Ocotillo

This was a surprise treat! Had a group of colleagues in town for the week and this place was booked for one of our evening dinners.
I had never heard of this place and had no preconceived ideas about it. Wow, ambiance and layout really kind of blew me away.
Walking through the front it seemed like a nice, fancy restaurant but then we walked through the main floor and out into the yard and the place grew by 10x.
Really unexpected but very welcomed as the weather was beautiful to sit outside.
There is a separate bar building on the grounds which is also unique.
There are even random cats that mosey on through the grounds Great atmosphere. The food.
Well the most surprising dish was the eggplant meatballs.
They were fantastic and the polenta they were served with was rich and creamy like mashed potatoes but better.
I think the group ended up ordering 5 plates of these things.
Really a must try! On the other hand, a colleague and I split the ribs for dinner and that left much to desire.
First of all, they are huge and make a really great presentation.
They look like dinosaur ribs but from there, it kind of falls short.
The where charred which can be good but you get a lot of char taste with it which is overpowering.
The worst part was the amount of fat on these ribs barely left any meat for you to enjoy.
When you did get a bite, it was good but felt there was more picking away the fat than there was time to enjoy the meat.
A let down for the price they are charging. Overall, really cool place with unique food options and a great atmosphere.
Just make sure the food is cooked well and I would go back again for sure.

Owner response

Ocotillo is a restaurant in the Phoenix area.
Parking outside is hit or muss depending how busy it is, but there is some extra street parking if you need it.
Inside there's about 3 dozen tables and outside they have at least that plus more, so it's a pretty large place.
Their menu isn't massive, but they do really good on the food because of that.
Portion sizes are surprisingly big but prices are a bit higher because of it, so it's best to share different stuff here.
The service is great, lots of people running around getting you what you need.
Overall a great experience though.
The ribs were massive and so tender inside, the eggplant meatballs were absolutely amazing.
We really didn't have a bad dish.

Owner response

Friends and I came for an amazing dinner.
Exterior satisfied with all their food.
Beef short ribs are a must.
Perfectly charred on the outside.
Meat is soft, most and flavorful.
Beef ragu pasta was an excellent serving size.
Great for sharing.
Eggplant meatballs were also delightful.
Would get all of the above again! Great place for date night.
Ambience is perfect.
Even has a fire pit outside.

Owner response