Cowboy Ciao, Scottsdale

to be honest i enjoyed the food and service BUT ....i had ordered the house special which was made with an abundant sauce...when i asked for bread, the waiter said that he would charge me for it BUT did not mention that it would cost $6 for five small pieces of bread... their prices are not modest for their food but i expected that BUT to be taken advantage of for bread really made me feel abused......i can pay my way in life but still dont like to leave a restaurant feeling taken advantage of....

We went to Cowboy Ciao because of what we heard about the food - which turned out to be fabulous. Extremely creative tastes and textures applied to old favorites. Our server (John) was one of the best waiters we have ever encountered - anywhere. On our way out we made a reservation for 7 for the following week. We want to share some of the most unique food dishes we had ever encountered with our friends.

A must if you are in Scottsdale. Unique, creative, outstanding. Chopped salad is incredible. Portions are large. Cup of chocolate desert is a great way to end the evening.

One of the most miserable dining experiences I've had in a long time. A recommendation from a co-worker brought me to take 8 clients to CC this week. What should have been a memorable evening started with our reserved party of 9 being sat at a table with 6 chairs.....in a fairly empty dining room. When reminded that there were more than 6 already there and more on the way, the complex problem of moving us to a larger table seemed to stump the assigned server so reinforcements were called in. Minutes later we were happily sitting at a table with 8 charis, fortunately our 9th never showed. Now having flummoxed server #1, she was replaced with server number 2 who had all the enthusiasm of a root canal patient who has been notified that the doctor is out of novacaine. Rolling her eyes at some of our questions about the menu guaranteed her tip was going to be commensurate with her attitude. The menu is not for everyone. CC bills itself as eclectic and the menu reflects it. It should be a unique experience, what was unique however, was that after our entrees were ordered, maybe 20 mins after our entrees were ordered, we were informed that they were down to only 4 servings of a particular entree and the table had ordered 6. Much jockeying ensued, choices were changed and i decided to not order....yes, it was more preferable to go elsewhere. Some people can pull off the indifferent service with aplomb, a la Durgin Park, Cowboy Ciao fails miserably. Their indifferent service, is actually indifferent service. On the ride home, I stopped at Trader Vic's and had a wonderful filet Oscar, priced right, prepared exactly as ordered with pleasant service and no drama. Skip Cowboy Ciao unless you have money to waste, have never dined more upscale than Applebee's or you just want to be Scottsdale avant garde. I cannot in good conscience spend money where it is not appreciated. 0 stars on any scale.

Very interesting food selections. Good portions and presentation. The service is great. The atmosphere relaxed.

The rare combination of maintaining long time favorite dishes over the years while at the same time offering innovative culinary delights, thus always keeping the experience fresh yet consistent.

Cowboy Ciao is my favorite restaurant! They have an amazing menu! The stetson salad is amazing. Also, I recently tried the Pigs n' Pudding, which is BBQ pork with creamy polenta, pepitas, dried cranberries and cojita

Excellent food. Best chopped salad I ever had. Interesting flavors in all the dishes. Checked out the atmosphere in the afternoon and was not impressed. Ended up there anyway for dinner, white table cloths and lighting made a big difference. But the food, you have to try it. Lively crowd.

A very funky location serving great food complemented by an extraordinary, one of a kind wine list. The service for our party of 11 was well handled, and the server was extremely knowledgeable about both the menu and the wine list. One of their signature dishes, stir-fried wild mushrooms, was a disappoitment because the tasty seasoning totally masked the delicate flavors of the wild mushrooms. One guest said his steak was the best he'd had!

The ambience here is where it's at. It's a great place to grab some unique appetizers and a wine flight.