Richard Blais’ latest restaurant opens in Scottsdale. Take a look inside

For his final concept to open in the refreshed Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort, celebrity chef Richard Blais takes inspiration from Spanish tapas bars and Japanese izakayas. Tiki Taka, which began welcoming customers on Tuesday, joins five other restaurants and bars Blais developed for the resort.

The small bites and bar-driven Tiki Taka joins the resort’s flagship Italian restaurant La Zozzona, poolside escapes H2Oasis and Sandbar, the Grand Vista Lounge and Mesa Centrale, an all-day Southwestern grill.

Blais – a restaurateur, James Beard award-nominated cookbook author, “Top Chef All-Stars” winner and “Next Level Chef” co-host – described Tiki Taka as the vibey “downtown” sibling of the more posh, “uptown” La Zozzona, which opened in November.

Tiki Taka’s interior is luxe but neutral, with pops of art and neon. The space, which serves dinner daily, features an intimate 30 seats inside, either near the sushi bar or at communal tables in the lower dining room, along with a large outdoor patio with room for 108. 

The restaurant’s fusion menu includes sushi and skewered meats that draw on Japanese kushiyaki and Spanish pintxos. It’s rounded out with dishes such as piquillo peppers stuffed with chickpea salad, Crispy Soft Shell Crab Escabeche, blistered shishito peppers and Spot Prawns “A La Plancha.” Sweet treats include mochi, Basque-style cheesecake and the Japanese shave-ice kakigori.

With an emphasis on cocktails, the bar crafts riffs on classics that infuse ingredients from Spain and Japan. Customers can watch their frozen sangria be made tableside with liquid nitrogen. Sips also include a Wagyu-washed old fashioned made with Kikori Rice Whiskey or Yuzu Delicious, a nutty, citrusy drink made with Haku Vodka, pistachio orgeat, yuzu, vanilla and lemon.

Here’s a look at the space and some of the bites and sips at the new restaurant.

Tiki Taka

7500 E. Doubletree Ranch Road, Scottsdale