10 Bad Yelp Reviews for Some of Metro Phoenix’s Best Restaurants

Low-star recaps of some of our favorite Phoenix dining destinations.
Scroll to see what some had to say about Kai Restaurant.

Chris Malloy

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Recently, Tucson.com had a brilliant idea – round up one-star reviews of the Grand Canyon from Yelp, Trip Advisor, and Google. Complaints ranged from the natural wonder’s lack of Wi-Fi, roller coasters, and Dippin’ Dots to a simply stated, “Ehh. I’ve seen better.”

Our brains began whirring at the thought of scouring Yelp, a collection of some of the Valley’s most outspoken restaurant critics, for low-star recaps of some of our favorite Phoenix dining destinations.

Below are low-star Yelp reviews as well as a few that stood out to us as super enthusiastic and purely comical. Just for fun, here are 10 of Phoenix’s best restaurants and their … more interesting … ratings.

Barrio Cafe

Editor's Picks

2814 North 16th Street, #1205
Owned and operated by Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza, Barrio Cafe been around since 2002 and is known for next-level Mexican fare, a tequila-based drink program, and famous guacamole.

Yelp

Yelp

Binkley’s Restaurant

Related

2320 East Osborn Road
Formerly in Cave Creek, Binkley’s Restaurant moved to its current location in 2016. Chef Kevin Binkley offers New American dishes with wine pairings in an upscale atmosphere.

Yelp

Yelp

Cartwright’s Modern Cuisine

Related

6710 East Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek
Brett Vibber is the executive chef at Cartwright’s Modern Cuisine, an upmarket restaurant in Cave Creek serving New American meals often with foraged ingredients.

Yelp

Yelp

Cotton & Copper

Related

1006 East Warner Road, #113, Tempe
A south Tempe restaurant and bar overseen by chef Tamara Stanger, Cotton & Copper serves New Arizonan styles of cooking and thoughtful cocktails.

Yelp

Yelp

FnB Restaurant

Related

7125 East Fifth Avenue, #31, Scottsdale
Chef-owner and James Beard Award winner Charleen Badman plates imaginative vegetable and New American dishes at FnB, while beverage director Pavle Milic oversees the wine and drink program.

Yelp

Yelp

Kai Restaurant

Related

5594 West Wild Horse Pass Boulevard, Chandler
Kai at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass Resort is a AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star restaurant serving Native American-influenced fare.

Yelp

Yelp

Nobuo at Teeter House

Related

622 East Adams Street
James Beard Award winning-chef Nobuo Fukuda was raised in Tokyo and now oversees the five-star omakase-style restaurant, Nobuo at Teeter House (set in the historic Bouvier Teeter House).

Yelp

Yelp

Pizzeria Bianco

Related

623 East Adams Street
The influential wood-fired pizza joint was established by famed chef Chris Bianco. The original Pizzeria Bianco location is set in downtown Phoenix’s Heritage Square, and is known nationwide for its food and wait times.

Yelp

Yelp

Rancho Pinot

Related

6208 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
For more than 25 years, Chef Chrysa Robertson’s restaurant, Rancho Pinot, has been dishing out high-end American food with ingredients representing with the desert seasons.

Yelp

Yelp

Talavera Restaurant

Related

10600 East Crescent Moon Drive, Scottsdale
This Four Seasons restaurant serves high-end fare that almost matches the desert views. No one should visit Talavera without having an order of Chef de Cuisine Samantha Sanz’s seafood paella.

Yelp

Yelp

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