Alma Scottsdale

Service was pretty slow tonight because the restaurant was super busy, but atmosphere and food were terrific. Oddly, they claimed to be out of avacados and everything related, like guacamole, even though there are at least 4 grocery stores within 1.5 miles. When I ran a restaurant, in such siruations we sent an employee on a grocery run so product to customers was not compromised.
Too bad owners decided to close this location. The choice for their new location shows they have zero interest in serving the customers who have supported them for years. It will be missed.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 3

We had a group of 8 for lunch at 1:30 pm. Very few people were dining as it was between lunch and dinner. Even with the few people in the restaurant the servers were very slow. Not until we were about to place our order were we told they had no avocados. Most of the dishes on the menu have avocados as an ingredient. How a manager let this go without sending someone to a grocery store shows a lack of caring. We placed our order and waited at least 30 minutes before food was served. By then we were close to hangry. The food was good but the wait and lack of basic ingredients really spoiled it for us. Hopefully this was a bad day and not the norm.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 1

Unfortunately the guac was surprisingly tasteless and I’m pretty sure the sea bass was actually a trout (it was pink and not white meat). It was also overcooked and dry :(

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 5

We stopped by Alma for their Happy Hour before heading to the theater, and we wanted something a bit lighter and 'easy to eat' before the show, and they have a great variety of small dishes.
​We got the ​Empanada con Pollo, the best of our selection which was a filling blend of chicken, cheese, and chiles.
​Shrimp Guacamole was fresh, though they happened to be out of the plantains that usually accompany it during our visit.
​Barbacoa Tacos were ok. The beef was served with a very watery sauce/liquid that we weren’t quite sure about—it lacked the richness we expected.
​Red Blend went well with the spread.
​The service was prompt and attentive, which we really appreciated since we were on a timeline. The atmosphere is chic yet relaxed—a perfect spot to graze before an event, even if a few details were a hit-or-miss this time.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Beautiful place great service and food

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Alma delivers an upscale, visually inviting atmosphere, but the experience didn’t fully live up to its polish. The dining room is lively—bordering on noisy—and service felt disorganized for a large party, with uneven timing across tables. Cocktails and pours didn’t quite match expectations, and while the al pastor was bold and saucy, it strayed from the familiar. Come prepared for style over substance.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 3

Loved Angel, our bartender and waiter. Extremely attentive service. We had chicken empanadas and green chili with chips which were both phenomenal. We will go back to Alma on our next visit to Phoenix.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Overall we really enjoy Alma. Great atmosphere food and service. The music is way too loud and got louder as the restaurant filled up on a Friday night. Made it rather difficult to hold a conversation. Back round music is great. There's is unnecessarily loud.

Wow! What a fantastic experience. The ambiance, the food and the service were all next level. We can't wait to come back

Use to be our favorite place for happy hour but their overall menu and their happy hour menu have changed for 2026.

Happy hour menu use to have half the items less than $10. All good food. Now just one item remains under $10. Happy hour guacamole for $12?! Most normal places are less than $10 without happy hour.

Good bye Alma…. 😞

Good food and service

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I wanted to like this place since it's very pretty, has a lovely patio and is in my neighborhood, but I just can't. I had the flight of Margaritas and while the presentation is great, the drinks were disappointing. The classic was weak and bland, the prickly pear was too tart (and weak), the spicey was just disgusting, and the pomegranate tasted great but was like drinking soda pop. The bartender then made what was described as a "top shelf" or "Cadillac" margarita and it was just not up to snuff with very little Grand Marnier. We also had the queso (no chorizo). It was just plain weird. There was a layer of cheese over a milky white substance that was quite runny and totally tasteless. And instead of coming with chips for dipping, it came with three small soft flour tortillas. Even if we could have contained the runny mixture in the tortilla, the proportions were way off so I'm not sure how we would have eaten all the queso. We had planned to eat dinner there but opted to leave after the "appetizer" course. We won't be going back.

It took 10 minutes for the server to greet and ask for drinks. We had 15 in our group, most food came out cold, without the side dishes, which we had to wait for for up to ten minutes after the entree was served, and one person didn’t get their order until we were trying to get the bill and leave. It took another 40 minutes to get the bill. Portions were small and very overpriced. Service can only de described as bad. Pescada, another restaurant by this group, is excellent and could give Alma management lessons.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 1

Waited over an 75 mins. from time sat down until our food was served and needed to be at an event. Love all their restaurants but the kitchen seems to be struggling here with new menu.

I will start by saying that the food at this restaurant is always exceptional. Unfortunately, last night was not one of their good nights. For some reason, they have completely changed the menu within the last couple of weeks. The staff were not knowledgable about the new menu and clearly the kitchen was having problems with it too. Food took a long time to come out and some of our dishes came out twice and others not at all. It very much had the feel of a new restaurant that was working out new kinks. Was a big disappointment as we brought friends with us who were excited to try this restaurant. We will be back at some point in the future, but not for a while. Overall, quite poor but since we've eaten here many times and know that it is indeed a good place, we'll put it down to a bad night with teething pains.