had a wonderful time and it was good, no need for dinner after that. That was the first class train for the wine tasting.
Our last dinner was at Dahl and DiLuca, they had the same special that I had at Cucina Rustica..I think this one at Dahl and DiLuca was better, had a spicy light red sauce, just wonderful. DH had a bolognese with meat sauce.. that was his favorite meal and mine too. The restaurant was very romantic. Forgot a lunch at the Grand Canyon...ate at a deli in one of the markets, split a club sandwich, good too, we did not have one complaint about any of our meals or service. It was great!! Any other ?'s fire away. JulieR
Another lunch was at the Asylum Hotel in Jerome...had the butternut squash soup along with a turkey sandwich and DH had a pastrami sandwich, we shared the soup...no complaints, very cool place.another lunch was at the Beaver ST Brewery in Flagstaff, burger and pizza good too.
Dinners...Cucina Rustica...awesome and what a beautiful place, I had a seafood fettucine, with shrimp,clams,mussels,scallops and lobster in a light red sauce, DH had veal dish, just wonderful. Shugrue's was a swordfish special and DH had a lobster tail with shrimp. Another night was the Cowboy Club, we ate in the Silverado Room, great service and we both had steaks ribeye and tenderloin. We also tried the cactus fries...too much, it was good, but wouldn't do that again. Another day we had reservations for the Verde Canyon RR wine tasting trip. 5:30-9:30 out of Clarkdale. Had 5 different wines paired up with hors d'oeuvres to match each wine. We had a wonderful time and it was good, no need for dinner after that. That was the first class train for the wine tasting.
Our last dinner was at Dahl and DiLuca, they had the same special that I had at Cucina Rustica..I think this one at Dahl and DiLuca was better, had a spicy light red sauce, just wonderful. DH had a bolognese with meat sauce.. that was his favorite meal and mine too. The restaurant was very romantic. Forgot a lunch at the Grand Canyon...ate at a deli in one of the markets, split a club sandwich, good too, we did not have one complaint about any of our meals or service. It was great!! Any other ?'s fire away. JulieR
Jul 20th, 2006, 08:59 PM
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Thanks emd. It was still echoing in my ears when I got on the Fodor's site!!
Thanks JulieR and enjoylife. I think for sure we will try the Cowboy Club as the reviews here and elsewhere are very good. JulieR, I thought I read in a different thread that it was just you and your DH on this trip. We'll have three young teens in tow, Princess, Bud and Kitten, so no Silver Saddle for us at CC. That probably eliminates some others as well, like Cucina and Dahl judging from the pictures on their websites. Coffee Pot, Javelina look good for a family as does the Picasso's pizza. Any others for families? Thanks.
Separate question if you drove up from PHX. Was part of 17 closed? My directions are showing north of Black Canyon City is closed for a year. Did you encounter that and what was the detour like? Did it add alot of time?
Thanks, Tripdad.
Thanks JulieR and enjoylife. I think for sure we will try the Cowboy Club as the reviews here and elsewhere are very good. JulieR, I thought I read in a different thread that it was just you and your DH on this trip. We'll have three young teens in tow, Princess, Bud and Kitten, so no Silver Saddle for us at CC. That probably eliminates some others as well, like Cucina and Dahl judging from the pictures on their websites. Coffee Pot, Javelina look good for a family as does the Picasso's pizza. Any others for families? Thanks.
Separate question if you drove up from PHX. Was part of 17 closed? My directions are showing north of Black Canyon City is closed for a year. Did you encounter that and what was the detour like? Did it add alot of time?
Thanks, Tripdad.
Jul 21st, 2006, 03:20 AM
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We didn't eat there but the Oak Creek Brewery might be a family type restaurant. We also had a drink here and there just to check out the place, which was Casa Rincon, Canyon Breeze(you order at a counter) looked like different stuff to choose from,pizza, sandwiches,salads, Vista Cantina,Mexican which had views of the red rock and Oaxaca (the best margarita that I had). Another place would be The Hideway, which is Italian suppose to be good, looked at the menu not expensive, and kid friendly.
We also did not run into any detours from Phoenix along Hwy 17 but it takes a long time to get out of the city, it took 2 hours to Sedona, saw Montezuma's Castle along the way. That was interesting ($5.00) each BTW.
We also did not run into any detours from Phoenix along Hwy 17 but it takes a long time to get out of the city, it took 2 hours to Sedona, saw Montezuma's Castle along the way. That was interesting ($5.00) each BTW.
Jul 21st, 2006, 04:02 AM
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A hometown semi-secret is Judi's, at the corner of 89A and Soldier Pass Road. Their ribs are particularly good. Family-friendly, great food, pleasant surroundings. Lunch and dinner, closed Sundays.
Jul 21st, 2006, 04:19 AM
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Planthetripdad...The Silverado Room at the Cowboy Club had the same menu and prices I believe as the Cowboy Club. When we were there we saw a family with teens, they have booths big enough, so I don't think it would be a problem. Also you have to do the Pink Jeep tour, the Broken Arrow trail, we loved it, breathtaking views, your kids would love it!
Jul 21st, 2006, 04:57 AM
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Julie, you now get the gold stars for what i think is the first official "foodie" report on Sedona (which we now lovingly refer to as "Sodo" since that post appeared with Sodona in the title last week)!! Wow, I feel like I've eaten all of my meals for the weekend.
Pttdad, we have two young teens, so I understand. GOod places for you are Pizza Picazzo; Oak Creek Brewery (be sure it is the one at Tlaquepaque and not the other one- don't let the Brewery part put you off, the food is good and people go there for the food as well as the beers); if you like Thai, Thai Spices; Coffee Pot if you can get in, it gets so crowded; Airport restaurant for breakfast (fun biplane to see and little planes taking off and landing right out the window); Judi's as USNR suggested - not much to look at but friendly and good and the kind of food your kids will eat (mr emd and I went to the bar there while waiting for take out from Thai Spices and everyone was happy); if you want a place to really see Oak Creek and the kids can walk right up and wade in it, rock hop, etc., and cross it on a foot bridge, then go up 10 min. on 89A and eat at Junipine Grill, the creek is right behind the restaurant and it runs big and fast there but not deep, you can see the trout in it, have the kids bring water shoes for this; you might try the Marketplace Cafe at the Outlet Center in Village of Oak Creek on a Wed, Thurs, or Friday night when they have live music, usually piano, and dinner specials- small and friendly place where locals go and I've had some nice inexpensive dinners there; we like Oakaca to sit upstairs on the covered area and have the view, food is good (not perfect but good); Shugrue's for a nicer meal; others mentioned above.
A word on Red Planet Diner on 89A. Your kids will want to go there because you will drive by and see the alien/spcae theme from the outside. IMO, if you go there just go for lunch adn get shakes/malts and a burger. Do not do dinner there. I find it awful but the kids may like lunch there and that is as far as I would go.
There are many places to take your food dollars in Sedona but many are just not good.
Pttdad, we have two young teens, so I understand. GOod places for you are Pizza Picazzo; Oak Creek Brewery (be sure it is the one at Tlaquepaque and not the other one- don't let the Brewery part put you off, the food is good and people go there for the food as well as the beers); if you like Thai, Thai Spices; Coffee Pot if you can get in, it gets so crowded; Airport restaurant for breakfast (fun biplane to see and little planes taking off and landing right out the window); Judi's as USNR suggested - not much to look at but friendly and good and the kind of food your kids will eat (mr emd and I went to the bar there while waiting for take out from Thai Spices and everyone was happy); if you want a place to really see Oak Creek and the kids can walk right up and wade in it, rock hop, etc., and cross it on a foot bridge, then go up 10 min. on 89A and eat at Junipine Grill, the creek is right behind the restaurant and it runs big and fast there but not deep, you can see the trout in it, have the kids bring water shoes for this; you might try the Marketplace Cafe at the Outlet Center in Village of Oak Creek on a Wed, Thurs, or Friday night when they have live music, usually piano, and dinner specials- small and friendly place where locals go and I've had some nice inexpensive dinners there; we like Oakaca to sit upstairs on the covered area and have the view, food is good (not perfect but good); Shugrue's for a nicer meal; others mentioned above.
A word on Red Planet Diner on 89A. Your kids will want to go there because you will drive by and see the alien/spcae theme from the outside. IMO, if you go there just go for lunch adn get shakes/malts and a burger. Do not do dinner there. I find it awful but the kids may like lunch there and that is as far as I would go.
There are many places to take your food dollars in Sedona but many are just not good.
Jul 21st, 2006, 08:25 AM
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emd: fire no problem. Lodging and any other tourist-related businesses lost revenues due to cancellations, but all is back on stream. Monsoon normal -- spotty downpours. We always could use some more. Days start cloudless, cumulus clouds build, then rain may or may not occur.
Jul 21st, 2006, 09:21 AM
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Thanks for all the restaurant info everybody. Will have to do alot of extra hiking to burn off all those calories! Glad to hear the rains have come and the town is back on track. We're coming with our shopping, restaurant, jeep tour and lodging dollars!! Tripdad.
