Cadillac Ranch

I am sad this place had to close, whatever the real reason. I miss my bacon won-​tons!

I’m a recent Texas transplant and heard that this was THE bar in Phoenix to visit when the Longhorns football team took the field. I was certainly not disappointed. When I walked in the door, I was greeted with a sea of burnt orange t-​shirts, VY jerseys, and chants of «OU Sucks!»
The bar advertises a pretty impressive happy hour menu with draft pints, bottles, and most appetizers being half off every day between 3pm-​7pm. We had a handful of Shiner Bock bottles (until they ran out), a few Bud Lite drafts, and the nachos and quesodillas. Everything was pretty tasty and the service was great.
After meeting some friendly people and watching the Horns barely pull off a victory, I thought I had found my new second home… until the bill came. Apparently, happy hour is 3−7pm every day EXCEPT DURING TEXAS LONGHORN FOOTBALL GAMES. The bartender said there are signs posted at the door, but we certainly didn’t see them as we entered (nor as we left… and we looked everywhere). It would have been nice to know that ahead of time. Nice business model guys..
My a** felt sore after I paid the check, and I didn’t even ride the mechanical bull.
Very disappointing.

Good Happy Hour Spot. Nice price on drinks and appetizers. The only thing that sucks was they are not consistent on the food sometimes it good sometimes not some much. But still a good Happy Hour Spot

The atmosphere is nice and the TVs with sports on everywhere is a bonus. The food was good. I would recommend the nachos as a starter. The burgers were good but not the best I’ve ever had. The server was friendly, but scarce. The price was reasonable. I would come back.

The interior and exterior design is inciting. They play music videos: country, rock, 80’s, a little of everything — at least when I was there. The food and service didn’t stand out. Basically the usual gourmet American food. There wasn’t really anything exciting about it or unique but the restrooms were nice.

Went to Cadillac Ranch for the first time last night with a big group of friends (about 12 of us) for a birthday get-​together. We got there around 8pm and started ordering drinks and food. The waitress was attentive, so that’s a plus, but the food and drinks were not very good and they were very overpriced.
I ordered the nachos… and what do they bring me? A plate of small tostadas! WTF?! Also, they burnt the chicken they put on top of these tostadas. Every bite was ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ between dry bland food and gross burnt flavor. So then I ordered chicken strips and fries. While the fries were pretty good, the chicken was very bland and kind of chewy.
Now for the drinks… the birthday girl had quite a few and I tried a bit of each. Most of them were really tart and honestly hard to drink. I had the big blue punch-​bowl drink with the Red Bull in it… and while it was a decent (3-​star) drink, there’s no way in hell it’s worth $ 14.
Up until 10pm, this place is a solid 2 stars. However, after 10pm they brought out a terrible DJ and cranked the music up so loud we couldn’t hear each other anymore. The music was terrible, way too loud, and it totally ruined the conversation we were all having. Around this time about half of our group left. The only reason we stayed is because a few people were still on their way, so we tried to make the best of it and we stayed until 11:30pm.
The comments from just about everyone in our 12 person group were… «Wow, this place isn’t very good, is it?» or «Where did our waitress go? After 10pm they simply abandoned us over here, didn’t they?»
All in all, great company at our table… but this place sucks.

I received a message from Bill the new general manager shortly after my review to get in touch with him so I called him back. He was very nice and extended out a sincere apology for the experience I had and wanted to know all that happened and offered to make it up to me if I come back and give them another chance. Like I said in my review, we enjoyed ourselves dancing so it was just the service that was bad so I told him I’ll get back to him after I talk to my friends for our next girls night out outing as we were planning on another in a month for 2 of the girls birthdays coming up anyways.
Well, we decided to go ahead and go to Cadillac Ranch again and Bill said he’ll make sure everything goes smoothly for us and he’ll treat us to champagne and appetizers on him and get us a table for the group.
There were about 11 of us that showed up for dinner and about another 12+ who later showed up for dancing. Bill not only made sure that we had Liz our waitress who was sweet, excellent and tentative in making sure we had drinks, waters, etc throughout the whole night but he also had a security watching our tables so we were well taken care of as promised. We definitely had the VIP red carpet treatment. You won us over and we will be returning for more girls night out in the future. Thanks again for a pleasant experience and doing all you can to making this 2^nd visit an enjoyable one. My girlfriends & I all agree, you went above and beyond expectations and we were very impressed and thank you for a great fun night.

I was with a large group of people for a friend’s going away party and they had decided on Cadillac Ranch as the venue. I arrived a little bit later than everyone else so they had already ordered food and several rounds of drinks. I was worried that the server wouldn’t notice me and I’d have to wait for ever to get something but she was actually pretty quick to come over and get my order. She did a good job throughout the night of keeping up with everyone too so I was impressed with that.
What I didn’t like was later on around 10 or so she comes by and randomly asks if we’d like the check to which I gave her a confused look and an answer of «no». We’re at a bar that doesn’t close until 2 am, we’re having a good time, and no one has asked for a check, in fact I’d like another round while you’re here. Then a little while later she explains that she’s leaving so she needs us to close out our tabs and then go to the bar for everything we wanted. This was annoying but it’s not like we could ask the girl to stay the whole night. I did like the fact that she separated our tabs out for us and was very nice about it even though it was kind of confusing. Food and drinks were average but nothing mind blowing which is pretty much my consensus on the service as well. Nothing really sucked but nothing was great either. Solid 3 stars.

NOTE: this is a FOLLOW UP of a second bad experience:
After receiving a hand-​written card months after my last complaint and review, I thought «OK for real this is the last shot.» In all honesty, I really only wanted to go because the card said it would comp 2 drinks, an appetizer, and 2 entrees.
My husband and I went tonight. We went to the front desk and immediately told the hostesses about the card and were promptly seated. Within 5 minutes of sitting down, Bill, a brand new manager who was having his second day today, sat down and talked to us.
In all honestly, the food was just OK. There always seems to be a small enough issue with everything (ie the margarita is warmish, the chicken fingers are chewy, or the chicken parm’s chicken part is burnt at the breadcrumb layer). The food quality is just below average. I will also mention, within minutes of getting home after dinner I felt sick to my stomach (coincidence or not? not sure).
But the reason I am really updating my review is the fact that Bill came right over to us to make sure we felt acknowledged and to reassure us he would try his best as a mgr. The waitress was fine, and the service was perfectly acceptable.
Although I won’t likely EVER come back, I wanted to acknowledge the efforts of the staff the 3^rd time of coming back with an issue. You may not have regained my «business» but you have earned a better review from me. I honestly can’t give you more than 2 stars with all that I’ve been through, though.

Located in the very popular Tempe Marketplace, this is a fun spot to get together after work. The office has celebrated a couple of birthdays and a few going away parties here. It’s always in the top 3 choices for the young-​ins in the office when they get to pick a place for their special day. There’s plenty of space here to accommodate large or small groups. Our get togethers are normally in the 20 – 30 people range and we’ve never had any issues with service.
The appetizers are good here. Potato Skins and Nachos are the two that I’ve sampled. I’ve only had appetizers and drinks here, so I can’t speak about the entrees.
I hear it’s awesome on the weekends, but that’s for a much younger crowd and I outgrew that scene many moons ago.
Return Factor — 80%

If you enjoy eating pita bread carne Asada tacos, bland rice & black beans mixed with some chili pepper, then this is the entrée for you!
We decided to have dinner there as the crew was setting up for NYE. They sat us in the back of the restaurant, off to the left of the stage. We were the only ones sitting there so we were very secluded from the rest of the restaurant crowd, we almost felt as if we got in trouble sitting there all alone.
The server was very nice & very excited that Omarion was going to be performing for their NYE festivities.
Our food came out in no time, which was a pleasant surprise. I ordered the carne Asada tacos. Presentation was nice. The black beans however looked as if there were bugs in it. It turned out there was chili pepper in it which made it difficult for this person to eat since I have an allergy. This was not mentioned in the menu on the plates description. The menu did day lime-​cilantro rice. But what was served was white rice w some corn kernels mixed thru. The rice had no flavor whatsoever. I was unable to even apply some salt or pepper to help salvage it, since none was brought to the table & our server was no where to be found. to ask for any.
The carne Asada tacos were ok. The meat was tender & the sauce on top of the lettuce was tasty. The menu mentioned the tacos would be on corn tortillas, but what was on the plate was more like a very small pita bread. These tacos saved the plate from the sides it was served with.
Happy eating!

This is typically a place I try to avoid because it’s in a commercial district. On the particular night I came here I was two sheets to the wind having had a few at The Thirsty Lion.
It was a late Tuesday night so it was not very crowded and they had live guitar music so I wound up having a good time. The outdoor area is a nice place to sit overlooking Tempe Marketplace below. The service was OK, not bad but not particularly memorable.
I think this would be an OK place to come during the week. I don’t think i would deliberately come here but would have no problem winding up here on a week night when I’m already buzzed. I think I would be miserable here on a Friday or Saturday night when it’s crowded.
All I know is that by the time I left I was wasted and felt awful the next morning so they did something right.

Tried the 3 Taco combination on Sunday for $ 9.99. This is a pretty good deal consisting of three tacos of your choice loaded with meat (chicken and carne asada) on flour tortillas and then chips and salsa is served with the dish. The female bartender also included an extra order of Chips with salsa and queso which she said cmae with the tacos, even though there was already chips/​salsa on my plate. Carne asada had a nice chipotle sauce and chicken was long strips of marinated white meat. As the only bar open at 11AM for Sunday football, place was empty til about 1pm, so manager will put whatever game you need on the bar TV’s. The only issue is that they should have some kind of Sunday football food specials or keep the apps at ½ price. They did have $ 1 Coors light drafts, so that helped.

When it’s a Tuesday night, and Cadillac Ranch is in dive-​bar mode, I like it a lot. Chill music, nice patio, great specials on beer. Since the bar was outdoors, my pals didn’t have wander off to have a smoke.
Weeknight specials are awesome. $ 3 pints of some good stuff like Mission Blonde Ale. I can relax here, and the interior looks so nice I’ll definitely come back during peak hours. I’m a fan.

Cadillac Ranch is always a good time! I love the location at Tempe Marketplace and think they have a superior patio (my only complaint is all the smoke– but that’s not their fault).
Parking is free, it’s easy to get to, the space is large so it’s never too crowded (even when there are a ton of people there), drink and food selection is great and I love the décor! Where else can you sit under the cover of Rolling Stone magazine from the 80s with Jon Bön Jovi on it?
This is a great place for lunch and the portions are just above medium size. Dinner is great too– just don’t go for a late meal as you’ll be trying to eat as the beautiful people who are looking to party show up and the DJ turns up the volume. I love the AZ Mac N Cheese– try it!
At night, this is one of the places to be seen in Tempe. CR turns into a great nightclub with great music and atmosphere! There’s not a bad looking bartender in the lot either. I miss the mechanical bull because it was always a treat to watch drunk people try to stay on 8 seconds, but I get that it was probably a liability!
Finally, this is a great place for happy hour and groups. I have met here with my sorority alumni group on occasion and they’ve always been really accommodating!

I feel like i Unilocaled this place before but i guess not… Cadillac was okay for food. Bartenders are good they do their job and give you great pours.
Food on the 15 minutes or it’s free menu actually do come out at 15 minutes on the dot. Yeah i timed it, what?
I wouldn’t really come back there are just too many other better bars than this place to go to.
Also i do prefer dives so that is my bias views for you.

I can’t really comment on the food since all we ordered was chips with queso and salsa which we didn’t really eat due to the excessive amount of salt in all three. However, they had a surprisingly decent selection of beer on tap so the hubby and I spent an enjoyable afternoon day drinking on the patio and taking advantage of the happy hour half price drafts. We sat at the bar since the hostess informed us that there was a wait for tables on the patio even though there were a couple empty ones and I didn’t see anyone waiting. Even from the bar we had good people watching opportunities courtesy of the shoppers below, no less than three tvs to watch, and a view of the acoustic guitar singer who started playing shortly after we arrived.
On a Sunday afternoon it was mostly families and couples just hanging out. But I get the feeling that this place makes most of its money from rowdy college kids in the evenings. Since that is not my scene and I didn’t see anything too appetizing on the menu or coming out of the kitchen, I doubt we’ll be back. But I had to give them that extra star for the awesome patio and local craft brews. Too bad they allow smoking out there, but again I guess I am not their target demographic.

In short: amazing BBQ ribs, good service, great décor, and fairly priced. But the toilet paper commercials blasting from the Tempe Marketplace P.A. system are a serious detraction — not to mention unappetizing.
We Tucsonans have a weird relationship with our retarded big sibling to the north (by that, I mean the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, or «The Valley,» as the Phoenicians call it). I try to avoid going to Phoenix, and I can be successful for months or even years at a time.
On this occasion, I was registered to run a marathon in Apache Junction (a nice, laid-​back, podunk suburb to the east — my kind of place), and I had to pick up my race materials. Typing the address into the GPS mapping system of my phone, I was surprised to find myself pulling into Tempe Marketplace, which I knew.
Phoenix is so big that I’m always amazed to find myself somewhere familiar. It’s like standing in the Sahara Desert and finding the comb that you dropped in high school.
I checked in for my marathon, and then put two-​and-​two-​and-​two together: it was lunchtime, I was hungry, and within Tempe Marketplace was a restaurant that had served me some of the best damn BBQ pork ribs ever, three years prior. What was the name? Pink Cadillac? Cadillac Jones? Big Dick Cadillac? Cadillac-​Something. Unilocal told me Cadillac Ranch, and I ascended the steps.
Now for some history about Tempe Marketplace.
A few years ago, I attended a commercial real estate lunch where one of its developers spoke. Apparently the site used to be 150 – 200 acres of toxicity — landfills and auto salvage yards. The developers scooped out the dirt, cleaned it, replaced it, and built a series of restaurants and shops that draws people from all over The Valley. It was, and remains a home-​run. I like and appreciate what they did to an environmental disaster.
Back to the ribs! It was a beautifully sunny day, and I sat on the balcony overlooking the scenic courtyard. I didn’t think that the P.A. system would bother me. I was wrong.
I got a Papago Brewing «Orange Blossom» beer, which is a locally-​brewed lager with an orange flavor. It’s very good — kind of a like a Heifeweizen after you squeeze an orange in. I also ordered a full rack of ribs and loaded mashed potatoes.
Amanda, my server, was excellent — cute, polite, prompt, and helpful. When I asked, she found out where the Orange Blossom was brewed.
The décor is great — it’s all wood, and it has a great Old West feel. Inside the bar is a mechanical bull that drunk wanna-​be cowboys get thrown from.
As I had hoped, the ribs were amazing — perfectly done and fall-​off-​the-​bone tender. The BBQ sauce is one of my all-​time favorites — not too sweet, with a good smoky flavor. I could have used just a little bit more sauce.
The mashed potatoes were loaded with bacon, green onions, and cheddar cheese. They were perfect. I also got french fries, which were spicy and also perfect. The salad was good and big, although the bleu cheese dressing was a bit watery.
The balcony is a great space to sit and enjoy your food and company.
But the noise! The P.A. system never stopped blaring to match the action on the giant television screen in the courtyard. Music occasionally played, but the music-​to-​commercial ratio is about ¹⁄₃ to ²⁄₃. Good songs by Maroon 5, Lenka, and Katy Perry were cut off after twenty seconds, and a Charmin toilet paper commercial took their place. You know the one with the cute cartoon bears going into the bathroom, wiping their asses with Charmin, and then emerging with smiles? Yeah — that’s what I had to see and hear during lunch.
In other words, the P.A. system is not providing music for ambiance; it’s simply another advertising revenue stream. When advertising detracts from the shopping or dining experience of the customers, the Landlords should revise their plan and eliminate it.
So, when the P.A. system is not the fault of Cadillac Ranch, why do I mention it? Because it’s hurting Cadillac Ranch. The commercials are annoying and they detract from the dining experience. The noise makes conversation on the balcony difficult.
The restaurant is a tenant, and they have a lease with the landlord. Hopefully, the owners of Cadillac Ranch will read this, complain to their landlord that the P.A. system is hurting them, and it will get turned off. The world would be a better place.
So, the tab for my lunch: $ 36 (before tip) for a salad, a full rack of ribs, french fries, cowboy toast, loaded mashed potatoes, and two local micro-​brews. That’s a fair and reasonable price.
The restaurant is good and the ribs are so amazing, I may come back the next time I’m in The Valley. I just have to remember my earplugs.
4 stars (it would have been 5, but for the noise)

This place is not usually the type of place I visit, but I often go when co-​workers are throwing a happy hour.
I have to say that every time I visit, our group has so much fun. The wait staff seems to give us the right amount of attention and our drinks are always full. Happy hour prices are incredible. I ordered a vodka water for only $ 2 and pretzel with fondue for $ 5. The pretzel was delicious.
I probably wouldn’t choose to go to Cadillac Ranch on my own, but I always have a great time when invited.

Cadillac Ranch seems like the Scottsdale away from Scottsdale. I’ve been here a few times and the crowd has always seemed stuck up. I can’t comment on the food as I’ve never tried it… so all I’m commenting on is the bar hoppers and the bar tenders.
The bar staff was nice one time… but I think it was just because I went there when it was slow and they (she) would come talk to me. However, the other time I went I may as well jumped behind the bar and made my drink myself… I’m not even sure they would have noticed. Maybe this isn’t a slam to the bartenders themselves as maybe they were understaffed… as it was to the owners.
I dunno… I just haven’t had the best time here.