Tonto Bar & Grill
Please Note: If your desired time is not available, please phone 480-488-0698 as table availability changes often due to cancellations or inclement weather.
Enjoy American Southwestern cuisine featuring salads, sandwiches, pasta, fresh seafood, mesquite-grilled steaks, and house-made desserts. One menu is served all day. Tonto Bar & Grill, gives diners a view of modern desert life with a peek into the past. The restaurant sits on what was once Native American land and later used as a stopover camp for the U.S. Cavalry, and the building itself was part of the prestigious Rancho Mañana dude ranch. It’s chock-full of the charm of earlier eras, displaying ranching implements, vintage 1940s photos and original architecture. Today, friendly service, fine casual cuisine, and comfortable atmosphere combine for a rustic yet upscale dining experience.
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
Popular dishes
Tonto Burger
4 reviews
Sandwiches / Hamburger
Served with fries & fresh fruit. Grilled cheese sandwich; Maverick hamburger or cheeseburger
3 reviews
Lotta Pasta
Noodles with butter only; Noodles with butter & cheese; Noodles with marinara only; Noodles with marinara & cheese
2 reviews
The restaurant was crowded. I was uncomfortable due to CDC. While the tables may have been six feet apart, when people were in their chairs--I don't feel social distancing was being achieved.
It was with one exception. I had asked for outside but only General seating was offered because of restaurant preferencing, probably because of busy night and pandemic seating. Just different than usual, put I think I understand. We will return.
Felix thank you for understanding. Patio requests are on a first come basis so unfortunately not everyone's requests get fulfilled. Please do try us again! Barbara Sikora
Great food and menu variety in a unique atmosphere with beautiful views. Friendly and good service. If you are on a special menu they will accommodate you. we have been coming here for years and plan to continue for the future.
Thank you Daryl. Yes since most of our items are made fresh from scratch it allows us to modify to your dietary needs! Thank you for the nice review! See you soon. Barbara Sikora
Nice lunch on a nice patio.
Thank you David! Barbara Sikora
The crab cakes were delicious. Two at our table had the ahi tuna and raved about it.
Thank you Connie for the nice review! Barbara Sikora
Had a wonderful meal on the building side patio due to a rain, with excellent service. I highly recommend this traditional Southwestern hideaway!
Newriverfoodie, Thanks for joining us on our Cocktail Patio! We appreciate your nice review. Please come back soon! Babara Sikora
We love this spot! In the day time, and in milder weather the outdoor area overlooking the golf course and mountains beyond is magical! We will be back many, many times!
Our evening was great. The only complaint is that we were seated next to a serving station and it was a bit noisy with more traffic than I would have liked.
We’ve been dining at Tonto for 20 years and been through the ups and down. Same beautiful ambiance. I’d give service a 4 out of 5 only because of the busboys who were way more attentive than our server.
The food was so so. Unfortunately pretty bland. The old menu so much better.
Thank you for your feedback. It is always helpful to know our guests perceptions.. It's how we get better. Barbara Sikora
Corn chowder is excellent! Service was very good.
Thank you so much! Barbara Sikora
We love coming here! Becca and Talia are AMAZING and always greet us like we are family!!! Thank you so much for always a great experience!!!
Thank you Tina. I will pass the compliment on to the girls. It is our pleasure to have you as repeat customers. Thank you for your patronage!
Thoroughly enjoyed our first visit!
Menu is for ALL tastes and everything on it is amazing. We have been coming to Tonto now for 20+ years and food and service is ALWAYS top notch. Three sisters appetizer, calamari on their tumbleweed salad, seafood and burgers are beyond amazing. Their specials like Thanksgiving Dinner are beyond mouth watering.
Thank you Jan! We appreciate our loyal customers! We are glad we can continue to meet your expectations. See you again soon. Barbara Sikora
Fantastic patio. Great service and food. Javalinas running on the golf course!
Glad you enjoyed your visit Sunny. We look forward to your return!!! Barbara Sikora.
We had booked an inside table but were pushed in a corner outside against a plastic screen. Restaurant was super packed despite COVID. Did not feel comfortable.
Thought only limited reservations per night. Seemed respect less.
Vegetables on dish was cold.
Just lack of respect and care. Felt like money spent was wasted.. sad.
Ralphs, I am sorry you were disappointed with the seating. I would love to hear more about your experience. We do care and what you think matters to us. Please give me a call at your convenience. Barbara Sikora Mon.- Thurs. 10-4 480-488-0698 prompt 3
One of our favorite places because the food is always fresh and delicious and the advice is always on point. The reason I didn’t give five stars this time is because with covid I was expecting less tables and people not on top of each other. Felt a little uncomfortable sitting next to people who were sneezing and coughing. So we ate and left pretty quickly. That was disappointing being we usually sit and have another drink and take our time.probably won’t be going back till the pandemic has lessened.
Tonim, Thank you for your feed back. It appears as though Saturday the 9th got a little too crowded. We appreciate your thoughts and we will take a look at it. Barbara Sikora
After being seated in the noisy main dining area we asked to be moved to a quieter table in the fireplace room. They happily moved us and it was much better. Drinks came quickly, as always. My husband and I shared a Tonto burger and the beet salad- it was terrific! Medium rare, juicy yum! Our friend had a fajita-type plate which she also enjoyed. We had a great dinner.
TASpeeper, I am so glad we could accommodate your request. We appreciate your patronage. Please come back and see us soon! Barbara Sikora
Romantic setting
Food as always outstanding. Great salads and entrees. Excellent desserts prepared in house. Eating on patio is a great experience. Highly recommend.
Thank you LandS for the nice review. Please come back soon! Barbara Sikora
Ambience disturbed by being overcrowded in this pandemic time. This detracted from our enjoyment of the meal & lovely surroundings.
NormalNR We are sorry we did not meet your expectations! I would love to have the chance to speak with you about your dining experience. Please give me a call at your convenience. Barbara Sikora Mon.-Thurs 10-4 480-488-0698 prompt 3
The place was beautiful don't really have any other comments but the service and the atmosphere or a 5 stars and we definitely will come back
We are glad you enjoyed your experience Scott. Thanks for coming in and for taking the time to rite such a nice review! Barbara Sikora
The food was delicious! Ambiance was wonderful and service was too notch
Thank you for the nice view! Barbara Sikora
New Year’s Eve... friends!
Dined outdoors. Much quieter there. Cool evening, but heaters worked well.
Excellent service & food. My go-to neighborhood favorite for any occasion.
Thank you so much! We love our locals! Come back soon! Barbara Sikora
We had a most wonderful New Years Eve dinner here and would highly recommend Tonto grill to anyone. This is not the first time eating here we have never been disappointed
Thank you for the nice review Steven. New Years Eve is always a very busy night. I am glad you enjoyed your celebration with us. Barbara Sikora
Fabulous date night location. Beautiful ambiance and outstanding food.
Thank you Richard! We hope to see you again soon. Barbara Sikora
We had a group of 9 for New Year's Eve. The food and drinks were fabulous. The service was great and we all had a good time. I have to admit that this is one of my favorite restaurants. I would love to see the shrimp and grits on their regular menu...it was amazing.
MikeE, Thank you for choosing us to dine with on such a special evening! The shrimp and grits is one of my favorites. You never know, it might show up on the menu one of these days. Barbara Sikora
Great menu, fabulous food and great service on one of the busiest nights of the year!
Janet B, So glad you enjoyed the holiday with us and thank you for the nice review! Barbara Sikora
New Year’s Eve, early dinner - they were very busy and we were seated outside of the regular dining room next to one of the large heat lamps. This is our favorite restaurant, and the food and drink were outstanding as usual. I had the special “surf and turf” - the steak was done perfectly and so tender and flavorful - the scallops also cooked to perfection! The service was understandably a bit slow but we were not in a hurry. We will be back soon!
DavidB, Thank you for the nice review and your patience on such a busy evening, We will look forward to your next visit. Happy New Year! Barbara Sikora
Lovely. Food was great. Drinks were pricey. Atmosphere very enjoyable. Service spot on.
KariO We are glad we met your expectations. Thank you for joining us. Barbara Sikora
While the table was not the best placement, near a serving station, the staff were excellent, food was great, and price was reasonable. Mixing bits of fresh rosemary in creamy feta added an unexpected and surprisingly delightful layer to our pasta. Crab cakes were among the best we’ve had with chunk of crab and just enough kick. We were early for our reservation so forgive the table placement and go enjoy!!!!
DanS, We are glad you enjoyed your dinner! So sorry the table was not to your liking. Remember when making your next reservation that we do everything we can to place you in an area you will like. Please come back and see us again soon. Barbara Sikora
Menu is more limited than in the past but still good choices.
Finally got to bring my youngest daughter and her husband to Tonto. Food was wonderful and most of the drinks were too. I would not recommend the Bloody Mary as it came very watery. The color was not red as one would expect from tomato juice and my son-in-law, who rarely drinks said it didnt have much taste. He said it tasted watered down. I did let the waitress know, but she said they make their own mix so maybe it meant there was more vodka in it. Please don’t say things like that when we’re telling you it was extremely weak. Since my son-in-law didn’t tell me right away and we didn’t see the waitress until later. I wasn’t asking for a replacement, I was just asking her to let the bartender know. Her response was somewhat disappointing and not what Iv’e come to expect from Tonto which is my favorite restaurant. The bull was over $300. So it’s not like we didn’t spend much. I think I’ll take a break for awhile.
We always have a great time. Food and service top notch.
Thank you Michael P!
There is nothing wrong with Tonto, it's just the food is not that good. I've been there several times and I cannot remember ever saying what a great meal. The menu is eclectic at best with no one theme to it and the food is a "C" grade. The atmosphere is good and the service is also good, but the food; so so.
JohnsA, Thank you for your feedback. I am sorry we did not meet your expectations. Please feel free to call me if you would like to discuss this further. Again our apologies. Barbara Sikora 480-488-0698
We live in the neighborhood and have had almost everything on the menu. The food, service and atmosphere have always been special. This visit we had 2 of our our favorite entrees; walleye and pork schnitzel. (Uncommon fare in the area and uncommonly delicious.) Each are a low $20’s price including generous portions and creative sides that compliment the entrees well. We dined on the patio overlooking Rancho Mañana golf course, an ambiance matching the casual feel of the resort. (BTW, indoor dining captures an upscale version of the unique rustic western feel of the Cave Creek.) Lastly, there’s good variety on the menu, so whether you go multiple times while visiting the area or have a group with diverse tastes, it should meet your needs.
Thank you so much for the great review. You have mentioned two of our most popular entree's. They have been on the menu since I started with the company 25 years ago. We appreciate your support and will look forward to your next visit. Thanks again for sharing! Barbara Sikora
We had Christmas Eve dinner and we had a lovely time. The food was so delicious and the service was excellent even though the restaurant was extremely busy.
Gunny, Thank you for joining us on such a special night! We are so glad you enjoyed the food and service. Please come back and see us soon. Barbara Sikora
We love Tonto's food & ambience & always bring out of town guests.
Thank youcb01! What a compliment! We are glad you share us with your friends! Please come and see us again soon. Barbara Sikora
It was excellent. Try the corn chowder soup!!!
Thank you.
FAQs
Tonto Bar & Grill offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (480) 488-0698.
Tonto Bar & Grill is rated 4.6 stars by 2108 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.