The Spotted Donkey Cantina

Aamirah Chisti

The first time my sister and I went here it was amazing. The second time was with our parents but the waiter was rude and multiple dishes were made wrong. I understand many restaurants are understaffed and it’s difficult to be in the service industry but it doesn’t excuse being mean to my family because they are unfamiliar with Mexican cuisine and not offering to compensate incorrect orders, especially when one of the orders had beef which my mom doesn’t eat for religious reasons. Really disappointed and hope this place can do better because the food is great.

Katie Mehin

It had been quite a while since my last visit and I was excited to find ample patio seating and reservations available through Open Table. We arrived 5:15pm on a Friday evening and we're seated very promptly, we made reservations for a table on the patio. The inside had a good amount of people dining in as did the patio but still plenty of availability for people without reservations. 5:45 seemed to be when more people started to arrive and the patio started to fill up. We were pleasantly surprised to find that they offer their happy hour on the patio, very reasonable prices for some of their appetizers and lots of drink specials (photo of happy hour menu added). I started with a Mexican Mule ($13 regularly, $11 on HH) which was noted as having charred pineapple with basil and cilantro, it was tasty but the flavors of the pineapple, basil, and cilantro weren't very strong. Next I tried their classic margarita and it was excellent and on Happy Hour only $5, certainly would choose the classic over the mule on my next visit for taste and price. For dinner my husband had the chimichanga and was raving about the meat inside it. The presentation for the chimichanga was great because it ensured the outside crisp during each bite as it wasn't smothered in sauce but cut on half with the middle of each side standing in the sauce. I had the donkey protein bowl and was really pleased with the presentation as well as the ease to mix it all up and get a little of everything in each bite without having to spend all my time cutting through the bowl. It comes with avocado but I added some guac on the side and greatly enjoyed the addition. When I ordered I also got a side of Spanish rice not knowing if the bowl would be filling enough without the addition. Happy to report it would have been totally filling without the rice. The rice was good, but not necessary add to the bowl for the $4.00 side. Looking forward to visiting again in the near future to try out more dishes and the happy hour appetizers!

Dnice._destinations

It was a great restaurant but there were some mistakes. Half the plates came out good the other half came out cold and not done. I expect to drive this far from Phoenix where I live and it to be a great restaurant that I should have no complaints. The food was good the service was excellent but when it came to being on time and being warm they missed the boat. Everybody has a bad night and I don't know if this is one of them, we will go back but it was a bad night and we took our mother in law there for her birthday. But I don't wanna seem like a bad person so they could have just had a bad night. follow me on Google and look at all my pictures. Definitely one of the best places for tequila.

Kevin Fraser

This is a strange situation. This very good restaurant is located in a distressed and essentially vacant mixed-use property. Makes it look like it is also out of business. Added to this is zero road visibility, you have to know where it is and go there as a destination. Now, done with that, this is a great place! And very much in business, busy and fun. Upscale Mexican, part of a small national chain. Interior very much makes me feel like I am actually in Mexico at a nice restaurant. Food is a cut above, several steps above Encanto. Service is not only good but the staff are dressed in sharp outfits, well groomed and attentive. They have a happy hour with competitive prices, typical limited five dollar bar menu during happy hour, but with better food than is typical. Nice bar. Gets busy with the golf course crowd that can easily drive their golf carts to this place. As much as this place is hidden it gets a lot of business, and once you try it you will understand why. I think this place is both a family spot and a nice place for a single like me to enjoy an adult outing. Located upstairs in this large vacant property, there are patio views of the area which is another bonus. So yes, give this one a try for sure!